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[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Outright Oscar Colás

The White Sox announced that outfielder Oscar Colás has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte. He had been designated for assignment a couple of days ago when the club was making its final roster moves ahead of Opening Day.

Seeing this transaction would have been surprising a few years ago but is far more understandable given the way things have played out recently. Colás was a high-profile player even before joining the affiliated ranks. A native of Cuba, he had played both in that country and in Japan, building a reputation with his strong offensive stats. He also dabbled in pitching, leading to some “Cuban Shohei Ohtani” chatter, but his official track record on the mound consists of just 3 1/3 innings in Cuba.

He eventually signed with the White Sox early in 2022, getting a relatively high $2.7MM signing bonus. His first season in affiliated ball went quite well. In that 2022 season, he went from High-A to Double-A and Triple-A. Across those three levels, he hit 23 home runs in 117 games, producing a combined .314/.371/.524 batting line and 137 wRC+.

Going into 2023, he was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the league, but his stock has been falling since then. He has 301 big league plate appearances thus far with a 5.3% walk rate and 26.9% strikeout rate. His .223/.271/.309 line translates to a wRC+ of just 58. His minor league production has also fallen off. His .255/.336/.423 line at Triple-A over the past two years is better than his major league work but amounts to a wRC+ of 93, or 7% below league average. His defense hasn’t been well regarded, making that declining offense all the more troubling.

Coming into 2025, the Sox didn’t seem keen on keeping a job open for him. They already had Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi in the outfield mix and then added Austin Slater, Michael A. Taylor, Mike Tauchman and Travis Jankowski. Injuries to Tauchman and Benintendi in spring perhaps opened a path for Colás but he struck out in 38.9% of his plate appearances in Cactus League action.

He has an option remaining, so the Sox could have simply sent him to the minors. But they bumped him off the 40-man and put him on the wire, taking the risk that they would lose him completely. Any of the other 29 clubs could have grabbed him and stashed him in Triple-A but none of them were willing to give him a roster spot, an indication of where his value is right now.

Since he has less than three years of service time and this is his first career outright, he does not have the right to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the White Sox as a depth piece but without taking up a roster spot. The Sox won’t be competing this year and it seems likely that outfield playing time will be open in the second half. Robert should be one of the top trade candidates of the coming months as long as he stays healthy and the other outfielders should be on the block as well. If Colás can turn things around in Charlotte, he could perhaps get another shot at the majors later in the summer.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/white-sox-outright-oscar-colas.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Angels Acquire Jake Eder, Designate Michael Petersen For Assignment

Left-hander Jake Eder has been traded from the White Sox to the Angels for cash considerations, per announcements from both clubs. The Halos have optioned Eder to Triple-A Salt Lake. The Sox had designated him for assignment last week. To open a 40-man spot, the Angels designated right-hander Michael Petersen for assignment.

Eder, 26, was a notable prospect a few years ago but his stock is down. The Marlins took him in the fourth-round of the 2020 draft. In 2021, he made 15 Double-A starts with a 1.77 earned run average. He struck out 34.5% of opponents, gave out walks at a 9.4% rate and also got ground balls on 50.3% of balls in play.

That got him onto the prospect radar but Tommy John surgery late in 2021 put that on pause. He missed the entire 2022 season while recovering and his results since getting back on the mound haven’t been inspiring. He has thrown 165 2/3 minor league innings since that surgery, getting flipped to the White Sox for Jake Burger at the 2023 deadline. In that time, he has a 6.52 ERA, 25% strikeout rate and 12.3% walk rate.

The southpaw still has two option seasons left and could have been stashed in Triple-A. But even the White Sox, one of the few rebuilding clubs in the league, seemingly didn’t have much faith in him getting the train back on the tracks.

The Angels, a club seemingly always in need of more pitching depth, will give him a roster spot for now to see if he can get over his recent struggles. They currently have a rotation mix of Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Jack Kochanowicz, Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks, with Reid Detmers in a long relief role. Eder will join guys like Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri and Chase Silseth as optionable rotation arms looking to battle for starts later in the year.

To add Eder into that mix, the Angels are potentially losing Petersen, whom they claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays last month. The right-hander is 30 years old, turning 31 in May. He made his major league debut last year, tossing 19 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and Marlins with a 5.95 ERA. Since that season ended, he bounced to the Jays and Angels via waiver claims but has now lost his roster spot again.

The big league numbers are such a small sample size that it’s hard to glean much from. But in the minors last year, he tossed 33 innings with a 1.64 ERA, 35.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. He still has a couple of options and could perhaps attract attention from clubs looking for some extra bullpen depth. The Angels will have a week of DFA limbo to figure out what’s next, but the waiver process takes 48 hours, so any potential trade talks would need to come together in the next five days.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...esignate-michael-petersen-for-assignment.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Outright Dominic Fletcher

Outfielder Dominic Fletcher was not claimed off waivers following last week’s DFA and has now been assigned outright to Triple-A Charlotte, the White Sox announced Monday. He’ll remain with the organization as a depth option.

Now 27 years old, Fletcher came to the ChiSox last winter in a trade that sent pitching prospect Cristian Mena to the D-backs. At the time of the swap, he was coming off a .291/.399/.500 showing in Triple-A and had slashed .301/.350/.441 in his first 102 big league plate appearances. Impressive as those performances were, the Snakes had an outfield contingent made up of Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas. They’d also had talks with free agent Randal Grichuk, whom they signed just a few days after trading Fletcher. There wasn’t much space in the Arizona outfield.

A move to a rebuilding White Sox club with ample opportunity for playing time looked like a positive for Fletcher, but he struggled in his new environs. The Sox gave Fletcher 241 turns at the plate, but he mustered only a .206/.252/.256 batting line. His subsequent .121/.211/.212 batting line in 38 plate appearances this spring didn’t inspire any further confidence, and the Sox brought free agents Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater and Michael A. Taylor to join Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. in the team’s outfield mix.

