On Friday the White Sox announced that they had designed right-handed reliever Steven Wilson for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Brandon Eisert, who was claimed off waivers. Wilson now marks the third player that Chris Getz has added in a major trade that has been DFA’d by the team.
Most people in the industry believe that Getz did well on the return he got for Garrett Crochet which netted the White Sox Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez. However, the jury is still out on whether that trade is considered a success.
It took the White Sox several years to fully grasp that they had come out on the losing end of the Chris Sale trade. In exchange for their ace, they received Yoán Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe, and Victor Díaz from the Red Sox. Sale helped Boston win a World Series. Meanwhile, Moncada struggled with injuries, missing 38% of the team’s games over eight seasons, Kopech failed to establish himself as a reliable starter, and Basabe and Díaz never played a game for the White Sox.
Getz's previous big offseason trades have included shipping Aaron Bummer to Atlanta in a five-player swap, trading Dylan Cease to the Padres, and trading hard-throwing reliever Gregory Santos to the Mariners. Here is how each player that Getz got back performed last season.
Getz Trades Aaron Bummer To Atlanta Braves
Aaron Bummer: 3.58 ERA, 28.3K%, 7.4 BB%, 55.1 IP
White Sox Receive:
Nicky Lopez: .241/.312/.294, 1 HR, 21 RBI, Gold Glove Finalist, signed with Cubs
Michael Soroka: 4.74 ERA, 24.2 K%, 12.7 BB%, 79.2 IP removed from rotation midseason, signed with Nationals
Braden Shewmake: .125/.134/.203, 1 HR, 4 RBIs DFA’d, signed with Yankees
Riley Gowens (AA Birmingham & A+ Winston Salem): 3.84 ERA, 10.5 SO/9, 3.5 BB/9
Jared Shuster: 4.30 ERA, 17.4 K%, 10.3 BB%, 73.1 IP
Getz Trades Gregory Santos To Seattle Mariners
Santos: 4.91 ERA, pitched in eight games
White Sox Receive:
Zach DeLoach: DFA’d, cleared waivers assigned to Triple-A Charlotte
Prelander Berrora: 3.32 ERA, 31.3 K%, 15.7 BB%, 19 IP.
Getz Trades Cristian Mena To Diamondbacks:
Mena: 12.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 2 K, 3 BB, 1 SV
White Sox Receive:
Dominic Fletcher: .206/.252/.256, 1 HR, 17 RBI, -0.3 WAR
Getz Trades Dylan Cease To San Diego Padres
Cease: 3.47 ERA, 29.4 K%, 8.5 BB%, 4.2 WAR, no-hitter, fourth in NL Cy Young Voting
White Sox Receive:
Drew Thrope: 5.48 ERA, 13.2 K%, 11.1 BB%, 44.1 IP, elbow surgery
Steven Wilson: 5.71 ERA,, 20.9 K%, 16 BB%, DFA’d
Jaro Iriarte: 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 6 K, 8 BB
Samuel Zavala (Winston-Salem A+): .187/.340/.301, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 104 SO
Chris Getz’s early tenure as the White Sox’s general manager has been defined by aggressive roster turnover, but the results thus far have been uneven. While some trades, like the Crochet deal, offer long-term upside, others have already raised concerns, with multiple key acquisitions failing to make an impact or being designated for assignment. The DFA of Steven Wilson highlights that Getz is not going to grow attached to the players he targeted in a trade. However, it also highlights just how ineffective many of the players he brought in were last season. As the White Sox continue their rebuild, Getz’s ability to turn these trades into meaningful success will be how he can separate himself from Rick Hahn's tenure.
