Chicago White Sox: Three trade packages for Joc Pederson
The Chicago White Sox have been in Joc Pederson rumors in the past. If those started to come back, these three trades would make sense.
For a little over a year now, the Chicago White Sox has been in trade rumors with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson. The trade fell through last season but a new wrinkle has been thrown into the mix for this idea. The White Sox still remain as a team with a big need for a right fielder. Now, the Dodgers have an even bigger need to move on from Pederson due to positional needs.
The Dodgers acquired Mookie Betts in a blockbuster three-way trade between them, the Boston Red Sox, and Minnesota Twins. Betts is one of the very best players in the world so the Dodgers are for sure going to use him as a right fielder. That sort of leaves Pederson out of luck unless he changes his position.
The Dodgers had a trade in place with the Los Angeles Angels to send Pederson there. It was put on pause while the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Twins dealt with the messy negotiations of the Betts trade. The Angels then pulled out of the trade, leaving the Dodgers still needing to move him. It would only make sense for another American League team to swoop in.
He would come in and be their right fielder. They currently have Nomar Mazara in that spot, but Pederson would be an upgrade over him. Pederson hit 36 home runs in 2019 and had 74 RBIs with 83 runs scored. He would be a great fit for this team as they head into 2020. These are three trade packages that might get Pederson on the South Side:
Trade 1
The Chicago White Sox need a right fielder. They just acquired Nomar Mazara from the Texas Rangers, but if the Los Angeles Dodgers wanted a backup right fielder for Mookie Betts they could certainly take him back in the Joc Pederson trade. Pederson could be his backup too but he is much too good to be a backup in Major League Baseball. This would be a move of positional need for both teams.
Pederson is basically a better version of Mazara. They have the same strengths and weaknesses at the plate but Pederson has more power. They both play the same position as well in the field so both teams would be receiving a guy in that spot. Where the Dodgers would benefit from the trade, is the addition of Zack Collins. He is a young up and comer who can catch and play first base.
The Dodgers have Will Smith slated to be their starting catcher this season. He very well may be able to hold that position down but Collins has a high ceiling as an MLB backstop. He made his Major League debut last season. It didn’t go quite as he expected but he did have times where he looked good. The White Sox might not have all that much room for him this season with Yasmani Grandal coming in free agency along with James McCann already being there.
If the Dodgers see in Collins what the White Sox do, this is a trade that can get done. It would be cool to see a guy the White Sox developed go be impactful in the National League. He might even be able to grab their starting catcher job someday. This is a trade that would have a beneficial impact on both organizations.
Trade 2
The Chicago White Sox have what they hope will be the future of their infield in place for a long time. They will use Yoan Moncada at third, Tim Anderson at shortstop, Nick Madrigal at second, and Jose Abreu at first. Madrigal has yet to make his MLB debut. It is going to be interesting to see how they handle him coming out of Spring Training but 2020 should be the year that he realizes his dream at some point.
Having that infield set like that for the foreseeable future, giving away some other infielders for a right fielder would be a smart move. The White Sox have Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick in the organization at the MLB level. Garcia might start at second until Madrigal comes in full time and is also the backup at multiple other positions. Mendick is in the same boat, other than being a projected starter.
The Dodgers could use some depth there. They are already a near-perfect team going into 2020, so just adding some more depth could really help in the event of an injury. They are going to be a serious threat to win the World Series. They have two of the five best position players in the world with Betts and of course Cody Bellinger. Garcia and Mendick would be joining a good situation there in Los Angeles. The White Sox may be good but they won’t be as good as the Dodgers.
If those two players are going to be depth guys, they may be better depth guys on a team with World Series aspirations. It could absolutely be worth it for both teams if each side is addressing a need for the current roster.
Trade 3
The Chicago White Sox are pretty set with their center fielder. Luis Robert is already signed and ready to go. He is likely going to be their starting center fielder on opening day. With Eloy Jimenez in left and the potential of adding Joc Pederson or using Nomar Mazara as their right fielder, there is limited room for Adam Engel. He could be a defensive replacement for this White Sox team but they would be smart to use him to try and get Pederson.
The Dodgers have one of the very best offensive center fielders in the world with Cody Bellinger. Engel would go there and be a defensive replacement as well but the Dodgers might need a guy like that. They might also like an extra bat to pinch-hit for their pitchers as a National League team. Engel is a pretty good player, but he isn’t going to be a needle mover by any means. That isn’t really what the Dodgers need for Pederson as they are in it to win it now. They just need to be ready for all areas of the game.
With Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and David Price in the mix, they have a very good starting rotation. They did send Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins in the Betts/Price trade and Hyun-Jin Ryu signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency. That is why Reynaldo Lopez would be able to go in there and be a good number four.
Lopez is a good pitcher who had a tough 2019. He was really good in a tough 2018 as a team. If he could get back to that level again, he would be a great impact pitcher for Los Angeles. They could always use some extra arms due to their aspirations. Pitching proved to be key in the 2019 MLB Postseason so maybe they’d like to make a move like this.
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There is nothing set in stone with the Dodgers as far as moving Bellinger at all. They could very well find a role for him and keep him. With that said, it would only make sense for them to move him. They already had a deal in place for him and it fell through so that is a tough situation for both the player and organization moving forward. The White Sox would be smart to jump in on this situation.