This Date In Transaction History: Luis Robert Extension
Today marks the four-year anniversary of one of the White Sox’s better moves in recent memory. On January 2, 2020, the Sox finalized a $50MM extension with Luis Robert. The right-handed hitting center fielder had yet to make his MLB debut but was a consensus top prospect.
As shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the deal was then the largest ever signed by a player with no big league reps. It marked the second straight year in which the Sox inked a record-setting contract with a player before his debut. Their 2019 deal with Eloy Jiménez, which guaranteed him $43MM over six seasons, hasn’t necessarily gone as the club envisioned. They had far more success with the Robert extension.
The contract ensured Robert would open the 2020 campaign as Chicago’s center fielder. While that might have happened regardless on the heels of a monster showing in the high minors, there was a possibility of the Sox keeping Robert in Triple-A long enough to secure an additional year of club control. (Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, there were fewer incentives for teams to carry top prospects on the Opening Day roster.) The extension bought out their six-year control window while tacking on two team options to add two high-upside seasons for the organization.
Robert had a solid but not overwhelming debut showing, hitting .233/.302/.436 as a 22-year-old during the shortened season. A hip flexor strain interrupted what looked like a breakout showing in his second season. Robert was out of action between May 4 and August 9. Around the injury, he put up spectacular numbers. He raked at a .338/.378/.567 clip with above-average defense in center field. His power numbers took a step back in 2022 but rebounded last season, when Robert turned in the best performance of his career.
The 26-year-old finished ninth in the majors with 38 home runs. He hit .264/.315/.542 overall, more than compensating for a middling strikeout and walk profile with huge power. Robert also put his excellent athleticism to use on the bases and defensively. He went 20-24 in stolen base attempts and received strong grades for his 1207 2/3 innings in center field. Defensive Runs Saved pegged Robert as six runs better than average, while Statcast rated him 11 runs above par.
In what was a disastrous season for the Sox overall, Robert was a rare bright spot. He earned his first All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger at year’s end. He finished 12th in AL MVP balloting, the first time in his career he received down-ballot recognition for that award.
That stellar showing led to a bit of chatter about Robert’s potential availability in trade. White Sox general manager Chris Getz stoked those flames early in the offseason when he said there were no untouchables on a top-heavy roster. While Getz has never entirely walked those comments back, he clarified at the Winter Meetings the Sox would set such a high bar in talks that he had “a tough time seeing him wearing another uniform next year.”
Even as the White Sox entertain trade possibilities on the likes of Jiménez and starter Dylan Cease, there’s reason for Chicago to more or less take Robert off the table. He’s the team’s best player, for one. Yet a trade would have been easier to envision if not for the extension. Robert has four years of MLB service. If Chicago hadn’t signed him to an extension (or kept him in the minors to delay his service clock in 2020), he’d be two years from the open market.
Instead, they have him under control for another four seasons. Robert will make $12.5MM next season and $15MM the year after. Chicago holds affordable $20MM options on his services for the 2026-27 campaigns. His combination of star upside and extended control window makes him one of the most valuable trade assets in the sport. Moving Robert would signify a full teardown. Trading Cease, who is controllable via arbitration for two seasons, is more in line with a shorter-term “retool.”
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
White Sox Designate Carlos Perez For Assignment
The White Sox have designated catcher Carlos Perez for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for Chris Flexen, whose one-year, $1.75MM deal with Chicago is now official.
Not to be confused with older brother Carlos Eduardo Perez (also a catcher and a veteran of five MLB seasons), Carlos Jesus Perez is a 27-year-old backstop who was an international signing for the White Sox back in 2014. Perez has hit .264/.314/.389 over 2402 career plate appearances in Chicago’s minor league system, and he has played in 34 games for the Sox at the Major League level over the last two seasons. Over his small sample size of 71 trips to the plate in the Show, Perez has hit .209/.254/.343 with one home run.
