(670 The Score) The Guardians on Sunday designated right-hander Zach Plesac for assignment amid his struggles this season, and his availability is worth noting for both the White Sox and Cubs.
The White Sox are in need of starting pitching depth, while the Cubs’ front office includes general manager Carter Hawkins, who worked in Cleveland’s front office prior to being hired in Chicago. The 28-year-old Plesac has a 7.59 ERA over five starts this season, though he boasts a career 4.20 ERA over parts of five MLB seasons.
In 2020, Plesac and current White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger – who was also pitching for Cleveland at the time – were scolded by teammates in a meeting after breaking COVID-19 protocols by going out in Chicago. Plesac and Clevinger were each demoted to the team’s alternate site for 10 days to be away from the big league club.
On the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday, hosts Mike Mulligan and David Haugh agreed that concerns over Plesac may not make him a fit for either the White Sox or Cubs.
“I don’t know if that’s the greatest environment to bring him in and reunite him with Mike Clevinger,” Haugh said of Plesac’s fit for the White Sox. “I don’t know if that’s something you can totally dismiss out of hand. Clearly, there’s something going on here that’s beyond the physical.
“To bring him to a team where you already have (Clevinger) kind of, maybe, sort of on probation – that's my word, not theirs – but you need to surround Mike Clevinger with everything you can I think from a support system to minimize distractions. Just pitch every fifth day. Now you’re going to bring in his running mate, his buddy that he ran afoul of in Cleveland? I don’t know.”
Similarly, Mulligan believes that Hawkins’ opinion of Plesac may prevent him from being a candidate to land with the Cubs.
“What’s interesting is (Hawkins) probably knows the Cleveland perspective on a guy they DFA’d a lot more than they would on the South Side,” Mulligan said. “And he probably knows the character of the kid a lot better than you would from a distance.”
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker