Around The AL Central: Pollock Leaves The White Sox And Tigers Send Closer To Phillies
The Guardians made a couple of splashes in free agency by signing both Josh Bell and Mike Zunino. However, everything on Cleveland's front has been pretty quiet since those two contracts became official.
There are still a number of storylines circulating through MLB even though Cleveland has remained relatively quiet. A lot of these headlines have come in the Guardians' division too:
Tigers Trade Closer To The Phillies
One player that the Guardians won't see suiting up for the Detroit Tigers next season is Gregory Soto. Detroit sent him to the Phillies for a few prospects in return.
Soto has been an All-Star over the last two seasons and one of the true bright spots for a Tigers team that has struggled to compete for multiple seasons now. He had an ERA of 3.28 and 30 saves during the 2022 season. Soto has also shut down the Guardians over the last few seasons too so they won't miss him not being in the division.
Detroit trading a fantastic young pitcher who is under team control sends a message that the team may not expect to be in a competitive position in 2023.
A.J. Pollock To The Seattle Mariners
A.J. Pollock was traded over to the White Sox before the start of last season. The veteran outfielder was expected to be a supplemental piece for a World Series contender.
Chicago was far from a championship contender and ended up being one of the most disappointing teams in baseball. Pollock opted out of a player option over the offseason, left money on the table, and signed with the Seattle Mariners on a one-year deal.
This is a bigger loss than it may appear on the surface.
Pollock slashed .245/.292/.389 over 138 games in 2022. His absence also may be a sign of the state of the White Sox organization right now.
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