A Weekend of Deals for the White Sox

An active weekend of trading for the Sox nets them some future value in exchange for present value. Plus, Sean looks at a few prospects north of the border

The White Sox were active this past weekend, trading Gregory Santos to the Mariners for a couple of prospects and a draft pick, as well as trading Christian Mena to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Dominic Fletcher. New GM Chris Getz had previously announced that the Sox were open for business, and these trades certainly support that notion.

First, the deal with the Mariners. Gregory Santos is an excellent relief pitcher, but relievers are volatile and with the White Sox not being in serious playoff contention any time soon, trading him and getting prospects in return makes a lot of sense. For Santos, the White Sox received outfielder Zach DeLoach, right hander Prelander Berroa, and the 69^th overall pick in the 2024 draft. DeLoach was a second-round pick for the Mariners in 2020 — he possesses around average power that doesn’t quite compensate for his swing and miss issues. He has a discerning eye at the plate, and has a decent 104 EV90, but ran a 32% whiff rate in Triple-A last year. It goes without saying that there is some concern with his feel for contact. Berroa has an electric fastball/slider combo, but some real command issues. Both are likely to make big league appearances with the White Sox this year.

The Diamondbacks trade was a bit different, as they swapped prospects, though Fletcher has some MLB service time whereas Mena is a year or two away. Dominic Fletcher is likely a solid big league player he’ll likely make the starting lineup out of spring training this year. He had a solid year in Triple-A in 2023, posting decent chase and power numbers, along with plus whiff rates (just 19%), and figures to be a competent defensive outfielder, able to play center if needed, but likely fits in more in right.