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

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.