The Chicago White Sox have been one of Major League Baseball’s biggest surprises this season. After three straight losing seasons, the South Siders now have the top spot in the American League Central. This comes even after losing Munetaka Murakami to a hamstring injury.
The White Sox are still in the middle of a rebuild, but are playing surprisingly well and may have some tough decisions to make at the trade deadline. They cannot afford to sacrifice any part of their future, but they also may want to try and balance the future with the present.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic commented about what the White Sox will need to do at the trade deadline and listed some areas where they might need some help.
“To remain in contention, they almost certainly will need pitching help, both starting and relief,” Rosenthal wrote. “Erick Fedde is their only starter who has pitched more than 142 2/3 innings in a major-league season (Anthony Kay worked 155 last season in Japan). Some wear and tear in the rotation is inevitable. And the White Sox, like most clubs, could stand to fortify their bullpen, too.
“The Sox are the St. Louis Cardinals of the AL, reluctant to part with top prospects when they still are building toward the future. Still, Chicago’s system is deep in middle infielders, and likely will get even deeper in next month’s draft. The team, holding the No. 1 overall pick, could select either Roch Cholowsky from UCLA or Grady Emerson from Fort Worth (Tx.) Christian School.”
White Sox Deadline Needs Clear
The White Sox can certainly rule out the possibility of giving up multiple prospects to land Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. Detroit is going to want a lot of top prospects. The White Sox have a strong farm system, but they are not in a position to trade too much from it, as it would have an impact on the future, especially with Skubal being a free agent at the end of the year.
But they can still make some incremental moves to simply improve the roster and give the team what it needs to win the AL Central. There will be plenty of mid-rotation starters available and bullpen arms that won’t come too expensive, so that is likely where the White Sox will focus if they choose to add any pieces at this year’s deadline. The AL Central isn’t a top-heavy division, so they certainly have a shot to win it.
White Sox in Unprecedented Position
After the White Sox missed the postseason four consecutive years, this is not something that any experts were expecting to see happen. But the White Sox are playing good baseball, and they could get even stronger when Murakami comes back from the injured list.
There is a lot to like about this team’s young core, and there are reasons for fans to be excited about the future for a change. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do when the deadline arrives.
White Sox Trade Deadline Needs Revealed as Hot Start Continues