Chicago White Sox: Three trade packages for Ken Giles
The Chicago White Sox could really boost their bullpen if they were to add another really good arm. The Toronto Blue Jays could make Ken Giles available.
The Chicago White Sox potential starting lineup is well known. They believe that with players like Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, and Luis Robert amongst others, they are going to have a great lineup. They need to make sure that they have the pitching necessary to protect all of those runs that they’re going to score. If they get that then they will win a lot of baseball games.
The pitching is seemingly set for whenever the season gets going but it wouldn’t hurt to look at ways to still improve the team. Lucas Giolito is going to be the ace and Dallas Keuchel is going to be the number two. The order of the rest could go in many different ways. Alex Colome is going to be the closer but the rest of the relievers can go in many different orders depending on how the games go. There is still a lot left up in the air.
With that said, they could still add some more arms. Adding a guy like Ken Giles would be a really smart move for the Chicago White Sox. He could come in and add another really solid arm to this bullpen that already has some good arms. He is on a contract that is expiring and he will be a free agent in 2021. That is why it would be smart for the White Sox to bring him in early and try and get him signed. If the Toronto Blue Jays are out of it midseason, they could be looking to move him. These are three good trade packages to get Giles on the south side:
Trade 1
Finding more pitching could be the key to the White Sox actually building some sustained success over the next decade or so. Their core is in place as far as the starting lineup but they still need some more starters and relievers to play well. Ken Giles might be a good acquisition for the White Sox in 2020 if they believe they are able to resign him. Trading for him so he can see what this place is like first might help him make up his mind.
Because his stay isn’t guaranteed, they wouldn’t trade one of their top prospects for him. If there was an elite player with lots of time left on his deal, the Nick Madrigal or Andrew Vaughn type prospects might be in play but they wouldn’t be here. A trade of two guys like Jonathan Stiever and Zack Collins for Giles would be a good move for the White Sox.
Stiever is still young at 22 so you never know how he is going to pan out. The White Sox have other young starters in the mix so if they gave him away it might not be that big of a deal. As for Collins, it is hard to see him having much playing time in 2020. Yasmani Grandal signed a four-year deal for a lot of money and James McCann is back for another year. If McCann is gone after this year, they still have Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala to back up Grandal. If this was a trade that the Jays would accept, you do it if you’re the White Sox.
Trade 2
The White Sox and their fans love James McCann. He broke out in 2019 to the point where he was an American League All-Star. He was also very clutch in his play as he would hit game-tying or game-winning home runs frequently. He just always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. With that said, based on his career numbers, it is hard to see him living up to a year like that again.
He might still be a good player but is he going to be a great player? He might but the White Sox signed Yasmani Grandal who is arguably the best catcher in Major League Baseball. That and the fact that they have Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes, and Zeby Zavala in the mix makes McCann expendable. He would be perfect in a one for one trade for Ken Giles. Even if the White Sox had to throw in a B-level prospect with McCann, it would be worth it.
McCann is a nice player but if you can get a really good relief pitcher for him you make that trade every day. They have Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire, and Caleb Joseph on their current depth chart for catchers right now so McCann might really be able to go in there and help. They have a really young team that could be good in short order so a leader like McCann could go a long way in helping them.
Trade 3
The Chicago White Sox did really well in the Adam Eaton trade with the Washington Nationals. They acquired Lucas Giolito in that trade and now he is the best pitcher in the organization. They also got Reynaldo Lopez who might be a good starter or he might be a reliever one day but there is no doubt that he is a good player. It isn’t talked about that they also got Dane Dunning in that deal with Washinton.
Dunning hasn’t made it to the Major Leagues yet but he very well might sometime soon. The White Sox might be smart to package him with Matthew Thompson in a trade for Ken Giles. They are both top-ten White Sox prospects looking to reach their dream of playing Major League Baseball one day. The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to continue rebuilding and adding two youngsters like this could help them even more.
Hot. Three White Sox players who need baseball back ASAP. light
It is no guarantee that either of these two works out in the Major Leagues but with Ken Giles on an expiring deal, it might be a risk worth taking for both sides. The White Sox could use as many solid arms in the bullpen as possible. Adding a stud like Giles should be something they look to do if they ever start playing and get off to a good start.