NEWSLETTER
What an interesting trade. The Seattle Mariners pick up a very good, young, controlled reliever, and the White Sox continue their rebuild in earnest.
Gregory Santos is headed to the Mariners:
Santos, 24, was quietly dominant for the moribund White Sox in 2023, walking no one, striking out just a touch above league average, and then generating some of the worst contact in baseball. He has the potential to be a cheap stud for the Mariners for years (assuming the elbow issue that ended his season slightly early is not a long-term concern).
I can’t not mention it while we’re here:
Dude gave up two homers ALL YEAR, and that was one of them. Happy face.
In return for five years of Santos, the White Sox get that second round competitive balance pick, Zach DeLoach (an MLB-ready outfielder in the 20-ish range of Mariners prospects), and a potentially good reliever (I assume he’s done starting?) in Berroa. I think trading Santos right now is a little odd for the White Sox, but I can’t argue with that return.
Meanwhile, that wasn’t the only trade for the White Sox today:
I have kinda loved Fletcher for a while, as a squeezed-out-of-playing-time outfielder in the Diamondbacks’ exceptionally crowded group. He is on the smaller side, but he hit his way up the minors, and then in 102 PAs last year with the big league team. A good defender, too, who can play all over. Great get for the White Sox.
In exchange, they give up one of their better starting pitching prospects in Mena, a guy with mid-rotation potential, according to FanGraphs. Risky trade for the White Sox, and a bit of a curious one: if you’re trading away five years of Santos right now, why are you trading away minor league prospect talent in exchange for a 26-year-old big league outfielder? Weird.
That said, I do like Fletcher, and I think he could be good. The timing and alignment of the rebuild is just a little odd.
