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White Sox Rumors

Padres Interested In Korey Lee

By Mark Polishuk | July 13, 2025 at 11:39pm CDT

The Padres are known to be looking for help behind the plate, and their search for catching has extended to the Windy City.  The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports that the Padres have interest in White Sox catcher Korey Lee, who has spent much of the 2025 season either on the big league injured list or at Triple-A Charlotte.

It wasn’t long ago that Lee seemed like a potential building block for the Sox, as he opened the 2024 season as Chicago’s regular catcher and hit .309/.341/.494 in his first 85 plate appearances.  Unfortunately for Lee, his bat then went ice cold for the remainder of the year.  He finished with a .210/.244/.347 slash line in 394 PA, and his 64 wRC+ was the third-lowest of any 2024 player who received at least 300 trips to the plate.  Lee’s 2025 campaign then got off a rough start when he suffered a left ankle sprain in early April, which resulted in over six weeks on the IL.

Lee’s last big league appearance this season came on June 5, and he has since been playing in Charlotte.  With highly-regarded prospects Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero now taking over as Chicago’s catching tandem, Lee simply looks like the odd man out.  Blake Sabol was just acquired today in a trade from the Red Sox, which could push Lee even further down the depth chart or hint that Lee could soon be on his way elsewhere.

The Astros took Lee with the 32nd pick of the 2019 draft, and his 12-game rookie season in 2022 netted him a World Series ring right at the start of his Major League career.  Lee was dealt from Houston to Chicago at the 2023 trade deadline in the swap that brought Kendall Graveman to the Astros, and Lee has thus far hit .192/.231/.315 over 521 career plate appearances in the big leagues.

It isn’t much of a track record, though Lee has hit pretty well during his time at Triple-A, including a .262/.342/.438 slash line in 146 PA with Charlotte in 2025.  Lee was very good at throwing out baserunners in 2024, but Statcast hasn’t loved his defensive work overall, with generally negative grades for Lee’s framing and blocking (albeit in a small sample size of MLB action).  If Lee doesn’t look like a difference-maker on paper for the Padres, he is just shy of his 27th birthday, and might be able to yet unlock his past draft potential with another change of scenery.

As it relates to San Diego, Lee still could represent an upgrade on a catching situation that has nowhere to go but up.  Padres catchers have combined for -0.9 bWAR in 2025, easily the lowest of any team’s catching corps.  Veterans Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado have a cumulative slash line of .190/.250/.296 in 342 plate appearances, and Maldonado’s once-acclaimed glovework has also fallen off, as per public metrics.

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Eight Teams Showing Interest In Luis Robert Jr.

By Mark Polishuk | July 13, 2025 at 9:52pm CDT

Luis Robert Jr. has long been seen as a natural trade candidate, and interest remains in the former All-Star even as he is battling through a second consecutive difficult year.  The New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that “eight teams have checked in” with the White Sox about Robert, without specifying the identities of any of these suitors.

After going 1-for-4 in Chicago’s 6-5 loss to the Guardians today, Robert concludes the first half with only a .190/.275/.325 slash line over 306 plate appearances.  Robert’s strikeout and walk rates are both near the bottom of the league, and while his .315 xwOBA is much higher than his .264 wOBA, even that .315 number is subpar.  Despite this overall dismal offensive performance, a few bright spots exist.  The right-handed hitting Robert has a very impressive .913 OPS against southpaws (but a .498 OPS against righty pitching), he has stolen 22 bases in 28 attempts, and his barrel and walk rates are above average.

Between this season and his injury-marred 2024 campaign, Robert has hit just .210/.277/.356 in 727 PA since Opening Day 2024, translating to a 76 wRC+.  His center field glovework has declined since a 2023 season that now seems like a career year, though Robert’s defense is still at least decent, adding another possible plus for any interested suitors.

Hindsight being 20-20, the ideal time for the White Sox to move Robert was in the wake of his All-Star campaign in 2023, given how his production has since cratered.  The Sox opted to keep Robert in the hopes that another healthy and productive season would only enhance his trade value, yet this plan has now backfired.  Even with the amount of interest that Robert is still generating, obviously the White Sox aren’t going to get nearly the haul they once anticipated getting for the outfielder, which is a big setback for a rebuilding team that still needs a lot more talent.

