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Mariners Acquire Gregory Santos

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The Mariners have acquired right-hander Gregory Santos from the White Sox in exchange for right-hander Prelander Berroa, outfielder Zach DeLoach, and their 2024 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick (#69 overall), according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Both clubs have since announced the deals. To make room for the club’s additions on the 40-man roster, the White Sox announced that they’ve designated right-hander Lane Ramsey for assignment.

Santos, 24, entered the 2023 campaign with just 5 2/3 innings in the majors under his belt for his career but fashioned a strong rookie performance out of the White Sox bullpen last year. The right-hander posted a strong 3.39 ERA in 66 1/3 innings of work across 60 appearances for Chicago last season, and those already solid numbers are backed up by even stronger peripherals. Santos paired a solid 22.8% strikeout rate with a microscopic 5.9% walk rate last season all while generating grounders at an excellent 52.5% clip. Those quality peripheral numbers left Santos with a 2.65 FIP last year, a figure bested by only Felix Bautista, Tanner Scott, Matt Brash, and David Bednar among relief arms with at least 60 innings of work last year.

Given the presence of both Brash and flamethrowing closer Andres Munoz at the back of Seattle’s bullpen, it seems unlikely that Santos will find himself in line for many save opportunities with the Mariners after picking up five saves in eight opportunities with the White Sox last season. That being said, Santos appears likely to step into the void created by right-hander Justin Topa’s departure from the club’s late-inning mix. Topa, who posted a 2.61 ERA and 3.15 FIP for the Mariners last year, was shipped to Minnesota last week alongside Anthony DeSclafani and two prospects in exchange for infielder Jorge Polanco. While reporting earlier this winter indicated that Santos may not be ready for Spring Training after ending the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation, MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer relays that the Mariners expect Santos to make six to eight appearances this spring in preparation for Opening Day.

In exchange for parting ways with a quality relief arm with five seasons of team control remaining, the White Sox are receiving a pair of rookie-eligible youngsters as well as what should become a third noteworthy piece in the form of the #69 selection in this year’s draft. That will be Chicago’s third pick in next year’s draft as things stand, as they will also draft the #5 and #43 selections this summer.

Berroa, 23, was acquired by the Mariners back in May of 2022 in a deal that sent Donovan Walton to San Francisco. The right-hander was listed as Seattle’s #15 prospect by MLB.com last season on the heels of a 2022 campaign that saw him post a 2.86 ERA in 26 starts split between the High-A and Double-A levels of the minors. The Mariners converted Berroa to the bullpen in 2023 and he found considerable success in the role as he punched out 36.6% of batters faced while compiling a 2.89 ERA in 65 1/3 innings of work in a return to Double-A last year. Impressive as those strikeout numbers are, Berroa’s penchant for issuing free passes stands out as a possible red flag. The righty walked 14.1% of batters faced last season and has walked at least 11.8% of opponents every year since he made the jump to full-season ball back in 2019.

Though the youngster has yet to appear at the Triple-A level to this point in his career, he got his first taste of big league action last year, with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work across his first two appearances in the majors. There should be plenty of opportunities this season for the righty to step into a significant role in Chicago’s bullpen, where they figure to rely on the likes of John Brebbia, Tim Hill, and Garrett Crochet as late-inning options.

As for DeLoach, the 25-year-old was Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2020 draft. Early in his professional career, DeLoach struggled to create much power with his swing, clubbing just 14 home runs in each of his first two pro campaigns. The right fielder managed to improve his power output this past season, however, as he slashed .286/.387/.481 in 623 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level. While that translates to a wRC+ of just 111 in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, where the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate plays its games, DeLoach’s 23 homers last season still show the power potential necessary to make him a potential big league contributor as soon as this season.

