The Texas Rangers found the latest market inefficiency in baseball and they spent buckets of money on stellar players in their quest for a championship. While that’s a simplistic way to describe their World Series run, every roster move on the path to a title ultimately matters. Qualifying offers have been extended, free agents have filed and the Big League manager carousel is still in motion.
With Taylor Swift constantly in the news, it’s important to note that the Chicago White Sox have entered their “Chris Getz Era.” The former player and Assistant General Manager has taken over as the sole decision maker in charge of baseball operations for the White Sox. Many changes have taken place with a revamped front office while Pedro Grifol’s coaching staff has been altered significantly as well.
The White Sox’s 40-man roster currently stands at 35 after some initial churning. Elvis Andrus, Yasmani Grandal, Bryan Shaw and José Ureña elected free agency. Trayce Thompson and Clint Frazier were outrighted off the roster while starting pitcher Mike Clevinger declined his portion of a mutual option making him a free agent as well. The first big decisions made by Getz were the most significant, however.
Former franchise face Tim Anderson and closer Liam Hendriks are no longer members of the organization after their options were declined in moves that got more obvious as the off-season began. Anderson’s $14 million option was declined and the club will pay him a $1 million buyout. Hendrik’s complicated option will pay him $1.5 million every year over the next ten instead of $15 million to not pitch in 2024.
Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 Draft will take place on Wednesday December 6th as the winter meetings conclude in Nashville, TN. In the Major League phase of the draft, any player who isn’t on a club’s 40-man roster and is also approaching his fourth or fifth season in an organization can be selected by another club for $100,000 paid to the holding organizaton.
Players signed at the age of 18 or younger have five years in an organization before becoming eligible. Players who are signed at the age of 19 or older have four years with their respective clubs. There is also a Minor League phase where unprotected players not on a MiLB reserve roster can be selected under the same service time restrictions. Unlike the rule in which drafted players must be kept on a big league roster or returned for $50,000, the minor league phase has no such requirement.
The White Sox will possess the 4th overall selection in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. The club selected right-handed pitcher Nick Avila last year but he was returned to the San Francisco Giants after not making the big league team out of spring training. The 40-man roster must be finalized by Tuesday, November 14th at 5:00 pm central. The White Sox could have some difficult decisions to make but they have plenty of flexibility on the MLB roster.
Current Roster
Here is a look at the current 40-man roster for the Pale Hose. The roster includes 20 pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders, five outfielders and one designated hitter. We can’t predict future trades or transactions that may occur, so we’re working from the current organizational depth chart. The following players require protection or are already on the 40-man roster but aren’t necessarily 26-man roster players at this point in time.
Pitchers: Tanner Banks, Declan Cronin, Matt Foster, Deivi Garcia, Edgar Navarro, Nicholas Padilla, Luis Patiño, Sammy Peralta, Yohan Ramirez, Lane Ramsey, Jesse Scholtens, Alex Speas.
Position Players: Oscar Colás (OF), Romy Gonzalez (OF), Adam Haseley (OF), Carlos Pérez (C), Bryan Ramos (INF), Zach Remillard (INF), José Rodríguez (INF), Lenyn Sosa (INF)
Many of these players are very likely on the roster bubble; especially with an entirely new front office in place. Players like Bryan Ramos, José Rodríguez and Lenyn Sosa have been discussed plenty over the last year due to prospect pedigree and Minor League success. Zach Remillard, Carlos Pérez and Oscar Colás received lots of big league playing time in 2023 as well. Any of these players could be on the 2024 White Sox but none of these roster spots are safe right now.
Auditions took place down the stretch and multiple young pitchers were welcomed to the big leagues to close out the year for a 101 loss club in 2023. Tanner Banks, Declan Cronin, Matt Foster, Sammy Peralta and Lane Ramsey were all drafted by the White Sox. Deivi Garcia, Edgar Navarro, Nicholas Padilla, Luis Patiño, Yohan Ramirez and Alex Speas were all brought in from elsewhere at various times.
