Chicago White Sox: Three trade packages for Blake Snell
Adding Blake Snell would be a genius move for the Chicago White Sox.
For the past few seasons, Blake Snell has been one of the best pitchers in the American League. He was with the Tampa Bay Rays in many good seasons, including this past one where they made it all the way to the World Series. Well, now the offseason is here, and apparently, he is on the trade block. He might not be their best pitcher anymore nor would he be the best on the Chicago White Sox. With that said, they should still consider him if he is available.
Sources: Rays open to trading Blake Snell https://t.co/xdHhGsT8NA
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 23, 2020
Snell would come in and either be their number two or number three guy right away. If you mix him in with Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, you have one of the best 1-3 starting rotations in all of baseball. With guys like Dane Dunning, Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, and Reynaldo Lopez amongst others possibly there to compete for the four and five spots, you could develop one of the best rotations in all of baseball.
The White Sox were so desperate for a great number three starter in 2020 but they stayed the course. That was a big reason they lost the rubber match against the Oakland Athletics in the playoffs. If they were to add a pitcher like Snell this offseason, they would be doing themselves a great service.
In his career, he has won an ERA title, Cy Young Award, AL Pennant, and been an American League All-Star. He might cost a fair amount in a trade but the White Sox have a few things they can spare to get a pitcher like that. These are three trade packages for Blake Snell:
Trade One
The Chicago White Sox would love to add Blake Snell to their rotation. They might even be willing to let a couple of guys go who they have high hopes for. You had to figure that would happen at some point during all of this and now might be a time to go for it. Dane Dunning and Jared Kelley are both guys who the White Sox see as future pieces but if it meant getting Snell, they should at least consider it.
For Dunning, he was able to get some innings in 2020. He was awesome in a short amount of time but he wasn’t trusted to take the ball as the game-three starter. He doesn’t have magical stuff but he just knows how to throw strikes. He would be perfect for what the Tampa Bay Rays do on a regular basis.
Jared Kelley is one of the White Sox top prospects that has never pitched in an MLB game. He was taken in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft but the reason he fell that far was because of the fact that there really wasn’t much of a season for him. He is a very talented flamethrower that could be a great player one day. Tampa Bay is really good at developing pitching and would probably turn him into a star. This is a trade that would work wonders for what both teams are trying to do in the short term and long term.
Trade Two
The Chicago White Sox might consider giving up their number one prospect if they believe that it puts them over the edge in the American League. It would be hard to argue with their pitching staff if they had Blake Snell. Add the fact that they have one of the best offenses in all of Major League Baseball and it makes it sound more intriguing.
Andrew Vaughn is an amazing prospect. He was the third overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft so you know he has some skills. He has a big power bat and plays first base. The thing is, if they gave him up, they will have Jose Abreu and his MVP winning self there for a while. Vaughn would probably get the trade done as a leading piece because of how good he is at hitting.
Micker Adolfo is only the White Sox tenth-best prospect, according to MLB dot com. However, if you get a number one and number ten prospect for your starting pitcher that you are actively shopping, you probably did well in the trade. The Rays are a low-budget team so this move doesn’t necessarily indicate that they are rebuilding after losing the World Series. It does say that they are looking to get younger and cheaper before it is too late.
Trade Three
If the Tampa Bay Rays actually want to trade Snell, taking a prospect and some roster players might be something they want to do. If that is the route they wanted to go in, Danny Mendick, Nomar Mazara, and Jonathan Stiever would be great adds for them. This is a hefty haul to give up in terms of quality baseball players but none of them will move the needle the way Snell would.
Danny Mendick was a Gold Glove nominee. He was so good at fielding his position that the MLB wanted to recognize him for it. He didn’t win the award but for the amount of time he actually played, it is impressive that he even earned the nomination. There might not be room on the White Sox for an everyday starter role but that might be available somewhere else.
Nomar Mazara was a bit of a disappointment for the White Sox during the 2020 season. They are probably going to look for some help this offseason in right-field whether he is on the roster or not. They might as well trade him away now if it is part of a big package that lands them an elite player in return.
Jonathan Stiever is the White Sox seventh-ranked prospect on MLB dot com. He made his MLB debut in 2020 but didn’t get much of a sample size as he only appeared in two games. He will be given the chance to be a full-time MLB player in 2020. As mentioned before, the Rays are good at developing some pitching and Stiever might really benefit from going there.
light. Hot. The Field of Dreams game back on in 2021
The White Sox and Rays might see each other as American League foes standing in the way of the pennant and that might cause them to not trade with each other. If they do decide to trade with each other, however, it would be nice to see the Sox acquire Blake Snell.