Luis Robert Jr. playing in the center field and Andrew Benintendi playing in the left field.
Under the leadership of new general manager Chris Getz, the White Sox have made bold moves to revamp their team by trading away several experienced players before last year’s deadline. Their most significant transaction was made early on, when they traded left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer to Atlanta in exchange for five players. They also obtained catcher Max Stassi through a separate trade with the Braves.
The Arizona team made a strategic move by trading players who were performing well, including All-Star Corbin Carroll, Yuli Gurriel, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, and recently acquired Joc Pederson, all of whom play in the outfield. 21-year-old Mena has a strong curveball and a fastball that ranges from low to mid-90s. He will be a valuable addition to the upper-level rotation, having recorded 156 strikeouts in 133.2 innings while playing for both Double A and Triple A last season.
On Saturday, the Chicago White Sox made two trades with competitive teams. They traded right-handed reliever Gregory Santos to the Seattle Mariners and right-handed prospect Cristian Mena to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The White Sox acquired a bundle of players and a draft pick from the Mariners, including Prelander Berroa, a right-handed pitcher known for his fast pitches, and Zach DeLoach, an outfielder. In a separate trade with the Diamondbacks, the White Sox gained outfielder Dominic Fletcher, who is expected to compete for playing time this season. The White Sox announced both deals on social media.
Santos, who is 24 years old, was highly regarded and has now joined the Mariners’ bullpen, which already includes two of the most dominant relievers in the MLB, Andres Muñoz and Matt Brash. Santos had a successful first full season with the White Sox, recording a 3.39 ERA and a 2.65 Fielding Independent Pitching statistic. He only allowed two home runs and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1 in 66.1 innings, thanks to his 99 mph fastball and 92 mph slider.
The Mariners were willing to trade Berroa, a 23-year-old with similar skills to Santos, in exchange for five years of team control. Berroa has a powerful fastball and a sharp slider, and spent most of his minor league career as a starting pitcher. However, he primarily served as a reliever last season and made his debut with the Seattle team in 2023. Prior to his call-up, he had a 2.89 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 65.1 innings at the Triple A level.
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