The Cubs announced Thursday that they’ve traded right-handed reliever Ryan Tepera to the White Sox in exchange for minor league left-hander Bailey Horn. The White Sox announced that righty Evan Marshall has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Tepera. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had agreed to a Tepera deal just before the formal announcement.
Tepera, 33, has been a rock-solid bullpen option for the Cubs over the past two seasons, tallying 64 innings of 3.23 ERA ball with an excellent 31.9 percent strikeout rate, a 9.4 percent walk rate and a 44.8 percent walk rate. He’s playing the season on a one-year, $800K contract that comes with $1MM of very attainable incentives. He’s already unlocked $300K of those incentives and is on the cusp of reaching several other bonuses. He’ll take home $100K for appearing in his 45th game — he’s currently at 43 — and will earn $150K for reaching 50 and 55 games apiece. His 60th game comes with a $200K bonus, and Tepera will also unlock another $50K when he spends his 120th on the active roster.
Even with those incentives, he’s been nothing short of a bargain for the Cubs and will give the White Sox an eminently affordable late-inning arm to help solidify the bullpen. That’s key for the White Sox, who are running away with the American League Central but have had a middle-of-the-pack bullpen for much of the season. White Sox relievers rank 15th in the Majors with a combined 4.10 ERA. Tepera can help lower that mark, and his outstanding strikeout rate is lofty enough that it could be an improvement even over Chicago’s combined 27.6 percent mark, which ranks fourth among MLB bullpens.
Horn, 23, was the White Sox’ third-round pick out of Auburn just last summer. The 6’2″, 210-pound lefty breezed through 27 1/3 innings of Class-A this season, pitching to a 2.63 ERA with a 32-to-7 K/BB ratio and a hefty 56.7 percent grounder rate against younger opponents before being bumped to Class-A Advanced. He’s allowed 16 runs in 11 innings there, due largely to 11 walks issued, but it’s a small sample of innings for a pitcher making his pro debut.
Horn ranked 30th among White Sox farmhands at FanGraphs, 25th at Baseball America and No. 23 over at MLB.com. BA writes that Horn sits 90-94 mph with his heater and has a pair of above-average breaking balls, but his command is a red flag that holds him back. He’ll add a college arm with a bit of draft pedigree to a Cubs system that is currently heavier on positions players than on pitchers.
LETS GO!!!
Despite hating the white sox. I do hope he continues to dominate.
Cubbies stocking that farm system!
Don’t stop now boys!
And Lou Gehrig thought he was the “luckiest man on the face of this earth”!
Imagine going from worst to first place!
Welcome, Ryan, to the ChiSox!
You, sir, are beyond lame.
hard to imagine since your statement is inaccurate and useless
hitting YOUR usual career marks still, i see
Bailey Horn?
Sox 3rd round pick in 2020, lefty and would probably end up being a solid reliever
He was a 5th round pick. Learn to read
Thanks for answering my question
I was asking because I never heard of him. Doesn’t matter what round he was draft in.
INDYPUNK – at 3:24 est the article clearly says “Horn, 23, was the White Sox’ third-round pick out of Auburn just last summer” – thats copy and pasted directly from the article. He was drafted in the 5th round but you would have to click the link to see that – small error in the article..perhaps you should learn to read before throwing out insults
Don’t believe everything u read!
Billy! Have you ever heard of Google?
The name is IndplsPunk not Indy
You need to learn to read he was a 3rd round pick now apologize for making a idiot of yourself
Well, the article does say 3rd.
He was the third best guy drafted last year by the Sox, which is the confusion with this MLBTR piece presumably. Even though he was the 5th person off the board, the Sox had gone so overslot on Kelley in the 2nd round that they needed to sign guys for peanuts in rounds 3 and 4 to make sure they didn’t go way over budget. By the 5th round they had found a guy they liked who was willing to take slot.
Horn and his agent had been hoping to go in the 3rd round or even the competitive balance portion of the 2nd round b/c he looked good in models, but that didn’t end up happening. As a senior-sign he didn’t have a lot of motivation or leverage to go back for a 5th year, which is how the Sox got him.
Horn was equivalent on most draft boards to about a usual 4th or 5th rounder. Fangraphs had him at 172 (35+ FV) which is more like 6th round.
Either way, it’s a decent prospect for a non-closer reliever. Right around what you would expect for a guy like Tepera.
