The White Sox took action at the Trade Deadline and received a boat load of prospects for key rotation and bullpen pitchers.
As predicted, the Chicago White Sox were sellers at the trade deadline, relieving themselves of much of their starting rotation, key bullpen players, and second-best power hitter. The White Sox took their ball, their bat, folded up shop and went home at the trade deadline. Though they could have dismantled the lineup even more, the White Sox did pursue the fire sale predicted by most of the league.
The White Sox made the following moves at the trade deadline:
- 3B Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins for LHP Jake Eder. Eder becomes the No. 4 prospect in the White Sox minor league system.
- RHP Keynan Middleton to the New York Yankees for RHP Juan Carela. Carela was at the Yankees’ high-A affiliate.
- Acquired Rays RHP Luis Patino for cash. Patino will join the White Sox’ triple-A team.
- RHP Lucas Giolito and RHP Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels for prospects C Edgar Quero and LHP Ky Bush. Quero was the Angles No. 2 prospect ad Bush was the No. 3 prospect.
- RHP Kendall Graveman to the Astros for No. 5 prospect C Korey Lee.
- RHP Lance Lynn and RHP Joe Kelly to the Dodgers for OF Trayce Thompson, RHP Nick Nastrini, and RHP Jordan Leasure. Both right-handers played for the Dodgers double-A team.
With the exception of Burger, the White Sox kept most of their position players intact, including SS Tim Anderson, CF Luis Robert, Jr., and DH/RF Eloy Jimenez. RHP Dylan Cease, who probably would have brought in the largest haul, also stayed with the team.
What Does it All Mean–Short Term
In the short term, it means that the White Sox are giving up on the season. All the pitchers they gave away had moments where they contributed heavily to wins. Though Lynn was having a career-worst year, signs on the wall showed that he may be turning a corner. In his Dodgers debut, Lynn pitched seven innings, gave up three solo home runs, and got the win.
The rest of the pitching staff that was dealt was having a roller coaster year with bouts of extreme, unhittable effectiveness (especially Middleton, Kelly, and Lopez) contrasted with appearances with high earned run totals. Giolito already has two starts with the Angels continuing on the same trajectory: a five inning, three-run outing, and a three and two thirds start giving up nine earned runs.
Though it is possible that some of the new prospects may see some big league innings this year (most notably Eder and Bush), it is pretty unlikely. Thompson’s return from an injured oblique is imminent. Most likely, the White Sox will start to bring up some of their best prospects to see what they can do in the show. While RHP Jesse Scholtens and RHP Touki Toussaint will most likely find a slot in the rotation, the bullpen and starting rotation are severely depleted.
Note: It wasn’t a coincidence that RP Liam Hendriks underwent Tommy John Surgery the day after the Trade Deadline.
What Does it All Mean–Long Term
You never know what a prospect is worth until they pitch in MLB and have some success. The numbers for the new prospects are all over the map. A few examples include:
- Eder has a 4.12 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in nine starts this year.
- Carela, in 16 starts, has an opposing batting average of .214, 3.67 ERA, and 109 strikeouts in 83 innings (11.8 K/9).
- Patino has a 6.75 ERA in six starts with triple-A.
- Bush had a 3.67 ERA in 2022 but has dealt with injuries and poor performance in 2023 (9+ ERA).
With the exception of adding two catchers to their minor league system, the White Sox did not address any lineup issues. The White Sox offense remains their biggest issue this year. The South Siders rank 29th in OBP, 20th in home runs (probably lower after losing Burger), 27th in OPS, 24th in runs scored, and 24th in RBI’s.
The White Sox will have to add veteran hitters that will make an immediate difference in the offseason or risk a complete fan revolt after two years of fairly silent free agency activity (in fairness, LF Andrew Benintendi was a decent pick-up last year).
Conclusion
The Chicago media lambasted General Manager Rick Hahn for what seems like the 100th press conference where he accepts responsibility for an underperforming team. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Hahn commented, “It was very clear that 2023 wasn’t going the way any of us intended.” Oh really, when did that occur to you?
Hahn further commented, “I already did that [accepted blame] several months ago.” So, he knew a couple months ago that the strategy continues to fail. But his job does not seem to be in any sort of jeopardy, and he doesn’t seem like a man concerned about his job.
The bottom line is that fan confidence for the White Sox is at an all-time low and they can’t believe that any of these moves or any moves in the future will help them out of the current death spiral. During the last two to three years, the fan base has stood by with supreme confidence and cheered on the hard-working White Sox; the tone will look a very different for the rest of the season and 2024.
