The Chicago White Sox add to the starting rotation by acquiring left-hander Tyler Gilbert in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Chicago White Sox were in need of adding to their starting rotation, in particular finding a left-hander to take down vital innings for the White Sox after they dealt away their Ace left-hander Garrett Crochet in a trade, they made with the Boston Red Sox. Now though the Chicago White Sox may have found the lefty the have needing with acquiring left-handed starting pitcher in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in which the White Sox sent over right-hander Aaron Combs in exchange per MLB Trade Rumors. To make room for Gibler on their 40-man roster the White Sox designated infielder Braden Shewmake for assignment.
Tyler Gilber
The 31-year-old Tyler Gilber, not to be confused with his younger brother of the Seattle Mariners Ace Logan Gilbert. Tyler Gilbert has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues spending it with two teams the Arizona Diamondbacks and most recently the Philadelphia Phillies. Gilbert in 2024 only spent a little bit of time with the Philadelphia Phillies only appearing in six games (8.1 innings pitched) where he had a respectable 3.24 ERA, with four strikeouts. Most of Gilberts 2024 season was spent down on the farm where he was being used primarily as a reliever. Making 31 appearances for Leigh Valley Gilbert had 4-0 record with a 2.25 ERA and 52 strikeouts.
What did the White Sox give up?
To acquire Tyler Gilber the Chicago White Sox sent the Philadelphia Phillies a promising young right-hander in 23-year-old Aaron Combs. Combs was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Tennessee. In 7.2 innings down with the White Sox Single-A affiliate Combs had a 2-0 record, with a 2.35 ERA, and 13 strikeouts. With the Philadelphia Phillies needing to add bullpen depth this was a logical move for them to make.
To make room on the roster for Gilbert the White Sox designated for assignment infielder Braden Shewmake. Shewmake appeared in just 29 games for the White Sox in 2024 where he hit .125/.134/.203 for an OPS of .337. Given the amount of infield depth the White Sox had on their roster Shewmake was expendable. The White Sox 40-man roster is now filled with Gilbert’s acquisition.
What is the Plan for Gilbert now that he’s a White Sox?
With the acquisition of Tyler Gilbert, he will figure to be in the mix for the starting rotation along with names who figure to be in the rotation come opening day like now “ace” of the staff Jonathan Cannon, Bryse Wilson, and Drew Thorpe. With Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and possibly young prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith getting looks. Adding another arm to the rotation was vital for the Chicago White Sox to do given then needed to have someone else fill the required innings needed to get through the grind of a 162-game season.
Gilbert figures to slot into either the fourth or fifth spots in the rotation with Jonathan Cannon, Drew Thorpe, and Sean Burke seemingly occupying the one through three spots. The White Sox still could still look to add another veteran lefty to their staff with Gilbert being the sole left-hander so far, but with prospects Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz coming over the horizon, the Chicago White Sox might just be fine with adding Tyler Gilbert for now.
Adding Tyler Gilbert also gives the Chicago White Sox roster flexibility. Still with one more year before he hits arbitration and still with one minor league option remaining adding the 31-year-old Gilbert was a shrewd move by General Manager Chris Getz. If Gilbert ends up finding success as his role as a starter given, he is still on the younger side for a starting pitcher with not a lot of innings on his arm, and with the years of control left, the Chicago White Sox have a high-value trade piece on their hands if all goes well.
The Chicago White Sox Fountain of Youth for their Starting Rotation
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