Mariners Acquire RHP Gregory Santos from Chicago-AL

Seattle sends RHP Prelander Berroa, OF Zach DeLoach and a Competitive Balance Round B Draft Selection to the White Sox

SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander announced today the Mariners have acquired right-handed pitcher Gregory Santos from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-handed pitcher Prelander Berroa, outfielder Zach DeLoach and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick.

The Mariners Major League, 40-man roster is now at 39 players.

“Gregory is coming off of a season in which he established himself as one of the most exciting young relievers in MLB,” said Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto. “His combination of high velocity, dynamic slider and groundball inducing style are all standout traits. He brings the potential for impact to a bullpen group that has been a driving force in our team’s success over the past three seasons.”

Santos, 24, made 60 appearances out of the White Sox bullpen in 2023, going 2–2 with 5 saves and a 3.39 ERA (25 ER, 66.1 IP) with 17 walks and 66 strikeouts. The right-handed reliever averaged 98.8 mph on his fastball, ranking in the 98th percentile for qualified pitchers via Baseball Savant.

The 24-year-old also limited opposing hitters to a 1.5% barrel rate in 2023, ranking in the 100th percentile via Baseball Savant.

In 3 Major League seasons with San Francisco (2021–22) and Chicago-AL (2023), Santos is 2–4 with 5 saves and a 4.00 ERA (32 ER, 72.0 IP) with 22 walks and 71 strikeouts.

Santos was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic on Aug. 28, 2015. He was traded by Boston, along with RHP Shaun Anderson, to San Francisco in exchange for INF Eduardo Núñez on July 26, 2017.

Santos made his Major League debut with the Giants on April 22, 2021 against Miami, tossing a scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts. After appearing in 5 Major League games with San Francisco over 2 seasons (2021–22), he was traded to Chicago-AL in exchange for minor leaguer Kade McClure (rhp) on Dec. 22, 2022.

Berroa (PRAY-lander beh-ROH-uh), 23, made 2 appearances for the Mariners in 2023, including his Major League debut on July 21 vs. Toronto. He did not allow a run while walking 3 and striking out 3 in 1.2 innings pitched.

The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native spent the majority of the 2023 season with Double-A Arkansas, where he went 5–1 with 6 saves, a 2.89 (21 ER, 65.1 IP), 39 walks and 101 strikeouts with a 1.286 WHIP in 43 games (5 starts).

The right-hander was acquired by Seattle from San Francisco in exchange for infielder Donovan Walton on May 11, 2022. In 124 career minor league games (77 starts), Berroa is 21–12 with 6 saves and a 3.58 ERA (149 ER, 374.2 IP) with 210 walks and 498 strikeouts. He recorded a career-high 150 strikeouts in 2022. The Dominican Republic native was originally signed as an international free agent by the Minnesota Twins on July 2, 2016.

DeLoach, 25, spent the 2023 season with Triple-A Tacoma, batting .286 (151x528) with 90 runs, 30 doubles, 2 triples, 23 home runs, 88 RBI and 8 stolen bases, getting on base at a .387 clip and slugging .481 (.868 OPS) in 138 games. Among Pacific Coast League hitters, DeLoach ranked 2nd in hits (151), 4th in walks (83), T-5th in home runs (23), T-8th in RBI (88), 6th in doubles and 11th in OPS.

The Irving, Texas native recorded 37 multi-hit games, including 10 with 3+ hits. DeLoach reached base in 31 consecutive games (May 11-June 17), batting .336 (39x116) with 22 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 10 RBI and 20 walks with a .908 OPS during the streak.

DeLoach was originally drafted in the 2nd round (43rd overall) of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Texas A&M University. He is currently ranked as the №14 prospect in the Mariners system according to Baseball America and Seattle’s 25th overall prospect according to MLB.com.

DeLoach has appeared in parts of 3 minor league seasons, all with Seattle, hitting .275 (379x1380) with 253 runs, 78 doubles, 9 triples, 51 home runs, 220 RBI and 19 stolen bases, getting on base at a .377 clip and slugging .455 (.832 OPS) in 359 career minor league games.