New Year’s Day was NOT a day off for the White Sox.
The Sox acquired pitcher Tyler Gilbert from the Philadelphia Phillies to ring in 2025.
This wasn’t the first time the White Sox were active on Jan. 1.
With an assist from baseballreference.com here’s a look at the Sox NYD transactions:
*2012: The Sox first deal on record on Day 1 had the club returning Jason Frasor to the Toronto Blue Jays for fellow pitchers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb.
The Sox acquired Frasor, a Chicagoan, from Toronto the previous July 27th with pitcher Zach Stewart for pitcher Edwin Jackson and infielder-outfielder Mark Teahen.
Frasor did not live up to his reputation as one of the top middle relievers in the game with the 2011 Sox. The product of Oak Forest High School and Southern Illinois was 1-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 20 games for Ozzie Guillen’s team.
Webb was 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 94 relief outings for the Sox from 2013 to 2016.
The right-hander’s most unique moment came when he used one pitch to earn his first MLB victory. On April 15, 2014, Webb got Boston’s Mike Carp on a comebacker to end the ninth and became a winner when Alexei Ramirez scored on an error to win it in the bottom of the frame.
Webb was tragically killed in an ATV accident at age 28 in October of 2017.
Jaye reached double figures in wins in two of his four seasons in the Sox system. The righty ended his time in the Sox chain by going 12-9 at Birmingham (AA) in 2015.
The Sox dealt Jaye to Texas for minor leaguer Will Lamb on Dec. 10, 2015. His only stint in the bigs were two games for the 2017 Tigers.
*2013: An accomplished minor league hitter in Randy Ruiz was the White Sox first known free-agent signing on Jan. 1.
Ruiz joined the Sox with a minor league batting title and MVP on his resume plus cups of coffee with the Twins and Blue Jays. He clubbed 10 home runs in just 33 games for the 2010 Jays.
The Bronx native doubled in his only Cactus League at bat for the 2013 Sox. He was released on April 5th. Ruiz played professionally until 2019 when he was 40.
*2019: Randall Delgado was the first free-agent pitcher signed by the Sox on Jan. 1.
The righty was a solid contributor for the Braves (2011-12) and Diamondbacks (2013-18) but the Panamanian didn’t make it out of spring training for the 2019 Sox.
The Sox released Delgado on March 19 after he posted a 10.80 ERA in four Cactus League games.
*2025: The Sox ushered in 2025 by landing 31-year old left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert from the Philadelphia Phillies for righty Aaron Combs.
Gilbert no-hit San Diego for Arizona in his fourth MLB start on Aug. 14, 2021. He is the first pitcher to join the Sox with a no-hitter since Francisco Liriano in 2012.