Busy White Sox Proceed Teardown, Ship Kendall Graveman (Again) to Houston

The White Sox despatched nearer Kendall Graveman to the Astros for catching prospect Korey Lee on Friday afternoon. Graveman, signed by the White Sox to a three-year contract days earlier than the 2021–22 lockout began, put up a 3.30 ERA and a 4.00 FIP in 110 appearances with Chicago. This caps off a busy end-of-week flurry for the Sox: Graveman is now the fifth pitcher they’ve traded in 24 hours, after Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Lance Lynn, and Joe Kelly.

Graveman’s peripheral numbers have slid this season as his strikeout and stroll charges have continued to deteriorate, and the six homers he’s allowed this season virtually match the eight he surrendered in 2021 and ’22 mixed, however I’m barely much less involved about this than I’d be in lots of comparable conditions. For one, his plate discipline-against numbers don’t assist his issues in these departments. Batters are making contact towards Graveman much less usually than any time in his profession (ignoring his five-appearance debut season), and his first-strike share, a helpful main indicator of stroll charge, is best than ever.

Some of the adjustments appear to be from aware strategy selections. Graveman began throwing his four-seamer much more usually in 2022 and has continued that this yr however is now virtually completely throwing it center-high. The consequence has been much more loft on these pitches. In truth, mainly all of Graveman’s pitches, together with his sinker, have been hit about 10 levels greater than final yr. It’s been sufficient to remodel him from a fairly robust groundballer in recent times to a pitcher permitting extra fly balls than common. On the destructive facet, his slider has misplaced some chunk, with its break nearer to league-average than at his peak, resulting in a decrease whiff charge (35%) than in 2022 (43%) or ’21 (44%). ZiPS sees him with a 3.59 FIP for the remainder of 2023 in Houston and a 3.72 mark in 2024.

Unlike many of the gamers traded by the Sox to date, Graveman is signed for the 2024 season at $8 million. They try to make it clear they intend to compete subsequent season, however I don’t essentially suppose buying and selling a participant with a 2024 contract heralds a distinct strategy; it might merely be that they really feel they will put that money to raised use in free company quite than paying it to their third-best reliever. Gregory Santos and Aaron Bummer head Chicago’s bullpen now, joined by Keynan Middleton, a free-agent-to-be whom I think may even be elsewhere by the Tuesday commerce deadline.

Once you get previous Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu, there hasn’t been loads of sizzle in Houston’s bullpen this season. Astros relievers rank within the center third of the league in WAR, ERA, and FIP, and our depth charts solely peg the reduction corps as Fifteenth-best in baseball over the remainder of the season. The Astros might make different, splashier strikes this weekend, however there’s an excellent argument that they wanted so as to add some depth within the ‘pen, and that’s what Graveman brings to the desk.

Heading to the White Sox in return is Lee, who hit .283/.328/.406 for Triple-A Sugar Land and, after the acquisition of Edgar Quero, is now the second Top 100 catching prospect the White Sox have picked up this deadline. Lee has made higher contact this yr than in 2022, however at an actual value: fewer walks and homers (he’s gone from 25 final yr to only 5 this season regardless of taking part in on the similar degree). The internet consequence has been a 35-point bounce in batting common however an OPS greater than 50 factors decrease.

There’s a definite disagreement between the scouting group and ZiPS on this one. The latter solely translated his 2022 season to a .195/.251/.384 batting line, and he didn’t make its high 200 prospects earlier than the season. His 2023 season interprets at .271/.306/.376 because of the improved contact charge, however he’s nonetheless unlikely to make the ZiPS high prospect record subsequent yr.

Lee gave the impression to be in an excellent place to be Martín Maldonado’s eventual successor in Houston, however the emergence of Yainer Diaz made that much less doubtless. My intestine feeling is that Diaz is the nominal starter at catcher subsequent yr for the Astros, with possibly 300 PA behind the plate and one other 100 or in order a DH, with both César Salazar or a defense-first veteran caddy filling out the tandem. It could also be a re-signed Maldonado; he’s received extra lives than Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Both groups received what they needed out of this deal. The White Sox now have an “heir and a spare” to Yasmani Grandal, and the Astros have one other stable bullpen arm for the stretch run and postseason. No snarky complaints from me on this one.