Late Sunday night, the White Sox sent veteran reliever Tyler Clippard to Houston for a player to be named or cash considerations. But well before the trade was official, Clippard might have scooped everybody on his own deal.
Though nothing had been officially announced, Clippard changed his Twitter biography to say that he “(Plays) baseball for the Houston Astros for my profession” and also added a photo of Minute Maid Park, the Astros’ home stadium.
As of late Sunday night, Clippard hadn’t tweeted since March 23 when he posted about playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
.@TylerClippard hasn't tweeted since March but he (or somebody) took the time to do this. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/tnjNmt26rF
— Brian Sandalow (@BrianSandalow) August 14, 2017
Clippard was acquired July 18 from the Yankees as part of the trade that sent Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson and Todd Frazier to New York. In 11 games for the Sox, Clippard was 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and recovered well from a rocky start of the year in New York where he had a 4.95 ERA.
Though he wasn’t in Chicago long, Clippard clicked with pitching coach Don Cooper.
“When I got here I was in a little funk,” Clippard said last week. “Talked to Coop and Has (bullpen coach Curt Hasler) and it’s been working since I got here. Got some results, which is nice, and I feel pretty comfortable.”
The Sox will make a corresponding move to fill Clippard’s roster spot before Tuesday’s game at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Contributing: Daryl Van Schouwen
Follow me on Twitter @BrianSandalow