After acquiring infielder Cesar Hernandez from Cleveland earlier this morning, the White Sox are staying active – this time adding a bullpen arm.
As first reported by insider Robert Murray, the White Sox have traded for right-handed reliever Ryan Tepera in exchange for minor league lefty Bailey Horn.
This season, Tepera has a 2.91 ERA, 2.70 xERA, 0.785 WHIP with a 10.4 K/9 ratio and just a 2.5 BB/9 ratio over 43.1 innings for the Crosstown rivals. He also boasts excellent peripherals and should be a very effective addition to the inconsistent Sox pen. To make room on the 40 man roster, the Sox placed RHP Evan Marshall on the 60-day IL.
To acquire Tepera, the Sox traded away Bailey Horn, a 23-year-old left-hander in A-ball who’s posted a 5.63 ERA with a 10.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 between Kannapolis and Winston Salem. Horn is considered to have potential starter projectability and offers a three-pitch mix. However, his age is slightly older for a pitcher in A-ball and the Sox have a number of promising young arms between Kannapolis and Winston Salem already. The list includes Matthew Thompson and Andrew Dalquist, their 2019 second and third-round selections, as well as Jared Kelley, their 2020 second-round pick.
Why this makes sense
This is a near no-brainer move for the White Sox. They acquire a reliever who has been extremely effective this season for a relatively low cost and with minimal risk involved, as Tepera is on an expiring contract. The bullpen has been the main weakness for the team this season and Tepera gives the Sox what should be another reliable arm to go along with Michael Kopech and Liam Hendriks. Any potential improvement from the likes of Aaron Bummer, Garrett Crochet, or Codi Heuer would go a long ways in improving the depth of the pen as well.
With the addition of Cesar Hernandez earlier today and now Tepera to the bullpen, the Sox have certainly improved significantly in the last few hours. One more addition to the bullpen would make for an all-around excellent trade deadline, undoubtedly increase the team’s odds of postseason success. The White Sox didn’t necessarily need to make the biggest of moves, but address their needs in a significant way, which is what they have done thus far.
Follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for additional updates!
Featured Photo: Chicago Cubs/Twitter