Catcher has been a target area for the Sox this winter, as Martin Maldonado and Max Stassi were both acquired to bolster the team’s depth behind the plate. With Korey Lee also on the roster, top prospect Edgar Quero perhaps in line for a big league debut in 2024, and Chuckie Robinson recently signed to a minor league deal, Perez is now the odd man out.
The White Sox could keep him in the organization as even more depth if he clears waivers and is outrighted off the 40-man roster, but with a number of catchers already on board, Chicago might opt to just release Perez entirely. Since teams are constantly looking for catching help, Perez might not have much trouble landing with another club on a minor league deal heading into Spring Training.
White Sox Sign Chris Flexen To One-Year Deal
The White Sox are reportedly in agreement with right-hander Chris Flexen on a one-year, $1.75MM guarantee. There are an additional $1MM in incentives available for the O’Connell Sports Management client.
Flexen lands a big league deal despite a frustrating 2023 campaign. The 29-year-old opened the season in long relief with the Mariners, starting four of 17 appearances. He couldn’t find any rhythm, battling significant home run issues en route to a 7.71 ERA in 42 innings. The M’s designated him for assignment in early July, trading him to the Mets alongside reliever Trevor Gott.
New York only wanted Gott from that deal, agreeing to assume the nearly $4MM remaining on Flexen’s $8MM contract in the process. The Mets immediately released him. Flexen signed a minor league deal with Colorado and returned to the majors after two starts in Triple-A.
Making seven of 12 starts at Coors Field is a tough assignment for a pitcher looking for a rebound opportunity. Flexen continued to struggle (both at home and in his five road outings), posting a 6.27 ERA over 60 1/3 innings as a Rockie. Between Seattle and Colorado, he allowed a 6.86 ERA through 102 1/3 frames. Among pitchers to reach 100 innings, only Adam Wainwright and Joey Wentz allowed earned runs at a higher rate. The longball was the biggest contributor, as his 2.20 home runs per nine was the highest in the majors.
Flexen returned to free agency at season’s end despite having less than six years of MLB service. That’s common for players who sign a major league deal after a stint in a foreign pro league, as he did during the 2020-21 offseason after one year in the Korea Baseball Organization. Flexen will be a free agent again next winter despite still not reaching the six-year threshold.
It’s difficult to find many positives in Flexen’s 2023 performance, but he was an effective pitcher for Seattle over the preceding two years. Initially signed to a two-year, $4.5MM guarantee by Seattle, Flexen combined for a 3.66 ERA while starting 53 of his 64 appearances. His 16.5% strikeout rate over that stretch was well below-average, but he limited walks and did a much better job keeping the ball in the park. Flexen looked like a serviceable back-end starter two seasons ago.
The Sox will take a low-cost flier on a rebound, continuing an offseason of inexpensive depth pickups for first-year general manager Chris Getz. The Sox have also signed Tim Hill and Paul DeJong to one-year deals and agreed to terms with Martín Maldonado on a $4MM pact. Chicago rolled the dice on veteran catcher Max Stassi in a trade that paid his salary down to the league minimum. Their only multi-year pickup thus far was a two-year, $15MM deal for KBO returnee Erick Fedde.
Fedde has a rotation spot secure. Dylan Cease would be the Opening Day starter if the Sox don’t trade him this offseason. Michael Kopech and Michael Soroka project for middle-of-the-rotation roles, while Jared Shuster, Jesse Scholtens and Touki Toussaint could battle for jobs at the back end. Flexen steps into that fifth starter/long relief competition.
Chicago’s payroll is up to roughly $150MM, according to Roster Resource. That’s nowhere near last year’s $181MM Opening Day mark, although the Sox might not match that spending level as they rework the team. The 40-man roster is at capacity, so they’ll need to make two corresponding moves when they finalize the unofficial pickups of Flexen and Maldonado.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the White Sox and Flexen had agreed to a one-year deal. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported the $1.75MM guarantee and $1MM in performance bonuses.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
White Sox Designate Declan Cronin For Assignment
The White Sox announced this afternoon that they have designated right-hander Declan Cronin for assignment. The move opens up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for left-hander Tim Hill, who the club signed to a one-year deal earlier today. The club will need to make an additional 40-man roster move at some point to make their reported agreement with catcher Martin Maldonado official, as well.
