Late in the afternoon on Saturday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news of two impending White Sox transactions and there wasn’t even much time to debate between the announcements. Righties Gregory Santos and Cristian Mena have departed the organization in exchange for three players and a competitive balance round B selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. All of the players were required to be placed on the 40-man roster.
What The White Sox Received
26-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder Dominic Fletcher is the younger brother of major league veteran David Fletcher. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him with the 75th overall pick in the 2019 Draft. He’s listed at 5-9, 185 pounds despite multiple reports that he’s 5-6 in actuality. That isn’t really all that important however. The former Arkansas standout made his big league debut last season and he slashed .301/.350/.441 with a 113 wRC+ in a tiny 28 game sample. Fletcher hit two homers but posted his usual high BABIP in the process. The outfielder has hit 42 minor league homers in his career, with ten of them coming in 66 games at Triple-A Tacoma last season. He hit .291/.399/.500 while posting a 120 wRC+ with a 12.6% walk rate and 18% strikeout rate.
Fletcher has destroyed right-handed pitching throughout his career and he likely projects as a strong side platoon option in the big leagues. He’s not a “little slappy guy” but he does possess a line-drive oriented swing and takes the ball to all fields. The outfielder’s power comes mostly from the pull side. There have been severe struggles against southpaws but he’s a plus defender in all three outfield spots with an above-average arm. “Fletcher is a left-handed hitting outfielder that can help us at multiple spots and he’s hammered righties historically”, Chris Getz said. “He provides offensive potential and defensive ability to the organization and we felt like it was a smart baseball decision to bring him into the organization”, said Getz. The general manager also noted that Fletcher possesses “high make up, high energy, runs the bases well, defends and makes good decisions”.
The Seattle Mariners drafted Zach DeLoach in the second round of the 2020 Draft out of Texas A&M. The 6-0, 205 pounder has hit 51 homers over the course of his minor league career. The 25-year-old hit .286/.387/.481 with a 111 wRC+ in 138 games with Triple-A Tacoma last year. DeLoach clubbed 23 homers and drove in 88 runs but skepticism always remains with Pacific Coast League numbers. The outfielder is a patient hitter who doesn’t often chase outside of the strike zone. His profile changed in 2023 after the Mariners convinced him to add more loft to his swing. More power is present but it came with a 28% strikeout rate.
DeLoach posted a .905 OPS against lefties in 2023 which was a change from his past struggles. He crushes fastballs and generally makes good swing decisions despite the swing and miss present in the offensive profile. He’s an average defender but his below-average throwing arm could indicate a left field future. Getz stated that DeLoach possesses, “power potential and strong makeup”. Getz also noted that his performance in the upper minors intrigued their front office and he’s likely to add to the organization’s outfield depth.
The outfield was a major focus of these trades but the White Sox added someone who they project as a power reliever with back end potential as well. Originally signed by the Minnesota Twins as an international amateur free agent, he’s since been traded to the San Francisco Giants and ultimately took off with the Mariners. Baseball America noted that he “flourished” in the Seattle organization. He was the 12th ranked prospect in their system. Berroa is 5-11, 170 pounds and he made his big league debut last season. The 23-year-old righty threw 65.1 innings in Double-A and posted a 2.89 ERA with a 2.88 FIP while striking out 101 hitters and walking 39.
Berroa is short but possesses a strong frame. His fastball shows plus-plus and really explodes through the zone. He also displays an 86-89 mph hard slider that shows downward break and it’s a plus-plus pitch as well. The right-hander dominated as a starter in 2022 despite the lack of development in regards to a third pitch. He moved to the bullpen in 2023. Berroa has shown a max effort delivery and struggles to repeat it at times. He spins off the mounds and he’s shown below-average control because of it. “He’s a reliever with a similar track record to Santos”, Getz said. “He’s been a starter, upper 90’s, touches 100 mph, type velocity”.
Departures From The White Sox
The White Sox acquired right-handed reliever Gregory Santos last off-season for former sixth rounder Kade McClure and he was one of the few bright spots on the 2023 big league club. The 24-year-old will be tasked with throwing high-leverage innings for the contending Seattle Mariners but he also heads west with five years of contract control remaining. The 6-2, 190 pounder threw 66.1 innings for the White Sox in multiple situations last season. The Dominican posted a 3.39 ERA with a 2.65 FIP out of the bullpen.
Santos has a stellar baseball savant page with lots of red and while he accumulated 1.6 fWAR in 2023, he only struck out 66 batters in his 66.1 innings pitched. The pitcher also posted a 52.5% ground ball rate which explains the lack of strikeouts in a way. Santos finished the season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and Getz noted that he’s recently begun a throwing program and should be ready to start the season on time. The Seattle Mariners will be the fourth organization for Gregory Santos and unless Brian Bannister suddenly heads to the Pacific Northwest, he could be there for awhile.
Cristian Mena is a feather in the cap of Marco Paddy and the international scouting infrastructure for the White Sox. The 21-year-old made it to Triple-A in 2023 after signing for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old. The 6-2, 170 pound right-hander possesses great breaking stuff with a dastardly curveball. He’s struggled to improve his fastball velocity though and it’s something that the Diamondbacks player development staff will surely be focused on. Mena threw 134 innings last year with 19.2 coming in Charlotte to close out his campaign. While the ERA was high, he did post a 3.73 FIP. “Credit to Marco Paddy, our international scouts and our player development system. He’s very close to the majors, started at our academy and worked his way to Triple-A”, Getz said in reference to Mena’s ascension. “I’m sure there will be some quality days ahead. He’s talented and we wish him well.”
Draft Compensation and Rationale
The White Sox made two trades because they felt like it made sense for the organization. “We consider any potential move where we feel like we’re getting better in multiple places”, said Getz. Whether it’s a philosophy of new advisor to pitching Brian Bannister or just a core tenant of this front office, trading relievers has been a focus of the off-season. After acquiring five players in return for southpaw Aaron Bummer, the franchise brought back two players and a draft pick for Santos. Getz said that the trade essentially “came down to multiplying” and he also noted the “volatility with relievers” on an annual basis. “It was a hard decision and we expect Santos to have a great career,” said Getz.
In regards to moving Mena, Getz said that, “we’ve been able to accumulate some upper level pitching and Cristian was part of that pool.” The White Sox “tapped into that area to fill a need elsewhere,” according to Getz. Assistant General Manager Josh Barfield was familiar with Dominic Fletcher but he made it a point to recognize that others in the organization presented strong evaluations as well. “The ability to play center field, even though we have a center fielder, is still a valuable thing. Strengthening the depth is a benefit”, Getz said.
The Pale Hose also acquired a competitive balance round B selection from the Seattle Mariners and it’s a shrewd way to add more talent to the organization. Getz stated that, “being able to trade draft picks is exciting”. The farm system has been improving and this adds another player and bonus pool space in July. “It gives flexibility throughout the first ten rounds to maximize the bonus pool and it’s exciting for Mike Shirley and our staff”, said Getz.
The White Sox have the fifth overall selection in the first round and the 43rd overall choice which lands in round two. The additional pick on night one gives the franchise at least $1 million more to allocate throughout their bonus pool. The 69th overall pick in last year’s draft came with a slot value of $1,074,100 and it should increase this year. A trio of Scott Boras clients could still effect the draft order as well. Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Blake Snell require the forfeiture of draft picks upon signing due to their statuses as qualifying offer free agents. The White Sox official bonus pool for the 2024 Draft won’t be known until the players have inked contracts but it gives them immense flexibility regardless.