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Jason Bilous

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/1/23

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The latest minor moves from around the league…

  • The Guardians outrighted right-hander Jason Bilous to Triple-A.  Bilous was designated for assignment in advance of Opening Day, but he cleared waivers and will now remain in Cleveland’s organization.  The Guards themselves claimed Bilous off waivers from the White Sox in February after the Chicago also DFA’ed the righty off its 40-man roster.  Bilous has posted some good strikeout totals but also a lot of walks and not much overall success in the upper minors, with a 5.81 ERA over 148 2/3 innings at Double-A and then a 10.23 ERA in 22 frames with Triple-A Charlotte last year.

Guardians Select Cam Gallagher, Meibrys Viloria

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The Guardians announced a few transactions as they set their Opening Day roster. Catchers Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria both make the club, as Cleveland will go with two depth options behind starter Mike Zunino.

Neither Gallagher nor Viloria had been on the 40-man roster after signing minor league deals over the winter. To create space, Cleveland designated right-hander Jason Bilous for assignment and placed righty Cody Morris on the 60-day injured list.

Gallagher has played in parts of six major league campaigns, all of which have come as a member of the Royals. Working as Salvador Pérez’s backup for the bulk of that time, he put together a cumulative .240/.302/.355 line over 469 plate appearances. Kansas City traded Gallagher to San Diego at last summer’s deadline, and he also spent time with the Orioles. He didn’t get an MLB chance with either club but now returns to the majors in Cleveland.

Viloria is a lefty-swinging catcher who also previously played in Kansas City. He’s gotten into 93 major league games as a member of the Royals and Rangers over the past five years, hitting .201/.270/.283. The 26-year-old had an excellent .280/.422/.440 line in 218 plate appearances for Texas’ Triple-A affiliate last year.

Neither Gallagher nor Viloria can be optioned to the minor leagues. Barring injury, the Guardians will have to continue carrying all three catchers in the majors or eventually make one of them available to other teams via trade or waivers. It’s unclear how long Cleveland will be able to maintain that level of roster flexibility but they’re comfortable doing so out of the gate.

Bilous was claimed off waivers from the White Sox last month. The Coastal Carolina product has yet to make his major league debut. He split the 2022 season between Chicago’s top two affiliates, combining for a 6.30 ERA across 105 2/3 innings. He’d posted better numbers in the low minors but has yet to find much success against upper level hitters. Cleveland will have a week to trade the 25-year-old or look to run him through waivers.

Morris impressed over seven appearances late last season as a rookie. He could’ve battled for a back-of-the-rotation spot if healthy but he’s been sidelined by soreness in the terms major muscle in his throwing shoulder. He won’t make his season debut until at least the end of May.

Guardians Claim Jason Bilous From White Sox

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The Guardians announced that they have claimed right-hander Jason Bilous off waivers from the White Sox. He had been designated for assignment recently when the White Sox acquired Franklin German from the Red Sox. The Guardians freed up a spot on their 40-man roster yesterday by trading Will Benson to the Reds, so no corresponding move will be required for this claim.

Bilous, 25, was a 13th round selection of the White Sox in 2018 who put himself on the prospect map with a strong 2021. He made 20 starts that year between High-A and Double-A, tossing 79 2/3 innings. His 5.76 earned run average wasn’t especially impressive, but there were more encouraging numbers under the hood. He struck out 30.2% of batters faced while keeping his walk rate down to a manageable 9.1% level, something he had struggled with previously. A .376 batting average on balls in play and 61.4% strand rate both pushed the ERA higher than he likely deserved, as he posted a 3.62 FIP on the year. That showing was enough for the White Sox to select him to their roster prior to that year’s Rule 5 draft and Bilous also jumped onto Baseball America’s list of top farmhands in the system, coming in at #14.

Unfortunately, the control problems that dogged him earlier in his career returned in 2022. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A last year, he posted a 6.30 ERA over 105 2/3 innings, striking out 26.1% of batters faced but issuing free passes at a 15.7% clip. That seemed to put a dent in his chances of sticking as a starter, as his last seven appearances were out of the bullpen.

It’s unclear if the Guardians plan on deploying Bilous as a starter or reliever, but he still has options and can be kept in the minors for a while as a new set of coaches will try to get him back on track. The major league club is in good position at the moment with a rotation fronted by Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie and a bullpen with Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak. However, the low-budget club frequently sees its best players depart once they improve their earning power and is constantly on the lookout for younger and cheaper players to replace them with. Bilous has shown huge strikeout stuff but will need to refine his control to earn his way into the mix in Cleveland.

White Sox Acquire Franklin German, Designate Jason Bilous

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The White Sox have acquired right-hander Franklin German from the Red Sox in exchange for righty Theo Denlinger.  Both teams have announced the trade, and the White Sox also announced that right-hander Jason Bilous was designated for assignment to create roster space.

Boston designated German for assignment earlier this week, in a bit of a surprising move given that the Red Sox had named German their minor league pitcher of the year.  German had a 2.72 ERA and a very impressive 32.49% strikeout rate over 49 2/3 total innings between Boston’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, all in bullpen work.  This performance earned German his first bit of Major League action, though he had an 18.00 ERA over his four innings in the Show.

2022 was German’s first season as a full-time reliever, as he started to run into some struggles working his way up the ladder as a minor league starter.  It could be that the move to the bullpen might be a turning point for the 25-year-old German, and the White Sox seem interested in seeing if his 97mph fastball can translate to consistent results as a relief pitcher.

On the flip side, the Red Sox are also picking up a live arm in Denlinger, who has a 35.02% strikeout rate over 65 innings in the minors.  Denlinger only began his pro career in 2021 when Chicago drafted him in the seventh round, but the 26-year-old already advanced to Double-A last season, albeit with a 4.70 ERA over 38 1/3 frames with Double-A Birmingham.  Home runs contributed to that total, so if Denlinger can improve on keeping the ball in the park, a Triple-A promotion and maybe even a cup of coffee in the majors isn’t inconceivable for 2023.

Bilous, 25, was added to Chicago’s 40-man roster last offseason in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, though he was coming off a shaky season at the high-A and Double-A levels.  Unfortunately for Bilous, those struggles continued into 2022, as he posted a 6.30 ERA over 105 2/3 combined innings (83 2/3 at Double-A, 22 at Triple-A).  While his strikeout rates were still respectable, Bilous’ walk rate spiked to 15.74%.  It is possible that a bullpen move could conceivably be in Bilous’ future as well, though his four-pitch arsenal might lead the White Sox or another club to continue to explore a future as a starter.

White Sox Select Bennett Sousa, Jason Bilous

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The White Sox announced this afternoon they’ve selected pitchers Bennett Sousa and Jason Bilous to their 40-man roster. The moves keep both players from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

Sousa, 26, was a tenth-round pick in 2018 out of the University of Virginia. The reliever has never appeared on an organizational top 30 ranking at FanGraphs or Baseball America, but he’s posted strong minor league numbers. The southpaw split the 2021 campaign between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, working to a 3.61 ERA over 47 1/3 cumulative frames. Sousa fanned a strong 35.5% of opponents along the way against a 10% walk rate.

Bilous, 24, was a 13th-round pick in the same class coming out of Coastal Carolina. The right-hander has spent his entire minor league career as a starter, although his elevated walk rates might result in a bullpen future. BA ranked Bilous 21st among White Sox farmhands midseason, crediting him with a low-90s fastball and plus slider. He spent 2021 at High-A Winston-Salem and in Birmingham, combining for a 5.76 ERA over 79 2/3 innings with a 30.2% strikeout rate and a 9.1% walk percentage.

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