The White Sox made their deal with left-hander Martin Perez official on Tuesday, announcing that the 33-year-old had agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million, including a mutual option for the 2026 season. However, a right-hander became a roster casualty as a result.
To make room on the 40-man roster the White Sox designated Ron Marinaccio for assignment. Marinaccio’s name may not be familiar to many White Sox fans since he did not appear in a big league game for the club last season. After getting DFA’d by the Yankees the White Sox claimed him off waivers with a week remaining in the season.
Initially, he held onto a roster spot as an option for a White Sox bullpen filled with question marks, The 29-year-old posted a 3.86 ERA in 23.1 innings for the Yankees last season. He has shown that his stuff can generate swings and misses. In 91.1 innings from 2022 and 2023, Marinaccio owned a 29 percent strikeout rate. His strikeout rate fell to 25.3 percent last season but he was able to cut down on the number of free passes allowed, dropping his walk rate from 13.2 percent to 10.1.
The addition of Perez tightens up a heavily contested battle for the starting rotation between left-hander Tyler Gilbert, right-hander Bryse Wilson, and a handful of young arms. Gilbert and Wilson both figure to have a role in the bullpen if they miss out on a rotation spot making a reliever with control issues more expendable.
Marinaccio still has a minor league option remaining, which paired with his gaudy strikeout numbers will be enough to draw some interest from other teams. However, his control issues are clearly a concern. The White Sox have four days to try and trade him before he is placed on waivers.