While star slugger Luis Robert Jr. is locked into the everyday center field job and veteran outfielder Andrew Benintendi figures to get the lion’s share of starts in left for the White Sox this year, the club’s right field situation is far less certain. Oscar Colas was the club’s main contributor at the position last year, though he posted a brutal .216/.257/.314 slash line in 75 games with the big league club last year. As such, there’s plenty of room for either DeLoach or fellow recent addition Dominic Fletcher to seize an everyday role with the club during Spring Training later this month. That trio also figure to battle with non-roster invitees Brett Phillips and Kevin Pillar for the club’s fourth outfield role headed into Opening Day.

Making room on the 40-man roster for the additions of DeLoach and Berroa is Ramsey, a 27-year-old who made his big league debut last season. Originally acquired by the White Sox in the 23rd round of the 2018 draft, Ramsey struggled to a 5.85 ERA in 20 innings of work with the big league club last year as he struck out just 19.6% of batters faced while walking 9.8%. The club will have seven days to either trade Ramsey or attempt to pass him through waivers. If they are successful in doing so, they’ll have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues where he’ll remain with the club as non-roster depth headed into the 2024 campaign.

White Sox Acquire Dominic Fletcher

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The White Sox have a deal in place with the Arizona Diamondbacks to acquire outfielder Dominic Fletcher, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Right-hander Cristian Mena is headed to Arizona in exchange for Fletcher’s services. Both teams have since announced the deal.

The younger brother of Braves utility player David Fletcher, the 26-year-old was Arizona’s second-round selection in the 2019 draft. He made a 28-game cameo in the big leagues last year and impressed in his first taste of big league action with a .301/.350/.441 slash line in 102 trips to the plate. Fletcher combined that solid first impression in the majors with strong numbers at the Triple-A level last year, where he slashed .291/.399/.500, good for a wRC+ of 120 even in the inflated offensive environment of the PCL, where the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate plays its games. Strong as Fletcher’s offensive numbers have been to this point in his career, defense is the outfielder’s true calling card. In ranking Fletcher as Arizona’s #11 prospect last season, MLB.com described him as a center fielder with strong reads off the bat and solid routes in the outfield that he pairs with an arm strong enough to handle right field.

As promising as the start to Fletcher’s big league career was last season, it’s understandable that the Diamondbacks would look to part ways with the 26-year-old. After all, the club currently boasts a crowded outfield mix headlined by young star Corbin Carroll that also features veteran free agent additions Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Joc Pederson in addition to former top prospect Alek Thomas. With Jake McCarthy penciled into a bench role and the likes of Pavin Smith and Jorge Barrosa already on the 40-man roster as depth options, Fletcher was left as a superfluous asset in Arizona.

By contrast, Fletcher fills a notable need for the White Sox headed into the season. While Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. figure to man left and center field for the club on a daily basis, the club appeared likely to rely on the likes of Oscar Colas and Brett Phillips in right field headed into Spring Training later this month. Colas struggled to a .216/.257/.314 slash line in 75 games with Chicago last year while Phillips has slashed an anemic .152/.230/.269 in 296 trips to the plate across the past two seasons. The addition of Fletcher should provide the White Sox with another viable option headed into camp who can battle for a spot on the big league roster alongside Colas, Phillips, Zach DeLoach (who the club acquired from the Mariners earlier today), and Kevin Pillar (who the club signed to a minor league deal yesterday).

In exchange for parting ways with Fletcher, the Diamondbacks acquire a 21-year-old hurler in Mena. After signing for $250K out of the Dominican Republic during the 2019 international signing period, Mena has climbed through the White Sox system to become the club’s #10 prospect last year per MLB.com, which notes Mena’s impressive repertoire includes a fastball that touches 96, a low-80s curveball, as well as a slider and a mid-80s changeup that are still developing.

That pitch mix gives Mena the potential to be a mid-rotation starter at some point, though to reach that potential he’ll need to iron out control issues that cropped up in 2023, when he walked 11% of batters faced in 27 starts split between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Despite those concerns with Mena’s strike-throwing, the righty managed to punch out 26.9% of batters faced last year between the two levels. It’s a feat made all the more impressive when you consider that 2023 was Mena’s age-20 campaign, making him far younger than the average pitcher at even the Double-A level, to say nothing of Triple-A. Even after parting ways with Mena, the White Sox still have a pair of upper-level pitching prospects knocking on the door of the majors in Jake Eder and Nick Nastrini, with the likes of Ky Bush and Noah Schultz further down on the organizational depth chart.

