White Sox Sign Ervin Santana to Minor League Deal

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 23: Ervin Santana #54 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning on August 23, 2017 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 23: Ervin Santana #54 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning on August 23, 2017 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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White Sox to sign veteran pitcher Ervin Santana to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The veteran pitched in just five games last season.

The White Sox will be adding pitching depth for this upcoming season with the signing of Ervin Santana to a minor league deal. Santana’s signing will be pending a physical and was first reported by Dave Williams (whitesoxdave) of Barstool Sports.

Santana will have an invite to Spring Training and compete for a starting pitching role for this upcoming season. The 36-year-old pitcher last pitched for the Minnesota Twins in 2018 but only made five starts due to a finger injury. He would compile an 8.03 ERA over his five starts.

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Before last season, Santana was an All-Star with the Twins in 2017 and finished that year with a 16-8 record, 3.28 ERA, 1.126 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts through 211.1 innings pitched. He also finished seventh in Cy Young Award voting in the American League.

Santana has pitched 14 major league seasons and began his career in 2005 with the Los Angeles Angels. In his second career start, he pitched a complete-game shutout against the White Sox. Santana pitched eight seasons for the Angels and one season each with the Kansas City Royals in 2013 and Atlanta Braves in 2014. He pitched four seasons with the Twins starting in 2015.

With the signing of Santana to a minor league deal, the Sox have a viable option for their starting rotation. If Santana is able to make the team out of Spring Training, he would be a great addition to the rotation and could be the Sox fourth or fifth starter this upcoming season. There’s also the possibility of Santana being trade bait later in the year.

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The Sox front office has received the scorn of many fans this past week but this recent signing of Santana is a quality acquisition. If Santana can revert back to his 2017 form on the mound, the Sox will surely benefit. This upcoming season might be another tough year for Sox fans, hopefully, there are some more acquisitions on the horizon soon.