White Sox trade veteran relief pitcher to Cardinals in exchange for the team’s 12th ranked prospect. The White Sox will get some financial relief in trading the reliever.
The White Sox has made its first trade in what could be many before the trading deadline on Monday at 4PM EST. Zach Duke was traded to the Cardinals on Sunday in exchange for St. Louis’ 12th ranked prospect according to mlbpipeline.com, outfielder Charlie Tilson.
Tilson, a native of Wilmette, Ill. is currently hitting .282 for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Tilson attended New Trier high school and was a second-round pick (79th overall) for the Cardinals in the 2011 draft. The White Sox are currently 51-53 and with the recent trade for Andrew Miller by the AL Central division leading Indians, the White Sox are clearly not going to get back into the race for the division title.
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The White Sox will be able to get Duke’s remaining money owed for this season and five million for next season off their books. Duke signed a 3-year $15 million deal after the end of the 2014 season. Through 53 games this season, Duke had a 2.63 ERA with one save for the White Sox. The Cardinals are 6.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central division, and the addition of Duke will certainly help their bullpen. The Cardinals bullpen currently ranks sixth in MLB with a 3.30 team ERA according to ESPN.
For the White Sox however, they will be able to bolster their farm system with the addition of Tilson, and could possibly have the outfielder join the team in September. Tilson has plus speed and has 15 stolen bases this season for the Redbirds. To go along with his .282 batting average, Tilson has hit 16 doubles and eight triples.
"Charlie is a LH hitting outfielder whose speed and defensive ability enable him to do a number of things well." -- Rick Hahn
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 31, 2016
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On paper, this appears to be a solid move by the White Sox. They not only get some financial relief moving forward, they also get a speed outfielder in return. Tilson has hit .293 in his minor league career so far, and with a lack of outfield depth within the White Sox system, the grad of New Trier high school can find himself playing at U.S. Cellular Field very soon.