Now off the team’s 40-man roster, Fletcher will head to Charlotte and hope to play his way into another opportunity. Even with all of last year’s struggles, his .263/.333/.389 line in 106 Triple-A plate appearances was respectable, if a bit below average in a hitter-friendly setting. Fletcher is a career .293/.376/.462 hitter in 889 Triple-A plate appearances, so he does have a track record to suggest he could earn another look.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/dominic-fletcher-clears-waivers-outrighted-white-sox.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Re-Sign Dan Altavilla To Minor League Deal

The White Sox re-signed right-hander Dan Altavilla over the weekend, as reflected in his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty pitched an inning and two thirds for Triple-A Charlotte yesterday.

Altavilla, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the winter. He tossed 9 2/3 innings for them during the spring, allowing three earned while striking out 11 opponents, issuing four walks and hitting two batters. He didn’t break camp with the club and opted out of that deal but has now circled back to the Sox on a fresh contract.

The righty has some capable big league work on his track record, though it’s been a few years since he complied the bulk of it. From 2016 through 2020, he tossed 114 2/3 innings for the Mariners and Padres. He had an ERA of exactly 4.00 in that time, with a strong 26% strikeout rate but also a high walk rate of 12.3%.

But he has thrown only five big league innings since then. Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2021 wiped out most of that year and the subsequent season. In 2023, he was with the Red Sox on a minor league deal but his results weren’t strong and he didn’t get a call-up. He made it back to the show with the Royals last year but landed on the injured list with a right oblique strain after just five appearances. When he was healthy, he was bumped off the roster as opposed to being reinstated.

The Sox have a pretty inexperienced bullpen. Mike Clevinger is the only reliever on the active roster with more than five years of service time. He has spent most of his career as a starter and is only now making the move to full-time relief. Swingman Bryse Wilson is the only other guy with at least four years of service while only Penn Murfee is also over the one-year line.

It’s understandable why a rebuilding club like the Sox would want to try out young arms to see what happens but some of them will surely struggle or simply get hurt. In short, there should be opportunities available for Altavilla throughout the year if he can stay healthy and somewhat effective.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/white-sox-re-sign-dan-altavilla-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Poll: Who Will Win The AL Central?

Opening Day has finally arrived, and teams all around the league are gearing up for another pennant chase in hopes of being crowned this year’s World Series champion. Of course, there’s still another seven months to go before someone raises the Commissioner’s Trophy. Until the playoffs begin, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. We’ll be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. That series has already covered the National League, with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Phillies each coming out on top in their respective divisions. In the American League, meanwhile, the Rangers were voted as the most likely AL West winner. Next up is a look at the AL Central. Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Cleveland Guardians (92-69)

The Guardians surprised the baseball world by not only storming back to the top of the AL Central in Stephen Vogt’s first year replacing Terry Francona as manager in Cleveland, but by pushing past the Astros to secure a playoff bye alongside the Yankees. Though the club ultimately fell to New York in the ALCS, their strong showing inspired plenty of optimism about the club’s future. The offseason saw some major changes come to the organization as Andres Gimenez departed the club in a series of moves that ultimately brought back righty Luis Ortiz. The addition of Ortiz should help bolster a rotation that was the club’s clear weakness last year, as should getting more out of Shane Bieber after he returned to the club in free agency over the offseason.

Aside from that stronger rotation mix and the aforementioned loss of Gimenez, the 2025 Guardians don’t look much different than the 2024 club. Josh Naylor departed via trade but was swiftly replaced with Carlos Santana in his third stint with the club, and the club swapped Tyler Freeman for Nolan Jones just before Opening Day. Meanwhile, Jakob Junis and Paul Sewald add depth to a bullpen that was already baseball’s best last season. A stronger rotation mix should help the Guardians stay at the top of the AL Central this year, though they’ll need strong performances from players like Jones, Brayan Rocchio, and Kyle Manzardo in order to match last year’s output in the lineup without Naylor’s bat and Gimenez’s glove in the fold.

Kansas City Royals (86-76)

After making it back to the playoffs for the first time since their World Series championship in 2015, the Royals stayed busy in the offseason. They retained their strong front three of Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, and Michael Wacha in the rotation while trading fourth starter Brady Singer to the Reds to land Jonathan India, who has split time between left field and third base for the club so far this year. Meanwhile, the Royals made a splash at the back of their bullpen by signing closer Carlos Estevez to handle the ninth inning, bolstering a relief group that was a big source of frustration last year. Overall, the pitching staff seems to be in an even better place than 2024 with Singer set to be replaced in the rotation by some combination of Kris Bubic, who excelled in a short stint with the bullpen last year, the eventual return of Kyle Wright from the injured list.

Less certain is how the club will stack up on offense. India was the club’s only major addition to the lineup, though swinging a trade for Mark Canha just before Opening Day should raise the floor offensively and bringing in Cavan Biggio could also improve the club’s depth. India and Canha should help to balance out a lineup that was far too reliant on Bobby Witt Jr. last year. Even so, the club will either need Witt to repeat his otherworldly production or significant steps forward from players like MJ Melendez and Maikel Franco if they’re going to be even an average offense in 2025, given that last year’s club managed a wRC+ of just 96. Will the club’s modest improvements be enough to take control of the Central?

Detroit Tigers (86-76)

As is a theme throughout the AL Central, the Tigers were relatively quiet this winter. The lineup is largely unchanged from last year, with second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielder Manuel Margot standing as the club’s only additions of significance. The duo’s right-handed bats should help to balance out a Tigers lineup that leans heavily to the left, but the more significant additions to the Tigers this year are in the rotation. The return of Jack Flaherty after the club traded him to the Dodgers over the summer should give the club an impressive prospective playoff rotation, with Flaherty joining reigning AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal, 2024 breakout righty Reese Olson, and perhaps top prospect Jackson Jobe to make what could rival the Royals for the division’s best rotation. Alex Cobb, meanwhile, should add some veteran depth to the rotation and has been extremely effective when healthy in recent years.

Impressive as the rotation mix might be, the Tigers’ lackluster offensive additions mean a lot will need to go right for the club in the lineup if they’re going to make it back to October. Strong, healthy seasons from Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter will be a must, and steps forward from youngsters like Colt Keith and the ever-streaky Spencer Torkelson would go a long way to getting the club back to the postseason. As for the club’s bullpen, little changed outside of the addition of right-hander Tommy Kahnle, so the club will once again need strong performances from pieces like Tyler Holton and Will Vest in 2025. Will all of that be enough to overcome the Royals and Guardians in 2025?