Cronin, 26, joined the White Sox after being selected in the 36th round of the 2019 draft. He impressed at the lower levels of the minors in 2019 after being drafted, with a 2.88 ERA in 20 appearances split between rookie ball and the Single-A level. Cronin did not play in 2020 due to the cancelled minor league season and struggled upon his return to professional play, with a 4.56 ERA in 35 appearances split between High-A and Double-A in 2021 as his walk rate crept up from 8.1% in 2019 all the way to 10.8% in 2021. Fortunately for the righty, he bounced back somewhat in 2022 and performed well enough to reach the Triple-A level by midseason.
In 74 2/3 career innings of work at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons, Cronin has performed acceptably with a 3.74 ERA despite a strikeout rate of just 16.8%. That performance was enough to earn Cronin a call-up midseason in 2023. Cronin ultimately made nine appearances down the stretch for the south siders, though he struggled badly to a 9.00 ERA in eleven innings. In that brief cup of coffee in the majors, Cronin struck out just 15.7% of batters faced while walking 13.7%.
Going forward, Cronin will be exposed to waivers where any team willing to offer him a spot on their 40-man roster could claim him. While his results at the big league level and low strikeout totals in recent years surely raise the eyebrows of interested teams, the right-hander had posted a groundball rate north of 50% at every level of his professional career, including a 55.9% clip at the big league level. That proclivity for groundballs could make Cronin a depth option worth considering for clubs. Should he pass through waivers, the White Sox will have the opportunity to assign him outright to the minors where he can be retained without the use of a 40-man roster spot for the 2024 season.
White Sox Sign Tim Hill To One-Year Deal
The White Sox announced Thursday afternoon that the club has signed lefty reliever Tim Hill to a one-year, $1.8MM contract, as first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). A client of Paragon Sports International, Hill became a free agent when he was non-tendered by the Padres.
That ended a four-year run in San Diego. The Padres had acquired the sidewinder from the Royals just before the 2020 season, sending outfielder Franchy Cordero to Kansas City. As one would expect for a lefty pitching from a low arm angle, he worked largely as a situational bullpen option. The Padres leveraged him heavily against same-handed hitters, against whom he runs huge ground-ball tallies.
Hill posted decent results from 2020-22, combining for a 3.72 ERA over 125 2/3 innings. Things went off the rails last season. He was tagged for a personal-high 5.48 earned runs per nine over 48 appearances. That’s in part a reflection of a career-high .349 average on balls in play, but Hill’s strikeout rate has plummeted over the past two seasons.
After punching out nearly a quarter of opponents early in his career, he has fanned just under 13% of batters faced in each of the last two years. That combined with a spike in hard contact last season for the worst results of his career. San Diego let him go in lieu of a $2.4MM salary projection for his final year of arbitration.
It didn’t turn out too much worse for Hill in the end, as his salary with the White Sox is only $600K below the arbitration forecast. With over five years of major league service, the 33-year-old (34 in February) can no longer be sent to the minors. He’ll open the year in Pedro Grifol’s bullpen.
Hill offers a different look from hard-throwing Garrett Crochet, who projects as Chicago’s top southpaw. Despite fastball velocity that sits around 90 MPH, Hill has kept left-handed batters to a modest .228/.313/.328 slash over the past four seasons. Lefty batters have put the ball on the ground on nearly 65% of their batted balls over that stretch. Righties have predictably given him far more trouble, running a .298/.361/.475 batting line during Hill’s time in San Diego.
