The Blue Jays acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa from the White Sox on Sunday, moving quickly to add a bat that Chicago had made available after a crowded winter infield picture. Toronto opened the roster spot by transferring right-hander Shane Bieber to the 60-day injured list.
Chicago received minor league outfielder Jordan Rich and a player to be named later or cash considerations. Sosa, 26, will need an active roster spot once he reports to the Blue Jays because he is out of options.
The move gives Toronto a player who was coming off the best season of his big league career. Sosa hit 22 home runs in 2025 and stepped to the plate 544 times for the White Sox, production that gave him enough pop to stay in the lineup even as he continued to fight for on-base value with a 3.3% walk rate, well below the 8.4% league average.
His bat was the draw, but his defensive profile also shaped the deal. Sosa has played all four infield positions in his career, though most of his time has come at second base. Advanced metrics have been mixed to poor there, with Outs Above Average putting him four below par at the position and Defensive Runs Saved pegging him 17 below average. His grades at the corner infield spots have also been below average.
That combination helps explain why the White Sox were willing to move him. Winter signing Munetaka Murakami became their regular first baseman, and the club entered the season with a surplus of infielders, leaving Sosa as the odd man out. He has not played shortstop since 2022, and this year his line has slipped to.212/.212/.303 in 33 plate appearances.
For Toronto, the trade is a low-cost bet on a 26-year-old hitter who showed real power last season and now has a clearer path to an active roster spot. For the White Sox, it is another sign that the infield depth chart had become too crowded to keep everyone.
