Rule 5 deadline day was a busy day across Major League Baseball, and the Chicago White Sox were no exception. The team made a controversial decision to leave some young pitchers vulnerable for the Rule 5 draft, and also completed a pair of trades. LHP Chris Murphy, headed to the White Sox from Boston, will provide the team with an extra left-handed relief option as they look to reshape their bullpen. In addition to the deal with Boston, the White Sox dealt right-handers Steven Wilson and Yoendrys Gomez to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Tanner Murray.
White Sox are getting Everson Pereira and Tanner Murray for Yoendrys Gómez and Steven Wilson, per sources https://t.co/uD0sqMm7TD
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) November 18, 2025
Tanner Murray is a 26 year-old infielder who hit 18 home runs at Triple-A Durham in 2025. He’ll be an infield depth option for the White Sox, but doesn’t have a clear role on the 2026 team. Everson Pereira is the prize of the deal. The 24 year-old outfielder was originally signed by the Yankees out of Venezuela in 2017. He burst onto the scene during the 2021 season at age 20, where he hit .303 with 20 home runs across three levels. Pereira followed it up with an .819 OPS between High-A and Double-A in 2022, and by 2023, he was showing up on Top 100 prospect lists. A big season in Triple-A in 2023 earned him a big league call-up, and he made his debut for the Yankees during the 2023 season. Pereira struggled in his first taste of big league action, hitting just .151 in 27 games.
Pereira began 2024 back in Triple-A, and his season was limited to just 40 games due to a season-ending elbow surgery on his throwing arm. When healthy again in 2025, the Yankees just didn’t have a spot for him, and he began the season in Triple-A once again. After a 70-game stretch where he slugged 19 home runs and had an .864 OPS, Pereira was dealt to the Rays for infielder Jose Caballero. The Rays brought Pereira to the big leagues on August 11th, and he once again struggled at the highest level, hitting just .138 in 23 games to finish the season.
Everson Pereira is a low-cost gamble for the White Sox
Pereira will turn 25 shortly after Opening Day and the White Sox could offer him the most extended look he’s had at the big league level. It’s far too early in the offseason to know what his role will be on the team, but he has all the tools to succeed in the Major Leagues, and the White Sox will try to unlock his talent. Hitting director Ryan Fuller and new White Sox hitting coach Derek Shomon clearly see something they like in Pereira and he’ll be given an opportunity to earn at bats in an outfield that seems far from set.
In return, the White Sox gave up two pitchers who spent time on their big league roster in 2025. In Steven Wilson, they gave up a reliever who posted solid numbers despite questionable underlying metrics. Wilson was a candidate to be non-tendered on Friday’s deadline, so it’s possible the White Sox hadn’t planned to bring him back anyway. Yoendrys Gomez posted a 4.84 in 12 appearances with the White Sox in 2025. He started nine games for the team down the stretch, but the White Sox will have a crowded competition for the starting rotation, and Gomez was unlikely to make the team in that role. It seems like a worthwhile gamble to sacrifice two pitchers without a clear role on the 2026 team for an outfielder with major power upside.
The White Sox have worked hard to revamp their player development system and become a destination that players like Pereira can go to maximize their talent rather than a place where talent goes to die. No team is able to fix 100% of the projects they bring in, but the White Sox would like to start showing results soon. Whether Everson Pereira is the latest post-hype top 100 prospect that the White Sox fail to revive or he becomes a perennial all-star on the south side, Chris Getz should make more of these moves that maximize resources and bring in talent. Sooner or later, he’s going to strike gold.