White Sox Place Angel Sanchez On Waivers

The White Sox have placed infielder Angel Sanchez on waivers, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  As a Rule 5 pick, he will be offered back to the Angels if he goes unclaimed.  Sanchez is currently on a rehab assignment after suffering a lower back strain in April.

Sanchez, 29, posted a .240/.305/.285 line in 328 plate appearances for the Astros last year, playing shortstop, second base, and third base.  The Puerto Rican was drafted in the 11th round by the Royals in 2001, one pick after the Pirates chose Stephen Drew, who of course did not sign and became a first-rounder in '04.  Interestingly, the 11th round of the 2001 draft also produced big league All-Stars Geovany Soto and Dan Uggla.

2012 Rule 5 Draft Results

Each year, Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 Draft. For those who are unfamiliar with the event, MLBTR offers an in-depth description, but here's a quick overview.

Players are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they aren't on the 40-man roster four or five years after signing, depending on the age at which they signed. Teams draft in the reverse order of the previous season's standings but aren't required to make a selection. If they do choose a player, they pay his former team $50K and must keep that player on the Major League roster all season or offer him back to his original team for $25K.

The results from the Major League phase:

1. Astros take righty Josh Fields from Red Sox
2. Cubs take righty Hector Rondon from Indians
3. Rockies take lefty Danny Rosenbaum from Nationals
4. Twins take righty Ryan Pressly from Red Sox
5. Indians take first baseman Chris McGuiness from Rangers
6. Marlins take outfielder Alfredo Silverio from Dodgers
7. Red Sox take second baseman Jeff Kobernus from Nationals; traded to Tigers for infielder/outfielder Justin Henry
8. Royals
9. Blue Jays
10. Mets take lefty Kyle Lobstein from Rays; traded to Tigers for cash considerations
11. Mariners
12. Padres
13. Pirates
14. Diamondbacks take righty Starling Peralta from Cubs
15. Phillies take outfielder Ender Inciarte from Diamondbacks
16. Brewers
17. White Sox take infielder Angel Sanchez from Angels
18. Dodgers
19. Cardinals
20. Tigers
21. Angels
22. Rays
23. Orioles take lefty T.J. McFarland from Indians
24. Rangers take righty Coty Woods from Rockies
25. Athletics
26. Giants
27. Braves
28. Yankees
29. Reds
30. Nationals

Second round of Major League phase:

• Astros take first baseman Nate Freiman from Padres
• Marlins take lefty Braulio Lara from Rays

Angels Sign Angel Sanchez

The Angels have signed infielder Angel Sanchez to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  The contract contains an invitation to the Halos' Major League Spring Training camp.

Sanchez, 29, hit .240/.305/.285 in 328 plate appearances with the Astros last season and elected to become a free agent earlier this month.  Sanchez has a total of 628 Major League PAs with the Astros, Red Sox and Royals in a 12-year pro career that began as a 17-year-old.  With Maicer Izturis expected to sign elsewhere in free agency, Sanchez will compete to replace him as infield depth on the Angels' bench.