The White Sox bought their next closer on Sunday from the New York Yankees for $1.5 million of international signing bonus-pool money. This is money the White Sox could afford to spend given the limits on international bonuses they can offer after snagging Luis Robert in 2017.
One factor involved in this deal is that Frare is rule-5 eligible this offseason. #yankees have to seriously dump players on the market at discounts to gather a return on these players. Frare has serious upside for the #whitesox with a 3-pitch mix. Could be up soon. https://t.co/QiEAYXK2kd
— Matt Enuco (@Matt_Enuco) July 29, 2018
This is a great move for the money. Caleb Frare was dealing in Double-A before his promotion to Triple-A. He has only tossed one inning with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre allowing one run on two hits. The good news is that he has cut down free passes and averaged approximately 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings the past two seasons between four different levels.
Perhaps the best sign with Frare is that he is another left-handed pitcher. While Frare doesn’t have the sexy prospect name that Kodi Medieros has, he was part of a growing contingent of potential Rule-5 picks in the Yankees farm system that was certain to go if not traded before.
Frare can run his fastball up to 96 with serious two-seam action and his slider compliments his heat very well. He appears to be a closer in the future and although he only has five saves this season, his combinations of pitches make him difficult to deal with at the back of the bullpen.
Even though Frare has only logged one inning in Triple-A this season, I don’t see him sitting in the minors much longer. He is 25 years old with plenty of professional baseball behind him and he was likely held down with the Yankees due to a brimming prospect pool.
Look, the White Sox bullpen is a mess and Matt Davidson notwithstanding, the Southsiders are without a closer. Luis Avilan and others could be jettisoned before Tuesday and the waiver wire will be open until the end of August. Opportunities abound for Frare.
One thing that worries me is his floppy arm action at the back of his delivery. He has already endured one Tommy John surgery and if he hasn’t properly addressed his mechanics a second round could be on the horizon. Still, it’s good news that he missed two seasons (2013 and 2014) to TJ surgery and he has climbed the minor-league ladder in just three seasons.
