Chicago White Sox: Three players to consider trading before season
The Chicago White Sox are going to be one really good baseball team in 2021. PECOTA thinks they will be a third-place team but the computers don’t really know what we know about some of the players in the bullpen, starting rotation, and even a few guys who will play in the starting lineup. This team, on paper, is so good and should be the betting favorite to win the American League Central. With that said, every team in the league should be looking to improve.
It looks like Andrew Vaughn is going to be the long term plan as the designated hitter. Jose Abreu probably isn’t going anywhere any time soon so the DH is probably the best way to have both his and Vaughn’s bat in the lineup every day. There will probably be days where Vaughn plays first and Abreu is the DH but you get the point. It is entirely possible that the White Sox go for another DH backup plan in case Vaughn struggles as a rookie. That might take a trade.
There might be a right-field platoon option out there that the White Sox want to go grab. There could be even other backup spots they want to be filled by making a trade and in order to do so, they would need to give something up.
We know by now who is untouchable but there are some players who are worth sending away in order to upgrade somewhere else. There are some good players in this organization that another team might want for other good players. A trade like this would be considered a “baseball trade”. These are three guys to consider trading:
player. 128. . OF. Chicago White Sox. Adam Engel. 15
The Chicago White Sox pretty much have their outfield set for 2021. Eloy Jimenez is going to be the left fielder, Luis Robert is going to be the center fielder, and Adam Eaton is going to be the right fielder. That leaves little room for Adam Engel to play on a regular basis. He will certainly see time at all three positions on off days for starters and as a late-inning defensive replacement. He is a really good player to have on the bench but they could use him for trade if a good one presents itself.
There are plenty of teams out there that would love to have a player like Engel. He is elite defensively and can hit well from time to time. He may end up even being a better option in right-field than Eaton but it looks like he is the odd man out as of now. Jimenez and Robert are going to be locked into their positions for the next decade or more so the room out there is not plentiful.
In 2020, Engel slashed .295/.333/.477 with an OPS of .811. He hit three home runs, had 12 RBIs, and crossed home plate 11 times. Those are great numbers for a guy who had limited playing time and was mainly in there for his defensive prowess. He is one of the best defenders in the organization. A team that needs a player like this might be interested in him and give the White Sox something they need more in return.
player. 128. . INF/OF. Chicago White Sox. Leury Garcia. 28
The Chicago White Sox have something similar to Engel in Leury Garcia. The only difference is that Garcia can play the infield and outfield. He is the ultimate bench utility guy. Obviously, the White Sox can’t trade all of these guys because you need to be deep on your bench to make a World Series run. However, this organization is very deep now and it is getting better every day.
If a team felt like they needed their own utility guy, they might be willing to add Garcia. He could net the White Sox a depth piece that fits their needs even more. Everyone is always looking for more starters and bullpen pieces to improve their chances to win. Garcia might be a guy that can help them with that.
Garcia is a fine defensive player and he can also hit well too. In 2020, he slashed .271/.317/.441 with an OPS of .758. He hit 3 home runs, had 8 RBIs, and 6 runs scored. Those aren’t bad numbers for a guy who didn’t play all that much this season. We all knew right away that we wanted Nick Madrigal to play second base over him but that doesn’t mean that he is a bad depth piece. If someone wanted to give the White Sox what they needed and take him back, it should be considered.
40. player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Reynaldo Lopez
Some people thought that there was a chance that the White Sox wouldn’t bring back Reynaldo Lopez this season. Well, they did in fact bring him back after another tough year in 2020. They are going to see what Ethan Katz can do for him but if a trade presented itself, they would likely consider. He has shown in the past that they can be a great player but has struggled for two years in a row now.
In 2018, there was a lot of hype around him. He was the second piece in the trade that sent Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals. Lucas Giolito and Dane Dunning came back with Lopez in the deal. It was an amazing trade for the White Sox because Giolito is amazing and they traded Dunning to Texas for Lance Lynn. If they can get something (either production or a trade) out of Lopez, that would be awesome.
He was great for that 2018 season but the rest of the team wasn’t around him. In 2019, the team started to improve but he took a major step back. In 2020, they were an elite team but he wasn’t even one of their five best starters. If a team feels they can turn his career around and give him a fresh start, they might be willing to help the White Sox fill a different hole.
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We don’t know if the White Sox are going to make a trade at all. They are certainly a championship contender going into the year and those are the teams that usually acquire good players and give up depth pieces. If they were to make one before Spring Training, these are the three to consider.