According to MiLB Transactions on Twitter/X, the White Sox have signed reliever Joe Barlow to a minor-league deal that likely includes an invite to Spring Training. He has been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte.
Barlow, 28, is a former 11th-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers who made his debut with the club back in 2021. He’s spent nearly his entire career with the Rangers but did pitch in 12 games with the Royals in 2023 after being claimed off of waivers from the Rangers.
The reason he was on waivers to begin with? The right-hander struggled to a 4.66 ERA in 13 games last season after two initially strong seasons in the big leagues. He debuted with the Rangers in 2021 with 31 appearances, posting a 1.55 ERA that season. He followed it up with a strong 3.86 ERA in 35 appearances in 2022 – though his 5.28 xERA might’ve signaled the poorer results to come. However, throughout those two seasons, he did save a combined 24 games with Texas, so he does come with closing experience.
The right-hander features a fastball, slider, and curveball mix – with his fastball and slider making up nearly 98% of his total pitching arsenal. His fastball, while underwhelming on the velocity side (average of 93.3 mph), features above-average vertical movement. His slider is a work in progress and likely serves as a big reason for his struggles – he doesn’t have a true strikeout pitch. It will be up to Ethan Katz and Brian Bannister to help him re-shape his slider into one that can get strong results.
Overall, while it wasn’t a great 2023 season for Barlow, it’s a perfect risk for the White Sox to take – especially at his age. The bullpen will have plenty of opportunities to give behind Gregory Santos, and Barlow would figure to slot in to get time with recent signee Tim Hill or Rule 5 pick Shane Drohan. Barlow got big league saves not too long ago, so he would be a nice pickup if he could take steps to get back into that form. He also has two options remaining, and with less than two seasons of service time, the White Sox could easily retain him into the future if it all works out.