2025 is the final guaranteed year of the six-year, $50MM extension Robert signed prior to the 2020 season.  The Sox hold $20MM club options (each with a $2MM buyout) on his services for both 2026 and 2027, and this extra contractual control was once seen as another major asset to Robert’s trade value.  He has approximately $6.25MM remaining of his $15MM salary for 2025, so with that $2MM buyout, the $8.25MM price tag attached to Robert now might be too pricey for other teams to fully entertain, given his struggles.  The Sox are reportedly willing to include money to help facilitate trades of Robert and Andrew Benintendi, though one would imagine that’s a greater concern as it relates to Benintendi’s much larger remaining salary obligations.

Heyman notes that some clubs feel Robert could benefit from being “a complementary player,” which isn’t a surprise given his drastic splits.  Robert’s ability to still crush lefties provides some hope that he can get his overall game on track, as interested suitors might also feel that Robert can benefit simply from a change of scenery.  Still just a few weeks shy of his 28th birthday, Robert should be in his prime, and that big 2023 season certainly still lingers in the minds of rival front offices.

The Dodgers, Giants, Reds, Mariners, and Mets are among the clubs who have been linked to Robert’s trade market in the last couple of years, with New York showing interest as recently as May.  It would seem that probably every contender with a need in the outfield could at least call up White Sox GM Chris Getz to make a few inquiries about an asking price for Robert, and even a brief hot streak for Robert after the All-Star break could spark a minor bidding war.

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White Sox Acquire Blake Sabol

By Nick Deeds | July 13, 2025 at 9:22am CDT

The White Sox have acquired catcher Blake Sabol from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, according to an announcement from the Worcester WooSox. Sabol was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster earlier this month, so no corresponding transaction was necessary for Chicago to acquire him.

Sabol, 27, has now been traded for the second time in seven months. Acquired by the Red Sox from the Giants back in January, the former Rule 5 pick appeared in just eight games for Boston this year. He hit a paltry .125/.167/.188 in that limited time and didn’t perform much better at Triple-A Worcester, where he batted .167 with a .281 on-base percentage and slugged .299. That weak performance was enough to convince the Red Sox to risk losing Sabol on waivers when they designated him for assignment earlier this month, but he cleared waivers successfully and was outrighted to Triple-A.

Now that he no longer requires a dedicated 40-man roster spot, it seems the White Sox had interest in him as a depth option. The combination of Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Korey Lee leave Chicago fairly well set up in terms of catching options on the 40-man roster, but the addition of a non-roster veteran like Sabol could be helpful given the youth of that trio. If two of those three young catchers need more seasoning in the minors at some point, Sabol could step in to help fill the gap at the big league level. The same could be said for the possibility of injury; one look at the Orioles this year shows you can never have too much catching depth.

It’s also worth noting that Sabol has had at least some level of offensive success in the majors before. While 2025 has been disastrous for him so far, Sabol did enter the year with a .243/.313/.392 slash line at the big league level across 121 games with the Giants. That’s a roughly league average showing, and it’s not impossible to imagine that his numbers could improve if he stopped spitting time between catching and the outfield and focused on one position full-time, particularly given the fact that Sabol remains in his prime.

Sabol is theoretically controllable until after the 2030 season, though it must be noted that he’ll be eligible to elect free agency following the 2025 season unless the White Sox add him back to their 40-man roster. Even so, that potential for longer-term team control gives the acquisition of Sabol more upside than the typical depth addition. As for the Red Sox, the emergence of Carlos Narvaez has more or less solved their issues behind the plate, as he and Connor Wong have managed to form a formidable tandem. Seby Zavala is likely the next man up on the catching depth chart for Boston, and that figured to be the case even before Sabol’s departure.

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White Sox Acquire Will Robertson From Blue Jays

By Anthony Franco | July 10, 2025 at 9:50am CDT

July 10: The teams have announced the trade. Chicago sent cash back to Toronto in return for Robertson, who has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

July 9: The Blue Jays are reportedly trading outfielder Will Robertson to the White Sox. The move, which has not been announced by either team, was first reported by @JeffreyCole2525 and confirmed by James Fegan of SoxMachine. Toronto designated Robertson for assignment over the weekend.

