White Sox Release 14 Minor Leaguers; Re-Assign Others to Minor League Camp
According to Baseball America, the Chicago White Sox have released 14 players. The timing is typical and logistics matter with everything else going on in the world but this is unfortunately business as usual for major league clubs. Some of the names on this list are noteworthy and we’ll elaborate further below.
Infielder Amado Nunez signed with the White Sox out of Venezuela back in 2014. He was well regarded and signed for $900K but couldn’t advance past Low-A Kannapolis. The 22-year-old added a lot of mass to his frame and showed some significant power. Nunez posted a .962 OPS with Great Falls in 2018 and looked like he might be figuring some things out. He cratered with Kannapolis last season and ended the year with a .582 OPS and 8 homers in 86 games.
A more recent international addition that is a bit more surprising is infielder Harold Diaz. The 20-year-old Cuban signed for $300K in 2018 and made his stateside debut last season. Diaz is a solid defender in the infield but struggled offensively in Arizona. After a strong showing in 2018 in a limited sample, releasing a player with Diaz’s profile after a .600 OPS in 19 AZL games is a bit of a head scratcher. There are many similar players in the system, though, and not much playing time to be allocated.
Gabriel Ortiz is a Puerto Rican catcher that was selected in the 19th round of the 2019 draft. Ortiz struggled defensively and at the dish and the system is loaded with young catchers. It’s likely a situation that didn’t hint at much playing time for Ortiz going forward. Outfielders Bryan Connell and Jonah McReynolds were also released.
I’ll cover McReynolds more in depth later, but Connell was once an interesting guy. Bryan Connell was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2018 as part of the trade package for lefty reliever Xavier Cedeno. The 21-year-old Panamanian outfielder posted a .618 OPS with the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League in 2019. Before the deal to Chicago, he posted a strong showing in his third attempt with Milwaukee’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League.
Many of the pitchers released by the organization were recent draft picks of the club. Nick Johnson was a 21st rounder out of Rhode Island in 2018. Jason Morgan was taken in the 35th round out of North Carolina in 2018 as well. Righty Nick Silva was drafted in the 40th round last year. All three pitchers struggled in rookie ball this past season. Southpaw Greg Minier has battled injuries after being selected in the 32nd round in 2017.
25-year-old Jordan Cavanerio posted a 3.13 ERA with Winston-Salem last year after signing as a free agent. Carter Love, Felix Mercedes and Mac Welsh were all signed as free agents as well. Joseph Jarneski was drafted in the 12th round back in 2017 by the Texas Rangers. The White Sox acquired the righty last year via trade and he threw nine innings in the AZL.
At last year’s trade deadline, the Chicago White Sox completed a controversial transaction that involved dumping the salary of right hander Nate Jones on the Rangers. The Sox forfeited the right to spend $1 million of their own money on the international marketplace in exchange for ownership appeasement. The trade was a gross, misappropriation of funds and that hasn’t changed. The organization also received Jarneski in that trade.
If that Lonestar salary dump wasn’t enough, the White Sox made a similar trade with the Texas Rangers a few months later. The Rangers agreed to pay Welington Castillo‘s $500K buyout and in exchange, they received $250K in international bonus pool space and parted with fringe prospect Jonah McReynolds. The 24-year-old McReynolds won’t be playing a game with a White Sox affiliate after being released.
Jonah McReynolds was a 13th rounder in 2016. He played multiple positions and never advanced further than Low-A in professional baseball. He posted a .718 OPS for Spokane in the Rangers’ system and likely didn’t have an every day spot for a White Sox affiliate. The minor leagues are littered with players like Jonah McReynolds and Joseph Jarneski.
Players of their ilk serve an organizational purpose. They’re both a stark reminder of the organization’s frugality at times though. The international bonus pool space could have been used to sign Cuban righty Norge Vera in the current period. Now the franchise must wait until the the league rules that the coast is clear before signing a promising pitcher to add to their organization.
During the month of March, the organization also optioned their remaining 40-man players to the minor leagues.
Optioned to Triple-A Charlotte: Matt Foster, Michael Kopech, Jose Ruiz, Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes, Seby Zavala
Optioned to Double-A Birmingham: Zack Burdi, Dane Dunning, Jimmy Lambert, Bernardo Flores, Micker Adolfo, Luis Alexander Basabe, Blake Rutherford
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