There will be plenty of moving parts on this roster prior to the 2024 Major League Baseball season. Opportunities are aplenty but roster protection should be considered tenuous at best for most of the players on this list.
Those Not Yet on The Roster
There are also numerous players not currently on the 40-man roster that present some risk of being taken in December’s draft if not protected. If another team takes a player in the Rule 5, they must keep the player on their active roster for the entirety of the season or return the player to his original club for $50,000 – something to keep in mind when evaluating claim risk. I will split these players into two categories.
Risk of Being Claimed
- Juan Carela (RHP)
- Jake Eder (LHP)
- Cristian Mena (RHP)
- Matthew Thompson (RHP)
- Wilfred Veras (OF)
Newly hired pitching czar Brian Bannister could theoretically make a difference for some of the names on this list. 25-year-old southpaw Jake Eder was acquired by the White Sox in a trade with the Miami Marlins for Jake Burger this past season. The 6-4, 215 pounder struggled in 17.1 innings with the Birmingham Barons after joining the organization but the White Sox noted that he was ironing out mechanics throughout the process. Eder looked similar in the Arizona Fall League, putting up big strikeout numbers that also came directly tied to too many free passes. The Marlins selected the left-hander in the 4th round of the shortened 2020 MLB Draft and the former Commodore signed for an overslot $700,000 bonus.
Eder dominated in his professional debut and looked like one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues. In 2021, he posted a 1.77 ERA while striking out nearly 13 hitters per nine in 71.1 innings in Double-A. In August of 2021, he underwent Tommy John surgery and also fractured left foot in the process. When he returned to the mound this past June, his stuff looked as electric as ever. Over the course of 29.2 innings for the Marlins in Double-A, Eder posted a 3.94 ERA while averaging nearly 12 K/9. He possesses a plus fastball that touches 98 mph that displays ride up in the zone. The low 80’s slider features horizontal action and his third pitch is a low 80’s changeup. Eder has the makings of a mid-rotation starter if his command can be harnessed consistently.
The White Sox signed Cristian Mena for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic back in 2019. After not pitching officially during the pandemic, the righty led the Arizona Rookie League in strikeouts in 2021 as an 18-year-old. He also went on to dominate in Low-A the following season. The 20-year-old has improved his velocity over the last year with a fastball that gets into the mid 90’s more often now. He also shows a plus downer curveball in the low 80 mph range too. The 6-2, 170 pounder also throws a changeup and recently added a hard slider to his repertoire. Mena has shown athleticism with a low effort delivery and the ability to throw strikes often. He also projects as a potential mid-rotation starter.
After dominating the low minors with his breaking stuff, the organization felt the need to challenge Mena at the higher levels of the Minor Leagues. The Dominican posted a 4.66 ERA in 114 innings for the Barons in Double-A this past season. He averaged 11 K/9 with four BB/9 over the course of 23 starts. There were some struggles but he was one of the youngest players in the Southern League and also spent the first half of the season pitching with the exploratory tacked baseballs. To close out the 2023 season, Mena struggled on the surface in 19.2 innings in Triple-A but he posted a 3.73 FIP in the end.
Matthew Thompson is now 23-years-old after throwing 124 innings with the Birmingham Barons in Double-A. In 27 starts, the righty posted a 4.85 ERA while averaging nearly 10 K/9. Unfortunately, the former second rounder also averaged six BB/9 as well. The White Sox selected the 6-3, 195 pounder out of Cypress Ranch High School in Texas back in 2019 and he quickly signed for an overslot bonus of $2.1 million. The pandemic shortened seasons really seemed to affect Thompson as he worked just two innings in his first two professional seasons.
Thompson’s fastball is inconsistent and he often loses velocity and feel within starts. The pitch usually sits in the 92-95 mph range and he throws a low 80’s slider as well. His best pitch is a 78-82 mph curveball but he really struggles to repeat his delivery consistently. Thompson is a stellar athlete and one of the best in the entire system. He sometimes gets offline to the plate and loses life and command but he’s cut his walk rate as he’s moved through the system.
