The Chicago White Sox find themselves in a difficult position. It’s nowhere near the difficult positions of the past few seasons that saw attendance drop and fan interest decline by midseason as the team continued losing games. Instead, the White Sox are in the thick of the playoff race into June, perhaps a year earlier than expected. As the August 3rd trade deadline rapidly approaches, Chris Getz and the White Sox front office have an interesting decision to make: to take advantage of the opportunity they’ve been given and add at the deadline, or hang onto the young players they hope to develop. If the White Sox go with the former, here are two prospects I believe they can afford to trade.
SS Billy Carlson
If there’s any position the White Sox have a surplus at, it’s the middle infield. Drafting shortstops and moving them around the diamond is a philosophy practiced by many teams in the modern landscape, and the White Sox have been no exception under scouting director Mike Shirley. In Carlson, the White Sox have a young, developmental hitter with an elite defensive profile at shortstop. It’s difficult to envision him needing to move away from shortstop defensively, but he’s just 19 years-old and needs to take steps forward at the plate. On top of this, the White Sox have the top pick in the 2026 MLB draft and are likely deciding between shortstops Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson. With Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Sam Antonacci, Caleb Bonemer, Jacob Gonzalez, and Kyle Lodise all at or near the big league level and capable of playing shortstop, it’s an area the organization can afford to deal from to bring in another position of need.
IF Jacob Gonzalez
This one might ruffle some feathers among White Sox fans. Former first-round pick has been one of the best stories among White Sox minor leaguers this season. The 24 year-old hit more home runs in April and May than in his past two minor league seasons combined, and looks to have finally tapped into his first round potential. Gonzalez was promoted to the big leagues following the injury to Munetaka Murakami and has continued his strong start on offense. Gonzalez has been the primary first-baseman during Murakami’s absence, but he’s played all over the infield throughout his career. Unfortunately, it’s tough to find an easy place to put him in the long-term outlook. Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth, and Munetaka Murakami have all had strong seasons and have earned their places in the team’s future lineup, leaving Gonzalez without a clear role. Sure, the White Sox could move on from expensive veteran Andrew Benintendi, but it’s hard to see the team eating the remaining year of his salary. That leaves a trade as a strong possibility.
Jacob Gonzalez sent his first career home run 428 feet 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rG5w8YRuMG
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 6, 2026
Gonzalez’s big league success could be a showcase for other teams looking for a big league ready infielder to add to their lineup, but it would be tough for the White Sox to give up a guy they know can contribute. If Gonzalez shows the kind of power that Chase Meidroth doesn’t have, perhaps they explore a trade of Meidroth instead and keep Gonzalez at second base. Regardless, it’s an interesting decision that the White Sox are thrilled that they have to make.
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