Minnesota Twins (82-80)

After a disappointing season where the club appeared poised to make the postseason before collapsing in dramatic fashion down the stretch, the Twins are more or less running back the same club they put forward in 2024. Carlos Santana, Max Kepler, and Caleb Thielbar all departed the club with reasonable facsimiles of their expected production entering the door in their place when the club signed Ty France, Harrison Bader, and Danny Coulombe. Aside from that trio of modest additions to replace outgoing free agents, the Twins did very little to augment the club this winter. That’s not to say another weak season should be expected, however. On paper, the Twins have long been the most talented club in the AL Central and that figures to once again be the case in 2025.

Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, and Byron Buxton all have star potential when healthy, though Lewis has already opened the season on the injured list. Brooks Lee (also on the IL) and Matt Wallner provide plenty of upside to the club’s lineup, and steady contributors like Willi Castro, Ryan Jeffers, and Jose Miranda should help make for a strong offensive nucleus. The rotation, meanwhile, has a solid front three in the form of Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober to go along with a handful of interesting back-end options like Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa. Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax make for a frightening combo at the back of the bullpen, leaving the club without any clear holes. With that being said, health and consistency have always been difficult to come by in Minnesota despite a deep and talented group of players. Will they be able to put it all together in 2025?

Chicago White Sox (41-121)

After the worst season in MLB history, the White Sox did little to inspire optimism about the 2025 season. Arguably, the club is weaker on paper than it was last year after losing Erick Fedde at the trade deadline and Garrett Crochet over the offseason. Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery should arrive sometime this year to pick up the slack, and a fully healthy and productive season from Luis Robert Jr. would go a long way to getting the White Sox away from that 120-loss threshold. Even with those potential upsides, however, it would be perhaps the most shocking turnaround in baseball history if this club managed to bring a division title back to the south side of Chicago in 2025.

__________________________________________

The offseason didn’t see any status-quo-altering changes in the AL Central. While the three postseason clubs from last year all made at least some modest additions, the story of the division is not all that dissimilar from 2025. After a 92-win season in 2025, the Guardians’ pitching additions seem likely to be enough to make them a potential favorite as long as Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan continue to play up to lofty expectations, though the additions Detroit and Kansas City made can’t be ignored. The Twins lurk in the background, meanwhile, even after a quiet offseason thanks to their strong in-house group of talent. With four of the division’s five clubs likely to be in the mix for the AL Central crown once again, who do you think is most likely to come out on top? Have your say in the poll below:

Take Our Poll

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/poll-who-will-win-the-al-central-3.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox To Sign Joshua Palacios To Minor League Deal

The White Sox are signing outfielder Joshua Palacios to a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Ballengee Group client elected free agency earlier this week after being outrighted by the Pirates.

Palacios, 29, has bounced around the majors in the past few years. He has suited up for the Blue Jays, Nationals and Pirates in the four most recent big league seasons. Broadly speaking, he has hit well in the minors without finding success in the majors.

He has been sent to the plate 433 times thus far in his big league career, with a .230/.286/.364 line in those. That translates to a wRC+ of 75, indicating he’s been 25% below league average overall. He also took 781 minor league plate appearances in that 2021-24 span with a .303/.387/.484 line and 131 wRC+.

The gap between his major and minor league numbers has led to him frequently being sent to the farm and back. He exhausted his final option year in 2024 and is now out of options, which got him squeezed off Pittsburgh’s 40-man.

If he puts together another good minor league showing with the White Sox, they should be able to give him some big league playing time later in the year. Their outfield mix currently consists of Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi, Travis Jankowski, Austin Slater and Michael A. Taylor. All of those players should be available in midseason trade talks, as they all have fairly narrow windows of control on a White Sox team that isn’t expecting to compete in the near term.

Assuming some of those players do indeed get traded in the coming months, the White Sox have a bunch of guys who could pick up some of the playing time. Greg Jones is on the 40-man roster but currently on optional assignment. Guys like Dominic Fletcher, Corey Julks, Oscar Colás and Zach DeLoach have been bumped from the 40-man but are still in the system as non-roster depth. Palacios will join that latter group of guys and will try to earn his way back to the majors.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-to-sign-joshua-palacios-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Jerry Reinsdorf Not Pursuing Sale Of White Sox

Reports emerged last October that longtime White Sox majority owner Jerry Reinsdorf was considering selling his controlling interest in the team, and that Reinsdorf was in talks about a possible sale to an ownership group fronted by former big league pitcher and executive Dave Stewart. There hasn’t been any news on that front in the intervening months, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote today that a sale isn’t happening whatsoever. The 89-year-old Reinsdorf “has made it perfectly clear to friends that he has zero interest in selling as long as he remains in good health,” and “he has rebuffed all of minority investor Justin Ishbia’s requests to purchase controlling interest of the team.”

The latter point is particularly noteworthy, as Ishbia and his brother Mat were viewed as the lead candidates to buy the Twins until about six weeks ago, when the Ishbias reversed course and instead looked to increase their minority share in the White Sox. Team VP of communications Scott Reifert made it clear at the time that this “has no impact on the leadership or operations of the Chicago White Sox and does not provide a path to control” for the Ishbias, and today’s report from Nightengale would seemingly further quiet the speculation that Reinsdorf is looking to move on from the team he has owned since 1981.

Reinsdorf’s long tenure is highlighted by the 2005 World Series, which marked the first Sox championship (and the first baseball title in Chicago as a whole) since 1917. Beyond that signature achievement, however, the Pale Hose have only sporadically been contenders over Reinsdorf’s four-plus decades, and the club has topped the .500 mark only six times since that World Series year. Most recently, of course, the Sox posted the worst record in modern baseball history, and one can only hope that last season’s 41-121 debacle is the low point of what looks like it’ll be another lengthy rebuild.