Chicago already has an opening on the 40-man roster after outrighting Vinny Capra. They’ll use the spot to take a flier on Robertson, a 27-year-old with three major league games under his belt. The Jays promoted the lefty-hitting outfielder in the middle of June. He was optioned back to Triple-A a little over a week later and DFA last week when Ryan Burr returned from the 60-day injured list.

A Creighton product, Robertson was Toronto’s fourth-round pick in 2019. He has never been a huge prospect, but he’s hitting well in his second season at the Triple-A level. Robertson has connected on 14 homers with a .292/.403/.578 slash line in 62 minor league games this year. He has taken walks at a massive 15.5% clip while striking out around a quarter of the time. The Jays have a fairly deep outfield and didn’t give Robertson an opportunity to see how much of that Triple-A production he could carry over against big league pitching. He has a bit of center field experience but fits better in a corner.

The White Sox could look to trade Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman this month. Backup outfielders Austin Slater and Michael A. Taylor could also be traded or let go. They should be able to find a taker for Tauchman, who has taken the starting right field job behind a .297/.379/.459 showing. Robertson might begin his organizational tenure on optional assignment to Triple-A Charlotte but should be in line for decent playing time after the deadline.

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White Sox Outright Vinny Capra

By Anthony Franco | July 8, 2025 at 7:37pm CDT

The White Sox sent infielder Vinny Capra outright to Triple-A Charlotte, the affiliate announced. Capra had never been outrighted and does not have three years of service, so he didn’t have the ability to decline the assignment. He was designated for assignment over the weekend when the Sox promoted former first-round pick Colson Montgomery.

Capra landed with the Sox on a mid-May waiver claim from Milwaukee. The out-of-options infielder spent nearly two months on Will Venable’s bench. He hit .190 with a .205 on-base percentage in 23 games. Capra was the hitter who went down looking for Clayton Kershaw’s 3000th career strikeout last Wednesday. He went 0-3 in that contest and did not make another appearance before being DFA.

A former 20th-round draft choice, Capra had made 24 appearances with the Brewers earlier in the season. This year’s 105 plate appearances are easily a career high, but the righty hitter has stumbled to a .125/.157/.177 line with just one home run (which came in his first at-bat of the season). Capra had played in the majors each season from 2022-24 but combined for 20 appearances over that stretch. The Richmond product owns a productive .271/.366/.384 batting line in nearly 1000 career Triple-A plate appearances.

Capra will look to build off that in Charlotte and earn another MLB call. The Sox have a rookie middle infield tandem of Montgomery and Chase Meidroth. Light-hitting Josh Rojas, who is the primary third baseman, owns a .180/.253/.227 slash in 52 games. The Sox would surely like to trade him in the next month, but his performance probably puts him on the roster bubble instead. There’s a clear path for Capra to play his way back to the majors. He’d reach minor league free agency at the beginning of the offseason if he doesn’t get another look on Chicago’s roster before then.

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White Sox Sign Kyle Tyler To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | July 8, 2025 at 5:07pm CDT

The White Sox have signed right-hander Kyle Tyler to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League for now but will presumably head to Triple-A after a few ramp-up outings.

Tyler, 28, elected free agency a week ago after being outrighted by the Orioles. He never actually pitched for that club at the big league level. The O’s claimed him off waivers from the Phillies and kept him on optional assignment. He never pitched for the Phils either, as the Phils claimed him from the Marlins and kept him in the minors as well. He has spent a lot of the past month in DFA limbo, having been cut by both the Phils and O’s in recent weeks. He has only pitched twice in that span, which is presumably why he’s heading to the complex, to build back up.

The Marlins gave him his most extended big league look, as he logged 31 2/3 innings for them last year. Prior to that, he had brief showings with the Angels and Padres. Put together, he has 48 big league innings with a 4.31 earned run average. His 15.9% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate are both subpar figures, though he has a strong 48.3% ground ball rate.

His minor league work is naturally greater in both quality and quantity. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 330 1/3 innings on the farm, mostly as a starter. He had a 4.74 ERA in that time with a 23.7% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. This year, his results haven’t been quite as impressive. His 4.18 ERA is fine but his 15.4% strikeout rate is a big drop.

