White Sox, Matt Lindstrom Agree To Minor League Deal

2:45pm: Lindstrom’s deal is indeed a Minor League contract, as Seth Lasko of the Charlotte Observer reports that Lindstrom is headed to Triple-A Charlotte (Twitter link).

1:55pm: The White Sox and Matt Lindstrom have agreed to a contract, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi doesn’t specify, but I’d imagine that at this juncture, the Legacy Agency client’s contract is of the Minor League variety.

The 35-year-old Lindstrom signed a Minor League deal with the Angels this offseason but struggled in his new surroundings, allowing seven runs in 5 2/3 innings before being released. Lindstrom was a highly reliable bullpen piece from 2011-13 with the Rockies, Orioles, D-Backs and ChiSox, but he struggled in his second season with Chicago last year, likely due to injury. Lindstrom opened the year as the team’s closer, but a subluxed tendon in his ankle required surgery and shelved him for three months.

Lindstrom has always thrown hard and did so again in 2014, averaging 93.1 mph on his heater (although that’s admittedly a step down from previous seasons). He’s also increased his ground-ball tendencies over the life of his career, as he’s recorded a mark north of 50 percent in each of the past three seasons. Despite the plus velocity, Lindstrom has never been a big strikeout pitcher, averaging just seven punchouts per nine innings in his big league tenure.