Chicago White Sox add Banuelos in trade with Dodgers
Look for the Chicago White Sox to add a veteran starting pitcher or two this off-season as they wait for prospects like Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning to reach the major leagues and wait for Michael Kopech to recover from Tommy John surgery.
The Sox also are looking for starters to fill out Class AAA Charlotte's starting rotation.
They appear to have found one Thursday, acquiring Manny Banuelos from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade for minor-league infielder Justin Yurchak.
Banuelos (ban-WAY-los) spent the entire 2018 season at Class AAA Oklahoma City. The 27-year-old lefty was 9-7 with a 3.73 ERA in 31 games (18 starts) and was a mid and postseason Pacific Coast League all-star.
Banuelos pitched in the major leagues in 2015, going 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA in 7 games (6 starts) for the Braves.
Over 10 minor-league seasons, the 5-foot-10, 215-pounder is 41-42 with a 3.56 ERA and 774 strikeouts in 787 innings over 213 games (153 starts).
The White Sox purchased Banuelos' contract, increasing their 40-man roster to 35.
Yurchak, 22, batted .256 with 1 home run and 36 RBI with low Class A Kannapolis last season. He was a 12th-round draft choice in 2017 out of SUNY Binghamton.
• The Cubs exercised their 2019 club contract option ($6.25 million) on right-handed pitcher Pedro Strop on Thursday.
Strop went 6-1 with nine holds, 13 saves and a 2.26 ERA (15 ER/59.2 IP) in 60 relief outings with the Cubs last season, his sixth year with the organization since being acquired from Baltimore with right-hander Jake Arrieta on July 2, 2013.