The Padres have acquired right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio from the White Sox in exchange for cash, per announcements from both clubs. Chicago designated Marinaccio for assignment earlier in the week. San Diego’s 40-man roster is now up to 35 players.
Marinaccio, 29, has appeared in each of the past three big league seasons, with all his MLB time coming as a member of the Yankees. He’s posted a sub-4.00 ERA in all three of those individual seasons, working to a composite 3.22 mark with a strong 28.2% strikeout rate but an ugly 12.6% walk rate. Marinaccio averaged 93.6 mph on his heater this past season and paired that offering with a changeup and slider, both of which reside in the low 80s.
The ChiSox claimed Marinaccio off waivers from the Yankees on Sept. 23. He didn’t make it into a game for the South Siders, but given the general state of disarray within their roster, he seemed like he’d have a chance to factor into the 2025 bullpen mix. General manager Chris Getz ultimately felt differently, as Marinaccio was bumped from the 40-man roster this week to open space for veteran innings eater Martin Perez.
Marinaccio’s track record in Triple-A is generally supportive of his output in the big leagues, making it something of a surprise that the White Sox moved on for next to no return. He’s pitched in parts of four seasons there and logged a 3.35 ERA in 91 1/3 innings, fanning 29.9% of his opponents against an 11.3% walk rate along the way. Marinaccio still has one minor league option year remaining, and he’s controllable through the 2028 season as things currently stand (though future optional assignments could change that calculus). He won’t be eligible for arbitration until next offseason at the earliest.
Do your magic Niebla.
Bleh
Dude has decent stuff. You’re right, Midway…let’s see if Niebla can get him on the right track
Good luck. Matt Blake couldn’t do much with him.
@Joe – I think Marinaccio was fine. He just kept getting sent up/down as one of the few guys with remaining options. Even when he pitched well, he’d get demoted for a fresh arm.
Think they moved on because he expressed frustration with his role.
Was actually hoping they’d claim him. Padres love all those ex-Yankees.
Fernando the Yankees had worse relievers than him but I don’t think he has much of a go to out pitch. Mop up is his ceiling I think.
@Joe – Agreed, they definitely had some worse guys that they wouldn’t cut (Santana, Miesiewicz I think at the time).
He had an elite changeup, but it has regressed. The bigger park in SD and their pitching coach likely get something out of him.
Niebla? He is playing catcher or left field.
I think most are in agreement that the plan is to have Ornelas in left. He has done well in the PCL but a lot of people do. For catcher they want to give Campy another shot with Sully backing him up until Salas is ready. Salas probably won’t be up for another year or two.
Did you hear what Esposito said about Salas. Salas stayed in Az in the offseason to work with Esposito and others at the Peoria facility, which was why he was available to be in San Diego to catch Sasaki, and Esposito said he has the best defensive skills of any catcher he has seen. Not at his age, ever seen. High praise indeed.
Salas will go to San Antonio this season and if he can hit as well there as he did in the AFL last fall, he will be up before the end of the season,
Let’s hope he hits well there. People freak out about his numbers last year without realizing he was a teenager playing high A. I think he will be just fine.
Under the radar bullpen arm. I like it.
big time upside for minimal cash.
Estrada-like move.
The padres made a move! Here comes trader AJ!
Detecting some sarcasm. Love it haha
Unfortunately the other move they made was to get rid of their city connect jerseys at the end of the year. I thought they were awesome.
Joe, I had not heard that. When they first came out (like most new stuff), I want a fan but they really grew on me and I would say I enjoyed watching the CC days.
What is the plan going forward?
The thought I’ve seen is teams are starting to go to new CC jerseys and SD is going to get new ones as well. I guess it’s all about marketing and selling new stuff.
7 or 8 teams are changing their City Connect jerseys this year and next.
Do the Yankees have CC jerseys?
They do not. Unless you count the Mets CC jerseys that look like a Chinese knockoff of what they think the Yankees unis would look like.
Joe, they are just changing them after 2025. The plan has always been to change them every few years.
The Nationals and Rockies retired theirs at the end of the 2024 season and 5 others will join the Padres in retiring theirs at the end of 2025.
@Joe
All the City Connect teams are doing that, as I understand. There is presumably a version 2 of the City Connect coming, as the other teams have done.
I don’t known what the Pads do for an encore that is not some blue nonsense. But we’ll see.
You don’t want them to bring back the blue & sand?.
