White Sox: Four game-changing Hot Stove trade ideas
One team that is rumored to be selling in this Hot Stove season is the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they’ve got Paul Goldschmidt. Apparently, some teams have already begun talking with Arizona about acquiring the six-time All-Star.
#Astros, #STLCards are the two teams that have had the most meaningful discussions with the #DBacks about a trade for Paul Goldschmidt, sources tell The Athletic. No deal is close; talks not yet advanced.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 20, 2018
With the rotating interleague play, Sox fans haven’t been exposed to Goldschmidt. He’s had only four at-bats against White Sox pitching and he’s batted .500 against them. Goldie is the epitome of consistency. Despite his rough start to 2018, he still finished the season with a slash of .290/.389/.533 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI. He also stole seven bases and walked 90 times.
In eight seasons, his slash is .297/.398/.532. He has consistently hovered around .300 in his seven full seasons. He also manages to hit at least 33 doubles every single year.
On defense, he is consistently one of the best. He has three Gold Glove awards at first base. He’s consistently in the MVP discussion, finishing in the top three in three seasons. His lowest fielding percentage was .993 in 2014. In 2018, the average range for a first baseman was 8.66. Goldie’s was 9.44.
White Sox fans are used to seeing greatness at first base, but Goldie is better than Abreu. He’s also better than Paul Konerko (sorry, but it’s true). In eight seasons, Goldschmidt has a WAR over 40.1. Konerko’s career WAR is 27.7. Abreu’s is 18.7.
A trade for Goldie won’t be cheap. But he’s worth it. The D-Backs are on the hook for $14.5 million for him in 2019. He becomes a free agent in 2020, so if the Sox do decide to pursue him, it would be worth it to lock him up with a substantial contract. Considering that Abreu made $13 million in 2018 and will make more in 2019, the Sox could easily afford Goldschmidt.
Sox fans would enjoy seeing Paul Goldschmidt play on a regular basis. The Diamondbacks will need something in return for this future Hall of Famer. I’d suggest a ready-to-play outfielder (or two) – Adam Engel or Nicky Delmonico, or even Avisail Garcia, and a catcher like prospect Seby Zavala who conveniently also plays first base or even Omar Narvaez, who can play now.
Don’t worry about the White Sox outfield. I’ve got a suggestion for that, too.