Chicago already has a full 40-man roster. Once they finalize their contract with Hill and a $4MM deal for catcher Martín Maldonado, they’ll need to create a pair of vacancies. The low-cost signings bring their 2024 payroll projection to roughly $149MM, as calculated by Roster Resource.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Details On Dylan Cease Trade Talks Between White Sox, Reds
There hasn’t been much on the Dylan Cease front since early December, when reports suggested that the White Sox were going to wait until the free agent pitching market had become a bit clearer before again weighing offers for the right-hander. The Reds were known to be one of the clubs interested in Cease, though 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reported that the Sox had asked for a four-player trade package — pitching prospects Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty, as well as two position-player prospects.
Jason Williams of the Cincinnati Enquirer sheds some more light on Chicago’s demands, writing that the White Sox wanted Lowder, Edwin Arroyo, Connor Phillips, “and at least one more prospect.” This could mean that the Sox wanted a five-player return, with Petty and an unknown position player comprising the other two names involved. MLB Pipeline ranks Lowder, Arroyo, and Phillips within the top 68 prospects in all of baseball, while Lowder (45th) and Phillips (86th) also ranked within Baseball America’s last top 100 ranking from September.
New White Sox GM Chris Getz has been open about the fact that he is willing to discuss any player on his team’s roster in trade negotiations, though some obviously come at a much higher price tag than others. Luis Robert Jr. may be the only player close to truly untouchable, and Cease might not be far off, though the two have differing levels of team control. Robert’s contract contains two club options that control his services through the 2027 season, while Cease has only two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining before he can hit free agency in the 2025-26 offseason.
Still, two years of a frontline pitcher like Cease is still quite an asset — either for a White Sox team trying to get on track after a disastrous season, or as a trade chip the Sox can use to reload the roster for both now and the future. The Reds are a natural trade partner on paper, given how Cincinnati is in sore need of pitching help and is also deep in position-player prospects. Cincinnati was known to have interest in Chicago’s pitching even prior to the All-Star break, so it is safe to assume Cease has been on the Reds’ radar for a while, at least in some fashion.
Because the White Sox are known to be targeting pitching, however, the Sox and Reds might not quite line up as smoothly on a Cease trade as it might seem. Obviously any team would be hesitant about moving three of its top-rated pitching prospects, and in particular, the Reds would be wary about cleaning out their pitching assets when they have so much of an surplus in another area (the infield) in their farm system. Speculatively speaking, the Reds might be more willing to consider a package of Arroyo, another position player, and one pitcher for Cease, yet it isn’t surprising why Cincinnati would balk at moving at least two of Phillips, Lowder, and Petty on top of what is already a substantial return of infield talent.
There isn’t really any harm in aiming high, of course, as Getz has plenty of offseason left to continue to explore other potential trade packages involving Cease. The fact that the Dodgers have already nabbed two of the top free agent (Yoshinobu Yamamoto) and trade (Tyler Glasnow) targets on the market has left a lot of other teams still in sore need of rotation help, so it certainly seems possible that Cease might be wearing another uniform by Opening Day.
It is also too early to rule the Reds out of any further Cease talks, even if that rumored four-for-one or five-for-one seems like a bridge too far. Cincinnati has been aggressive in adding to its rotation and bullpen by signing Nick Martinez and Emilio Pagan, and bolstered its infield picture even further by signing Jeimer Candelario. The addition of Candelario seemingly makes it more likely that the Reds could move an infielder in some manner of trade, whether for Cease or another pitcher.
Padres Claim Luis Patiño
The Padres announced Friday that they’ve claimed right-hander Luis Patiño off waivers from the White Sox, who’d designated him for assignment earlier in the week. It’s a homecoming for Patiño, a former top prospect who was originally signed and developed by the Padres. Their 40-man roster is now up to 33 players.
