General manager Chris Getz said after the Robert trade that the Sox would be "very active" in using that payroll space. Domínguez will make $8MM in the first season of his slightly backloaded deal. Even if the White Sox don't intend to reallocate all $20MM into this year's roster, there should be room in the budget for another addition. Getz acknowledged as much, saying on Thursday that the front office remains involved on both free agent and trade targets.
The White Sox announced they have outrighted outfielders Dominic Fletcher and Corey Julks, along with pitchers Elvis Peguero and , to Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago also lost Will Robertson via waivers to Pittsburgh, which brings their 40-man roster down to 35 players. Fletcher logged the most big-league time of the foursome this season. The 28-year-old appeared in a dozen games with the White Sox after getting called up in early September. He slashed .219/.265/.469 over 34 plate appearances. Fletcher only notched seven hits, but he made them count, swatting five doubles and a home run.
The White Sox announced today that manager Will Venable's coaching staff will be overhauled this winter. Specifically, the club announced that they will not be renewing the contracts of pitching coach Ethan Katz, hitting coach Marcus Thames, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, and catching coach Drew Butera. James Fegan of Sox Machine adds that Sergio Santos, who manages the club's Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, will also not have his contract renewed.
His numbers on the season look good until you check under the hood. He has thrown 29 innings with a 2.48 earned run average. However, his 17.5% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate are both subpar figures. His 51.3% ground ball rate is pretty good but he has largely benefitted from a .197 batting average on balls in play and 89.5% strand rate.
September 6 - Outfielder Dominic Fletcher and right-handed reliever Dan Altavilla were added to the White Sox's roster on Friday, and they contributed to Chicago's 7-5 road win over the Detroit Tigers. Fletcher, 28, had his contract purchased from Triple-A Charlotte. In his first major league game of the season, he doubled twice and scored twice while playing in both center field and right field.
Between the offseason and today, the Sox have signed or claimed nine relievers. Below are the stats for each: Everyone except Vasil and Castro (who was shut down for the season with a patellar tendon tear in June) has been optioned to the minors at least once this season. Vasil's and Altavilla's stats are the only anomaly from this putrid list, and Altavilla has been in Triple-A for the majority of his tenure with the organization.
Hard work does not always guarantee success, but it does always put you in the position to excel. August has been a good month on the diamond for former Texas A&M baseball standout Braden Montgomery. On Tuesday, the White Sox organization named the Double-A Birmingham outfielder as their Minor League Player of the Month for August. Montgomery has been tearing it up since being moved up at the beginning of August, becoming a doubles machine and flashing his glove in the outfield.
The Cubs have claimed right-hander Aaron Civale off waivers from the White Sox, according to a team announcement. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was designated for assignment to make room for Civale on the 40-man roster. In addition the White Sox announced that they've selected the contract of right-hander Bryse Wilson to replace Civale on the club's active and 40-man rosters. More to come.
Lots of folks think Win Probability Added (WPA) is a useful statistic. Many coverages, often including our own game wrap polls, like to refer to it. Others think it's just something dreamed up by a FanGraphs intern in 2008 in order to at least have something to put on a resume and has little purpose for anyone who can easily figure out the important moments in a game's flow without it (raises hand, looks around to see if anyone is nodding in agreement).
The Cubs will need left-hander Shota Imanaga to step up to salvage their series in San Francisco before continuing on their West Coast trip. The Cubs have still not yet been swept in a three-game series this season and look to avoid that fate after dropping the first two games against the Giants. The stretch of 17 games in 17 days became a little more difficult for the White Sox to navigate
