Players that the White Sox should take from rebuilding A’s

As soon as the MLB lockout is over, teams could be heading to Oakland for the impending yard sale. The Chicago White Sox should be one of them. The Oakland A’s have fielded a solid team over the last several seasons. Since 2012, they have made the postseason seven times including the past four consecutive seasons.

The last time they had a losing record was in 2017. The A’s also won the AL West in 2020 and knocked the Chicago White Sox out of the American League Wild Card Series. But years of disappointing playoff exits look like they have taken their toll.

By all indication, Billy Beane and the rest of the Oakland front office have decided to blow it up. This strategy is not new in Oakland. In 2004 they traded Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder despite the fact they had won the division four years in a row. They got Dan Haren in return and two seasons later, he helped pitch them to the ALCS.

They tried to repeat this plan in 2008, trading Rich Harden and Joe Blanton. The prospects they got in return did not pan out so they tried again in 2011, dealing Trevor Cahill to Arizona. They also shipped out Gio Gonzalez. Two of the arms they acquired in the Cahill deal turned into Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook who solidified their bullpen and helped them take the AL West Crown in 2012.

The Chicago White Sox could add some help from the Oakland Athletics.

In 2014 they sent Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox in a deal that brought back not only Marcus Semien but also current ace and trade bait Chris Bassitt.

This offseason they have been parting ways with all their assets. Yan Gomes, Mark Canha, Trevor Rosenthal, Khris Davis, Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Jed Lowrie, Mitch Moreland, Sergio Romo, Jake Deikman, Mike Fiers, and Andrew Chafin have all elected to hit the open market. They also let manager Bob Melvin walk out the door. If you read the tea leaves, a rebuild seems imminent.

This Oakland team still fields plenty of other talent and if they are indeed trying to rebuild then some of their players could be ripe for the taking. If you haven’t heard already from White Sox Twitter, the White Sox still needs some pitching depth, a right fielder, and a second baseman. It just so happens the Athletics have a few viable solutions on their roster.

Matt Chapman

Adding a player like Matt Chapman would be amazing for the Chicago White Sox.

Matt Chapman is the best player on the A’s roster. He has been manning the hot corner for the A’s for five seasons and has turned himself into arguably the best third baseman in the American League.

While the White Sox don’t need a third baseman, their current third baseman, Yoan Moncada started his tenure at the White Sox at second base. If the White Sox acquired Chapman they could shift Moncada back to second to plug the hole there.

Chapman is a three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time Platinum Glove winner, and a 2019 All-Star. He finished sixth in the MVP voting that season. He is also under team control for two more seasons via arbitration so he fits into the White Sox contention window. Oakland is trying to shed salary and the White Sox has the assets to get a deal done. Because he is under team control for two more seasons, Chapman will fetch the A’s a high price if traded.

Chapman is coming off a “down year” that saw him hit .210/.314/.403. However, he did hit 27 home runs and his walk rate shot up to 12.9%. But his strikeout rate was a whopping 32.5%, by far the highest of his career. Despite the downtick in production, he still posted a wRC+ of 101 which is above the league average. He also had a 3.4 fWAR which is very good but half of the 6.7 and 6.1 he posted in 2019 and 2020.

The slight drop in production and high strikeout rate means his trade value has dipped so now is the time to strike while the iron is hot. It will probably cost the White Sox a player like Garret Crochet, Andrew Vaughn, Micheal Kopech, or a few prospects.

But if the White Sox acquire Chapman the ceiling they would have is tremendous. Chapman is an elite player that would immediately provide them a defensive upgrade ( which is saying something because Yoan Moncada had a stellar season defensively) and offensive pop.

Sean Manaea

Sean Manaea would be perfect for the Chicago White Sox pitching staff.

Sean Manaea has been a productive pitcher since entering the big leagues in 2016. He has a career ERA of 3.86 in 727 innings pitched. He is holding opponents to a .249 batting average. Manaea will be 30 years old next season.

He dealt with shoulder surgery in 2018 that knocked him out most of the 2019 season while he was rehabbing so his arm doesn’t have too many major league miles on it. Since returning from surgery, Manaea hasn’t missed a beat. He has a 24.8% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate, and 43.8% ground ball rate. The high ground ball rate would play well in Guaranteed Rate Field.

Last season, he posted a 3.91 ERA with 194 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP. In 2021 he also led the MLB with two complete-game shutouts. Manaea established himself as the A’s number one starter. However, he is in the final year of arbitration so he is due for a massive pay raise this offseason. For that reason, the A’s are likely going to try and flip him for prospects.

Manea would give the White Sox the starting pitching depth they need. Paired with Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dylan Cease, Manaea would be the perfect replacement for Carlos Rodon while also giving Tony La Russa insurance if Dallas Keuchel has another down year or Micheal Kopech doesn’t pan out as a starter.

Manaea would also be a one-year rental so the White Sox could capitalize on their championship window with an established starter while still allowing Kopech to be the starter of the future. With a bullpen that needs all the help, they can get it would not be the worse thing to see Kopech pitch a few more innings out of the pen. Because he is a rental pitcher, he would not come with a steep asking price either.