Bob Nightengale has been fueling rumors that the Diamondbacks are going to trade Eduardo Escobar to the Chicago White Sox. According to Bob Nightengale, trade between the two sides involving Escobar was nearly finalized.
It makes sense. The White Sox lost their starting second baseman, Nick Madrigal, for the season he suffered a torn hamstring while trying to leg out an infield single. Losing Madrigal left a huge void in the lineup and forced Leury Garcia into an everyday role with the White Sox. With the White Sox leading their division by eight games it makes sense to add at the deadline to bolster their chances to win the title.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are in the midst of a horrible season. They went on a historic 24-game losing streak on the road and are a whooping 41 games under .500. Eduardo Escobar is on the last year of his contract and made the All-Star team so it would make sense for the Dbacks to get something of value for him while they still can.
Escobar is hitting .249 with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs. He would provide with a much-needed left-handed power bat. He can play multiple positions and is comfortable at second base. Escobar will also be cheap because he is a three-month rental player.
The Chicago #WhiteSox, looking for a replacement for 2B Nick Madrigal, are engaged in trade talks with the #Dbacks for Eduardo Escobar, who's being shopped. Escobar, who's earning $7.5M in the final year of his contract, is hitting .240 with 15 homers, 45 RBI with a .743 OPS.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 21, 2021
Nightengale started the rumors with a tweet on June 21st saying that the White Sox are looking for a replacement for Nick Madrigal and are engaged in trade talks with the Diamondbacks for Eduardo Escobar. Then on June 27th, he added fuel to the fire by doubling down on his report.
Eduardo Escobar, 4-for-5 with a double and homer, and 5 RBI, and soon on his way from the #Dbacks to the #WhiteSox, is about to end the #Dbacks’ 24-game road losing streak before he departs. They are up 10-0 in the 8th over the #Padres.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 27, 2021
It is already the middle of July and nothing has happened yet. But according to Nightengale, the two sides had a trade agreed upon. He dropped a bombshell on 670 The Score saying,
"“They all but agreed to the trade about three weeks ago, but then Escobar hurt his quadriceps. Then the reliever the Diamondbacks were going to get back; he had a little problem, had to get a cortisone shot.”"
Bob Nightengale was certain that the Chicago White Sox were going to land Eduardo Escobar.
So who was this mystery reliever? If you match up the timeline then it looks like Evan Marshall. He had to leave a game three weeks ago with a strained right flexor pronator in his elbow. Cortisone shots are usually injected into joints such as ankles, hips, knees, shoulders, wrist, spine, or elbows. The injury, site of injection, and timeline all match the story.
Bob Nightengale also mentioned that it would be the cheapest trade for the White Sox and it would “only cost them a reliever”.
The question is why would the Diamondbacks want a veteran reliever? Their bullpen is laughably bad but acquiring Evan Marshall does not seem like the solution to those problems. Because of this, we cannot be certain that it was Evan Marshall. Until more is released we can only speculate who the pitcher is the White Sox included in the deal.