# Player to be named later

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [December 6, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166 "2010-12-06T17:50:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166/1 "2010-12-06T17:50:15Z")

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A lot of baseball trades include a “player to be named later”. Are there any examples of these players who became great or very good players?

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166/2 "2010-12-06T18:08:08Z")

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According to Wikipedia, David Ortiz and Moises Alou would qualify.

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**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166/3 "2010-12-06T18:23:30Z")

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Here’s a few prominent players who were once the ptbnl:  
Scott Podseknik  
Coco Crisp  
David Ortiz  
Dmitri Young  
Moises Alou  
Fernando Vina  
Marco Scutaro  
Jeremy Bonderman

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**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166/4 "2010-12-06T18:26:18Z")

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I’ve also long wondered exactly how that works. I assume it’s conditional based on the other parts of the trade, but frankly I have no idea. Who exactly decides who this later player is?

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**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166/5 "2010-12-06T18:31:48Z")

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> [@DCnDC](#):
>
> Who exactly decides who this later player is?

Both teams must agree, but there’s often a confidential list of possibilities agreed at the time of the trade, from which the receiving team will later choose one.

Scutaro is a subject of the film _A Player to Be Named Later_.

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**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/player-to-be-named-later/563166/6 "2010-12-06T18:39:28Z")

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Often the player is already decided by both teams, but due to some mlb rule (for example drafted players can’t be traded for 1 year) they have to wait to announce the player.