The Blue Jays have acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa from the White Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. In exchange, Chicago receives minor league outfielder Jordan Rich and a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Jays transferred right-hander Shane Bieber to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Sosa is out of options and will also need an active roster spot once he reports to the team.
Sosa, 26, is coming off the best season of his big league career. In 2025, he stepped to the plate 544 times for the Sox and launched 22 home runs. Despite those long balls, his offense was only league average overall since Sosa doesn’t get on base very much. His 3.3% walk rate last year was less than half of the 8.4% league average. Michael Harris II was the only qualified hitter in the majors with a lower walk rate.
He also doesn’t provide much on defense, though he is versatile. He has played all four infield positions in his career but hasn’t played shortstop since 2022. Most of his time has been spent at second base, where his grades have not been good. Outs Above Average puts him four below par at that position in his career while Defensive Runs Saved has him 17 below average. His grades at the corner spots have also been below average.
He has been out to a slow start this year, with something less than an everyday role. The Sox were surprisingly able to sign Munetaka Murakami this winter and made him their regular first baseman. Sosa has been used a few times in the designated hitter spot, in addition to one start at first base and one at second. He has a .212/.212/.303 line in 33 plate appearances.
Sosa came into 2026 with just over two years of service time, meaning he can be controlled through 2029. However, he may have been getting squeezed a bit with the Sox. The Murakami signing filled the first base slot and also made Miguel Vargas the everyday third baseman. The Sox have been using Chase Meidroth as their regular at second base. Sosa is out of options and can’t be sent to the minors.
For the Jays, they have been bit hard by the injury bug in the early going this year. On the position player side, Anthony Santander required shoulder surgery back in February and will be out for several more months. Since the season has started, the Jays have lost catcher Alejandro Kirk to a thumb fracture, designated hitter George Springer to a toe fracture and infielder/outfielder Addison Barger to an ankle sprain.
In response to those injuries, the Jays have had to reach into their depth. Brandon Valenzuela has been recalled to help Tyler Heineman behind the plate. Eloy Jiménez was added to the roster to replace Springer. Tyler Fitzgerald, recently acquired from the Giants, has been on the bench but hasn’t been put into a game yet.
Most of the time, the Jays have an infield of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first, Ernie Clement at second, Andrés Giménez at shortstop and Kazuma Okamoto at third. With Springer no longer in the DH spot every day, there could be a bit more flexibility to move some guys around. Okamoto is off to a slow start in his big league career, with a 35% strikeout rate through 60 plate appearances, effectively double his strikeout rate in Japan. Perhaps the Jays could put him in the DH spot a bit more regularly to have him focus on getting his approach down. Or if the Jays want to give Guerrero a little breather, he could DH while Okamoto or Sosa covers first base.
Sosa could also slot into the DH spot himself. Fitzgerald has options and could perhaps be the corresponding move for Sosa in the coming days, though if the Jays are squeezing Jiménez from DH at-bats, then perhaps he could be designated for assignment. Sosa’s righty bat could be used to pinch hit for some lefties. He had fairly even splits in 2025 but they have been wider overall. He has a .277/.301/.431 line and 102 wRC+ against lefties in his career and a .232/.261/.369 line and 73 wRC+ against righties.
There are certainly flaws in Sosa’s profile but the Jays felt they needed to bolster the position player group and there aren’t many options for doing that at this time of the year. Sosa has some pop and some flexibility, even if he’s not a standout defender. If things go especially well, he can be controlled for three more seasons after this one. But since he’s out of options, it’s also possible he gets squeezed in the coming weeks if the guys on the IL can get healthy.
For the Sox, as mentioned, Sosa was one of their better hitters last year but has been pushed into a part-time role this year. He is only 26 years old, so they could have held onto him, hoping for improved plate discipline and/or better defense going forward. But that would be hard to do with limited playing time and no ability to be sent to the minors, so they’ve cashed him in for future talent.
If they get any payoff from Rich, it won’t be soon. He was just drafted last year out of high school, in the 17th round, and is only 18 years old. He hasn’t yet appeared in an official game since being drafted. He doesn’t appear on lists of the top prospects in the Jays’ system, so he’s a long-term lottery ticket for the Sox. They could also add more talent later, depending on the player to be named later.
As for Bieber, he had some forearm fatigue in the offseason and the Jays have been building him up slowly. This transaction means he is ineligible to be reinstated until late May. He has been throwing off a mound lately but hasn’t yet begun a rehab assignment. Since he missed all of spring training, he’ll effectively need a full ramp-up, even though he’s now up on the mound. Whenever he begins an official rehab assignment, that can last as long as 30 days.
Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images
Here comes Antonacci
Here comes Mr Meatloaf
22 hr 75rbi in 140 gms last yr
4 yrs of control left
Sox dumped him off like an old mattress
White Sox have a surplus of infielders so he’s the odd man out.
With a horrible K/W ratio and defense so poor that he managed to.8 WAR in 550 PA’s.
When he makes the league minimum, that still ought to net more in trade than last year’s 17th round draft pick and cash considerations.
Can’t walk, no glove, WAR of -1.5. He is an old mattress.
But but but…. Muh 80s baseball card stats!!!
Bit of an out of the blue trade but Sox don’t really need a low OBP infielder
I’m not seeing the need and/or fit on the Jays here. They recently added Tyler Fitzgerald and called up Eloy in response to Springer’s injury. Unless there’s an unreported injury to one of their regular infielders, how is he going to get ABs? Fitzgerald isn’t even seeing any action.
I think Biebs is moving to the 60 day IL
but that still doesn’t add up
Well the Jays kept claiming Ben Cowles from the Cubs and now they have him back and we’re watching him hit like .111 for Iowa while Jefferson Rojas plays beneath his level at AA. So yeah, I don’t get any of it either. It’s a mystery to me but most of the things the Cubs do are weird. I’m starting to think the same way about the Jays.
This is why the Sox should have packaged Sosa and Quero for a real OF in the off season. An 18-year-old Dominick Fletcher?
The return is a lottery ticket, which is expected in any deal involving Sosa. I just noticed the deal also includes a PTBN as well…two shots!
However, it means Tanner Murray stays in the RH UT roster spot, where he can provide plus defense at every position of the IF with more pop than Meidroth, who won’t start when Bonemer, Roch & others arrive.
Is it too much to ask for a Benintendi buyout today as well?!?
If they REALLY wanted to trade Benintendi, they would take another lottery ticket for him, rather than “buy him out!”
No team will trade a thing for him. Once he’d clear waivers somebody would take a shot, the prorated salary is all they’d get
. His legs are shot and he can’t hit anymore.
@fermier Benintendi has negative value & is untradeable bc of his league worst hitting & defense and $15M due next year. He’s a sunk cost like Keuchel, whom the SOX surprisingly bought out a year early when he was clearly finished for about the same $$M.
This….
I see the Sox heading towards an all shortstop infield in the next two years. Montgomery, Carlson, Cholowski and Bonemer. A really athletic and powerful group. With B Montgomery and Wolkow and maybe Zavala in the outfield. We know they have two lefties coming along with Schultz getting promoted already. Let’s hope they don’t screw this up.
Quero wouldn’t fetch much barring a drastic overpay, I won’t be mad if Quero does turn into a solid backup catcher. On the basis talent wise Teel+Quero can be the best catching duo in all of baseball.
Romo has looked great behind the plate in Charlotte handling Schultz & McDougal. He is the best defensive catcher of the three.. Don’t be surprised if Quero is sent down when Teel returns to play full time in AAA while Romo is elevated and McGuire is traded to the Jays.
If Heineman is hurt do they move Varsho to catch when the rookie needs a day off? Lukes, Straw, Schneider in the OF opens a backup infield spot for Sosa? Crazy?
Clement is the emergency catcher (but obviously somebody would be called up for any issue beyond a day). Varsho is never going to catch, his body is brittle enough in the outfield and he was by all metrics a terrible catcher even back when he did it regularly.
@ Shark Mapiro – If Lukes, Straw and Schneider are the starting outfield the Blue Jays are in major trouble and may not even sniff the playoffs.
“He doesn’t provide much on defense, but is versatile” = He can be bad at multiple positions!
I can verify that.
Those Sosa boys love them some juice. 🤣
White Sox had no real use for him. Can’t take a walk, can’t defend well anywhere, so aside from some power, what does he really provide? Better to get something than to just put him on waivers.
Get two hits- get your batting average above .200 . You are outa here! Will make room for Sam A. No place on this struggling offensive club for you. Say Hi to Eloy!!
From the Blue Jays perspective what is the advantage in this trade?
He sounds like a worse version of Leo Jimenez whom they DFAed then traded for lottery tickets.
Sox fan here. Sosa can hit a little but has an incredibly low baseball IQ. Base running is an adventure, defense is an adventure, makes little league mistakes.
That being said, I really have no idea what the White Sox are doing, and they don’t, either.