Chicago White Sox: Three Chicago Cubs to add via trade
The Chicago White Sox should try and take advantage of the Chicago Cubs in the trade market.
The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs are going in very different directions right now. The White Sox turned the corner of their rebuild in 2020 and were one of the best teams in the American League. The Cubs won their division again but it was by default as the rest of the NL Central got off to a good start. There were trends for the Cubs that showed they were in trouble. The trouble came to the surface when they got to the playoffs and lost to the Miami Marlins in two games.
The Cubs already parted ways with Theo Epstein and are now under the leadership of Jed Hoyer. It is unclear what direction that the Cubs are now going to go in but they can’t keep the same roster that they had in 2020. They decided to tender Kris Bryant for 2021 but declined to do so for Kyle Schwarber and Alber Almora. It isn’t that surprising for Albert Almora but seeing Kyle Scwarber go might be upsetting for a lot of Cubs fans. However, all three of those decisions feel like the right ones for that organization.
The White Sox could go for any of the non-tendered players but they also might be looking to see who is available on the trade market. The Cubs have plenty of ammo on that front as they might be looking to make a little bit of a mini-rebuild out of their roster. Chances are that they won’t trade everyone but that team might look a little different going into 2021. These are the three players the White Sox should realistically go for in trade:
player. 9. . SP. Chicago Cubs. Yu Darvish. 11
The Chicago White Sox need another starting pitcher. They might have defeated the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2020 playoffs if they had just one more guy to rely on as a starter. Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel were great all year long but the writing was on the wall that they could use one more starter and they didn’t do it. They should make a play for Yu Darvish to fill that spot in the short term.
Guys like Dylan Cease, Garrett Crochet, and Michael Kopech might be great for that role down the line but they could use a veteran now. Darvish would probably come in and be that guy right away. It is fair to assume that he would slot in as the number two behind Lucas Giolito. He is a little better at this point than Keuchel but not as good as Giolito. In the National League, Darvish finished 2020 as the second-place finisher of the Cy Young Award.
Darvish had a great year and should be able to keep it going for a few more years. He is 34 years old so he isn’t necessarily a long-term solution but he should have plenty of good stuff left in the tank. If the White Sox wanted to add a veteran pitcher with a lot of great playoff experience on his resume, Darvish would be a great option. At his age with his contract, he might not cost as much on the trade market either. It is definitely an avenue for both teams to consider.
player. 9. . SP. Chicago Cubs. Kyle Hendricks. 28
The Chicago Cubs have made it pretty clear that they don’t have anybody on their active roster that they are committed to long term. Kyle Hendricks doesn’t feel like someone who will be moved but it is possible. He is going into his age 31 season after having a phenomenal age 30 season so he is definitely an attractive player to a lot of teams that are looking for pitching. In 2020, he came in 9th place for the National League Cy Young and that was the second time in his career he finished in the top ten (he came in third in 2016).
Hendricks came all the way up through the Cubs system after being acquired in a trade as a prospect so he knows how to get to where he’s at under that model. There are a lot of young pitchers that the White Sox have that have done or are working on doing the same thing and he might be a great help. He is also a World Series Champion so that type of experience would really help this young team.
Hendricks isn’t a power pitcher like Chris Sale or anything like that but the way he attacks batters is very entertaining. He adjusts to their style and carves them up as good as any pitcher in the league. He would be perfect to add to the White Sox rotation with Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel surrounding him.
He would cost a bit more than Darvish due to a better recent resume and the fact that he is a little bit younger. Either way, this would be a great addition to the White Sox roster if they felt he was their guy.
. 3B/OF. Chicago Cubs. Kris Bryant. 17. player. 9
The Chicago Cubs would love to add a player like Kris Bryant. For some reason, there is a perception out there that he isn’t a good player anymore but that just isn’t true. Since coming into the league, few players have accumulated a higher WAR than Bryant. He has been a Rookie of the Year, MVP, and World Series Champion since his arrival. He didn’t have a good year in 2020 but injury might have played a big part in that. For that reason, his value on the trade market has never been lower.
As mentioned before, the Cubs decided to tender his contract for 2021. That is more than likely because they don’t want to lose him without getting anything in return. This a player that has all of those personal accolades along with the fact that he was the best player on the team that ended their 108 year World Series drought. He made the play that ended one of the most entertaining game sevens in the history of Major League Baseball to bring the World Series title to the North Side.
Since that point, he has been very up and down. He was down for a few years but then had a very good 2019 season. If the White Sox added the Kris Bryant of 2019, they would be adding a great player that can help them win. Being a young team looking to take the next step, the White Sox would love to add someone with Bryant’s experience. The White Sox would be able to use him in right-field (Yoan Moncada is their third baseman) which is their biggest need on the defensive side of the diamond.
Hot. The White Sox non-tendered some of their own players. light
The last time the Chicago teams made a trade with one another, it worked out very well for the White Sox but not the Cubs. However, Jed Hoyer and Rick Hahn are absolutely able to come together and get a deal done. It isn’t a guarantee that any of this will happen or that the Cubs will even trade any of these guys but you just never know. It is certainly something for the White Sox to consider.