Chicago White Sox: Risk it all with these 3 NY Yankees trades
The Chicago White Sox are off to a very interesting start to the 2021 season. They are 16-13 and part of a tie for first place in their division. They also have the biggest run differential in the entire American League by a lot. Their starting pitching is dominant and their offense is elite. With all of that in mind, it still feels like something is missing.
It makes sense since Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert are both going to be out for a while. That might force the White Sox to make a move. The New York Yankees might be the perfect partner for something like this. They are 16-14 after a very bumpy start to the year. Each team has something that the other could use so you have to wonder if they’d consider one of these trade packages:
Trade one sends the Yankees two prospects for someone that they don’t need as much.
Cling Frazier isn’t the perfect player and his playing time is limited for a reason. However, the White Sox needs as much help in the outfield as they can get until Robert and Jimenez come back. It is going to be tough without them but they can make it through with an addition like this. Frazier is also somewhat buried in New York so getting a chance here in Chicago might be very good for him.
The Yankees have struggled to pitch when it isn’t Gerrit Cole on the mound so far his season. Jonathan Stiever is still a very raw prospect that has a lot of work to do but the Yankees might be able to help him. It is looking like the room is running out on the Chicago mound but that is far from the case in the Bronx.
Blake Rutherford was actually given to the White Sox by the Yankees in the Todd Frazier trade. Going back to New York might be a good way for the White Sox to upgrade their outfield. By the time Rutherford has a chance to be in a Major League outfield (if he ever does), the White Sox will be a healthier team (we hope).
Trade two would the Chicago White Sox looking to directly replace Luis Robert.
The Chicago White Sox are going to desperately miss Luis Robert. He won a Gold Glove at centerfield (a premier position) in his rookie season. He also showed that he is an absolute beast at the plate. He can hit for power and contact at will which will allow him to become one of the best players in all of baseball. The fact that he is so fast helps everything as well.
There is no replacing production like that but Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees might be able to help that. If they were looking to let him go so some others can get playing time while adding some good prospects, the Yankees might be smart to do it. This one is more of a long shot because they also believe that they are World Series contenders but you never know their philosophy right now.
Micker Adolfo and Gavin Sheets are both nice prospects that can eventually become Major League Baseball players. Both teams are elite at the MLB level right now but the Yankees are much deeper in the outfield. That might cause the White Sox to do what they can to try and get one of them. They need to tread water while Robert and Jimenez heal so adding someone like Hicks would do that. If it only cost something like Adolfo packaged with Sheets, they should do it right away.
The Chicago White Sox really needs another big bat at this point in time.
This is the type of trade that has a few things that need to happen in order for it to be a good one for the White Sox. For one, Gio Urshella needs to be healthy. There was a little bit of an injury scare with his knee on Thursday but they believe he is going to be fine. They are, however, having an MRI just to be absolutely sure that there is no structural damage. If he clears that, he should be in the Yankees lineup over the weekend.
If he clears that, he could be someone that the White Sox look at as a potential bat. There are no rumors about his eventual trade out of New York and this is simply saying that it would be a good idea for the White Sox. He plays the infield so they would have to figure out how to balance things with the guys they have but they need an extra bat.
Urshells provides a nice bat to any lineup. That is why it might be smart to trade Jared Kelley and Zack Burdi to the Yankees in order to get someone like this. They could also package those two guys for any really good hitter across the league if they wanted to take a big risk on a bat. With the injuries that they have, it might not be such a bad idea.
light. Related Story. Albert Pujols would be a disaster signing for the White Sox
The White Sox and Yankees have had no public interactions so this is all just an idea of how the White Sox can risk it all to add some help in light of their injury situation. The Yankees can always use help with young pitching so the White Sox could be of help to them as well. Seeing these teams make a blockbuster sure would be fun.