The White Sox are in agreement with outfielder Kevin Pillar on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (X link). The All Bases Covered Sports Management client would be paid at a $3MM rate if he cracks the major league roster.
Pillar spent the 2023 season in Atlanta. The veteran outfielder inked a non-roster deal with the Braves last winter and cracked the MLB team out of camp. He spent the entire season on the big league club in a reserve outfield capacity. The 11-year MLB veteran appeared in half of Atlanta’s games. He hit .228/.248/.416 through 206 trips to the plate.
The righty-hitting Pillar connected on nine home runs and 10 doubles in a fairly limited sample. A minuscule 2.9% walk rate and a .255 average on balls in play led to a very low on-base mark. That’s the profile Pillar has had throughout his career. He has had a sub-.300 OBP in five of the past six seasons, but he’s reached 15 homers in four different campaigns.
Early in his career, Pillar was one of the sport’s preeminent defensive outfielders. He posted plus defensive marks over his first three-plus seasons, working as a regular center fielder for the Blue Jays. Those grades dipped in 2018-19 as Pillar neared his 30th birthday. He has seen increasing action in the corners in recent years. Pillar started 40 games in the corner outfield while getting the nod in center on three occasions a season ago.
The White Sox have Luis Robert Jr. locked into center and will give Andrew Benintendi a rebound opportunity in left. There’s a vacancy in right field, where the Sox got a dismal .219/.271/.344 showing. Oscar Colás and Gavin Sheets still stand as the top in-house options despite rough 2023 campaigns. Both players hit left-handed, so Pillar could battle for a short-side platoon role. He owns a roughly average .272/.298/.494 slash against southpaws over the past five seasons.
A scoop Mr. Adams!
Steve is working toward a job in the new White Sox front office.
Well, he’s now the White Sox 2nd best outfielder.
I still like Grichuk better, but this makes more sense than Dom Smith. The White Sox could always use another glove.
What is this the 2017 blue jays?
Signing Josh Donaldson next? Is Aaron Sanchez available too?
Dom Smith? What does he even have to do with this?
Another article stating White Sox are interested in Dom Smith.
Go back to sleep.
One more down in the MA Taylor chase.
Surprising. On a per AB basis, he is a Joc Pederson comp.
So much for the O’s getting a no hitter v the White Sox this year. Kryptonite.
Leo’s Brother is heating up the stove on his own. Minor league deals but still he’s starting to sign players
Hopefully if he completes all his chores, Grandpa Jerry will increase his allowance next year.
Unfortunately Chris Getz what’s left in the dumpster after it’s already been emptied. Stuck to the bottom Getz.
This guy has carved out a nice career so far. Hopefully he can crack the big league roster
Anyone that stays in the league 11 years deserves respect. Having said that, a corner OF with a career OPS+ 87 nad only once recorded a +wRC over 100… add in average defense, I don’t get it.
Thank goodness the White Sox found another player that never walks. He will fit right in.
They were ranked dead last in walks last season.
Love this guy!
Pillar had a nice year for the Braves last year. Could be a valuable 4th Outfielder for the ChiSox
He’s their best after Robert. Not 4th.
-0.1 WAR is a nice year? Good grief. You need to raise your standards.
Thsts a meaningless number because the stadium wasn’t adjusted for Kevin’s style of play.
No. The White Sox do.
Such a gamer. A hard nosed player with all heart and guts that’s why he keeps getting jobs. That .OBP tho woof
A gamer? Dude is soft.
Pillar is soft? You sure you can back up your claim?
He got hit square in the face with a 94 mph fastball and exactly two weeks later after undergoing facial surgery to repair multiple nose fractures he came back and played. Yeah, he’s a gamer and you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Saw enough plays in Toronto to know Pillar is/was a gamer. Given where he was drafted he’s got that dog in him.
If Pillar and his $3M contract makes the club…I will burn all my CWS gear.
Be sure to post a video on YouTube when you do.
Send me the video after he’s in the opening day lineup.
Oh no, I was wanting him to sign with Atlanta again as a backup outfielder and a right-handed complement to Kelenic.
I think it is a good signing for the White Sox.