The White Sox don’t have much long-term certainty in their rotation. Aaron Civale and Adrian Houser are the most experienced arms but both are impending free agents who are likely to be traded this month. Shane Smith, Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon have the other three spots and no one in that trio has even 200 innings of big league work. Jesse Scholtens could be coming off the injured list soon but he only has 85 major league innings on his track record. Owen White is on the 40-man but he has a 5.13 ERA in the minors this year.

The Sox have some non-roster options in Triple-A. They have signed Mike Clevinger and Noah Syndergaard to minor league deals. Yoendrys Gómez and Bryse Wilson were passed through outright waivers earlier this year. But on the whole, there’s not a ton in Tyler’s way if he shows something positive in the coming months. Potential trades and injuries could widen the path even more. He is in his final option season but has less than a year of major league service time.

Photo courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images

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White Sox Reinstate Luis Robert Jr.

By Darragh McDonald | July 8, 2025 at 3:00pm CDT

The White Sox announced today that outfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Infielder Tristan Gray has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte as the corresponding move.

It’s now down to these last few weeks. Robert has been an obvious trade candidate for a long time but the window has been closing and is almost shut. He is in the final guaranteed year of his contract. There are $20MM club options for next year and 2027 but he’s going to get a $2MM buyout at the end of this year.

Robert is capable of excellent production, or at least was. Injuries have often gotten in his way but he got into 145 games in 2023. He hit 38 home runs, stole 20 bases and received strong grades for his center field defense. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 4.9 wins above replacement that year.

Despite Robert’s efforts, the Sox went into a rebuild mode that year. They traded short-term assets at the deadline and then remade their front office before the offseason. Going into 2024, they traded controllable players like Dylan Cease, Aaron Bummer and Gregory Santos but Robert stayed.

At the time, it seemed like there was no rush. Robert still had two guaranteed years left on his deal, plus the two options, which seemed like bargains back then. Four years of a potentially elite player seemed like a massive asset and the Sox set a high asking price in trade talks.

Much has changed since then, none of it for the better. Robert had another injury-marred season in 2024, getting into just 100 games. When on the field, he produced a subpar .224/.278/.379 batting line, which translated to a wRC+ of 84. The Sox could have traded him again in the most recent offseason but didn’t want to sell low.

It was understandable to hope for a bounceback but the gambit hasn’t paid off. His performance has been even worse this year than it was last year. He currently sports a line of .185/.270/.313, which leads to a 63 wRC+. He is still stealing bases and getting good marks for his glovework but he’s been bad at the plate for well over a year now.

The ongoing health issues don’t help. That aforementioned 2023 season is the only time he’s played more than 100 games. He may get beyond that figure here in 2025 but has battled various nagging issues, including right knee soreness, right thumb soreness and left hamstring soreness.

He had avoided the IL until recently but the Sox finally put him there just over a week ago, listing his issue as a left hamstring strain. They were able to backdate the IL stint by three days since Robert had already been missing games.

Now Robert has close to no trade value left, unless he can quickly show glimpses of his past self in the next few weeks. Ideally, this little breather has allowed him to get over all his ailments and into good form. Even if that does come to pass, teams will surely remain wary of his health woes and inconsistency, which will tamp down the potential return the Sox can get.

Robert is making $15MM this year, which will leave about $5MM left to be paid out when the deadline rolls around. There’s also a $2MM buyout on his $20MM option for next year. The Sox are reportedly willing to include cash to facilitate a deal but Robert will likely still have to show some life in the next little while for the Sox to get anything notable.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

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Bobby Jenks Passes Away

By Nick Deeds | July 5, 2025 at 4:14pm CDT

Two-time All-Star and 2005 World Series champion Bobby Jenks passed away yesterday, per an announcement from the White Sox. Chicago also released a tribute video alongside the announcement. Jenks passed after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was just 44 years old.

Jenks was a fifth-round pick by the Angels in the 2000 draft but was designated for assignment by the Halos before he even made it to the big leagues. He was claimed off the waiver wire by the White Sox and joined the big league bullpen in July of 2005. He scuffled a bit early on, with four runs allowed across his first five appearances in the big leagues, but settled in not long after that and notched his first career save on August 25 when he closed out a ten-inning game against the Twins.

