After designating infielder Bryan Ramos for assignment, the Chicago White Sox traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in a move that quietly reflects the growing depth and progress of their 40-man roster.
Former Chicago White Sox third baseman Bryan Ramos — once one of the top prospects in the organization — has been traded to the Baltimore Orioles for cash.
Ramos was designated for assignment earlier this week when the White Sox made their free-agent signing of right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez official.
This is the downside of carrying a full 40-man roster. Every addition meant to improve the club requires a corresponding move, and sometimes that move involves cutting ties with a player who still has upside.
We saw this dynamic play out again recently after the White Sox completed a trade with the Boston Red Sox for right-handers Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin.
Ramos had been squeezed out in Chicago as the infield received an infusion of talent, combined with his own inconsistencies at the plate. It became increasingly difficult to see a path to regular at-bats at a corner infield spot over Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, and especially Munetaka Murakami now that he’s with the club.
And when you’re a player like Ramos — with limited defensive versatility and little experience at other infield positions — you essentially pigeonhole yourself into needing an opening at third base.
The White Sox were almost certainly hoping to sneak Ramos through waivers, keep him in the organization, and give him another year of development while trying to tap into the potential that once made him such a highly regarded prospect.
But it wasn’t meant to be. There was significant interest from other teams, and Chicago dealt him to Baltimore for cash.
The path to playing time won’t be easy for Ramos with the Orioles, either. He should begin the year in the minor leagues and serve as depth, potentially getting an opportunity if someone like Jordan Westburg were to go down with an injury.
Still, it’s hard to envision a contending team carving out a consistent roster spot for a player who remains largely unproven at the big league level.
It’s never fun to lose a player with upside. That said, watching a White Sox castoff get scooped up immediately by a team with legitimate playoff aspirations is an interesting twist. It speaks to the rising caliber of talent on Chicago’s 40-man roster — and with that progress comes the ushering in of a new era, along with some difficult and unavoidable cuts.
Watching former White Sox castoffs find success elsewhere has become an all-too-familiar feeling for the fanbase in recent years, but I’m not particularly concerned about that being the case with Ramos, who owns just a .725 career OPS at the Triple-A level.