Good move for both clubs.
indplspunk – my apologies on the incorrect name. I guess they deleted your apology for being obnoxious for no apparent reason to The Baseball Fan – that or we of different maturity levels.
It stated 3rd round in above release but you look him up on baseball refrence he was 5th round.
That includes your comments.
5th round pick
My bad
5th round
Very underwhelming return for Tepera
He’s a rental. Rentals only bring good returns in fantasy baseball.
Wasn’t like he was going to get a qualifying offer so Cubs would get nothing for him at year’s end. Plus Cubs could save about 700K in incentives that will probably vest while he’s with the Sox.
He was recently listed as number 23 in the White Sox top 30. So, it’s really not that bad for a rental relief pitcher. He’s only 23 so he will have some grooming to come. Most scouting list him as a back end starter/innings eater. He may have a higher ceiling as a lefty reliever. I must say that Tepera has been solid this season. But that’s the reality of what relievers are worth unless there’s more years attached at a decent cost or elite closers.
He’s solid
If you have to get traded, not leaving your current club’s city is the way to go.
Yeah, moving sucks
Dumpster divin… oh wait
At first glance, I like this trade.
Treat our MVP candidate well
He’s in good hands and on pace for another MVP caliber season!
That’s all we could get for Tepera?????
Horn is a decent enough prospect, I think the deal worked for both sides
Sox 23rd ranked team prospect and they don’t even have one in the top 100.
The only way you get more, is sending cash along with Tepera. That’s just the way it works. Don’t get to caught up in rankings, those can change quickly.
Bc they are all up playing first place baseball in the majors…
In the AL central lol
Big lefty that can hit the high 90s. You can’t have enough of those guys. It’s 2 months of Ryan Tepera. I obviously would of preferred a trade to nearly anyone else but not horrible.
The article says he sits 90-94 with his fastball.
His scouting report on mlb says he tops out at 98. Regardless, a big lefty that can consistently hit mid 90s is pretty valuable.
That’s because they are all in the majors now….smh
pretty shockingly low for one of the game’s better set up men
Waiting for the Phillies to do something…. anything….
Nice move. Stat line, metrics, veteran, all add up. Nothing to not like about this one
I wsas told Jed Hoyer was “dumpster divin’ ” when he signed Ryan Tepera? Is this true of Rick Hahn now?
Even a dumpster diver finds some gems eventually.
Same was said when the cubs traded for Chafin last year.
Tommy Hottovy is an artist.
I sure hope the he can help us.
He will.Aside from a four game stretch he has been about as dominant as Kimbrel. Ross used and abused him , however since his IL stint his k% has actually increased. He won’t be overused on the south side.
He went to the IL after he had a couple of bad outings, coincidentally at the same time the sticky substance rule came in. Apparently, he made adjustments. We’ll see.
Excellent move. Now just need to add an upgraded left hand to that bullpen.
still crickets from the phillies
Wouldn’t be shocked to see a package of Kimbrel/Davies end up in Philly
Phillies have nothing of value.
They have half off coupons for cheesesteaks. Do you know how valuable that could be
About as valuable as cheese curds in Milwaukee.
As with already other trade made so far, Sox
Didn’t give anybody up that they are going to need this year. Nice job Rick now get one more reliever and I’ll be happy.
Cease is the next RP
Add Keuchel to the RP list if we get Scherzer!
They’re not getting Max. Time to take off those rose colored glasses.
Not getting Scherzer
Even though I hate the Cubs, I hope he does well too.
Cant believe Jed couldnt get Eloy back for Tepera 😉
Jed is looking for a player that can stay on the field . 11 ab and eloy hurt his groin
Perennial MVP candidate, Ryan Tepera.
For what it’s worth and what it cost the Sox and a bullpen that was screaming HELP, HELP, not a bad move according to his numbers. Haven’t seen him pitch but the numbers look good. Horn was not coming up this year or even next. Ryan may or may not be the 7th inning answer. It obvious from what I could see with his performance the last 2 nights that Kopech and Bummer will possibly share the 7th and or the 8th. Huer and Tepera share the 7th. This could be the and send Crotchet down to either stretched out and work on what’s wrong with him. Romberg, Crotchet went from college to the majors. He has the stuff and this may be the way to fine tune him and maybe bring him up for September.
Jed Hoyer
I wish the Jays brought him back – even more so after seeing what it took to land him
Hahn got a good one here.
Great add for White Sox, why all the cubs fans being dumb on here? I am a cubs fan lets stop the hate. White Sox can enjoy a good year too you know.