White Sox, Kevin Pillar Agree To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox are in agreement with outfielder Kevin Pillar on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (X link). The All Bases Covered Sports Management client would be paid at a $3MM rate if he cracks the major league roster.

Pillar spent the 2023 season in Atlanta. The veteran outfielder inked a non-roster deal with the Braves last winter and cracked the MLB team out of camp. He spent the entire season on the big league club in a reserve outfield capacity. The 11-year MLB veteran appeared in half of Atlanta’s games. He hit .228/.248/.416 through 206 trips to the plate.

The righty-hitting Pillar connected on nine home runs and 10 doubles in a fairly limited sample. A minuscule 2.9% walk rate and a .255 average on balls in play led to a very low on-base mark. That’s the profile Pillar has had throughout his career. He has had a sub-.300 OBP in five of the past six seasons, but he’s reached 15 homers in four different campaigns.

Early in his career, Pillar was one of the sport’s preeminent defensive outfielders. He posted plus defensive marks over his first three-plus seasons, working as a regular center fielder for the Blue Jays. Those grades dipped in 2018-19 as Pillar neared his 30th birthday. He has seen increasing action in the corners in recent years. Pillar started 40 games in the corner outfield while getting the nod in center on three occasions a season ago.

The White Sox have Luis Robert Jr. locked into center and will give Andrew Benintendi a rebound opportunity in left. There’s a vacancy in right field, where the Sox got a dismal .219/.271/.344 showing. Oscar Colás and Gavin Sheets still stand as the top in-house options despite rough 2023 campaigns. Both players hit left-handed, so Pillar could battle for a short-side platoon role. He owns a roughly average .272/.298/.494 slash against southpaws over the past five seasons.

White Sox Interested In Dominic Smith

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Free agent first baseman Dominic Smith has interest from five different clubs, per Robert Murray of FanSided, with the White Sox the only one to be specifically identified.

Smith, 29 in June, has had an up-and-down career. He was selected 11th overall by the Mets in 2013 and was often on top 100 prospect lists on his way up through the minors. But he didn’t hit the ground running in the majors. He got 332 plate appearances over 2017 and 2018 and hit 14 home runs, but he paired a 28.9% strikeout rate with a 5.4% walk rate. The result was a combined batting line of .210/.259/.406 and wRC+ of 78 in that time.

He finally clicked in 2019, getting his strikeout rate down to 22.3% and his walk rate up to 9.6%. He hit 11 home runs in 89 games for a .282/.355/.525 batting line and 134 wRC+. But it wasn’t all perfect, as he had to move from first base to left field thanks to the breakout of Pete Alonso. He also missed most of the second half due to a stress reaction in left foot. But he was healthy again in 2020, hitting .316/.377/.616 in that shortened season for a huge wRC+ of 166.

But he hasn’t been able to get anywhere near that output since. He hit just .233/.298/.345 over the next two seasons, wRC+ of 80, while dealing with injury challenges. He played through a partially-torn labrum in 2021 and then suffered a right ankle sprain in 2022.

He was non-tendered by the Mets and landed with the Nats on a one-year deal with a $2MM guarantee and $2MM of bonuses. For the rebuilding Nats club, it was hoped that a move from left field back to his natural first base position would help Smith get back on track and perhaps turn him into a trade candidate. But that didn’t exactly work out.

He stayed healthy enough to take 586 plate appearances over 153 games last year but had limited impact at the plate. His 15.5% strikeout rate was about seven percentage points lower than most of his previous career work, but he hit just 15 home runs for the year. He finished the season with a .254/.326/.366 line and wRC+ of 90. That’s not disastrous output but less than ideal for a first baseman, where a potent bat is generally the expectation.

