White Sox: Could Team Make Under-the-Radar Trades This Offseason?
By Brian Draus
White Sox will have to decide whether to retool roster or rebuild in upcoming offseason. Can White Sox make trades to improve its overall depth for next season?
With the Chicago White Sox mired in mediocrity, could they make trades similar to the Hector Santiago for Adam Eaton deal in 2014? Some may think they don’t have the right players to accomplish anything with a deal of that style, but that simply isn’t the case. While they have Chris Sale and Jose Quintana to move in monster deals (if they move in that direction), there are other options. Here they are:
Anthony Ranaudo (RHP)
Ranaudo has struggled tremendously since he came to the majors in 2014 (7.01 career ERA), however the talent is there. He has an excellent curveball, not to mention a solid fastball. So far, his big issue has been getting the ball over the plate consistently. Ranaudo has walked 44 men in his big league career, and struck out the exact same number. The biggest concern with all of this is that he only pitched a grand total of 86 innings, and walking a batter once every other inning isn’t good.
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However, the fact that Ranaudo his K/IP is the same as his BB/IP shows that even though he has no control, Ranaudo has a skill. That would be the ability to miss bats, and he has that ability due to the fact that he has an out pitch. Which is an elite curveball. But he is very raw, and could use an organization that needs to stockpile young arms.
If they were to trade Ranaudo, it would make sense to acquire a bat in return. It doesn’t matter where he plays, just as long as he hits well. Just catch the ball, range would isn’t necessary however a player that makes the routine plays would do fine.
Avisail Garcia (OF/DH)
All Sox fans are familiar with this name. When Garcia came to the South Side, it was in a 3-team deal with the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, with Jake Peavy heading to Boston (Jose Iglesias to Detroit). Garcia and other prospects (including Frankie Montas) came to the Sox, however Garcia was the headliner.
Regardless of the fanfare Garcia came with, he has failed to live up to the hype. Garcia has great speed, but is unable to use it defensively as he is an awful defender (always has had a negative DWAR). His base stealing skills are below average as well, as Garcia has 18 steals and been tagged out 17 times. He doesn’t get on base much, as you can see in his OBP% (.310).
Here is the biggest concern in regards to Garcia, his BB/K rate. He has walked 96 times so far in his career, however struck out 369 times. When it is coupled with very little power (never hit more than 13 HR’s in a season), he becomes useless offensively.
So, after hearing this, who would want Garcia? Well, just because Garcia has been terrible so far doesn’t mean he always will be. Since Garcia is just 25, there is still time left for him to reach his potential. And the ability is there, considering he has five-tool ability. If there is a team who wants to take a chance on a struggling young player, Garcia could very easily temp them.
Assuming someone does bite, they need to receive a prospect back who is a more of a finished product. Not go after a player that might become a superstar but could also hit. Basically, get a player or two with a lower floor than Garcia but not as high of a ceiling. So they don’t swing and miss this time. The same goes for Ranaudo’s return. As for what they get back, it doesn’t matter if it exactly matches this article, just acquire someone that can play.
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All in all, trading either of these two away is unlikely to bring back a huge return. However, while unlikely they could acquire a solid role player of two. The Sox will likely be active in the trade market this offseason. With few high-end free agents, the trade market will be flooded with elite players. The question for the Sox is going to be proper external scouting. If they do that over the winter, they will be successful. If not, expect a long season in 2017 and possibly beyond Sox fans.