White Sox: Randall Delgado One of Two Players Signed to Minor League Contracts
By Matt Cizek
White Sox sign two players to minor league contracts as the offseason continues to roll along without an announcement from other free agents.
With all the craze surrounding Bryce Harper and Manny Machado this offseason, it can be hard to remember that the White Sox have other players on the team as well. On Thursday, the White Sox took a step towards offering two other players a chance to wear the white and black this upcoming Spring.
The White Sox signed third base/outfield prospect D.J. Peterson and pitcher Randall Delgado to minor league contracts.
Peterson, yet to make the big leagues, is the highest drafted player to ever come from the University of New Mexico and was a first-round draft pick of Seattle in the 2013 MLB draft. In 133 games for Triple-A Louisville last year, he hit a respectable .277 with 16 homers.
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Delgado, likely the better known of the two players, played the last eight seasons for the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks. His stint in Arizona lasted from 2013-2018, with a career-high 79 games being pitched in 2016 in a relief role. Unfortunately, he had a rough 2018.
According to CBSSports.com, oblique and shoulder injuries limited Delgado to just 10 appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2018. He posted a 4.76 ERA and 5:6 K:BB across 11.1 innings. Delgado could compete for an Opening Day role in the Sox bullpen as a swingman according to CBSSports.com.
The eighth youngest player in the National League when he debuted in 2011, Delgado is an older veteran at 28 years old. If healthy, fans can hope he returns to his 2015 form when he went 8-4 with a career-high 3.25 ERA in 64 games.
According to NBS Sports’ Vinnie Duber, the White Sox are following a similar pattern to what they followed in 2018 when they signed several relievers to minor league contracts. While this may raise concern given that the most successful of those players – Xavier Cedeno – finished in Milwaukee, Duber notes that this strategy has seen some success in the past when successful relievers have been traded to acquire minor league talent that could build a strong future for the Sox.
Perhaps the same can be said for Delgado if he proves to be a talent that other teams – specifically teams looking to compete in July – find favorable and would be willing to offer the Sox strong talent in exchange for.
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If not, a healthy Delgado at the very least “provides depth, specifically depth with major league experience”, for a team looking to rebuild and climb back into the competitive ranks of the Major Leagues while improving a bullpen that their general manager has previously mentioned is one of their main focuses this offseason.