Now 24 years old, Patiño was traded from San Diego to Tampa Bay alongside catcher Francisco Mejia, minor league catcher Blake Hunt and minor league righty Cole Wilcox in the 2020 trade that brought eventual two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to the Padres. At the time of the swap, Patiño was regarded as one of the sport’s very best pitching prospects; he’d scuffled through 17 1/3 innings in his initial call to the Majors the prior season (5.19 ERA, 21-to-14 K/BB ratio), but that debut came at just 20 years of age. Entering the 2020 campaign, each of Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, ESPN and The Athletic had ranked among the top 30 prospects in all of MLB.
As is made clear by the manner in which he’s returning to the Friars, things haven’t panned out for Patiño. The right-hander posted strong numbers in 29 1/3 Triple-A frames in 2021 and also spent the majority of that season on the big league roster in Tampa Bay. It wasn’t a great season by any means, but Patiño did post a 4.31 ERA with a 22.2% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate while averaging 96 mph on his heater. For a 21-year-old in his first full MLB campaign — and one who’d barely pitched above A-ball thanks to the canceled 2020 minor league season — it was a reasonably encouraging first foot forward.
From there, however, things went downhill quickly. Patiño suffered a severe oblique strain early in the 2022 campaign, prompting a 60-day IL placement and an absence of more than three months. Upon returning, he showed diminished velocity and far shakier results. Patiño walked more batters than he struck out in 20 MLB frames that year and was limited to 34 Triple-A innings, where he struggled with home runs and was tagged for a 4.50 earned run average.
In 2023, Patiño developed alarming command troubles, walking more nearly 18% of the opponents he faced in Triple-A between the Rays and the White Sox, who acquired him for cash considerations on the day of the trade deadline. In 21 1/3 innings at the MLB level, Patiño posted a 4.57 ERA with an 18.2% strikeout rate and 14.1% walk rate.
He’ll now head back to a Padres club that’s in need of pitching depth after seeing starters Snell, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill reach free agency in addition to relievers Josh Hader, Luis Garcia and Drew Pomeranz. Clearly, Patiño can’t be counted on like the Padres might have expected in 2021, had he not been traded, but he gives them a still-young arm to plug into the rotation mix or bullpen this spring. Patiño is out of minor league options, it should be noted, meaning he’ll have to either make the Opening Day roster or else be traded or placed on waivers once again.
White Sox Designate Luis Patiño For Assignment
The White Sox announced they have selected the contract of right-hander Josimar Cousin, with fellow righty Luis Patiño designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Patiño, now 24, was once a top 100 prospect but hasn’t yet delivered on that hype as a major leaguer. He came up with the Padres and then went to the Rays in the December 2020 Blake Snell deal. But he struggled to establish himself in Tampa and was flipped to the White Sox just ahead of this year’s deadline.
Between those three clubs, he has 136 1/3 major league innings of experience to this point with a 5.02 earned run average. His 20.2% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate are both below typical league averages. He also has struggled at the Triple-A level, with a 5.12 ERA in 123 innings there in his career.
The righty exhausted his final option year in 2023, meaning he could no longer be sent to the minors without being exposed to waivers. With that diminished roster flexibility, it was going to be a challenge for him to hang onto a roster spot, given his poor results of late. The Sox will now have a week to try to work out a trade or pass him through waivers.
Cousin, 26 in February, was born in Cuba and signed a minor league deal with the Sox in May. He spent time at three different minor league levels this year, going from the Complex League to High-A and then Double-A. He posted a combined 5.56 ERA in 55 innings, striking out 19.6% of opponents and walking 6.3%. It’s unclear why he was added to the roster today but it’s possible there was some sort of opt-out in his deal or he was offered an opportunity overseas.
Mets Acquire Yohan Ramirez
The Mets announced Monday that they’ve acquired right-hander Yohan Ramirez from the White Sox in exchange for cash. Ramirez was designated for assignment by the ChiSox last week.
Ramirez appeared in just five games for the White Sox, who acquired him from the Pirates via an early-September waiver claim. He yielded four runs in four innings with the South Siders but had pitched to a solid 3.67 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.