Reinsdorf’s ownership style has long faced criticism on many fronts, chiefly related to a relative unwillingness to spend despite playing in a large market. As per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Sox payroll did rank seventh in baseball as recently as the 2022 season, but that marked Chicago’s only appearance within the top 10 spenders over the last 14 years. Andrew Benintendi’s five-year, $75MM deal from the 2022-23 offseason is the largest contract the White Sox have ever given to a player, and Reinsdorf’s longstanding reputation as a hawk in labor talks has only added to the perception that the Sox aren’t willing to heavily invest in player salaries.

With both the White Sox and the NBA’s Chicago Bulls (Reinsdorf’s other team), the owner has been known to both take a heavy hand in front office business, while also employing longtime confidants in key executive roles. While keeping trusted employees in place could naturally be viewed as a sign of loyalty, the flip side of Reinsdorf’s approach is that his teams are often accused of insularity, which keeps the clubs from fully embracing newer trends or perspectives. For instance, when the White Sox were looking for a new GM in August 2023, then-assistant general manager Chris Getz was promoted into the top job after Reinsdorf seemingly had a brief or non-existent search for external candidates.

All of this to say, South Side fans may not be enthused by Nightengale’s report, given how Reinsdorf’s popularity in Chicago is probably at the lowest point of his ownership tenure. There have also been some rumblings that Reinsdorf could even be open to moving the White Sox if he can’t get his desired new ballpark project in the South Loop area launched, as the team’s lease at Rate Field is up after the 2029 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred downplayed the idea of the White Sox moving an interview last October, but Chicago fans might not been totally comfortable until there is a firm plan in place for the team beyond 2029.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/jerry-reinsdorf-not-pursuing-sale-of-white-sox.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Designate Travis Jankowski, Reinstate Mike Tauchman From 10-Day IL

The White Sox announced that outfielder Travis Jankowski was designated for assignment. The move was made to create a roster spot for Mike Tauchman, who has now been activated from the 10-day injured list.

Tauchman suffered a hamstring strain during Spring Training, which opened the door for Jankowski (who signed a minor league deal in March) to make the Opening Day roster as part of Chicago’s outfield mix. Jankowski has appeared in seven of the team’s eight games, playing right and center field while hitting .214/.267/.214 in the small sample size of 15 plate appearances.

This brief stint made it 11 straight seasons of MLB action for Jankowski, who has spent most of his career in a part-time or platoon capacity with seven different teams. Jankowski has been outrighted off a 40-man roster in the past, so if he clears DFA waivers in the next few days, he has the right to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate.

It isn’t out of the question that Jankowski could be claimed off waivers, or that a team in need of outfield help could arrange a trade with the White Sox during the DFA period. Jankowski’s left-handed bat and his ability to play all three outfield positions makes him a useful depth piece, plus he is a well-known veteran presence who has made a lot of connections during his lengthy career.

As for Tauchman, he is now set to make his White Sox debut after signing a one-year, $1.95MM free agent deal with the team during the offseason. Tauchman is coming off a pair of solid seasons with the Cubs, and the Peoria native will now look to continue that steady play on the other side of Chicago. Since the Sox are firmly in rebuild mode, Tauchman is a prime candidate to be traded before the deadline, particularly if he replicates the 110 wRC+ he posted in 2023-24.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...i-reinstate-mike-tauchman-from-10-day-il.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Re-Sign Brandon Drury To Minor League Deal

The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve agreed to a new minor league contract with infielder Brandon Drury. He’ll head to extended spring training for now. Drury was with the ChiSox this spring and enjoyed a monster performance in the Cactus League, hitting .410/.439/.821 with three homers and seven doubles in 41 plate appearances. He looked like a lock to make the team until he suffered a broken thumb right at the end of camp. The Sox released him from that minor league pact, but the two parties have now come to terms on a new deal.

Drury, 32, has run pretty hot and cold in his career. At the end of the 2021 season, he had a career batting line of .249/.296/.415. That production translated to a wRC+ of 83, indicating he was 17% below league average overall.

He then snapped off a really good performance over the next two years. He has never walked much but managed to launch 28 home runs with the Reds and Padres in 2022. He slashed .263/.320/.492 for a 123 wRC+. He signed a two-year, $17MM deal with the Angels going into 2023 and the first year went quite well. He launched another 26 homers and hit .262/.306/.497 for a 114 wRC+.

But everything went south last year. He battled various minor ailments throughout the year and produced a tepid line of .169/.242/.228. The White Sox were able to grab him on a minor league deal and it seemed for a while like they would get him on the upswing, though his aforementioned excellent spring performance was cut short by a broken thumb.

He will once again try to play his way onto the White Sox, which is certainly possible. He has played everywhere but catcher in his career, though he hasn’t played shortstop or the outfield recently. Still, the ability to play the non-shortstop infield positions gives him a chance to crack the lineup if he’s in good form. Miguel Vargas and Andrew Vaughn are taking most of the playing time at the corners right now with Lenyn Sosa at second, though none of them are performing well. Vargas and Sosa can be moved to other positions while Vaughn is only under club control through 2026 and is playing himself into non-tender territory.

If Drury can get healthy and back in form, he would be a candidate to spend some time in the majors with the White Sox. If he produces numbers like his spring performance or his 2022-23 seasons, he would be an intriguing midseason trade candidate.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin, Oncea-Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-sign-brandon-drury-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Octavio Dotel Dies In Roof Collapse Tragedy

Former major leaguer Octavio Dotel has died in a tragic accident, Major League Baseball confirmed. The news was first reported by multiple outlets in the Dominican Republic, including Diario Libre. The roof of the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday night, at least 98 people have lost their lives while nearly 200 more were injured, according to The Associated Press. Dotel was 51 years old.

Exact details of the tragic situation are difficult to pin down, but it appears hundreds of people were in the venue for a concert when the collapse happened. Dozens of people have been pulled out alive but many have died and the figures are likely to change. Dotel was reportedly trapped for about 11 hours before being rescued and initially survived, but was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

Dotel was well known to baseball fans because he pitched in the majors for over a decade and bounced around to various teams. He made his major league debut with the Mets in 1999, working in a swing role. He was traded to the Astros ahead of the 2000 season and continued to work both out of the rotation and the bullpen for a while.

He eventually moved into a primary relief role and had more success. Though his earned run average was over 5.00 in both 1999 and 2000, he posted a 2.66 ERA in 2001. He tossed 105 innings over 61 appearances, only four of those being starts.