Defensively, the move back to first was a success, as Smith earned five Defensive Runs Saved, one Out Above Average and a grade of 5.1 from Ultimate Zone Rating. But the Nats decided to move on nonetheless. They could have retained Smith via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a modest salary of $4.3MM, but Smith was non-tendered and sent back to the open market.

Perhaps he traded too much power for contact. As mentioned, his strikeout rate was abnormally low in 2023 compared to his previous work. Striking out less isn’t a bad thing, but his 86.3 mph average exit velocity was at least two miles below every other season of his career. Getting back to focusing on doing damage would perhaps lead to more punchouts but also more homers. So far this offseason, his market has been fairly quiet. He had reported interest from the Pirates, but that was before they signed Rowdy Tellez.

For the White Sox, they have Andrew Vaughn at first base and Eloy Jiménez likely in the designated hitter spot most of the time. Jimenez can play the outfield, as can Smith, but neither is strong out there on the grass. Jiménez has received some trade interest this offseason and could perhaps find himself on the move, or maybe the club is just eyeing Smith as a backup in the event of injury. Jiménez has dealt with various ailments throughout his career and hasn’t yet topped 122 games in a major league season.

Smith won’t command a huge salary. The Nats presumably called other clubs and tried to gauge trade interest before letting him go for nothing, meaning that no club around the league was willing to pay a few million to get Smith in November. That means the Sox could presumably sign him for a fairly modest fee, even if they only envision him as a bench bat or part-time player.

The club is doing a roster retool of sorts and should have plenty of money for such a move. Roster Resource estimates that their 2024 payroll is set to be $151MM. They had an Opening Day figure of $181MM last year and were at $193MM the year before that, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. If they pull the trigger on deals for rumored trade candidates like Jiménez or Dylan Cease, it would only drop them further from those numbers.

White Sox Sign Juan Then To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed right-hander Juan Then to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte for now but could perhaps receive an invite to major league Spring Training.

Then (pronounced “Ten”) will be turning 24 on Wednesday, so it’s a bit of an early birthday present for him. The righty made his major league debut with the Mariners last year, getting into nine games and logging 11 innings, allowing six earned runs. He only struck out five opponents but also only gave out two walks, while 63.4% of the balls in play he allowed were on the ground. He was outrighted by the Mariners in August and was able to elect free agency at season’s end.

Originally an international signing of the Mariners, he was traded to the Yankees in 2017 for Nick Rumbelow but then came back to the M’s via the 2019 Edwin Encarnación trade. Primarily a starter in his earlier years, the Mariners added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2020 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He then struggled in 2021 and was mostly injured in 2022. He was heading into his final option season last year, so the Mariners moved him to the bullpen.

In addition to the aforementioned major league work, he tossed 36 1/3 innings in the minors with an ERA of 8.92. That’s obviously an unpleasant number to look at, but it appears worse than it is. His .411 batting average on balls in play and 54.3% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side, which is why his FIP was more than three runs lower than his ERA at 5.87.

That FIP still isn’t terribly exciting, but Then is still quite young and he was considered the Mariners’ #17 prospect as recently as two years ago. FanGraphs still considered him that club’s #28 prospect as of July of 2023. Most of the results were poor last year but he had a ground ball rate higher than 50% at Double-A, Triple-A and the majors. For the White Sox, there’s no harm in bringing him into the organization in a non-roster capacity. Given his age and 27 days of MLB service time, there’s long-term upside if things break right, as he could theoretically be cheaply retained beyond this campaign.

The Sox’ bullpen has seen plenty of turnover in the past year, with Kendall Graveman, Reynaldo López, Aaron Bummer, Keynan Middleton and Joe Kelly all traded since last summer. Liam Hendriks had his 2024 option declined as he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery. The club is also planning to stretch out Garrett Crochet as a starter to see how that goes. The Sox have added Tim Hill and John Brebbia via free agency, while Rule 5 pick Shane Drohan is in the mix, but there could be a path for a non-roster player like Then to carve out a role. However, he is now out of options and will face a challenge in holding a roster spot even if he gets one.

