White Sox: What Player is Next to be Traded Before Trading Deadline?
With White Sox trading Jose Quintana across town, what other players will be traded before trading deadline on July 31?
Now that former White Sox ace Jose Quintana has been shipped eight miles to the north, we must ask the question. Who is next to vacate his locker at 35th and Shields for another destination? With so many players to choose from, here are some names to watch over the next couple of weeks.
The first is a pitcher for the South Siders, and maybe the top closer on the market. For those of you who don’t follow the White Sox closely, the prior sentence refers to David Robertson who is having a stellar year so far. With only one blown save in fourteen tries, he has shown the ability to lock down games even though the opportunities have been few and far between.
On top of that, Robertson is keeping runners off base altogether. With a WHIP of 1.02, it shows how difficult he is to hit. His ERA is nothing to sneeze at, as it sits below three (2.87 to be exact) however he has only allowed three earned runs when provided the chance to close the door on a ballgame. The only concern regarding Robertson is that he is owed $13 million next year not to mention whatever is left of his $12 million salary for 2017. Could that bring a deal involving Robertson to a screeching halt?
Another name to keep a keen eye on is free agent-to-be third baseman Todd Frazier. While he may have gotten off to a horrid start (hit below .200 in both April and May), it seems as though his bat warmed up along with the weather. Frazier drove eight balls out of the yard in June, which is one more than he had all season up to that point.
Frazier is valuable for more reasons than that he can hit for power, partially because he can play either corner infield position. Given he will not win any gold gloves at either, Frazier is one of the best offensive third sackers in the sport, regardless of the strikeouts (67 already) and consistently low batting average (.210).
A second soon-to-be free agent may on his way out of town, that being left fielder Melky Cabrera. Given he may be deteriorating defensively (DWAR of -0.9 or below every season since 2013), he has been solid as a rock at the plate. His inability to field will hurt his trade value, however don’t think executives around the American League would be against Cabrera as a designated hitter.
There are some key reasons for them to bite on Cabrera. First, he would make an excellent two-hole hitter on just about any team around baseball. His ability to control the bat helps those around him, not to mention Cabrera’s gap power is good enough for around thirty doubles (fourteen currently) per season. With an average at .286 and 51 RBI’s, Cabrera can still be valuable to a contending club as long as they don’t misuse him in left field.
Finally, here is a player the Sox might try to move if they get an overwhelming offer. He is reliever Tommy Kahnle, and he is dominating out of the pen for the South Siders. With 57 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched (1.68 K’s per inning), it is obvious he can get the swing-and-miss. While that has always been the case, Kahnle’s control has eluded him at times, however he has rarely missed the strike zone in 2017. Kahnle has allowed a paltry seven walks all year, therefore it seems as though he finally putting it all together.
Will this be the Kahnle we see for seasons to come? While that is very hard to tell, now might be the time to move their overpowering reliever with a WHIP of 0.97. Depending on the return it is ideal, as he is under control for three years following 2017 meaning any team who acquires Kahnle will have him for three arbitration years before he hits the open market in 2021.
Next: Nate Jones Done for the Season
Overall, these next couple weeks are going to be very intriguing to watch if you are a Sox fan. With the amount of assets the team has at its disposal, Rick Hahn and company will be fielding countless offers from contending clubs. Given some of these players could go after the deadline (even those not listed above), this should be a fun show put on by the Sox brass.
Quintana is just the beginning, Sox fans. Much more action to come.