Chicago White Sox: Three trade packages for Kyle Schwarber
The Chicago White Sox might need a designated hitter in the long term and Kyle Schwarber would be a good candidate for that role these days.
The Chicago White Sox might be able to take advantage of some teams looking to shed some cash. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Chicago Cubs have been losing 70 percent of their revenue. That is an issue considering the fact that they have nobody locked up in the long term. Some of them are going to be pricey and the lack of income so far in 2020 is an issue as far as paying them.
They might have to shed some salary and that could be where a team like the White Sox comes in. They have almost all of their players locked up long term and the Cubs have a player that the White Sox might be able to use to their advantage. A lot of people in this fanbase don’t like Kyle Schwarber because Cubs fans overrate him at times but there is no doubt that he is a good power hitter. He isn’t great in the field but he might make a really good designated hitter in the long term.
The White Sox signed Edwin Encarnacion this past offseason and that is definitely exciting. He is, however, a 37-year-old player signed to a one year deal with a second-year club option. It is a good deal for him and the team but they still need a long term plan. The White Sox have had a lackluster designated hitter since Jim Thome and it would really help to have someone constantly producing from that spot.
Kyle Schwarber might not cost a ton to acquire these days based on the circumstances. It really might only take a prospect or two for the Cubs to let him go. These are three packages that might get it done:
Trade One
The Chicago White Sox are pretty loaded at the catcher position. They have Yasmani Grandal and James McCann. Seby Zavala and Yemin Mercedes are also in the organization to play if needed which might make Zack Collins expendable. He would be a good piece for the Cubs to go after in order to send Schwarber to the White Sox. There is a need for each team getting a new player at a specific position
We don’t know if the Cubs are going to move on from Willson Contreras for the same reasons they would move on from Schwarber. That will mean they need to fill a whole behind the plate and Collins might be that guy. He has been a highly-touted prospect that just needs to get some consistent opportunity. He could form a nice duo with Victor Caratini if they got rid of Contreras.
Dane Dunning is a starting pitcher who the Cubs would be smart to add if they let the White Sox have Schwarber. The Cubs have been so bad at developing pitching during the Theo Epstein era so adding a stud like Dunning might be nice for them as they try to retool. These are good players but if the White Sox are truly entering “win now” mode, this might be something worth considering.
Trade 2
The Chicago White Sox have some depth at mid-level pitching prospects. Jonathan Stiever might be a guy worth having in the future but maybe they would be willing to give him up in order to get a guy like Kyle Schwarber on the other side of town. Going into the season he is the White Sox number five prospect so that could be a nice piece to be had for a good MLB roster player.
Luis Alexander Basabe isn’t a joke either. He came into the organization a lot more raw than some of the other top prospects this team has had but he has a chance to be in the Major Leagues. The Cubs don’t really have a long term solution in the outfield so adding a guy like Basabe might be a way to give themselves a chance to help out in that area, especially if the move on from Schwarber.
This duo would mean the White Sox are giving up their number five and number nine prospects so that would mean they need whoever their acquiring, in this case, Schwarber, to live up to this fake trade. He did have a monster second half last season that led to him having a total of 38 home runs and 92 RBIs. That is slightly better than the power numbers that Encarnacion put up and everyone is so excited for him.
Trade Three
The Chicago White Sox can combine the duo of Micker Adolfo and Matthew Thompson together to give the Cubs for Kyle Schwarber. Obviously, these are all makeup trade scenarios but anything can happen at any given time, especially with the circumstances we are living in today. These tough times might cause teams to sell low for a while but adding Adolfo or Thompson for Schwarber isn’t necessarily selling low for the White Sox.
Adolfo is the White Sox number eight prospect and Thompson is the number seven prospect. That is a good haul for a team that clearly needs to move on from some players in order to shed some salary. Adolfo might be able to fill a future hole in their outfield if Ian Happ and Albert Almora don’t work out along with moving on from Schwarber.
Bryce Harper liked the White Sox proposal. light. Hot
Thompson is a right-handed pitcher that the Cubs could really use in their organization right now. Of the top four pitching prospects in the White Sox system, they are all right-handed. That could be why one of them is expendable and Thompson is no exception. There are no guarantees that any player named here is going to get moved any time soon but it could happen. The White Sox have a band-aid at the designated hitter spot in Encarnacion but Schwarber might be a nice full-time replacement, despite what some fans might think.