Every signing they’ve made is Quad-A team level… Getz getting a bubble team together for old times sakes.
Indeed. Nobody can say that Getz hasn’t been active this off season.
Probably the most aggressive white Sox off-season in a long time.
Aiden: It’s sad that you don’t realize that being aggressive by signing a lot of garbage players instead of signing a handful of good players to start the team’s rebuild are two different things.
I know the difference. Every team signs garbage players on minor league deals. The player development is the reason why the last rebuild failed. Why would they rebuild if the last one failed, it doesn’t make sense whatsoever. All the Sox are trying this off-season is adding as much depth as possible.
The player development failed the last rebuild, so now the guy who was in charge of developing player failed up to be the GM, where he seems to place zero value on offense.
I hope Chris is better than Rick Hahn as a GM. At least somebody else took over player devlopement.
*Active. I accidentally used the wrong word.
Depth implies backups. But, they don’t have anyone better than the crappy players they’ve been trading for and signing.
At the same time they don’t have anything valuable to trade minus Cease or Robert. Cease will most likely be traded at the trade deadline. They plan on keeping Robert. If I have to grade Chris Getz’s first off-season I would probably give him a C or a D. Off-season isn’t over quite yet.
A guy who just turned 35 and has not posted a WAR over 1 in a season since 2018… sounds like a White Sox to me!
Getz proving beyond a doubt that he learned well from his dimwitted predecessor.
It’s a minor league signing, y’all people crack me up.
If you follow the White Sox, you know these are the only signings they make – they’re all we have to react to.
Augusto: There was nothing wrong with Hahn. If Reinsdorf had given him any money at all, he would have been able to sign quality players. Instead, with his hands tied, all he had the money for was to sign one reject after another.
Nah, there was plenty wrong with Hahn, especially when you consoder him and Kenny fought over control until the very end.
Knucklehead Hahn had, at peak, the 7th highest paid roster in MLB. The money was there – he just chose to spend it all on relievers that played like garbage rather than fix the obvious holes at 2B and RF.
Good, and borderline hall of Fame track.
This team starting with the owner on down is an embarrassment to all White Sox fans.
SMH. Know you’re right. Tough to admit. At least I won’t bother to go to the rate next season. Rather go to Milwaukee and see a game then close Wolski’s. (Milwaukee people know what I mean)
Trade idea I was running through the simulator last night
Cease
Robert
Santos
For
Armstrong
Horton
Cassie
Wicks
Rojas
White Sox get 3 top 50 prospects which is almost unheard of these days plus Wicks who is a high floor back end starter and a lottery ticket in Rivas. Cubs become instant division favorites and legit contenders.
It seems the simulator is on the fritz.
Looks like a fair trade to me.
Black pink: Gee, I wonder why another misguided, Polly Anna cubs fan would think that’s a good trade, that having Cease in a cub uniform (wait! I need a moment to vomit at the thought of Cease in cubs pajamas) will win them the WS. 2016 is over. Theo is long gone. It ain’t happening again.
Dude I am a Cardinal fan lol.
Cubs have tons of prospects. White Sox need prospects.
Not enough for Robert by himself
Should hit more dingers in Chicago.
These clowns aren’t even pretending to try any more. I thought Pillar retired.
Another long summer on the south side. Their fans deserve so much better.
Isn’t Kevin Pillar also David Pillar? I think they’re the same person.
Citizens of Chicago deserve better too from that state of Illinois other than baseball. I love how they setting up the intruders better than they treat their own citizens. I wish the City of Chicago would stop pretending we matter, I mean they showing us we don’t
Solid 4th outfielder option, hopefully veteran leadership too. Tough defender type like Aaron Rowand. Not expecting much offensively.
Article got it wrong!!! It’s Kevin Millar! At lease that’s what Getz said!!!
Ugh, how many players with no OBP can the White Sox roster …
Nicky Lopez and Kevin Pillar are decent hitters at best.
Oh my the crybaby White Sox fans weeping never ends. They been crying so long about this ownership is amazing they don’t become CubbyBear fans. It be a lift for our White Six team to lose those losers who do nothing but cry & complain.