He continued in a late-inning role for those White Sox down the stretch, and finished the regular season with a 2.75 ERA, six saves, and a 29.8% strikeout rate. Jenks’s dominance carried over into the postseason with a 2.25 ERA, four saves, and eight strikeouts in eight playoff innings. The right-hander was on the mound to finish off the club’s four-game sweep of the Astros in the Fall Classic, closing out a 1-0 victory by inducing a groundout from Orlando Palmeiro to emerge from his rookie season as a World Series champion.

He followed up that performance in his first season by pitching his way into an All-Star berth in both 2006 and 2007. He fully settled into the White Sox closer role by that point, with 81 saves across those two campaigns. That dominant 2007 season in particular saw him retire 41 consecutive batters, which was good for an MLB record at the time. By the end of the 2008 campaign, Jenks had a career 3.21 ERA with a 3.27 FIP with 146 saves collected over his time with the Sox. His numbers took a nosedive in 2009, however, as he surrendered a 4.44 ERA in 52 2/3 innings of work. Underlying analytics suggest that Jenks had pitched better than that ERA would suggest given his 2.59 FIP and 26.4% strikeout rate that year, but that wasn’t enough to stop the White Sox from deciding to part ways with him after the season.

Jenks went on to sign with the Red Sox on a two-year, $12MM contract not long after that, but the deal proved to be ill-fated. He struggled with injuries throughout the 2011 season, and posted a 6.32 ERA across the 19 appearances he was healthy enough to get on the mound for. The injuries worsened, and an MRI eventually revealed bone spurs on his spine. He underwent surgery on his back in December of 2011, but complications from that surgery arose after his surgeon left a serrated edge in his back. The effects of that mistake left Jenks bedridden and he ultimately was released by the Red Sox in June of 2012 and retired from baseball at just 31 years old.

Jenks retired from baseball with a career 3.53 ERA, 351 strikeouts, and 173 saves despite having his career cut short after just seven seasons. He returned to baseball as a coach in 2021, serving as pitching coach for the independent Pioneer League’s Grand Junction Rockies that year. He was promoted to manager for 2022 and later served as a coach in the Appalachian League and a manager in the Frontier League, though a cancer diagnosis he announced in February of 2025 forced him to bring his coaching career to a close.

In the wake of today’s news, former teammate A.J. Pierzynski remembered Jenks in a post on social media, while longtime MLB.com White Sox beat writer Scott Merkin shared a conversation he had with Jenks back in February, shortly after his diagnosis. We at MLB Trade Rumors join them and the rest of the baseball world in extending our condolences to Jenks’s family, friends, loved ones, and all of those whose lives he touched during his time in the game.

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White Sox Recall Colson Montgomery For MLB Debut, DFA Vinny Capra

By Anthony Franco | July 4, 2025 at 2:14pm CDT

Today: The White Sox have officially announced Montgomery’s promotion. To open a space on the active roster, the team designated infielder Vinny Capra for assignment. They had claimed Capra off waivers from the Brewers in May. He hit .190 with a .443 OPS over 23 games in Chicago, while splitting his time between second base, third base, and shortstop. The White Sox now have five days to trade Capra. If they cannot find a taker, they must place him on outright or release waivers.

In an additional transaction, the White Sox reinstated left-handed pitcher Fraser Ellard from the 60-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Because Montgomery was already on the 40-man and Ellard will essentially take Capra’s spot, Chicago’s 40-man roster remains at 38 players.

July 3: The White Sox will promote Colson Montgomery for this weekend’s series against the Rockies, reports Kris Norton of WITZ Radio in Indiana. Montgomery is already on the 40-man roster, so the Sox only need to make an active roster move.

It’s the first MLB call for the 23-year-old, who’ll likely make his MLB debut tomorrow against Colorado’s Antonio Senzatela. Chicago’s first-round pick in 2021, the lefty-hitting shortstop was one of the sport’s top prospects not too long ago. Montgomery placed among Baseball America’s top 50 minor league talents entering each of the past three seasons. BA ranked him as the best prospect in the Sox’s system each year from 2022-24.

Montgomery is listed at 6’3″ and 230 pounds, giving him big raw power potential for a middle infielder. A very patient plate approach led to strong on-base marks against low minors pitching, but he has had a tougher time against more polished arms. Montgomery spent all of last year at Triple-A Charlotte, where he hit .214/.329/.381 in 130 games. He connected on 18 home runs with a strong 12% walk rate but struck out in nearly 29% of his trips to the plate.