He continued working as a solid reliever for years after that, bouncing to the Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers. He finished his career with a 3.78 ERA in 758 games. He recorded 109 saves and 127 holds. He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 2011. He was a part of a combined no-hitter with the Astros in 2003. He retired in 2014.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our deepest condolences to Dotel’s family, friends and fans, as well as the hundreds of others who have been impacted by this awful event.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/octavio-dotel-dies-in-roof-collapse-tragedy.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Re-Sign Travis Jankowski To Minor League Deal

The White Sox announced that outfielder Travis Jankowski has been signed to a minor league deal. He had cracked the club’s Opening Day roster but was designated for assignment about a week into the campaign. He cleared waivers and elected free agency before now returning on a new deal. That’s a fairly common sequence of events as veterans might perhaps work out new opt-out dates in a subsequent contract.

Jankowski, 34, is generally a speed-and-defense outfielder. He has over a decade in the big leagues at this point but has only once played more than 117 games in a season. He has 102 stolen bases in 127 attempts. His 3,520 innings of outfield work have resulted in 30 Defensive Runs Saved and 33 Outs Above Average.

The offense has been more mercurial. He was around league average with the 2023 Rangers, helping them win the World Series that year, but his bat fell off steeply the following season. He has a .235/.319/.304 batting line in his career. That amounts to a 76 wRC+, indicating he’s been 24% below league average overall.

The Sox have been rotating various veterans through their outfield mix, alongside Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi. They signed Mike Tauchman in the offseason but he required an IL stint to begin the year. Austin Slater, Michael A. Taylor and Jankowski have also seen some playing time.

Tauchman’s return from the IL bumped Jankowski off the roster but he could have a good shot at playing time later in the year. Everyone in that outfield mix should be available on the midseason trade market. Slater and Taylor are one-year deals. Robert has some club options but is in the final guaranteed season of his deal. Tauchman can be retained via arbitration next year but was just non-tendered at the end of last season. Benintendi’s deal runs through 2027 but he’s playing well and the Sox would probably love to sell high since he struggled in 2023 and 2024. He landed on the IL today due to an adductor strain, though it may be a fairly minor issue. Greg Jones was recalled to take his place on the active roster.

Whether it’s due to trades or injuries, it’s unlikely that the entire outfield group stays intact for the remainder of the season. If an opening arises, Jankowski could step in and retake his spot on the roster.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-re-sign-travis-jankowski-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Planning To Select Omar Narvaez

The White Sox intend to call up veteran catcher Omar Narváez, reports James Fegan of Sox Machine. Korey Lee left today’s game against the Guardians in the sixth inning when he rolled his left ankle running back to first base on a pickoff.

There’s not much clarity on Lee’s injury. The Sox have only announced it as ankle soreness and indicated he’ll go for testing. It looked ugly enough that an injured list stint seems inevitable. Even a day-to-day injury for a catcher usually necessitates a roster move, since teams tend to only carry two catchers on the active roster. Lee has split the position with Matt Thaiss in the season’s first two weeks.

Thaiss has started seven of the 11 games. He only has four hits but has worked seven walks over 27 plate appearances. Lee has five hits and a couple walks in 17 trips to the dish. A former first-round pick of the Astros, Lee appeared in a career-high 125 games last season. He hit .210/.244/.347 with 12 homers while striking out in 31% of his 394 plate appearances.

Narváez was in camp on a minor league contract. The Sox released him at the end of Spring Training but re-signed him on a fresh minor league deal at the beginning of April. With highly-regarded prospects Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero splitting the catching duties in Triple-A, the Sox assigned Narváez to Double-A Birmingham. He’s far more experienced than most players at that level. Narváez has gone 2-7 with a double and a walk in two games.

Today’s loss dropped the White Sox to 2-9. They’re clearly in for another long season. Teel and Quero should each receive their first MLB call at some point this year. (Quero has gotten out to a blistering start at Triple-A Charlotte.) The Sox are taking their respective progressions deliberately and evidently don’t feel they’re ready for MLB action. They’ll instead go with the 33-year-old Narváez to split the catching duties with Thaiss in the short term.

Narváez was an All-Star with the Brewers back in 2021. His production has tanked in the three years since then, as he’s a .200/.276/.286 hitter in 511 plate appearances going back to the start of the ’22 season. Narváez is not on the 40-man roster. The Sox have an opening after outrighting Travis Jankowski, so they’ll only need to make an active roster move (presumably an IL stint for Lee) to select his contract.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-planning-to-select-omar-narvaez.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox To Promote Chase Meidroth

The White Sox are going to call up prospect Chase Meidroth, as first reported by Thomas Nestico of TJStats. He is not yet on Chicago’s 40-man roster, so they will need to make a corresponding move to open a spot for him.

Meidroth, 23, will seemingly get to make his major league debut against his original club. A fourth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2022, he was one of four players flipped to the White Sox as part of the December 2024 trade which sent Garrett Crochet to Boston. The White Sox will be hosting the Red Sox for a three-game set this weekend.

Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery were the headliners of Chicago’s return, as top 100 prospects and former first-round picks, but Meidroth was an interesting secondary piece in the deal. As mentioned, he was a fourth-round pick in 2022, signing for a modest $272.5K bonus.

During his time in the minors, he has seemingly been disproving nominative determinism, as his primary attribute has been his plate discipline. He has 1,187 minor league plate appearances in his career thus far, with more walks than strikeouts. He’s drawn a free pass in 17.4% of those trips to the plate while only getting punched out 15.6% of the time.

The power is more questionable, as he only hit 23 home runs in that stretch. However, the overall production is still strong. He has a combined .285/.425/.414 batting line and 136 wRC+ at the moment, indicating he’s been 36% better than league average.

He has other attributes as well. He stole 13 bags last year and in 2023 as well. Defensively, he has played the three infield positions to the left of first base. Prospect evaluators don’t consider it likely that he becomes an everyday shortstop, but he can be solid at second and third while occasionally taking short in an emergency. Baseball America currently lists him as the #8 prospect in Chicago’s system.

