On Monday the Chicago White Sox announced multiple transactions, including the team signing eight free agents to minor league deals.
INFs Cody Asche & Everth Cabrera, LHPs David Holmberg & Cory Luebke, C Roberto Pena, RHPs Blake Smith & Anthony Swarzak, C Geovany Soto.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 23, 2017
Cody Asche, Everth Cabrera, Cory Luebke and Geovany Soto have all been reported on by Sports Mockery. However David Holmberg, Roberto Pena, Blake Smith and Anthony Swarzak are all new to the site.
Holmberg has been in the MLB for the past three seasons, playing for the Diamondbacks and Reds. In his 14 games and 62 innings, Holmberg has pitched to a 3-6 record with a 6.24 ERA and a 33/35 K/BB ratio.
Holmberg appears to be a bust in the major leagues. But he is just 24 years old and the White Sox are losing nothing by taking a chance on him on a minor league contract.
Pena has never appeared in a major league game, but has played in 530 minor league games. He has hit .237 with 35 home runs and 216 RBIs.
Pena is nothing more than catching depth for the White Sox. However with the team being so weak at the catching position, if Pena performs in the minor leagues, there’s a chance he could reach the MLB in 2017.
Smith appeared in five games with the White Sox in 2016, registering a 6.23 ERA and a 1/0 K/BB ratio. In 152 minor league games and 205.1 innings, Smith held a 8-14 record with a 3.86 ERA and a 212/99 K/BB ratio.
Smith is a former outfielder turned pitcher. He has spent the past two seasons in the White Sox organization. The team knows exactly what they’re getting out of Smith, and if the team moves a few bullpen pieces, he could be on the shortlist of names to get called up to the big leagues.
Swarzak has been in the MLB for the past seven seasons, playing for the Twins, Indians and Yankees. He has appeared in 217 games and 484 innings, holding a career 17-26 record with a 4.52 ERA and a 311/138 K/BB ratio.
Swarzak has shown spurts of greatness in his career including a 2.91 ERA in 2013. Due to his struggles in recent years he hasn’t drawn much interest on the open market. The White Sox are smart to take a chance on him and see if he has anything left in the tank.
Overall players like Asche, Cabrera, Soto and Luebke are more likely to make the roster than Holmberg, Pena, Smith and Swarzak. However the White Sox have nothing to lose by taking a chance on any of these players.
Look for atleast one of these eight to make a name for themselves in Spring Training. Perhaps guys like Geovany Soto and Cody Asche could even earn a starting role going into 2017.
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