Earlier this month, the Braves signed reliever Enyel De Los Santos to a minor league deal, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The right-hander was non-tendered by the White Sox earlier this offseason.
De Los Santos struggled through his first three MLB seasons with the Phillies and Pirates before breaking out with the Guardians in 2022. He went 5-0 over 50 games, pitching to a 3.04 ERA and a 2.98 SIERA. He earned his first career save that summer and made his postseason debut that fall. The righty took on a bigger role in Cleveland’s bullpen the following season, pitching in 70 games (65 2/3 innings) and often entering in higher-leverage spots than he had the year before. His strikeout rate dropped, his walk rate climbed, and his overall numbers weren’t quite as impressive (3.29 ERA, 4.06 SIERA). Still, it was a solid season and another step for De Los Santos toward establishing himself as a reliable reliever.
During the 2023-24 offseason, the Guardians dealt De Los Santos to the Padres in exchange for Scott Barlow. It was a slightly surprising move for the Guardians, who are typically the ones trading veteran pitchers on expiring contracts for younger, cheaper arms, not the other way around. Ultimately, the trade didn’t work out on either side. Cleveland released Barlow in September amid a rough second half. Meanwhile, De Los Santos ended up pitching for three different teams and struggled in various ways with all of them. After a disappointing start with the Padres, he found himself headed to the Yankees ahead of the trade deadline. New York designated him for assignment a few weeks later, and he finished the season with the White Sox. Overall, he put up a 5.20 ERA in 64 innings of work, although his 3.86 SIERA looks much more promising.
There is no doubt the 2024 campaign was rough for De Los Santos. However, there is still plenty to like about his arm. For one thing, he’s got youth on his side; he’ll turn 29 tomorrow on Christmas Day. Moreover, he has never gone on the injured list. As for his production, from 2022-23, he pitched 119 innings with a 3.18 ERA and 3.57 SIERA. That kind of performance in the middle innings would improve every contending team’s bullpen. What’s more, De Los Santos had strong underlying numbers over his first 44 games with San Diego before he was traded. His strikeout and walk rates were up at their 2022 levels, and his mediocre 4.46 ERA was more than a full run higher than his sterling 3.21 SIERA. His numbers took a turn for the ugly after the trade deadline, but that’s a relatively small sample size to work with. There is little reason to worry that the version of De Los Santos who can be a durable, high-strikeout pitcher has disappeared for good.
So, the Braves are betting on that upside by signing De Los Santos to a minor league deal and presumably inviting the righty to big league camp. Atlanta had one of the best bullpens in the league in 2024, but there are still a few spots at the back end that should be up for grabs this spring.