The White Sox have signed reliever Jhan Mariñez to a minor league contract, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Chicago also added outfielder Cornelius Randolph on a non-roster pact.
Mariñez has 103 MLB appearances under his belt. He broke into the majors as a 21-year-old with the Marlins back in 2010, making four appearances. Regarded at the time as one of the more promising pitching prospects in the Florida farm system, he was sent to the White Sox in September 2011 as compensation for Chicago allowing manager Ozzie Guillén to be released from his contract to take the same role with the Fish. Mariñez made a pair of appearances with the Sox the following season but he was outrighted off their roster after a rough Triple-A showing in 2013.
It took a few seasons for Mariñez to make it back to the major league level, but he found a bit of success upon returning in 2016. After a few innings with the Rays, Mariñez landed in Milwaukee and tossed 58 2/3 innings of 3.22 ERA ball. He pitched to a 3.70 mark between three clubs the following season but never missed the kind of bats one would expect from a reliever with a fastball that averaged just under 96 MPH.
Now 33 years old, he’s trying to make his first big league return since an eight-inning stint with the Orioles in 2018. Mariñez’s 3.56 career ERA isn’t bad, but his strikeout and walk numbers (17.1% and 10.2%, respectively) have been underwhelming. The Dominican Republic native has a 3.54 ERA in six career Triple-A seasons, where he’s punched out a more palatable 24.2% of opponents. He’s spent the past two seasons only participating in winter ball action, but he’ll now return to the affiliated ranks and try to pitch his way back onto the big league radar in his second stint with the Sox.
Randolph has never played in the majors, but he garnered some prospect attention early in his career. The Phillies selected him out of a Georgia high school with the tenth overall pick in the 2015 draft. Randolph appeared at the back half of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list the following winter after raking in rookie ball. Always projected to be a left fielder, he had a high offensive bar to clear though. The hope was he’d be a polished enough hitter to overcome those defensive concerns, but that didn’t play out in Philadelphia.
The lefty-hitting Randolph has always drawn a fair amount of walks, but he’s never hit more than 13 home runs in a minor league season. He’s dealt with increasing strikeout issues on his way up the ladder, including a 30.5% strikeout rate in 164 Triple-A plate appearances last year. Randolph owns a .254/.342/.377 line as a professional and hit .235/.323/.386 in his first crack at the minors’ top level. The 24-year-old elected minor league free agency at the end of last season and will try to earn a big league look in his new organization.
That’s not a name I expected to hear signing with an MLB org this offseason
Bad coverage on MLBTR for the meetings tonight. That’s why I am posting this here from Jupiter, Florida. We were just asked to leave the lobby. One thing I know for a fact is that MLB has offered to raise the CBT to $230 million right away. Then up to $240 million after 3 years. I don’t know why MLBTR isn’t covering this but I want to tell my friends on this site what’s going on while I’m down here. MLB just raised their offer on the CBT for sure. Tonight is the last day we can hope for 162 games. Tonight is expected to be a very long night. The longest night since the night we thought a deal was about to get done. The only difference is MLB is coming closer to MLBPA demands. MLBTR should be covering this. A deal could get done and the MLB numbers are closer to the union numbers than last time. The players officially have another offer now and MLB is waiting on the counter.
MLB offered starting at $230 million and after 3 years going up to $242 million on the CBT.
Why is MLBTR not reporting this?
I posted a similar update 15 minutes back in both the Apple thread and the MLB negotiation thread from earlier today. I am a bit surprised MLBTR hasn’t put up a new thread just so we can all argue. I take it as a positive they’re still talking and they’re being mostly quiet, unlike last week when most of the leaks were coming from MLB for positioning and perhaps to try to create pressure on the union and to make MLBPA appear to be the bad guys if talks collapsed. It didn’t work. Regardless, even the MLBN is not covering what’s going on. I suspect both sides have agreed to keep quiet. Mostly.
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MLB’s proposed luxury tax thresholds now start at $230 million and run to $242 million, sources tell The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Andy McCullough. But there remain strings attached to CBT and other issues players are concerned with in MLB’s offer. Full proposal not immediately known.
Because we have you?
For real, thanks though.
Why do you think you were asked to leave the lobby? Did they do similar last week?
I thought I recalled the Pirates throwing him against the wall and him not sticking, and yes, they did.
He wasn’t bad at all for them. I think I remember it just being one of those cases where they had to send somebody down and Mariñez drew the short straw, probably in part because they thought he wouldn’t get claimed.
I think Randolph will be a surprise this year. he started off strong last year before an injury at LHV.
He stinks. Another garbage pick by the Phillies
Good for Cornelius. I hope he gets a chance with the Sox. Even if he never makes it big, I would love to see his efforts rewarded.
Six paragraphs for a guy who was signed to fill out the split squad rosters for spring training before he gets shipped back south of the border. Bottom feeding…
It’s almost as if there is no MLB off-season news to share and create content…
Here’s Jhanny!
I would hang on to all the relievers till the end of the first few months. They are going to need all of them.
Dumpster Diving Rick
“Can of Cornelius”