In the latest of many 2024 White Sox roster shakeups, Matt Foster was sent down to AAA yesterday in favor of new addition Enyel De Los Santos. On the surface, this move seems inconsequential as the team swapped out one reliever for another. Yet this move is also problematic as it shows the organization’s apparent lack of direction as the team looks ahead to 2025.
It is important to preface this by saying that Matt Foster is not an elite or even a consistently above-average reliever. But he has been solid at times throughout his career. The 29-year-old right-hander was great in his 2020 rookie season and decent in 2022 before getting hurt. He was also respectable in 14 minor league appearances this season while on a rehab assignment from Tommy John surgery. Foster has shown flashes of being a productive MLB bullpen arm, including the one outing he had this season with the big league team. Despite all this, he was the odd man out in this situation.
Sending Foster down is especially puzzling when considering how bad the White Sox bullpen has been this year. They have several relievers who should not be on an MLB roster in the first place, let alone have job security. John Brebbia is 34, has an ERA near 6.00, and will not be here next season. Chad Kuhl is 31, has an ERA near 5.00, and will also not be here next season. Touki Toussaint is a post-hype prospect who has never figured it out at the MLB level. Gus Varland is a new addition to the team but has even less of an MLB track record than Foster.
Any of those four should have gotten the boot before Foster. There are arguments that the other current White Sox relievers could fall into the same category. The fact that Foster has minor-league options most likely explains why he was sent down as opposed to someone else, but it is still a questionable move at best.
Arguing bullpen spots on the worst team of all time could be considered rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. However, the whole goal is to improve as a team. Sending Foster down does not achieve that. In fact, his situation is not that dissimilar to Enyel De Los Santos, who replaced him on the active roster. Both pitchers are under 30 years old, have some track record of MLB success, and have two years of control left after this season. Yet Foster got the boot while the spots of other poor-performing bullpen arms for Chicago remained secure.
The White Sox bullpen is a trainwreck. It will likely be a completely new unit next year. Now is the time to give players some auditions to show what they can do in advance of 2025. Foster could be part of the equation next year. Keeping aging, poor-performing veterans and failed prospects over a reliever with some MLB track record like him is shortsighted. It raises questions about the team’s direction moving forward. While Foster’s presence is likely inconsequential in the scheme of things, the White Sox need to be putting their best forward. A roster move of this nature does not accomplish that.
