The Curious Case of the Player to Be Named Later
David Rainey • July 19, 2025
It’s that time of year again. The excitement of All-Star weekend and the Homerun Derby are behind us, and it’s on to the second half of the MLB season. This is the time where the great teams separate themselves from the good teams. It’s the time for teams to show whether they should be considered contenders or pretenders. And with this time of the year, of course, comes the MLB trade deadline. Arguably the most intriguing trade deadline of all the major sports. Fringe teams will have to decide whether to be buyers or sellers, and the great teams will mortgage their futures for one player they believe will take them to the promise land. Now, as out of left-field as the ending to this year’s All-Star weekend was (raise your hand if you also weren’t aware that swing offs were a thing), the MLB trade deadline features something much more curious. The Player to Be Named Later.
You see, as most of us know, it’s extremely common in Major League Baseball for a team like the Padres, for example, to sell off a handful of their top prospects at the trade deadline for a lefty reliever they hope will help them navigate the difficult waters that is the postseason. But what some people aren’t aware of (outside of us baseball nerds of course) is the use of something, or someone more specifically, called the “Player to Be Named Later (PTBNL)” in these trade scenarios.
For those of you who don’t know, here’s a quick explanation of what exactly the phrase “Player to Be Named Later” means. In baseball, when a team isn’t sure exactly which prospect they want in return or when they are trying to finesse the roster management rules, they will accept a “Player to Be Named Later” in return in a trade. This gives that team the opportunity to further evaluate players and choose who they want in return at a later date. This doesn’t mean that the team will just be able to choose a superstar down the road, there are limitations placed on who can be chosen, and most of the time the player ends up being just another player lost in baseball lore. However, sometimes these PTBNL turn out to be more than just a journeyman or even lead to oddities that only baseball can provide.
So, what are the most famous cases of Players to Be Named Later?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Let’s start with the not so unexpected scenario that actually led to the PTBNL rules to be changed.
Trea Turner
Before 2015, there was a rule in place in the MLB in which prevented players from being traded for a year after being drafted. Trea Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2014 Draft which meant, you guessed it, he wasn’t eligible to be traded until the following year. However, in December of 2014 the Padres, Nationals, and Rays agreed to mega-deal that involved 11 players AND a Player to Be Named Later. So, what does this have to do with Turner? Well, everyone was aware of who that PTBNL would be. Trea Turner. But as I mentioned before, he wasn’t allowed to be traded yet. So Turner had to spend the beginning of the next season playing for the Padres who had already traded him. This led to a rule change in MLB before the next draft to avoid this situation ever playing out again.
But where is Trea Turner now? He’s certainly no journeyman. He had an incredible start to his career with the Nationals, before being traded (again) to the Dodgers with Max Scherzer in 2021. He eventually signed a $300 million deal with the Phillies where he still plays and remains one of the best players in Major League Baseball. But is he the best PTBNL of all time? Not quite.
David Ortiz
Big Papi.
Ever heard of him? Sure you have. But did you know he wasn’t always the mashing lefty for the Red Sox that we know and love? That’s right. Early on in David Ortiz’s career he actually struggled to find a place in the league; and at one point, was even a Player to Be Named Later in a trade. He actually started his career with the Seattle Mariners, but he doesn’t mean much to the Mariners franchise outside of being a PTBNL in a trade in 1996 with the Minnesota Twins for Dave Hollins. As a matter of fact, not only was Ortiz not the player we know on the field, he wasn’t even David Ortiz on paper. At the time, he was actually known as David Arias.
You might be thinking, “Wow. The Mariners really traded BIG PAPI.” Trust me when I tell that the Twins feel even worse. Ortiz would play a handful of seasons for the Twins from 1997-2002; however, even after a solid season in 2002 with the Twins, they would go on to RELEASE Ortiz. That’s right. Even one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond was not only traded as PTBNL but was also outright released.
Of course in 2003, David Ortiz would go on to join the Boston Red Sox.
Ten All-Star games, 3 World Series Championships, a World Series MVP, and a Hall of Fame selection later, David Ortiz would go down in baseball history as one of the most feared batters of all time, and the legend we know him as today Big Papi.
What is the oddest Player to Be Named Later situation?
There is a rare, but always delightfully bizarre situation in which a player is traded for himself as a Player to Be Named Later. This hilariously absurd scenario is so rare that it has only happened four times in the history of Major League Baseball.
- Harry Chiti – traded from the then Cleveland Indians to the Mets in 1962 for a PTBNL. However, he was so bad that the Mets decided trade him back to Cleveland as the PTBNL
- Brad Gulden – traded (with $100,000) from the Yankees to the Mariners for Larry Milbourne and a PTBNL in 1980. Once again, he performed so poorly that the Mariners traded him back to New York as the PTBNL in the original trade. Are you sensing a theme?