Now 28 years old, Ramirez made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2020 and has appeared in every MLB season since. He’s totaled 124 innings of 3.99 ERA ball as a big leaguer, striking out 23.2% of his opponents against a 12.5% walk rate that’s well north of the league average. Ramirez was a fly-ball pitcher early in his career but switched from a four-seamer to a two-seamer in 2022 and has since been a pronounced ground-ball arm (54.1%).
Scouting reports on Ramirez from his prospect days praised his stuff across the board but noted that he lacked command. That’s played out through much of his big league tenure to date, but the pieces for a quality reliever are clearly present. He’s out of minor league options, so the Mets will have to either carry Ramirez on the Opening Day roster or else trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers prior to the end of spring training.
Chicago Notes: Lee, Candelario, Pepiot
After losing Jeimer Candelario, Cody Bellinger, and Marcus Stroman to free agency last month, the Cubs figure to look for additional help at the corner infield spots and in the rotation while also continuing a search for a left-handed bat that saw them connected to both Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani before the superstars landed with the Yankees and Dodgers, respectively. According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, that search for a left-handed bat took them to a somewhat unusual place, as Mooney indicates that Chicago pursued star KBO outfielder Jung Hoo Lee prior to him landing in San Francisco on a six-year, $113MM deal last week.
It’s something of a peculiar fit, as the Cubs have Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki locked into the corner outfield spots with top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong and his 80-grade glove in center field expected to break into the majors as a regular sometime next season. While that hasn’t stopped president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his front office from pursuing Soto and a reunion with Bellinger, it’s worth noting that Bellinger has plenty of experience at first base and that Soto is a fringe defender in the outfield who may be best suited for a DH role. Lee, by contrast, has spent his entire professional career in the outfield and is viewed as a plus defender on the grass with a chance to stick in center.
Despite the uncertain fit, Mooney suggests that the 25-year-old’s youth, left-handed bat, and ability to play center were all attractive factors in the eyes of the Cubs. Speculatively speaking, the club may have seen Lee as a piece who could slot into center field on Opening Day to allow Crow-Armstrong more time to develop in the minors. Upon Crow-Armstrong’s promotion, the club could have utilized the DH slot, where they have no regular starting option, to rest Suzuki, Happ, and Lee by divvying up time in the outfield corners between the three of them while also allowing them to all play on an everyday basis.
More rumblings out of Chicago…
- Sticking with the Cubs, Mooney suggests that the club “didn’t express interest” in retaining Candelario after he hit the open market last month. Candelario came up as a member of the Cubs but was shipped to the Tigers at the 2017 trade deadline alongside infielder Isaac Paredes in exchange for catcher Alex Avila and left-hander Justin Wilson. Candelario made his way back to Chicago this past summer when the Cubs landed him in exchange for infield prospect Kevin Made and lefty relief prospect D.J. Herz. Candelario’s second stint with the Cubs was shortened by a two-week stint on the injured list in September due to a back issue. Though Candelario was a strong fit for the Cubs’ offseason needs as a switch-hitting infielder who can contribute at both infield corners as well as DH, it’s possible the club was turned off from pursuing him by the relatively modest .234/.318/.445 slash line he put up in 157 trips to the plate with Chicago this season. Candelario wound up signing with the Reds on a three-year, $45MM deal earlier this month.
- Looking toward the south side, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the White Sox were interested in right-hander Ryan Pepiot as part of a possible return package while discussing a Dylan Cease trade with the Dodgers earlier this winter. Pepiot ultimately was shipped to the Rays alongside outfielder Jonny DeLuca in exchange for oft-injured ace Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot. It’s unclear if the Dodgers and White Sox are still engaged in discussions regarding Cease following the Glasnow deal, though the Dodgers are certainly in need of multiple starting pitchers this offseason and would surely benefit from the addition of Cease, who sports a 3.54 ERA and 3.40 FIP over the past three seasons, to their rotation mix.