The New York Yankees traded Dominican righty Juan Carela to the White Sox on trade deadline day last year in exchange for reliever Keynan Middleton. The 21-year-old posted a 3.34 ERA in six starts for the White Sox at Winston-Salem in High-A, but his strikeout rate decreased. Carela averaged almost 12 K/9 while posting a 3.67 ERA over the course of 83 innings with the High-A affiliate in the Yankees’ system. The 6-3, 186 pound right-hander has shown a mid 90’s fastball with a sinker and slider as well.
Wilfred Veras’ father Wilton played in the majors and he’s a cousin of Fernando Tatis Jr. The White Sox signed him for $200,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019. The 20-year-old possesses above-average raw power and he’s hit 41 minor league homers to date. The 6-2, 180 pounder has moved to the outfield and done a decent job which helps his defensive profile after playing exclusively on the infield corners previously. Veras posted a 102 wRC+ in High-A to start the season last year but he finished at Birmingham and hit .309/.346/.533 with a 129 wRC+ in 38 games. Veras has shown and aggressive approach with strength and bat speed but his pull happy nature has kept his walk rates under 5 percent during his career.
Low Risk of Claim
Pitchers: Jeremiah Burke, Adisyn Coffey, Andrew Dalquist, Caleb Freeman, Jose Jimenez, Kade Mechals, Andrew Perez, Chase Solesky
Position Players: DJ Gladney (INF/OF), Ivan Gonzalez (catcher), Luis Pineda (catcher), Wilber Sanchez (SS), Victor Torres (catcher)
It’s very unlikely that any of these players would be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Dalquist is a former third rounder who signed for $2 million out of a California High School in 2019 but he’s never put it together as a prospect. Freeman has looked like a dominant back end bullpen option at times but the Texas Tech product has mostly battled injuries and struggles as a professional. Coffey and Mechals were both drafted as underslot options in the shortened 2020 draft. Perez has had some success as a lefty reliever in the high minors and Solesky advanced to Triple-A this past season.
Likely Outcomes
The White Sox are open for business under new General Manager Chris Getz and they likely make a selection in December’s Rule 5 Draft. The first order of business involves getting the roster ready by Tuesday, however. Eder and Mena are expected to be added to the 40-man roster and in turn protected from the Rule 5 Draft. Matthew Thompson could go either way essentially. The 23-year-old has some upside still and it will likely depend on what the new people in charge think of his chances in the future.
There is plenty of space on the 40-man roster currently and protecting any of these players would be easy to do. Juan Carela and Wilfred Veras seem unlikely to be poached but it wouldn’t be totally unreasonable to see them protected as well. The hardest part of the decision is the fact that the players would need to be carried on the roster throughout the regular season. Even with lots of space on the 40-man roster and plenty of fungible assets to potentially move, Tuesday should be fairly quiet on the roster front with just two or three players added to the roster in the end.
Complete joke not a major leaguer in the bunch
Jake Eder and Cristian Mena will be on the Sox this year. Eder, before Tommy John, was ranked in the top 100 and was rated the best lefty in the minors at one point. Give him a little more time to recover. Floor is a 5th started and ceiling would be a number 2. Mena might not have the 99 mph fastball but has a great pitch mix. More likely to stay healthy in the long run. Will be a number 3 or 4 starter.
Minor league roster
Almost comical brutal
How are we missing Nick Nastrini? (Sp?)
Nick Nastrini was drafted in 2021 and doesn’t need to be added. He isn’t Rule Five eligible until December 2024
Hopefully Getz will leave 4 or 5 spots open for trades just before the rule 5 draft. Tampa and others might have rule 5 issues. Trade a late round pick from 2023 or 2022 for someone almost major league ready. Trades work better in the end than rule 5 picks. You can keep them in the minors if you want to, just keep them on the 40 man not on the 26 man roster. The lower levels in the Sox organization have some interesting players that others might want.