Red Sox Claim Romy Gonzalez, Designate Zack Weiss

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The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed infielder/outfielder Romy Gonzalez off waivers from the White Sox. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Boston designated right-hander Zack Weiss for assignment. Chicago had designated Gonzalez for assignment last week in order to clear space for free agent signee John Brebbia.

In parts of three seasons with the White Sox, Gonzalez is a .222/.239/.361 hitter with five homers and seven steals in 239 plate appearances. Gonzalez’s approach at the plate has been a major issue, however. He’s walked in just 2.1% of his plate appearances against a jarring 36% strikeout rate. On pitches within the strike zone, Gonzalez’s 83.3% contact rate is just slightly under league average. However, his 50.2% contact rate on pitches off the plate is tied for 543 among the 593 hitters who’ve taken at least 200 plate appearances over the past three seasons. That lack of contact on pitches off the plate is exacerbated by the fact that only 39 hitters in that same group of 593 have chased off the plate more frequently than Gonzalez (41.5%).

Big league troubles notwithstanding, Gonzalez has been a reasonably productive hitter in the upper minors. He batted .267/.355/.502 in his lone season at the Double-A level and is a .251/.332/.451 hitter in parts of two Triple-A seasons. When he has made contact in the big leagues, it’s also typically been loud. Gonzalez has averaged 90.4 mph off the bat and put 45% of his batted balls in play at 95 mph or greater.

Defensively, Gonzalez is capable of playing all over the diamond but has spent the bulk of his time at shortstop (847 innings), at second base (616) and in left field (579). He has a pair of minor league option years remaining, too, making him a flexible bench option for the Red Sox for the foreseeable future, however long they choose to continue carrying him on the 40-man roster.

Boston claimed the 31-year-old Weiss off waivers from the Angels back in late August. He spent the remainder of the 2023 campaign in manager Alex Cora’s bullpen, pitching 8 2/3 innings and holding opponents to a pair of runs on three hits and four walks with eight punchouts. Weiss has appeared in parts of three MLB seasons dating back to his 2018 debut and carries a 4.61 earned run average with an impressive 28% strikeout rate but an ugly 12.7% walk rate in 27 1/3 MLB frames.

Those K/BB numbers are near-mirror images of the rates he’s posted in Triple-A (28.2% strikeout rate, 12.6% walk rate). Weiss averages 94.3 mph on his heater and generates tons of whiffs on his slider, which he threw at a 70% clip in his limited MLB action this past season. His overall 13.9% swinging-strike rate and 33% opponents’ chase rate in his three big league cups of coffee are both intriguing, but those traits are undercut by his lackluster command.

The Red Sox will have a week to trade Weiss, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

Mariners Interested In Dylan Cease

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The Mariners have begun discussing a trade for right-hander Dylan Cease with the White Sox, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Nightengale suggests that the White Sox are seeking a package centered around one of Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo, Seattle’s pair of cost-controlled righty starters. There’s no indications that a deal is particularly close or even likely, with Nightengale noting that the White Sox appear likely to retain Cease through the start of the 2024 season if a deal with Seattle doesn’t come together. That sentiment echoes other recent reports regarding Cease’s trade candidacy that have cast doubt on the likelihood he changes uniforms before Opening Day.

The report marks the first time the Mariners have been connected to Cease this winter. The right-hander has been a frequent subject of trade rumors this offseason with the Yankees, Reds, Orioles, and Red Sox among the clubs rumored to have had interest at one point or another. Despite that widespread interest, teams have largely appeared to balk at the high asking price the White Sox have set for Cease’s services. A report last month indicated that the club requested a package of four of the Cincinnati’s top prospects in negotiations with the Reds earlier this winter, and Nightengale added that talks between the White Sox and Orioles regarding Cease have “stopped” at this point in the offseason.