Meidroth had a chance to crack the Opening Day roster since he spent all of 2024 at the Triple-A level. However, he hit just .146/.300/.171 in the spring and got sent to Charlotte to start the year. His nine games with the Knights have resulted in a .267/.450/.600 line and a call-up to the big leagues.

The White Sox should have lots of ability to give Meidroth playing time. Miguel Vargas has been the everyday third baseman this year but is hitting .179/.289/.231. Second baseman Lenyn Sosa has a line of .194/.219/.323. Shortstop Jacob Amaya is at .115/.143/.115.

Perhaps not coincidentally, today is the last day that a player can be promoted and earn a full year of service time in 2025. A player needs 172 days in the majors to earn a full year of service, but there are only 171 days left in the season after today. The Sox played this afternoon and Meidroth won’t be added until tomorrow at the earliest. That means Meidroth will be under the one-year line even if he stays up with the club for the rest of the season. That will mean the Sox can control him through 2031 even if he immediately establishes himself as a big leaguer. Some players can still earn a full service year under such circumstances by finishing in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting but that’s only for top prospects and not guys like Meidroth.

The Sox lost 121 games last year and are firmly in rebuild mode. Their loss today dropped them to 2-10 in the current season. The 2025 campaign is mostly about playing time for young guys or potential trade candidates. Meidroth didn’t get his chance when camp broke but turned things on in Triple-A recently while others struggled in the majors, so he’ll get a crack at the big leagues now.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-to-promote-chase-meidroth.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Select Joshua Palacios, Omar Narvaez; Release Juan Carela

The White Sox announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contracts of outfielder Joshua Palacios and catcher Omar Narvaez. (The likelihood of the Narvaez move was first reported last night.) They’ve also placed catcher Korey Lee and outfielder Mike Tauchman on the 10-day injured list due to a sprained left ankle and a strained right hamstring, respectively.

The Sox only had one open 40-man roster spot, so they’ve released right-hander Juan Carela to accommodate the addition of Palacios and Narvaez. Carela was acquired from the Yankees in the 2023 trade that sent Keynan Middleton to New York, and the Sox selected him to the 40-man roster just this past November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. However, Carela suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in spring training and required Tommy John surgery.

Since injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, the Sox will instead release Carela. It’s relatively common for teams and players in this exact situation to quickly strike up a new minor league contract, but the right-hander will technically have the option to talk to 29 other clubs, assuming he clears release waivers. The 23-year-old right-hander has yet to make his MLB debut, but the Sox added him to the 40-man roster on the heels of a 2024 season in which he logged 106 2/3 innings of 3.71 ERA ball with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate between High-A and Double-A.

Palacios, 29, has played in parts of four big league seasons between the Blue Jays, Nationals and Pirates. He saw semi-regular work in Pittsburgh during the 2023 season and showed a bit of pop but struggled to get on base. He entered spring training out of minor league options and didn’t make the cut on a Pirates club that had several outfield options ahead of him on the depth chart. The Pirates designated Palacios for assignment and outrighted him to Triple-A, but he rejected the assignment in favor of free agency, which was his right as a player who’d been outrighted once previously in his career.

Over the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, Palacios slashed .236/.291/.398 with a dozen homers in 342 plate appearances. His 19.9% strikeout rate is a few ticks below the league-average mark, and he was plagued by a .264 average on balls in play despite frequent hard contact, which could create some optimism for better performance. However, Palacios is also an extreme ground-ball hitter (51% as a Pirate) with good-not-great speed and a pull-heavy approach — all of which leaves him a bit susceptible to a lower BABIP.

Still, with both Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi on the injured list — Benintendi suffered an adductor strain earlier this week — Palacios ought to get a chance for significant playing time. If he can make the most of it, he can be controlled for four years beyond the current season. He’s a career .302/.389/.482 hitter in 720 Triple-A plate appearances, so there’s certainly a track record of performance in the upper minors upon which the White Sox can dream.

At this point, it’s not yet clear how long Lee or Tauchman will be sidelined. Lee suffered the injury while hurrying back to first base yesterday when Guardians catcher Austin Hedges threw behind him in a pickoff attempt (video link). Lee’s left ankle contorted significantly, and he was tagged out when he crumbled off the bag. He was in obvious pain as White Sox trainers helped him off the field. He’d gotten out to a fast start, going 5-for-15 with a pair of doubles and a pair of walks in 17 plate appearances (.333/.412/.467).

As for the veteran Tauchman, he missed the first week-plus of the season with a strain in that same right hamstring and only made his 2025 debut on April 6. The 34-year-old signed a one-year, $1.95MM deal in free agency and has appeared in only three games thus far, going 4-for-10 (all singles) with a pair of walks in a dozen trips to the plate (.400/.500/.400). Given that he’s now dealing with back-to-back strains in the same muscle, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Sox took a more cautious approach to his absence this time around. Timetables for both Lee and Tauchman will presumably become clearer after manager Will Venable meets with the media prior to today’s series finale in Cleveland.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...alacios-omar-narvaez-release-juan-carela.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Designate Justin Anderson For Assignment

The White Sox have designated right-handed reliever Justin Anderson for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infield prospect Chase Meidroth, whose contract has now been formally selected ahead of his previously reported MLB debut tonight. Outfielder Greg Jones was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte to open a spot on the active roster for Meidroth.

Anderson, 32, spent the majority of the 2024 season in the ChiSox bullpen, picking up 53 1/3 innings of relief action en route to a 4.39 ERA. He averaged a hearty 96 mph on his fastball and fanned a slightly better-than-average 23.6% of his opponents, but he also walked an ugly 13.2% of the batters he faced.

The Sox optioned Anderson to Triple-A this year after a rocky spring performance (seven runs, 10 hits, four walks, nine strikeouts in six innings), and he’s had a similarly shaky go of it in Charlotte. Through his first 5 2/3 innings, the hard-throwing righty has been tagged for five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. He’s whiffed eight hitters but also plunked a batter and already been charged with a pair of wild pitches.

Command has never been a strong point for the 6’3″, 230-pound Anderson. He’s walked 14.8% of his opponents in parts of three big league seasons. His lifetime 9.7% mark in parts of five Triple-A campaigns is better but still higher than average. Anderson can pile up strikeouts, however, evidenced by a career 26.3% mark in the majors and a gaudy 34.3% rate in Triple-A.

