Chicago White Sox: Potential Trade Bait

Jun 7, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

We are more than halfway through June and the Chicago White Sox are 28-36 and 10 games out of first place in the division and 6.5 behind the 2nd wild card leader. They are by no means out of either race, but time is not on their side with just a little over half a season to be played.

With that in mind maybe the Sox say this isn’t their year and they throw in the towel on 2015 and build for 2016.

Who could they trade that would make this team better for the future and who has value that teams would want?

There are plenty of assets on this team that could be traded and while some have seen their value diminished due to poor performances in 2015 their overall track record of success should allow the Sox to recoup maybe 80 or 90 cents on the dollar.

We will take a look at five guys who I think the Sox should show some inclination to trade as well as the teams that may show interest and the players they may be willing to part with to get a deal done.

Alexei Ramirez

Jun 17, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez (10) makes a throw to first base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Ramirez for his career plays a position that isn’t very strong in terms of guys who play it well.

He’s a career .274 hitter but is hitting a paltry .230 but is also 1 year removed from being an All-Star as well as the American League’s Silver Slugger winner.

Contractually he has a team option next year with a 1 million dollar buyout.

He’s making 10 million this year but if a team were to trade for him they’d only be on the hook for about half.

Ramirez could provide an upgrade for numerous teams. The team that may be most interested in pursuing his talents would be the Seattle Mariners. Brad Miller is their current shortstop and he isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire.

Other teams that may be interested could include the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ramirez could be nothing more than a half year rental and with his offensive numbers being below average this year he wont command top level talent.

As mentioned above the Mariners would be a viable trade partner and the Sox could reasonably expect a guy like Mike Montgomery as well as a mid level prospect in return.

The Sox have Tim Anderson waiting in the farm system but I think he still needs some more seasoning before he gets the call. In the short term someone like Carlos Sanchez or Leury Garcia could fill in at short with the other guy playing 2nd.

Adam LaRoche

Jun 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter Adam LaRoche (25) watches his solo home run against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

LaRoche signed with the Sox in the offseason and many of us had hoped he would not turn into another Adam Dunn type player. While he hasn’t been that bad he still hasn’t come anywhere near to fulfilling expectations.

With a middling .230 batting average and 8 home runs to go along with 24 runs batted in LaRoche has disappointed. He’s never been a high batting average guy but the lack of power and rbi’s is concerning.

LaRoche is only signed to a 2 year deal so if a team were to trade for him they’d have his services for all of next year as well.  This could enhance his value as a team doesnt have to be concerned about the position next year.

He’s spent the majority of his career in the National League but he could still provide value as a DH to many American League teams as well. With that in mind the St. Louis Cardinals have a need for a 1st baseman with Matt Adams being done for the year. They currently have Mark Reynolds but could conceivably go with a platoon of Reynolds and LaRoche or strictly LaRoche.

Other teams that could have an interest in pursuing LaRoche would be the Rays, Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Mariners, Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, or San Francisco Giants.

LaRoche is a tougher gauge of what he could bring in. He may get you two mid level prospects or a higher prospect who is in the low minors. Trading him would be a salary dump but also something that could add depth to the minors.

As the primary DH LaRoche’s loss would be minimal. The team would need a backup first baseman to give Jose Abreu some time off but they could call up one of their more seasoned minor leaguers to get a taste of the big leagues.

Jose Quintana

Jun 5, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Sox have solid pitching and we’ll discuss another one of their starters after this. Quintana is what can be described as a hard luck pitcher.

He’s pitched well enough to win on numerous occasions but his offense lets him down by not scoring or by not scoring enough.

His win/loss record is misleading as his metrics have shown he’s much better than his record.

Quintana would be very appealing to teams as he is under team control until the 2019 season at which point he has two team options that would take him through the 2020 season.

His salary is relatively cheap which should only increase his trade value and he’s only 26 with a no major injuries in his past.

With his age, contract status and talent he’d be a very valuable asset on the trade market. If he were made available the teams I’d peg to have the most interest would be the Rays, Yankees, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Diamondbacks.

In order to acquire Quintana I’d expect the Sox to be offered a top level prospect. The Oakland A’s gave up Addison Russell who was a bona fide top 10 prospect last year for Jeff Samardzija and I could see the Sox getting a player of similar caliber in return based on the factors I listed above.

By moving Quintana the Sox would need to fill his rotation spot and they have options down in the farm system that are deserving of a look, preferably a right handed pitcher.

Jeff Samardzija

May 17, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) prepares to deliver a pitch against the Oakland Athletics in the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Shark should be on the move yet again this season. He came to the South Side hoping to establish his value for free agency but his value has taken a bit of a hit with his below average numbers.

There is no question that he is a good talent but the Sox more than likely wont be able to get what the Cubs received when they dealt him last year.

Even with a poor 2015 season Samardzija could and would be a stabilizing force to many teams rotations. His list of potential suitors will be long as many teams probably believe he can help them in their quest to make the postseason.

The teams that I think would have interest would be the Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Giants.

I personally don’t believe he is worth as much as Quintana who could command multiple top level prospects but Samardzija should net at least 1 top level prospect. Boston could make the most sense since they lack a top of the line starter and while a guy like Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart would be off the table a package of Henry Owens and a Garin Cecchini would be a nice return. Both of these guys could conceivably come in and make an impact right away.

Even if the Sox dont trade him he is likely to be tendered a qualifying offer which would net the Sox either a first rounder or a 1st round compensation pick in next years draft.