In negotiations with the Mariners, it appears the White Sox have pivoted from their previous ask of a hefty prospect package to instead focus on big-league ready talent. It’s an understandable move for the club to make. Woo and Miller are entering their age-24 and -25 seasons, respectively, coming off solid rookie campaigns with six seasons of team control remaining. Either righty would not only be able to immediately replace Cease in the club’s rotation mix, but would give the club another long-term asset to build around alongside star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Robert is under team control for the next four seasons.

As for Seattle, adding Cease to their starting staff would give the club perhaps the strongest rotation in the majors. Cease is coming off a relative down season on the mound where he posted a 4.58 ERA in 177 innings of work but is just one season removed from a 2022 campaign where he placed second in AL Cy Young award voting. Over the past three seasons, Cease sports a solid 3.54 ERA (121 ERA+) and 3.40 FIP with a 29.8% strikeout rate, numbers that paint him as a solid #2 starter. The 28-year-old would likely slot into the middle of the club’s rotation alongside Logan Gilbert behind ace Luis Castillo and young star George Kirby, with whichever of Woo or Miller remained with the Mariners rounding out the club’s starting rotation.

Replacing Miller or Woo with Cease in the rotation would provide the club with additional certainty in a rotation that figures to lean heavily on young players. The most experienced pitcher aside from Castillo who currently projects for the club’s starting rotation is Gilbert, who is entering just the fourth season of his career in 2024. Kirby has just two MLB seasons under his belt, while both Miller and Woo are entering their sophomore campaigns with just 25 and 18 big league starts respectively under their belts.

Cease, by contrast, has been among the most durable starters in the league in recent years with 97 starts over the past three seasons. For a team that has long valued starting pitching depth but parted with both Marco Gonzales while swapping Robbie Ray for Anthony DeSclafani earlier this offseason, bringing a durable veteran arm in place of a young player who has yet to make 30 starts in a big league season could provide the club with an opportunity to make up for the innings lost by parting with Gonzales and Ray.

On the other hand, it would nonetheless be something of a surprise to see Seattle part with one of their young, cost-controlled arms in a deal that wouldn’t address an area of greater need such as the club’s infield, where Josh Rojas and Luis Urias project to be the everyday starters at second and third base. In addition to shopping for another infielder to add to the club’s mix, the Mariners have expressed interest in fortifying their relief corps, which currently features Andres Munoz and Matt Brash as its back-end options after the club dealt closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks last summer. Recent comments from president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto also seemed to cast doubt on the possibility of a deal involving Miller or Woo, as he suggested that retaining the duo was “Plan A” for their offseason.

White Sox Designate Romy González For Assignment

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The White Sox have made their previously-reported signing of right-hander John Brebbia official, announcing that deal today. Infielder/outfielder Romy González was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

González, now 27, burst towards the major leagues with a strong 2021 season. By the end of August, he had played 87 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He hit 23 home runs in that time and drew walks in 10.6% of his plate appearances. His 27.8% strikeout rate was on the high side but he slashed .275/.357/.525 for a 141 wRC+ and stole 22 bases.

He was added to the 40-man roster as a September call-up and has been serving as an optionable depth piece since. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from seeing much playing time. In 2022, he only played 32 games in the majors and 35 in the minors. Last year, he went on the IL due to shoulder inflammation in early May. He returned just over a week later but returned to the IL in mid-June due to the same ailment, eventually requiring labrum surgery in August.

To this point, González has played 86 major league games with a tepid batting line of .222/.239/361. But given his health issues, it’s hard to read too much into that, and it’s a fairly small sample anyway. At the time of his surgery, the Sox said they expected him to be ready for Spring Training. He has played the three infield positions to the left of first base, all three outfield spots and has even made an appearance on the mound.

The Sox will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He hasn’t done much in the majors thus far but he was mashing in the minors when he was last healthy for an extended stretch. Perhaps that, and his defensive versatility, could intrigue one of the other clubs around the league. He still has a couple of option years and has yet to reach arbitration.