Anderson’s 2024 work with the Sox was his first big league action since 2019. He was beset by injuries in the interim years, most notably a Tommy John surgery in July of 2020 that wiped out that entire season as well as the vast majority of his 2021 campaign. From 2020-22, Anderson pitched a total of just 16 minor league innings. He’s healthy once again, and as a hard-throwing righty with a history of missing bats and a pair of minor league options remaining, he could hold interest to another team in a small trade or waiver claim.

The Sox can trade Anderson or place him on outright waivers at any point in the next five days. The waiver process itself lasts for 48 hours, meaning that within a week’s time, he’ll know the outcome of his DFA.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-dfa-justin-anderson-promote-chase-meidroth.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Place Andrew Benintendi On IL With Adductor Strain

The White Sox announced that outfielder Andrew Benintendi has been placed on the ten-day injured list, retroactive to April 7, with a left adductor strain. Fellow outfielder Greg Jones has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

The news isn’t significant for the Sox in the short-term. They were unprecedentedly bad last year, setting a modern era record with 121 losses. They are out to a 2-8 start this year. They’re one of the few teams in the majors not actively trying to compete.

But they would surely love for their veteran players to build trade value and Benintendi is one of the most interesting guys to watch in that regard. Broadly speaking, his signing has not worked out well. The Sox gave him a five-year, $75MM pact ahead of the 2023 season but he hit just .246/.309/.374 for a wRC+ of 90 over the first two seasons.

However, he did have a strong finish last year. He started out with a brutal .195/.230/.284 showing, carrying that line when he headed to the IL in June due to an Achilles injury. He came off the IL and then hit 16 home runs in his final 322 trips to the plate. He drew walks at a 9.9% clip and only struck out at an 18.9% pace. His .251/.326/.470 line in that time translated to a 124 wRC+.

That gave him a bit of momentum coming into 2025, which has been up-and-down so far. He was hit by a pitch early in spring and fractured a bone in his hand, putting him on ice for a few weeks. He was able to get healthy by Opening Day and has a strong .290/.333/.484 line in his first 33 plate appearances this year. Unfortunately, he’ll now have to be put on the shelf for a while.

It may not be an extended absence. Benintendi departed Sunday’s game due to this adductor issue. The Sox didn’t initially put him on the IL, perhaps suggesting it was more of a day-to-day thing. But after a few days, he’s now been placed on the IL after all. Since it’s been backdated by two days, he could theoretically be back in just over a week.

Once he’s back, he would ideally pick up where he left off. He’s making $16.5MM this year and will be owed $31MM over the final two years of the deal. That will leave about $37MM left to be paid out when the deadline is approaching. Given his inconsistent performance in recent years, the Sox would probably have to eat a bunch of that to line up a deal, but they should be able to do that easily since they have almost nothing else on the books. How much they have to eat will depend on what kind of health/performance they get from Benintendi in the coming months.

For now, White Sox fans can get their first look at Jones, who was claimed off waivers from the Rockies just before Opening Day. He has only six big league plate appearances but has huge speed. He stole 46 bags in the minor last year, despite only playing in 89 games.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...ew-benintendi-on-il-with-adductor-strain.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Place Austin Slater On 10-Day IL Due To Right Meniscus Tear

The White Sox announced that outfielder Austin Slater has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a meniscus tear in his right knee. The IL placement is retroactive to April 11. Outfielder Greg Jones was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

With Andrew Benintendi (groin strain) and Mike Tauchman (hamstring strain) already on the IL, Chicago’s outfield has now been further reduced by Slater’s injury, which looks to be significantly longer term in nature depending on the severity of the tear. The best-case scenario could see Slater back on the field in a few weeks’ time, while he might be shelved for a couple of months if surgery is required. Manager Will Venable told SoxMachine’s JamesFegan and other reporters that the team doesn’t have a timeline yet for Slater.

This is actually the second injury Slater has suffered during his brief tenure with the White Sox, after an oblique issue cost him a couple of weeks during Spring Training. Slater signed a one-year contract worth $1.75MM in guaranteed money back in November, as the Sox aimed to use the right-handed hitting Slater in a platoon capacity in one or both of the corner outfield positions. Now, all of Chicago’s planned corner outfield candidates are on the IL, leaving Michael A. Taylor, Brooks Baldwin, Joshua Palacios, and now Jones as the makeshift group flanking center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

Slater posted solid to very good numbers as a part-timer with San Francisco from 2020-23, but his production cratered badly last year, as he slashed just .209/.321/.266 over 212 combined plate appearances with the Giants, Reds, and Orioles. He has actually logged more big league innings as a center fielder than he has in left or right field, though defensive metrics indicate that Slater is much better suited to corner outfield work.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...-on-10-day-il-due-to-right-meniscus-tear.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Travis Jankowski Elects Free Agency

Travis Jankowski elected free agency after being outrighted by the White Sox, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. Chicago designated the veteran outfielder for assignment over the weekend when they activated Mike Tauchman from the injured list.

Jankowski started Spring Training with the Cubs. He was granted his release and signed with the White Sox in mid-March. Jankowski broke camp and appeared in seven games. He had three hits (all singles) and a walk in 14 at-bats. The lefty-hitting outfielder didn’t produce much offensively last season. He hit .200/.266/.242 in 207 plate appearances with the Rangers.

Texas got much better production out of Jankowski during their World Series season. He hit .263 with a .357 on-base percentage and stole 19 bases across 287 trips to the plate in 2023. Jankowski doesn’t provide any kind of power but he’s a patient hitter who has walked at a solid 10.1% clip over his career. His speed allows him to cover all three outfield positions.

Jankowski should find interest on another minor league deal. It wouldn’t be especially surprising if he circles back to the White Sox on a non-roster contract. First-year manager Will Venable was also the associate manager in Texas for the last two seasons.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/travis-jankowski-elects-free-agency-2.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Dodgers, White Sox Previously Discussed Luis Robert Jr. Trade

The Dodgers and White Sox previously engaged in trade talks that would’ve sent center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to Los Angeles in exchange for outfielder James Outman and an unnamed “front-line prospect,” according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Nightengale notably adds that talks between the sides have been tabled at present, however, and it’s unclear whether these discussions occurred recently or at some point during this past offseason.

