The White Sox have signed veteran reliever Bryan Shaw to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training, the team announced. The CAA client will vie for a spot in Chicago’s bullpen over the next several weeks.
Shaw, 35, has spent the bulk of his career — including the past two seasons — in Cleveland. He struggled to a 5.40 ERA in 58 1/3 innings with the Guardians in 2022, thanks to one of the lowest strand rates of his career (66.3%) and one of the highest home-run rates he’s ever yielded (1.39 HR/9, 15.5% homer-to-flyball ratio).
Shaw was one of the most consistent and most durable relievers in the game from 2013-17, thrice leading the American League in appearances and twice leading all of MLB in that category. In that span, he tossed 358 2/3 innings of 3.11 ERA ball, which set the stage for a three-year, $27MM deal in Colorado that almost immediately proved regrettable for the Rockies. Shaw was tagged for a 5.61 ERA in two seasons with Colorado before being released and struggling with the Mariners the following season.
While things have gone poorly for Shaw dating back to 2018 — 5.23 ERA, 268 1/3 innings — his 2021 season offered a glimpse of his vintage form. He’s only one year removed from 77 1/3 frames of 3.49 ERA ball in his first of two seasons back in Cleveland. Even as he’s struggled, Shaw has maintained solid velocity (94.6 mph average four-seamer over the past couple seasons) and above-average ground-ball tendencies.
Shaw will give the ChiSox a durable veteran arm who can potentially be stashed in he upper minors, and if he’s able to round into 2021 form, he can help the Sox to weather the absences of Garrett Crochet (April 2022 Tommy John surgery) and Liam Hendriks (undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma). As things currently stand, Chicago’s primary late-inning relievers include Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, Aaron Bummer, Reynaldo Lopez and Jake Diekman.
Was hoping he’d get the same with Cleveland again. Hope we’ll see him back up in the show, was a solid presence in the pen the last couple seasons for the younger guys.
He sucked last year. I’m glad they didn’t resign him.
Easy to look at his stats and say ‘he sucked.’ The local paper called his contributions last year “immeasurable,” noting his lone veteran presence was part of the second best bullpen WAR in the league, behind Houston.
He also started the first two games of his long career when they were shorthanded, and he made no waves, the opposite, actually, when he was left off the postseason roster.
Well, when Cleveland discards a pitcher, buyer beware. I think Tito finally wore out Shaw’s rubber arm.
Yeah-seems like his arm should be shot at this point. Would be thrilled with 1 good month early this season since they are short-handed (pen and 2 rotation spots that will tax BP even more if you count Kopech as coin flip to be healthy).
Why not sign Zack Britton? He’s a LHP like Crochet and has closing exp.
To quote myself, he was Shawful last year
Time to make amends by being better at baseball. Opportunity to redeem himself before friends, neighbors, countrymen. A ShawShank redemption as it were
He’s Hahn’s kind of player: Was good, isn’t anymore, hoping for a miracle at the hands of coaches who have built such a formidable minor league pitching staff to help him become the pitcher he was.
Hahn’s “strategy” worked out fine with Elvis Andrus last season and hopefully will continue into 2023 now that he is back as the White Sox second baseman. Southpaw reliever Jake Diekman didn’t pan out last summer but could work out this season. Same with Bryan Shaw who is only in camp on a minor league deal, same as Johnny Cueto was late last spring. Cueto turned out to be quite the find once he stretched out at AAA.
I don’t know how old you are but you’ve become the MLBTR White Sox curmudgeon this offseason. I’m 67 and have been a White Sox fan since the back end of their “Go-Go days”. I’ve had my share of critical thoughts as well but it’s spring now pal, try becoming a little more optimistic…at least until the games start for real. 🙂
Yeah let’s all be more positive in general. I was legally dead for two minutes and I feel blessed to be able to watch the White Sox again and now I move back to Chicago so I get to see him in person that’s what’s gonna take my depression away
On a serious note, I am glad that you pushed through, but as a Sox fan you are playing with fire if following their franchise doesn’t increase depression..
Lance Lynn and Bryan Shaw could make for some hirsute looking ‘bookends’ on the 2023 White Sox pitching staff.
He’s about as likely to work out as Robert Shaw or George Barnard Shaw. And they’re dead.
Or his cousin Cole Slaw
We’re gonna need a bigger bullpen
It’s hard to believe that there is any focus of any sort for Deikman helping. The Sox opponents were excited every time he came in.
What was the contract the Rockies gave him in 2018? Wasn’t it like 3 years 30 million lol
It literally says in the 3rd paragraph of the article.
It figuratively says that
It didn’t when I read it obviously lol.
Hopefully Bryan is not like his brother Tommy. “Don’t Let it End” not good words to live by when you make your living in the bullpen
I always thought that Tommy just had a bad case of “Too Much Time On My Hands”.
This signing has no down side. If he performs … great. If he doesn’t, send him to AAA and ask him to be a veteran presence with the idea of some day becoming a coach. Plus, I never trust poor pitching performance in Colorado. Some pitches does move in Colorado like they do normally … nothing to lose
Shaw certainly was not good, but I don’t think he was as bad as his numbers show. I could see an ERA of 4.00 with 50+ IP