Chicago White Sox: 3 Kris Bryant trades that end AL Central race
We all know that the Chicago White Sox really took advantage of the Chicago Cubs in 2016 when they acquired Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, and two other prospects in exchange for Jose Quintana. The Cubs overpaid for Quintana because he was a cost-controlled pitcher that was okay at the time. He was a disaster for them, Cease has nasty stuff in the White Sox current rotation, and Jimenez is a superstar offensive player now.
With that said, the Cubs might not want to make another deal with the White Sox. However, they would be doing their organization a disservice by not trading with the White Sox for any of those reasons. In fact, the White Sox might be willing to pay more due to the fact that they believe they can win the World Series right now.
Of course, the Cubs have a lot of players on the market right now. Craig Kimbrel would fit in any bullpen but would make a great setup man for the White Sox. Javier Baez would be able to play some solid second base. Anthony Rizzo is really the only one that doesn’t have much of a fit there. Kris Bryant might fit on the south side more than anyone because of the fact that he could play any position.
Kris Bryant would fit in on the Chicago White Sox in so many different ways.
On Tuesday night, the Cubs took him out of the game in the middle of it which started a whole bunch of conversations. They later announced that it was because of an injury and not because he was traded but that could be true or false. He is clearly someone that is on the block right now as his contract is up at the end of the season. If the White Sox acquired him before the deadline, it might look something like this:
The Chicago Cubs could certainly use some pitching and the White Sox have that.
The Chicago White Sox has a loaded system when it comes to pitching. At the MLB level, their rotation consists of Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, and Carlos Rodon. They also have both Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet who are future starters as well. If they stay healthy, it could be a loaded group for a long time. With players like Aaron Bummer, Codi Heuer, and Liam Hendriks in the bullpen, they are pretty set there too for a while.
Part of the reason is that they are deep organizationally. They draft and develop pitching well. The Cubs, on the other hand, don’t do that at all. In fact, they have done a terrible job at it during the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer era. They are trying to fix it now before it is too late and they have to completely start over.
One way to do it is to make sure they get some good young arms when they make their trades. We all know some big names are being traded so they might as well try and add arms. Jonathan Stiever, Jimmy Lambert, and Tyler Johnson are all pitchers in the White Sox organization that could move to the North Side and work on their development. If this trade went down, it is fair to assume that both sides would be happy.
The Chicago White Sox could really use Jake Burger as a trade chip this month.
The Chicago White Sox might be even deeper as an organization with their bats than they are the pitching. One example of that has been the emergence of Jake Burger. He was dealing with some serious injuries since being drafted by the White Sox in the first round. We always knew that he was incredibly talented but he could never be on the field. In 2021, he has proved a lot of people wrong to get to the MLB.
He wasn’t figured into the 2021 plans but injuries have allowed him to make his mark. He deserved it with the way that he was playing in AAA before the White Sox finally called him up. Once they are healthy, however, it is hard to see where he fits into the lineup. That is why they might trade him when the time is right.
If they can send Jake Burger and Blake Rutherford to the Cubs, it would be a solid trade for both sides. Rutherford is an outfield prospect that still needs his chance and Burger can play third base. Each of those are things that would be left behind by Kris Bryant so it makes perfect sense. Seeing the White Sox lose Burger would be less than ideal but he would get a much better opportunity there.
The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox could make another blockbuster deal.
The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs are going in two completely different directions this season. The White Sox look like a team that is poised to win the World Series and the Cubs are headed towards a rebuild. That could cause the two teams to make a blockbuster deal in order to get what they want. If they did, you would consider them two smart teams for doing what is best for their organizations.
In this deal, the White Sox would be sending Jared Kelley, Micker Adolfo, Reynaldo Lopez, and Kade McClure to the Cubs in exchange for Kris Bryant and Andrew Chafin. This is the first trade proposal where the White Sox gets more than just Bryant. Andrew Chafin would be a perfect addition to the current bullpen. They have been good but adding someone like Chafin for depth would be really helpful.
Jared Kelley is currently listed as the team’s number one prospect. Giving him away to the Cubs would annoy a lot of people but if they are getting a great position player and reliever out of it for the present, it could work out. As mentioned before, the Cubs could use as much pitching talent as they can get. Of course, Reynaldo Lopez and Kade McClure are both pitchers to work with as well. Adolfo is a great outfield prospect who needs an opportunity as well.
It sounds crazy to think of Bryant in a White Sox uniform because of the fact that he has been with the Cubs for so long. With that said, he fits on this current team in this current situation as much as any available player. If they can get him for a fair price, they should really consider it.
light. Related Story. The White Sox are looking for a catcher