Also good return for cubs the guy is a 33 year old reliever who is not signed for next year.
If you want the White Sox to “enjoy a good year”, might I suggest you’re not a Cubs fan,
Enjoy that 5 year rebuild Carl!
I’ll take the over on that!
Less time than it took the Sox, dude ranch!
I don’t hate any mlb team, I love baseball too much for that.
I am also a Joey Votto fan, does that disqualify me from being a cubs fan as well?
Good pickup. Wouldn’t mind another, bigger fish to help in the bullpen as well, but we’ll see if anything shakes out before the deadline passes.
I was hoping that the Jays would bring him back. He’s always been one of my favourites. Good pickup for the Sox though.
Man, if I were a GM, I would always be the first to contact the Cubs because it’s like going to an estate sale vs a thrift shop. LOL. The Cubs need to seriously get a better grip on trading players – especially when it comes to rivals. For example, a Rizzo, Bryant or Baez trade to Cinci (for example) would be outlandish!!!! Likewise, GIVING Cease and Eloy to the WS was also idiotic, especially for Q, and don’t get me started on the Davish trade or the Heyward deal. Wow! The Ricketts’s only care about money at this point, and getting an All Star game at Wrigley. They should stop taking fans for granted. 2016 is long gone and the NL is way tougher.. Time to win again, now! Hopefully, this trade works out for both teams. That said, we are ALL Bearing-down, together. LOL
All you care about is the Cubs. All your posts are about the Cubs. You are either a closet Cubs fan, or have penis envy.
The white Sox are not rivals to the Cubs. Just another small market team.
You’re a clown. Ricketts has spent more money over the years than Jerry. Jerry is a joke of an owner. Need examples? Breaking up the jordan Bulls. Being a driving force behind the 94 world series being canceled when you had a good team. Numerous White Flag trades.
The Cubs gave up too much for Q but at the time he was a valued piece and the Cubs had just won the world series so they were being aggressive to optimize their window. The Heyward contract didnt work out but at the time he was highly valued.
All your other points were rambling nonsense. Just another dumb white sox fan.
Nice move. Now we need one more RP and a HR hitter. 🙂
Not the best reliever out there. But not bad either. I still would have Sox taken Kennedy from Texas. His numbers were better. But Tepera just might do the trick. Can be any worse than what we have prior.
No reason Kennedy can’t still be added in addition.
Trash heaping White Sox!!
Isn’t this what white Sox fans were saying when the Cubs brought Tepera back?
We need Trevor Story. More Home Run Power needed. Jimenez also hurting again and no reason the think the Robert might limp off the Field also when he returns. Now I am not a pessimist before everyone jumps on me. It’s a fact, Jimenez is fragile. Robert’s hamstring. Need a backup plan. Burger for Story if you can an extension done.
Ummm, you been asleep? We picked up Hernandez, an HR hitting 2B earlier today.
So a journeyman utility player’s gonna score all the runs for this team? Do be foolish. This team can’t hit the front side of a barn against decent pitching, and the bullpen can’t 3 outs without leaking runs. They need more big bats, not benchwarmers and utility players.
LOL You don’t trade Burger for a rental that’s # have nose dived in all metrics
On one hand, they are upgrades. But I sincerely hope this isn’t the last move they make.
The certainly improve the team, and their odds in playoffs, but I think a higher leverage are is needed if they really want to go over the top.
Tepera has been setting up for Kimbrel and has done great this season. He can pitch in high leverage spots
Another solid, under the radar deal that will add value to the club
Yep, 1 more relief pitcher left
Am I the only one who feels the return for guys like Tepera, Gallo, Givens is awfully light? We assume teams took the best offer.
Low minors prospects are pretty plentiful these days, especially with the reduction in the # of teams.
@atmospherechanger
I was thinking the same thing. That’s why I was relieved when someone finally woke Hahn up to make these trades. A lot of trades have been made over the last week where the return was surprisingly low for the team giving up the centerpiece of the deal. I thought even the return for Frazier was a bit light.
@83sox94win05
Well, looks like it’s just you & I then.
Maybe I’m just old but it’s easier for me to understand K/IP and BB/IP than strikeout rate and walk rate.
I’ve said “who” on both Sox acquisitions today. The second baseman can’t get on base and I don’t like the mystery of whether results transfer from the National League players. So much for my lofty dreams of Merrifield and Kimbrel. It looks like health will be the deciding factor on how far this team goes, as opposed to help from trades.