That the Dodgers would have interest in Robert is fairly unsurprising. The center fielder was among the most obvious trade candidates of the offseason with Chicago coming off the worst season in MLB history. Robert himself was part of that brutal campaign, as he was limited to just 100 games by injuries and did not perform up to expectations even when healthy with a .224/.278/.379 slash line (84 wRC+). While he stole 23 bases and slugged 14 homers during that time, he was held back by a 33.2% strikeout rate, the highest of his career.

That’s not much of a platform season to market to potential suitors. Between that and the $17MM guaranteed to Robert this season between his $15MM salary and the $2MM buyout of a $20MM team option for 2026, it’s hardly a surprise that the White Sox weren’t able to find the right value for their franchise center fielder. Despite his weak 2024 campaign, however, he did garner interest from clubs like the Reds and Giants this winter. It’s not hard to see why, given that Robert is not too far removed from a 2023 campaign that saw him make his first career All-Star team, finish 12th in AL MVP voting, and win the Silver Slugger award in center field. In 145 games that year, he posted a 128 wRC+, slugged 38 homers, swiped 20 bags, and posted a 5-win campaign (4.9 fWAR, 5.3 bWAR).

That tantalizing upside appears to have intrigued the Dodgers as well. It was reported back in December that Robert was among a number of possible alternatives to Teoscar Hernandez that L.A. was weighing a pursuit of if they were unable to bring the slugger back into the fold via free agency, though that thought experiment ultimately went nowhere when Hernandez re-signed with the club shortly thereafter. Even after bringing Hernandez into the fold, however, adding Robert could make at least some sense for the Dodgers. With Robert installed in center field, L.A. would be much less reliant on Miguel Rojas (and, eventually, Hyeseong Kim) at second base and could instead install switch-hitter Tommy Edman at the position. A stronger defender on the infield like Edman could help Mookie Betts improve as he works on learning shortstop, or could even provide the Dodgers with the ability to begin using Edman at short and Betts at the keystone if the experiment of playing Betts at the most valuable defensive position on the diamond does not work out.

Between the additional flexibility Robert would provide the Dodgers in how they deploy Edman and his previous heights as a star player, it’s not hard to see why the club would have some level of interest in him. The discussions reported by Nightengale suggest that Outman would be a key part of the return, which could make plenty of sense for both sides. Outman, 28 next month, finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2023 with an excellent debut season where he hit .248/.353/.437 (118 wRC+) as Los Angeles’s regular center fielder. Unfortunately, his sophomore season did not go nearly as well as he struck out in 35.3% of his plate appearances, posted a wRC+ of just 54, and was below replacement level in 53 games.

In some regards, Outman is a somewhat similar player to Robert, albeit with a far lower ceiling. Outman currently isn’t slated to hit free agency until after the 2030 season, which could also be attractive to the rebuilding White Sox. He evidently wouldn’t have been the only piece Chicago received had the trade been consummated, though it’s unclear whether the “front-line” prospect involved would be a top-100 type talent like southpaw Jackson Ferris or shortstop Alex Freeland or perhaps a less flashy name like righty Nick Frasso or outfielder Kendall George. What the hypothetical trade would have ended up looking like, it’s clear the sides aren’t currently discussing a deal at this point. Perhaps they could circle back and reignite talks closer to the trade deadline, when Robert is sure to be on the market ahead of the final guaranteed year of his contract.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...reviously-discussed-luis-robert-jr-trade.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox To Promote Edgar Quero

The White Sox intend to promote catching prospect Edgar Quero, reports Francys Romero. He’s expected to join the team for tomorrow afternoon’s series finale against the A’s. It’ll be the first major league call for the 22-year-old. Quero is not on the 40-man roster, so there’ll be a forthcoming move in that regard.

Quero, a native of Cuba, signed with the Angels in February 2021. He quickly impressed prospect evaluators as an advanced switch-hitting catcher. He’d gotten to Double-A at age 20 before the Halos sent him to the White Sox alongside lefty Ky Bush for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López at the 2023 deadline. The Angels regretted that push very quickly, as they fell firmly out of contention and wound up waiving Giolito and López a month later to shed their salaries.

It was a nice return for the White Sox. Quero has ranked in the latter half of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects for each of the past three years. BA placed him sixth in the Chicago farm system this winter. That came on the heels of a strong .280/.366/.463 slash line with 16 home runs between the top two minor league levels. He kept his strikeout rate around 17% while drawing walks at a solid 9.7% clip.

Evaluators credit Quero with solid grades across the board (aside from the below-average speed expected of a catcher). He’s more of a bat-first player, drawing particular praise for his hit tool. BA writes that he has an average arm and has continued to improve his receiving skills, though, so there’s not much doubt that he can stay behind the plate.

At the time of the Giolito trade, Quero looked to be Chicago’s catcher of the future. That’s no longer a given, albeit for reasons beyond his control. The White Sox built the Garrett Crochet deal around former first-round pick Kyle Teel. Teel is generally viewed as the superior prospect, though it’s Quero who earns the major league call first.

The two highly-regarded young catchers have split the playing time at Triple-A Charlotte. Quero has had the much better start to the season. He’s hitting .333/.444/.412 with 11 walks and 14 strikeouts over 63 plate appearances. Teel has fanned 19 times and is batting .192 in a similar amount of playing time.

Matt Thaiss and Korey Lee began the season as Will Venable’s catching tandem. The Sox lost Lee to an ankle sprain last week. They initially brought up veteran Omar Narváez from Double-A rather than promote Quero or Teel. They’ll reverse course now with Quero, who should play fairly regularly.

It’s no longer possible for a player to accrue the 172 days on an MLB roster necessary to get a full year of service. Quero was a preseason top 100 prospect at each of Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline, so he would qualify for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. That means he could earn a full service year if he finished in the top two in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. The White Sox would not receive a bonus draft choice if that happens because they didn’t promote Quero early enough to spend 172 days in the majors.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/white-sox-expected-to-promote-edgar-quero.html