@LosPobres
That was a better look than just pure blue, which was the dumbest thing ever.
The blue and sand could be justified by trying to evoke a San Diego beach. But, it was too much like the Milwaukee Brewers.
I am glad the brown is back to stay, whatever they come up with for City Connect this time.
I hated the blue and sand
Someone found the combination to the vault!
Welcome to the offseason, San Diego!
Annnd we’re on the board, yessssss!
Is there an organization worse than the Sox? I mean, are they even trying to get better? It’s amazing to think that the same owner of the one might Jordan Nukes also owns the White Sox. Their highest paid player is freaking Benintendi for 5/$75. Awful.
A’s, Angels, Marlins, Rockies come to mind.
@Aiden
40 years of ownership and only 6 playoff appearances and 1 WS. victory. Broke the record for most losses in baseball history. The best attempt to sign a FA is Anthony Benitindi who they signed for 5/$75 mil. The Marlins have won 3 chips during his tenure as owner. The other teams might fail but have absolutely made better strides at trying. The Sox are in a top 3 market, and they spend like the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s completely disgusting.
7 playoff appearances btw.
No, there isn’t. I’m a Sox fan and just so happy that JR got some cash for this pitcher. He’s a disgrace to baseball.
I hope no one shows up at the games next season.
White Sox really think they can do better than this? Stop handing out important front office jobs to former players (Chris Getz). It pays to be besties with Jerry Reinsdorf.
I have to ask Getz, “what are you doing”? This isn’t your first questionable deal! I thought Getz would be a better evaluator of talent!
He doesn’t Getz it.
Why not ask for a lottery ticket instead of cash? Getz no gambling man.
Good get, AJ! Go Pads
If he can get his walks under control, he’s going to be a big piece in the Pads’ pen.
100% YBC
If Blake or Niebla can’t fix it…
This is the type of move we can expect from the Pobres until they start dumping salary.
That’s when they’ll finally come clean about a ‘financial reset’ that aims to ‘have us playing meaningful games in September’
Payroll up $40MM, when’s that dump comin’?
Well, I tend to feel mine about 6:30 am! LOL
I literally laughed out loud at that longtime.
I’ll set ’em up as long as you keep flushing ’em down, LTC!
As expected Padres doubled bobblehead giveaways for 2025 to stem decline in attendance due to top heavy roster and ownership more concern3d with finance than winning
Padres sold out their season tickets. The Red Sox and Yankees didn’t do that. Neither did the Dodgers.
According to the article about it on MLB.COM the Padres added 2,200 more people to a paid waiting list. Can you imagine that? Season tickets for your team are in so much demand that fans are willing to pay $100 per year to be on a waiting list to buy tickets. That impressed me.
I was told that by the Padres rocket office that if I want tickets to see the Red Sox when they are there in August to be in queue when they go on sale in February. The ticket rep said you can only buy 8 and they will sell out in minutes.
The Red Sox used to have interest like that when they were winning WS. The Padres haven’t won one yet so it’s even more impressive that they are selling so many tickets. I had always heard that there was too much to do in San Diego and their fans were fair weather. It didn’t seem like it from how many are showing up for their games.
@gwynning. When the turd of cease, and Suarez comes out. I agree probably not going to do anything big, and see where it goes. TDL is the purge day.
Or possible addition day, Huddy! Let’s play some good ball in the meantime.
Rex
I suggested a few weeks ago that there is no rush of payroll reduction is the goal. My point being they can cut bait on 3-4 guys at TDL and grab prospects if they are not in contention.
Generally speaking the baseball experts on here blasted me for wanting wait because of the reduction in the return.
They didn’t seem to grasp the concept of trying to win games and make playoffs as a goal in January as opposed to focusing on the hypothetical return.
@longtimecoming. Yeah the one that makes the most sense to trade now is saurez, because you probably add a outfielder and some cheap relievers. I know it’s not like it was years ago, but pitchers tend to do better in petco. As far people complaining about preller draining the farm he can easily get that back.
You could trade Arraez/Cease/Suarez, get 3-4 mlb ready guys like Kjersted/Casas (just an example) who are close to league minimum, and fill in around:
Tatis
Merrill
Machado
Bogaerts
Crone
Devries & Salas if they pan out
That’s a solid team.
People project their frustrations on moves like this but it is a potential major league piece for nothing, good move.
Bingo, Pat!
You’re completely right that this move is good. In a vacuum this is a solid pickup.