- Dickie Noles – In 1987 the Cubs traded him to the Tigers for a Player to Be Named Later. Sadly, he didn’t do enough during the Tigers playoff run that year for them to want to keep him around. So, they shipped back to the Windy City to complete the trade as the PTBNL.
- John McDonald – The most recent example. He was acquired by Detroit, who clearly didn’t learn anything in 1987, from the Blue Jays in 2005 for, that’s right, a PTBNL. Later that year, he was sent back to Canada for cash considerations.
There you go. Next time you’re hanging out with your buddies on the back porch naming random athletes from your pass, feel free to drop in a “Dickie Noles” reference and explain the wonderful scenario of him being traded for himself.
Baseball is such a beautiful sport in so many ways. For many of us, it’s the first sport we play as children, or the sport we remember watching with our grandparents on the living room floor. It has such an iconic and rich history. It’s known as “America’s past time” for a reason. But throughout that history, there are so many things that have happened that can only be described as strange and uniquely baseball. And that’s why we love it.
So, when you’re scrolling social media or watching ESPN this trade deadline season and see that stud middle reliever traded for nothing but a Player to Be Named Later, maybe you won’t just brush it off this time around. Maybe you’ll wait to see who that player becomes, and maybe they’ll end up being another great piece of baseball trivia.
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When: Saturday, September 13th, 2025, 6:30 PM Where: The Real Death Valley, Baton Rouge, LA Channel: ABC Spread: LSU -7.5 O/U: 46.5 This will be the 72nd time these schools meet up in this storied rivalry. This game always has a story, a moment to remember, so be ready, football fans! Florida Gators The Gators enter this contest with a record of 1-1. Florida opened up the season with a 55-0 win over Long Island University, but the Gators dropped a game last week to a talented South Florida team. This Gator offense is led by quarterback DJ Lagway. LSU fans remember Lagway all too well from last season. On the season, Lagway is 38/51, with 342 passing yards and 4 TDs. Jadan Baugh is the leader in the backfield. The leading pass catchers on this team are Vernell Brown III, Eugene Wilson III, and Hayden Hansen. The Gator defense is a solid unit. Jaden Robinson and Myles Graham are the leading linebackers. Tyreak Sapp is the leader on the defensive line. LSU Tigers The Tigers are coming off of a "disappointing" victory against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers have a chance to bury the Gators' dreams for the season in this game. This game being in Death Valley helps out the Tigers tremendously. The Tigers better be ready to get on the Gators early and often because this is an upset Gator team with a big upset on the mind. KEYS TO THE GAME - Can the Tigers establish a running game? The leaders on this team need to get up. - Will the Tigers' defense keep up the red-hot start to the season? - Will Braelin Moore be back on the field? This is a mad Florida team who would love to upset the Tigers in this rivalry. Can the Tigers contain DJ Lagway? Fun Fact: Florida running back coach Jabar Juluke was born in New Orleans. He was the running back coach at LSU in 2016. Thank you for checking out my article. Follow me on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) @eazytro
It wasn't the prettiest game, but a win is a win. The Tigers are 2-0. On the 4th play of LSU's opening drive, Garrett Nussmeier throws an interception. The Bulldogs go 3 and out. LSU puts together an 8 play 25 yard drive, but Damian Ramos misses a 51 yard field goal. The Bulldogs punt, but they pin the Tigers inside the 5 yard line. The Tigers go on a strong 11 play 98 yard drive that was capped off by a Nic Anderson 7 yard TD reception. LSU 7-0. The Bulldogs are forced the punt. LSU puts together a 13 play 85 yard drive that was capped off by a Damian Ramos 23 yard field goal. LSU 10-0. The teams trade punts. The Bulldogs kneel out the 1st half. The teams trade punts to open up the 2nd half. LSU goes on a 6 play 33 yard drive that was capped off by a Caden Durham 3 yard rushing TD. LSU 17-0. The Bulldogs punt. LSU goes on an 11 play 38 yard drive that was capped off by a Damian Ramos 46 yard field goal. LSU 20-0. The teams trade punts. The Bulldogs go on a strong 13 play 74 yard drive that was capped off by a Devin Gandy 33 yard TD reception. LSU 20-7. LSU answers back with a 6 play 48 yard drive that was capped off by a Damian Ramos 19 yard field goal. LSU 23-7. The Bulldogs punt. LSU kneels out the clock. Tigers win! Takeaways - This LSU defense is for real! This unit will keep the Tigers in games this season. - LSU has to get the running game going. I think it will come around, but the Tigers have to make opponents respect the run. - West Weeks is quietly having a strong start to the season. AWARDS - Offensive MVP - Barion Brown - This guy plays with the spirit you want to see. Get familiar with the name, Tiger fans! - Defensive MVP - West Weeks - West flocks to the ball! LSU welcomes Florida to Baton Rouge on Saturday. Thank you for checking out my article. Follow me on X (the article formerly known as Twitter) @eazytro