Chicago White Sox: Five players to trade before Spring Training
The Chicago White Sox might stand pat with what they have right now, but there are still a few more moves they could make before Spring Training.
The Chicago White Sox has an average or an above-average player at every single position. They haven’t been able to say that for a very long time. Normally, there are a few spots with position players who have a negative impact on the team’s chances to win. That is most likely not going to be the case in 2020 as they look to finally start winning more than they lose. As always, however, they are still looking to improve their roster every single day.
That could start with some of the depth guys that they have in the organization. There are good players who might be getting less playing time this year thanks to the fact that they are just that much deeper. They have guys who can come off the bench and be helpful along with some prospects in the organization that hope to make an impact someday. There is simply not enough room for every single prospect and veteran to be impact players one day for the Sox so they might have to make some decisions over the years.
Spring Training is upon us. The team is going to be trying every little thing to make sure they are perfectly ready to go by the time Opening Day rolls around. That should include making the 2020 roster as good as it possibly can be. Other teams around baseball have been making some significant trades right before Spring Training, so the White Sox could end up being no different. If they were to make a move or two before they get going, these are the five players that they could consider trading for different reasons:
James McCann. 1. player. 128. . C. Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox had one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball last season when James McCann was an All-Star caliber catcher. In fact, he did represent the White Sox for the American League All-Stars at the summer classic. He was so good in his first year with the team. He earned himself a nice little extension during this past offseason. He wasn’t quite as good at the plate in the second half as he was in the first but he still had a big moment after big moment type year.
He slashed .273/.328/.460. He had 18 home runs, 60 RBIs, 62 runs scored, and a 3.8 WAR for the White Sox in 2019. He was also one of the best defensive catchers in the league as well. He really helped some of the younger pitchers out with his framework throughout the year as well. Lucas Giolito loved having McCann to throw to in 2019, he claims it really helped him.
So why would the White Sox want to trade McCann now? They signed Yasmani Grandal to a four-year deal at the beginning of the offseason to be their catcher. Grandal is one of the very best catchers in all of baseball and makes a lot of money so he is going to see a bulk of the starts behind the plate. It was originally thought that McCann might DH as a result but they also signed Edwin Encarnacion for that role. If they wanted to trade McCann while his value is high, they definitely should.
Chicago White Sox. Reynaldo Lopez. 2. player. 128. . P
The Chicago White Sox have a surplus of starting pitching options. There are a few guys who are locks to be in the rotation long term and there are a few who need to prove themselves. One who needs to prove himself is Reynaldo Lopez. He was fantastic for the White Sox in 2018 but he took a step back in 2019 when the team was a little better. 2020 could be the year that the White Sox make a semi-permanent decision on his future with the team.
Lopez will be near the bottom of the rotation if he makes it there out of Spring Training. There are some people who believe he is cut out to be more of a reliever than a starter. This year will be the biggest determining factor of that. If he has another dud as he did in 2019 but the struggles came mostly in the later innings, he would likely stick in the bullpen.
One other option the White Sox can choose is to trade Lopez. He was a highly-touted prospect when he came to the White Sox with Giolito in the Adam Eaton trade. The potential is all there so if a team was willing to pay something nice to get a pitcher like Lopez, the White Sox should absolutely do it.
128. . P. Chicago White Sox. Carlos Rodon. 3. player
Carlos Rodon has been with the White Sox through thin and thick. He was there when Chris Sale and Jose Quintan were right there ahead of him. He was a good number three behind those two when they were all healthy. He assumed the role of the de facto ace before last year because the team thought that is what he could have been.
He still could reach his potential but that is much less certain now. He has dealt with some major injuries over the past few seasons that have caused him to miss some significant time. The most significant injury he had was last season when he had Tommy John during the season. It knocked him out for the year so it has been a while since we have even seen him pitch.
Rodon is a good player but he might just need a fresh start. Things haven’t been perfect here in Chicago despite flashes of greatness. The injuries have hurt but he might benefit from moving somewhere else. The White Sox have so many new faces that are a part of the pitching staff right now and some that will be one day. Rodon could go to a new team that needs a shake-up as well. He would be a really smart trade chip for this team.
Leury Garcia. 4. player. 128. . INF. Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have a great utility player in Leury Garcia. He is listed as the starting second baseman on the White Sox depth chart. He is also listed as the back up for LF, CF, RF, 3B, and SS. That is the making of a great utility player that a team might be willing to pay a nice price for at some point. There are always injuries so having a guy like that would go a long way for a team looking to win the World Series as soon as this year.
Garcia had a great season in 2019. He had a really nice batting average of .279. He had eight home runs, 40 RBIs, and a remarkable 93 runs scored for the Sox. It was a great year for a guy who didn’t have that high of expectations. He has his trade value at an all-time high right now and the Sox could take advantage at some point.
The only position that he has a chance to be the starter, assuming no injury, is second base. There is also speculation that at some point Nick Madrigal will take over the second base position for good. He is an up and coming prospect that should be a big part of the White Sox future. That should make Garcia expendable if the White Sox could get something for him before Spring Training.
128. . C/1B. Chicago White Sox. Zack Collins. 5. player
The Chicago White Sox have some organizational depth at catcher and first base right now. Obviously, Grandal is going to be the starting catcher and Jose Abreu will be the everyday first baseman. There is also James McCann to be the backup catcher. Edwin Encarnacion is there for the short term and prospect Andrew Vaughn is in the future plans of first base. That makes it difficult to see where Zack Collins fits into all of this.
He is listed as the third-string catcher, fourth-string first baseman, and second string designated hitter. You would think that there is a chance for Collins to begin the year in AAA but how much more could he benefit from playing in the minors if he is Major League ready? The White Sox might be able to get something of value for Collins if they decided to move him before Spring Training gets underway.
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Grandal is going to be the catcher for the foreseeable future and McCann could potentially be the backup for as long as he wants to be. Jose Abreu is the present-day first baseman with Andrew Vaughn as the future guy planned to play there. Either way, if a team sees something in Collins and offers the White Sox a nice trade package, they shouldn’t hesitate.