Fastball

Veteran OF and Longtime Defensive Standout Elects Free Agency

After being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox last week, longtime outfielder Kevin Pillar has elected free agency.

Brady Farkas

Apr 25, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Kevin Pillar (12) hits
Apr 25, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Kevin Pillar (12) hits / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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After being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar has officially elected free agency.

Per Vinnie Duber of ALLCHGO.com on social media:

Sox inform that the recently DFA’d Kevin Pillar cleared waivers and elected free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte.

Given that Pillar is 35-years-old and a 12-year veteran, it makes sense why he didn't want to go to the minor leagues. Now, he'll wait for another opportunity. He could be a fit for a roster in need of a late-game defensive specialist or a pinch runner.

Over the 12 years in his career, Pillar has played with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Coloardo Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and White Sox. He is most notable for his seven-year tenure with the Jays in which he was one of the top defensive outfielders in the league. He started 140 games or more in four consecutive years for Toronto and was part of two ALCS teams North of the Border (2015-2016).

Lifetime, Pillar is a .257 hitter with 107 homers. He's also close to multiple career milestones as he is 17 hits shy of 1,000 and two stolen bases shy of 100.

Off to a slow start this year, he was hitting just .160 for the White Sox with a homer and four RBI. He had a career-high 21 homers back in 2019. He also had 88 RBI that year and received MVP votes.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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