Tepera has pitched well w Tor
This is a deal that fills both teams needs…Cubs hope the floor on Horn is a reliever and win the deal if he becomes a starter by 2024. CWS needed a 6/7 inning guy that can eat innings.
Good. 2 trades where the Sox made upgrades and gave up very little. Granted these aren’t enormous upgrades, but at least they are upgrades. I’m just glad they gave up 2 dime-a-dozen low-level MiLB pitching prospects to get these two.
I’m curious to see if there’s another move up Hahn’s sleeve within the next 24 hours. I’d love to see another reliever (or two) come to the Sox. With Robert and Grandal coming back soon, I’d have to think they are done offensively. I guess we’ll see by this time tomorrow.
At least Hahn didn’t sit on his hands and he didn’t give up much in the grand scheme of things. I was worried about either one of those scenarios happening.
BTW, I’m curious to see which two get sent down. Have to think Heuer or Burr for the pitcher, and probably Mendick for the hitter.
Lopez down. Sheets or Mendick. Burr or Heuer if they pick up another pitcher
@83 Totally agree. I was shocked that they gave up so little to plug two holes. I mean these aren’t fantastic players, but both are clear upgrades. Tepera is probably their 3rd best reliever behind Liam and Kopech. Crochet giving up too many baserunners lately. The bullpen was such a mess that Tepera was a must-have.
Anyway I don’t see how any Sox fans can be negative about these two trades. I hope they get one more reliever, just like the Astros did, because their bullpen is still pretty shabby. Since they gave up so little so far, I can’t see why Hahn would not be trying to do that. Sheets, Burger… going nowhere. Outstanding.
Sheets Burger going nowhere but AAA. They are insurance and future
Such a damn stupid trade by the Cubs. 30th ranked “prospect”? Why bother? If it was anyone other than the Sox I wouldn’t care but why give your main rivals any player for a guy who probably will never see the majors. It just shows that Hoyer doesn’t get it.
Then again, he was GM when they made one of the worst trades ever (Eloy & Cease for Quintana), so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
The Sox are not “the main rivals” of the Cubs.
Sox are the Cub’s main rivals?
I would be celebrating this if the Sox just did not lose 3 of 4 vs the Royals. The Sox looked great coming back from the AS break, taking 2 or 3 from the Astros.. Finally looking like a competent team, but then seeing them get pummeled by a playoff contender (again) and then playing they way they have against doormats like the Twins and the Royals…. This team doesn’t show up A LOT. Moncada just looks like he is going through the motions this season, not sure how he got his average up as every time I see him swing its usually missing the ball and walking back to the dugout to count all that cash hes bagged. I already see the excuse makers lining up “But the Sox have x game lead’ ‘The Sox just got x and x ball player’ ‘Wait until Luis Robert is back’ the problem is that Moncada Jimenez and Robert all spend time riding the pine with their injuries. and as for the guys they just got, well, Im a bit baffled by in them getting. I mean getting players that are slightly better than what they had is not really what a WS contender does, they get the best tools to get to the big series. I get you do not want to overpay, but jeez. I just think there are going to be a lot of disappointed White Sox fans at the end of the year wondering what happened.
I’m a pessimist on some level because of the Sox history. I agree these are not World Series caliber additions, but the bar is pretty low on who these guys were replacing so they are both clear upgrades. It seems other teams got better in more significant ways, Astros adding 2 relievers, Rays getting Cruz, A’s getting Marte/Chafin. Yankees Gallo and now Rizzo, though they might not even make the playoffs. With how little the Sox gave up, hopefully they can make another trade.
As far as this bad streak, all teams go through them. 162 is a ton of games. In 2005, the Sox lost 7 straight in August, then 10 of 14 in September. They almost blew the division actually, but got going the last week of the season before killing it in the playoffs. I think their competition this year is much tougher in October than in 2005, and would not favor them in a playoff series vs the Astros or Rays. They’ll have a chance, but it’s going to be very tough to win every playoff series most likely. Hope they are playing well at that time, what they are doing now, good or bad, does not really matter at all.
Eloy playing some reinvigorated and determined LF
Yeah, for 2.5 games. I would like to see him stay healthy for the rest of the season into the playoffs though… Same with Robert.
Calling it now, Sox Brewers World Series. They both can cruise until the end of the season and be rested for the playoffs, or that could totally backfire and they can face red hot teams. Ugh sports !!