Yankees trade deadline acquisition gets worst punishment imaginable after getting DFA’d

The New York Yankees were active at the trade deadline, making three different moves to give themselves a chance to make a deep postseason run.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. were the two biggest names New York acquired, but they also made a minor deal with the San Diego Padres, landing another bullpen reinforcement by the way of Enyel De Los Santos.

The move was a bit of a curious one as De Los Santos had just a 4.46 ERA in 44 appearances for the Padres, but if there’s one thing Brian Cashman is good at, it’s identifying undervalued relievers and watching them develop into important pieces under pitching coach Matt Blake’s tutelage.

Unfortunately, De Los Santos was not New York’s latest success story, and was DFA’d just a couple of weeks after he was acquired. Not only did he lose his spot on the Yankees’ roster, but De Los Santos just received the worst possible punishment, as he was claimed off of waivers by the 30-93 Chicago White Sox. Yikes.

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Enyel De Los Santos’ season reaches new low following White Sox claim

Of all of the teams that could’ve claimed De Los Santos, of course it was the White Sox who had to do it. It’s fitting, as the right-hander’s final appearance before getting DFA’d was against those same White Sox. He allowed seven runs in just 1.2 innings of work in an embarrassing loss. The White Sox were 28-91 at the time.

On one hand, this news is positive for De Los Santos, who should pitch a lot for a White Sox team that is going to turn to its bullpen early and often. On the other hand, the White Sox are 30-93. Is it any fun playing on a 30-93 team?

This is a new low for the 28-year-old who had established himself as a solid middle reliever in 2022 and 2023 for the Cleveland Guardians. He pitched so well to the point where he was traded for Scott Barlow, another solid reliever, over the offseason, but he wasn’t great for the Padres, allowed ten runs in 6.1 innings of work over five outings for the Yankees, and now has to pitch for the White Sox.

Fortunately for De Los Santos, he’ll almost certainly be in trade conversations over the offseason with the White Sox rebuilding. Whether he pitches well or not, his stint in this struggling organization should be short.