White Sox Receiving "Little Interest" On Eloy Jimenez

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The White Sox have received “little interest” from rival clubs regarding DH Eloy Jimenez, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Jimenez was rumored to be garnering interest from teams early in the offseason, though there has been little in the way of specific rumors regarding his trade market in the months since.

It’s not necessarily shocking that the market for Jimenez’s services has gone dry. The 27-year-old is coming off a down season at the plate in 2023 where he posted a .272/.317/.441 slash line that was only a touch better than league average (105 wRC+). With nearly $17MM in guaranteed money owed to Jimenez between his salary and a $3MM buyout on a club option for next season, teams likely aren’t interested in paying a prospect premium to the White Sox for a pricey slugger who has struggled to stay on the field in recent years, is coming off a down year at the plate, and is limited defensively.

Those flaws figure to be exacerbated by the presence of comparable options such as Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez, and even Rhys Hoskins who are available to clubs looking to add right-handed pop to their lineup for nothing but money in free agency. Given that reality, it seems likely that the White Sox will retain Jimenez into the season and hope for a bounceback from the slugger, at which point they could re-evaluate the situation over the summer. Last year’s trade deadline saw Jimenez receive interest from multiple clubs, and the lack of free agent alternatives often pushes teams to get deals done they may have been more hesitant to work out the previous winter.

White Sox Sign John Brebbia

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9:41AM: Brebbia will earn $5.5MM in guaranteed money, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (links to X) has the breakdown of terms.  Brebbia earns a $4MM base salary for 2024, and there is a $6MM mutual option for 2025 that includes a $1.5MM buyout.  Up to $1MM in incentive bonuses are also available each season, and Brebbia can start unlocking those bonuses if and when he hits the 45-appearance threshold.

8:58AM: The White Sox have signed right-hander John Brebbia, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (via X).  Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times adds that Brebbia inked a one-year deal.  Brebbia is represented by Icon Sports Management.

Newly-hired White Sox senior pitching advisor Brian Bannister undoubtedly had some influence in the signing, as Bannister spent the previous four seasons as the Giants’ director of pitching and oversaw Brebbia’s usage as a versatile bullpen weapon.  Brebbia worked as an opener, middle reliever, and setup man in San Francisco, posting a 3.83 ERA over 134 appearances and 124 2/3 innings while also delivering a solid 6.7% walk rate and 23% strikeout rate.

That latter statistic is perhaps a little misleading, as Brebbia had only a 18.8% strikeout rate during his 68 innings in 2022, sandwiched between much higher K% rates in the smaller sample sizes of his other two seasons.  Brebbia tossed only 18 1/3 innings in 2021 since he was recovering from a June 2020 Tommy John surgery, and he also missed over 2.5 months of last season due to a lat strain.

A 30th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2011 draft, Brebbia was a bit of a late bloomer who didn’t make his MLB debut until when he was just shy of his 27th birthday, as a member of the 2017 Cardinals.  Brebbia pitched well out of the Cards’ bullpen in his first three big league seasons, but in the wake of his TJ surgery, St. Louis opted to non-tender him following the 2020 season.  For his career, the 33-year-old Brebbia has a 3.42 ERA over 299 2/3 innings with St. Louis and San Francisco.

The White Sox had a lot of holes to fill in both the rotation and their bullpen this winter, and GM Chris Getz has been busy on that front in acquiring the likes of Erick Fedde, Chris Flexen, Michael Soroka, and Tim Hill, in addition to a number of other pitchers with MLB experience on minor league deals.  Since Aaron Bummer was traded to the Braves, Brebbia might step into the setup role that Bummer previously held in Chicago, even if it isn’t a perfect one-to-one match since Bummer is a southpaw.

It also stands to reason that Brebbia could be deployed as he was in San Francisco, rather than strictly in a setup capacity.  Since Gregory Santos is recovering from elbow inflammation and might not be ready for the start of Spring Training, Brebbia might even nab a few save opportunities if Santos hits any delays or if the White Sox simply decide to take it easy with their prospective closer.

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