The White Sox are adding a new reliever to the mix.
As first reported by FanSided’s Robert Murray, the team is acquiring right-handed relief pitcher Gregory Santos from the San Francisco Giants. The White Sox later said in a press release that minor league right-hander Kade McClure is heading back to the Bay Area in return.
Santos, 23, originally signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in August 2015 and spent the following season with their DSL team. He was then traded to San Francisco as part of the 2017 deadline move that sent infielder Eduardo Núñez to Boston. After earning a 40-man roster spot ahead of the 2020 Rule 5 draft, Santos made his debut with the Giants in April 2021, though that was short-lived. Major League Baseball slapped him with an 80-game suspension in June after he tested positive for Stanozolol, a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Upon returning this past year, Santos went 1-2 with a 4.63 ERA (18 ER/35.0 IP), one save, four holds, and 37 strikeouts (9.51 per 9.0 IP) over 35 appearances (two starts) between Triple-A Sacramento and the Arizona Complex League Giants Black. With the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, Santos posted a solid 23% strikeout rate and 51.7% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, his career-long command issues struck again, as he walked 13.5% of batters faced. The righty also made two relief appearances with San Francisco, allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts over 3.2 IP.
The San Cristobal, Dominican Republic native has gone 11-16 with a 3.56 ERA (89 ER/225.0 IP), two saves, four holds, and 190 strikeouts over 97 appearances (44 starts) in six career minor league seasons in the San Francisco and Boston organizations. He has appeared in five career major-league games with the Giants since 2021, going 0-2 with an 11.12 ERA (7ER/5.2 IP) and five strikeouts.
San Francisco ultimately decided it was time for a change and designated Santos for assignment on December 19. Following the move, the Giants had one week to either trade Santos or let him pass through waivers. Given his young age and one option year remaining, the White Sox appeared intrigued enough to take a flier on the reliever and allow him to serve in a similar role as a depth piece at minimum.
Control issues aside, Santos had an average fastball velocity of 98.8 mph during his brief MLB stint in 2022. If the White Sox can figure out a way to minimize the walks and improve his command, there’s a chance they could have a high-power relief option to swing between Triple-A Charlotte and the South Side.
As for McClure, the 28-year-old has gone 16-18 with a 4.03 ERA (164 ER/366.2 IP) and 369 strikeouts over 108 games (59 starts) in five minor-league seasons in the White Sox organization. He was selected by Chicago in the sixth round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft.
With the move, the White Sox 40-man roster increases to 38.
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Featured Photo: © John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Getting desperate to attempt to fill an MLB roster.
why do you waste the time to write a whole article on this. This is a one line story: Sox traded minor league pitcher A for SF minor league pitcher B. Headline is Sox Acquire Minor League Arm.
Great another pitcher with control issues… And, a known steroid cheat, he tested positive for Stanozolol.