A familiar face has returned to the White Sox organization. On Wednesday the White Sox added left-hander Bailey Horn from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor league arm Matthew Thompson.
The White Sox originally drafted Horn in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. He was traded away a year later at the trade deadline for reliever Ryan Tepera. Now the southpaw is back in the mix, which could be a sneaky good addition for the White Sox.
The 26-year-old will have an opportunity to log some serious innings in a White Sox bullpen that is lacking quality left-handers. If Garrett Crochet earns a spot in the White Sox rotation, then the bullpen will need another left-hander to help pick up the slack. With three minor league option years remaining, Horn has the chance to establish himself as a staple in the White bullpen if he continues to develop.
“Any time that you can pick up a left-handed pitcher with some ability, you try to do it,” manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com. “It adds value to the organization. It adds competition.”
Horn was traded by the Cubs to make room on the 40-man roster for Cody Bellinger. Before being traded, he was graded as the 28th prospect in a loaded Cubs farm system. General manager Chris Getz is very familiar with Horn, after overseeing his development as the team’s farm director while he was in the White Sox system from 2020-21.
The former Auburn Tiger posted a 4.21 ERA in 45 appearances between Double-A Tennesse and Triple-A Iowa. In 62 innings out of the bullpen, he punched out 28.7% of opponents. His high strikeout rate was thanks in part to a fastball that sits around 94-96 mph and an above-average offspeed combination. His slider sits in the low 80s and was graded as a 55 by scouts after the draft on a 20-80 scale. That slider has turned into a plus pitch. He also has an effective curveball in the mid-70s.
During his minor league career Horn is averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. However, last year he struggled with command, walking 12.5% of opponents. He also got knocked around a bit in Triple-A, with opponents hitting .265 of him.
Scouts are also concerned his violent arm action could lead to arm injuries down the road. Horn already underwent Tommy John surgery while he was pitching at McLennan Community College in 2018 before he transferred to Auburn. When he returned to the mound he quickly established himself as an effective starter in the Tigers rotation, posting a 2.08 ERA in four starts, which was enough to earn him $150,000 when he was drafted by the White Sox in 2020.
Getz has not made many flashy moves this offseason. But he deserves props for being creative. The Horn addition is yet another example of Getz adding players to create a competitive environment in the White Sox camp in the hopes of bolstering the organization’s depth, something that has been lacking in years past.
