Veteran reliever Scott Downs was designated for assignment by the White Sox in a move that Dan Dayes of CSNChicago.com says came “much to the dismay of his teammates.”
Downs signed with the White Sox in January for $4.25 million and reported to camp in The Best Shape Of His Life, but it resulted in an ugly 6.08 ERA with 15 walks in 24 innings. As recently as last season Downs posted a 2.49 ERA in 43 innings for the Braves and Angels, so even at age 38 it’s possible he still has a little something left in the tank for a team in need of middle relief help.
Chicago felt he struggled too much versus right-handed hitters to trust Downs as more than a situational southpaw and they didn’t want to use a bullpen spot on a role that limited, which is why Triple-A left-hander Eric Surkamp was called up to replace him. Downs will no doubt pass through waivers unclaimed, because none of the other 29 teams will want to touch the $2.5 million or so remaining on his contract.
Editor’s Note: Hardball Talk ‘s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $40,000 Fantasy Baseball league for Friday night’s MLB games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $6,000. Starts at 7:05pm ET on Friday.Here’s the FanDuel link .
