The Chicago White Sox were suspiciously quiet leading up to the trade deadline, but things have changed. One of the few valuable trade pieces the White Sox had in two-time all-star Joakim Soria was abruptly dispatched to the Milwaukee Brewers early Thursday afternoon.
Source: Brewers getting Joakim Soria.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 26, 2018
The return was initially unclear, but details quickly emerged on two prospects the White Sox were able to pry from the Brew Crew. The South Siders were able to grab Kodi Medeiros and Wilmer Perez from the Brewers in a fair-return trade.
#Brewers sending LHP Kodi Medeiros and RHP Wilber Perez to #WhiteSox in exchange for Joakim Soria. Medeiros is No. 13 on the @Brewers' brand-new midseason Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/naX6UQQ2zw pic.twitter.com/8HELZI8KbE
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 26, 2018
The almighty and ubiquitous “cash considerations” was involved in the trade with the White Sox sending money along with Soria to the Brewers.
Here’s what you need to know about Medeiros
He’s a left-handed pitcher and former first-round pick of the Brewers in 2014. Medeiros was ranked as the 29th-best prospect leading into the draft and adds depth to system bereft of southpaws with the South Siders. Drafted out of a high school in Hawaii, the lefty was the archipelago’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014.
Just today, Medeiros was ranked as Milwaukee’s 13th best prospect by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America ranked him as the No.-6 organizational prospect. He currently boasts a 3.14 earned run average in Double-A with 107 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings pitched.
The White Sox appear to have a lot of experience with Medeiros considering he played in the Southern League this season and could he could be a quick mover at only 22 years old. His WHIP is a little high right now (1.31) and his career figure under that stat isn’t reassuring (1.46). Yet, he’s fanning batters at a 9.3 SO/9 clip this season and does a fantastic job keeping runners from scoring given his high WHIP and above average ERA.
Medeiros operates in the 92-95 mph range and features a heavy fastball after lifting his three-quarters arm slot. While he was known for raw stuff, his slider is above average and his changeup occasionally flashes at the same level. Still, questions still linger about whether he will remain a starter given his lack of control.
Here’s a look at what he brings.
The goods on Wilber Perez
Perez is less well known than Medeiros. He’s a young right-handed pitcher still toiling in the Dominical Summer League. He’s posted good numbers in limited action this summer and appears to be a late bloomer by Dominical standards.
The good news is that Perez has found immediate and sustained success in the DSL since signing with the Brewers on July 10, 2017. The bad news is that he’s still in the DSL. Considering he only signed a year ago it seems evident that he is a high-ceiling prospect, but signing at 19 years old in the Dominican screams a very low floor.
Here’s the full write up from the White Sox statement on Perez.
All things considered, this is a fair deal for both teams. The Brewers have a pattern of whiffing on big trades (even though they landed Christian Yelich from the Marlins last winter) and they have boosted the strength of their bullpen with Soria.
Don’t expect much more movement from the White Sox. James Shields might be the only scrap left to deal as the season rolls along.
