The White Sox announced that both infielder Nicky Lopez and left-hander Sammy Peralta cleared waivers and elected free agency in lieu of accepting outright assignments. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 36.
There wasn’t any previous indication that either player had been removed from the roster, but it’s a common time of year for a bit of shuffling. The Rule 5 protection deadline is coming up on November 19, meaning that all clubs are likely going to be needing a few spots to shield young players from that draft. As that deadline date approaches, roster spots around the league will be at a premium, increasing the chances of a player being nudged off and then passing through waivers unclaimed.
Lopez, 30 in March, has a decent track record now as a glove-first utility player. He was acquired by the White Sox as part of the November 2023 trade that sent Aaron Bummer to Atlanta, then went on to appear in 124 games for Chicago this year. He hit just one home run in 445 plate appearances, leading to a pyramid-shaped slash line of .241/.312/.294. That production translated to a 77 wRC+, indicating he was 23% worse than league average at the plate.
That season brought his career batting line to .248/.312/.314, which equates to a 73 wRC+. Lopez has been able to bounce around the field, playing all four infield spots and even a small amount in the outfield, stealing some bases here and there as well. But the bat is clearly subpar, with seven career homers in 2,346 trips to the plate.
The Sox could have retained him for one more season via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $5.1MM, but it seems the Sox weren’t planning to do that. Lopez has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment, so he’ll head to the open market. He’ll likely garner interest from clubs interested in a depth infielder, either on a minor league deal or a major league pact with a modest guarantee.
Peralta, 27 in May, was first selected to Chicago’s roster in May of 2023, but he’s been on and off since then. He was designated for assignment in March of this year, went to the Mariners via waivers, but then came back to the Sox via another waiver claim in May. Shortly after coming back to the Sox, he was put back on waivers and cleared, getting outrighted to Triple-A. He was selected back to the 40-man in June but has now been outrighted for a second time.
Around those transactions, he has thrown 35 big league innings with a 4.37 earned run average, 17.9% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate. His Triple-A track record consists of 125 2/3 innings over the past three years. He has a 4.80 ERA at that level, along with a 24.1% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate.
Since this is his second career outright, he has the right to elect free agency and has done so. He will market himself to other clubs around the league and will likely be looking at minor league offers.
Escape while you have the chance!
Honestly think both could be valuable depth p pieces for the Pirates for cheap
So they can center their budget around a proven 1B
CWS getting ready for their version of free agency….the Rule 5 draft.
Letting some dead freight loose good, but who’s suddenly going to reverse their couple decades inability to develop position players when they get next batch of fringe acquisitions?
I have hopes that Ramos will hit for least league average production. Ramos has elite bat speed and finally looked comfortable at the plate to finish the season. He also looked real good defensively at 3B, plus has a strong, accurate arm, so he seems a possibility to break their developmental curse.
Colson Montgomery & Jacob Gonzalez should get the first shots at SS & 2B at some point in 25. Until then it’ll be some combo of Sosa, Baldwin, & Amaya…or worse, a vet FA.
Royals bring Nicky back home!
Braves should hope they can bring Nicky Lopez back on a MiL deal, or at least look at him for middle infield depth if they don’t get someone to replace Arcia.
He played really well for Atlanta, came up with some clutch hits, and his defense at SS was excellent. Any contending team would love to have him stashed at AAA for depth, but he also isn’t the worst choice as the backup SS
Padres could be a good fit, Tyler wade replacement with better defense and good contact hitter.
Man i thought after 2021 Lopez was gonna carve out a nice little role in the Show. Above league average bat and well above glove. Alas the pan has had its flash.
I’d be glad if the Braves brought Lopez back to Atlanta as a bench piece. Since they seem determined to start Arcia, at least you’d have a comp guy to put a little heat on him talent wise
Nicky Lopez is not good.
Every AAA team has a Nicky Lopez.