I think the frustration is related to people viewing this move as a replacement for a bigger move. In other words, instead of signing a real starting pitcher like Pivetta, Quintana, Scherzer, etc… they add another arm to their already loaded bullpen, which makes people speculate that Morejon or Hoeing will get stretched out to start instead.
Both sides on this can be right. This is an objectively good move, but at the same time if their plan is to pick up Marinaccio for their bullpen and move a reliever into the rotation then the frustration is also valid.
I doubt that Morejon is getting stretched out just because he threw so few innings, but he has both the stuff and the pedigree to be a good starter. The Padres paid an $11 million signing bonus for him and expected that he would become a starting pitcher.
The Padres did stretch out Lugo from 65 IP in 2022 to 146 in 2023 and King went from 104 IP for the Yankees to 173 for the Padres last season. They do have a history of turning relievers into starters.
Agreed pat, but we rarely see what kind of cash considerations were involved. But a penny for a prospect is pretty pretty. Million for a maybe is mostly moldy. Mostly.
Decent arm for the bullpen and relatively inexpensive. Solid move fot the Padres
Do you remember him against the Red Sox in 2022? 2 outings. One in early April, the other in September. In both he walked a guy, induced a weak comebacker, and struck out 2 in his 1 inning of work. Not one guy made solid contact. I thought where the heck have the Yankees been hiding this guy.
Exactly. There is a promising arm in there and it literally costs the Padres nothing to try to harness it
You know you’re pinching pennies when you grab someone cast off from the White Sox
LOL – Yankees grabbed Tim Hill. I wasn’t a fan of that, but he pitched well and would like to see him back.
Good move by SD. Why the ChiSox didn’t hang on to him confounds me. But after all they’re the WhiteSox. Haha.
You mean to tell me that the Chicago Fing White Sox couldn’t make use of this guy at $800K? I mean, if nothing else he can eat middle innings. Perhaps the Sox forecast that they won’t need any relief pitchers in 2025?
The White Sox didn’t even play him last year when they picked him up.
Padres add to an area that is already a strength. This one basically for free. Is another trade coming? Is this a sign one of their relievers is headed to the rotation?
Getz with another head scratching move. A reliever with above average strike outs and an ERA and FIP over 100 appearances in the majors that is better than most of his relief staff and he doesn’t even give him a shot then trades him for basically nothing.
They have 3 relievers that could be looked at to start.
People laugh but Morejón has been viewed as a starter his entire career except last year. Hoeing and Sean Reynolds and maybe another guy in there as well.
Not saying they will but in response to your query – it ain’t impossible that they explore it.
I’m not ruling out some new arrivals from the farm where the Pads have quite a few guys who might progress quickly to bigs. Bradgley Rodriguez and Tyson Neighbors for example.
There are always 3-5 “maybe” guys. Preller has traded them before we found out for the most part!
That said, most have not made it so trading hasn’t been a problem.
I’m hoping those “next guys” come thru to help with the financial crunch.
Yeah, I know. But we have an unusual abundance of RPs coming up now, I suspect one or two might break thru this year and make an impression in the way Sean Reynolds did last year.
Brew, I think you are correct about the young crop of RPs. SD could still trade Suarez, lose Scott and still have a formidable pen. Depending on how a few develop into their roles (and whether or not current guys stay in the pen), even a top 5 pen.
Jerry Reinsdorf pockets the cash as usual. Making the team better always takes a back seat for him to profits.
How much cash could he have received for a player that they put on DFA waivers?
That Cash Considerations guy so hot right now!
Mr. Reinsdorf please sell the team. Terrible brand of baseball from ownership to low minors. Ask the Southside.
Zzzzzzzzz
you sleep all day, or have a job?
This trade was demanded by the White Sox Club Employee who has the responsibility to put “MARINACCIO” on the back of Team Uniforms !!
The Padres also received the cherry on top
Exchanged for Cash? Which one? Dave Cash? Norm Cash? Johnny Cash? Mama Cass? Details plz.
Small market team sending a serviceable pitcher out for cash. The big markets are the culprits though!
Ah yes, good ol’ small market Chicago… the land of no TVs.
Who stole their TVs?
I heard Mark Knopfler was moving some colour TVs… I’d start your investigation there, Inspector Brew.
Sure, after we find Joe’s shoes
Undoubtedly the missing piece in their run to a championship
A guy with a sub 4.00 ERA got DFA’d by the White Sox?
*checks loss count* ….THOSE White Sox?