Chicago needed to add Montgomery to the 40-man roster last offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He’d surely have been selected despite the middling Triple-A numbers, so that was an easy call for the front office. They optioned him back to Charlotte to begin the season, and he’s had similar concerns in his second crack at the level. He has struck out a third of the time while batting .218/.298/.435 in 55 games.

While the season numbers don’t exactly demand a promotion, they’re weighed down by an atrocious April. Montgomery had a serviceable May and was very productive in June, batting .281 with six homers and 11 extra-base knocks in 16 games. The plate discipline concerns persist — he struck out 22 times while drawing only five walks in 71 plate appearances last month — but he’d shown enough from a power perspective for the team to give him a look.

The Indiana native has played four games at third base this year but has otherwise been a full-time shortstop in his minor league career. It’s unlikely the Sox would call him up if they weren’t prepared to give him everyday playing time at his natural position. Rookie Chase Meidroth has gotten the playing time there. Meidroth, acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade, is hitting .260 with a solid .347 on-base percentage. He hasn’t shown any kind of power, but the disciplined approach is probably enough to stay in the lineup.

Meidroth’s defensive grades are serviceable, but most scouting reports project him as a second baseman. The Sox could slide him to the keystone and move Lenyn Sosa to third base to push Josh Rojas out of the mix. Sosa is a known commodity as a utility type as well, so the focus should be on getting Montgomery and Meidroth into the lineup on a daily basis.

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Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

By Darragh McDonald | July 2, 2025 at 3:40pm CDT

Kevin Pillar is hanging up his Superman cape. On an appearance on Foul Territory, he announced that he is retiring from playing. He was with the Rangers earlier this year but was released about a month ago.

Pillar, now 36, was able to engineer an incredible zero-to-hero career. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft. But despite that humble beginning, he would not only make it to the big leagues but he would stick around for more than a decade.

His best asset was his defense, as he quickly earned a reputation for making highlight-reel catches, often diving horizontally in a way that earned him his Superman nickname. He got some limited big league time in 2013 and 2014 before fully cementing himself as a big leaguer in 2015.

That year, he got into 159 games for the Jays, producing a batting line of .278/.314/.399. His 94 wRC+ indicated he was 6% below league average at the plate, but that was more than adequate to pair with his other attributes. He stole 25 bases and received strong grades for his glovework, leading FanGraphs to credit him with 3.7 wins above replacement. That played a big role in getting the Jays to the postseason for the first time since 1993. Though the club was eventually felled by the Royals in the ALCS, the Jays got José Bautista’s legendary bat flip game along the way.

That would ultimately prove to be an apex for Pillar. He never again stole more than 15 bases nor topped a 90 wRC+ in a full season. But he still proved to be a useful player in generally the same shape, with his speed and defense making up for some subpar offense. From 2016 to 2018, he got into 442 games for the Jays, slashing .258/.296/.401 for an 86 wRC+ and producing 4.5 fWAR.

By the time the 2019 season had rolled around, Pillar was 30 years old and the Jays were rebuilding. Early that year, he was flipped to the Giants, which started the journeyman period of his career. Over the next few years, he would bounce to the Red Sox, Rockies, Mets, Dodgers, Braves, White Sox, Angels and Rangers. Though he had moved into his 30s, his performance was roughly the same as before, though with his glovework naturally slipping a bit. Over those 2019-25 seasons, he played 544 games and hit .246/.284/.415 for an 85 wRC+ and produced 2.4 fWAR.

Most recently, he had a stint with the Rangers but hit just .209/.209/.256 in 20 games before getting designated for assignment and released. He had flirted with retirement before but now seems to have decided that it’s time to hang up the spikes.

Any 32nd-round pick making it to the big leagues is exceedingly rare. In fact, the draft was shortened to 20 rounds a few years ago, so it likely won’t happen again. Pillar not only made it, but he got into 1,234 games over 13 seasons. He racked up 1,053 hits, including 114 home runs. He was credited with 10.8 WAR from FanGraphs and 16.1 from Baseball Reference. He earned about $25MM in his career, according to Baseball Reference. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Pillar on an impressive career and wish him the best with whatever comes next.

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