1 player from each NL West team for the White Sox to trade for

All signs are pointing to Spring Training being delayed. Meanwhile hopes that the regular season will start on time are also dwindling. Chicago White Sox fans are left to sit idly by to wait and see if Rick Hahn will make any upgrades once the lockout ends.

Once the work stoppage ends the best way for Hahn to address these needs may be via the trade market. In honor of the Super Bowl, we will visit the West Coast and see what trades the White Sox could potentially make in the National League West.

The National League West is one of the toughest divisions in baseball. It has three teams that can be viewed as serious World Series contenders in the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres. All three teams could use a high-profile reliever like Craig Kimbrel.

The Chicago White Sox and the NL West teams mostly make sense for a trade.

The Dodgers seem to be the perennial favorites in the National League. They won the World Series in 2020 and fell just short in the NLCS in 2021.

The Giants were one of baseball’s biggest surprises in 2021. They owned the best record in baseball with a 107-55 mark. They will be looking to build off of that in 2022.

The Padres drastically underperformed last season, finishing with a mediocre 79-83 record. With newly appointed manager Bob Melvin at the helm and a star-studded cast that includes Frenando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, and Blake Snell, the Padres are looking to right the ship.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to rebuild and will be selling off their assets. This makes the National League West a good division to test the trade market in for some potential upgrades. With that in mind, here is one trade the White Sox could make with each team in the National League West:

San Francisco Giants

The Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants could really each use a trade.

The Giants had a very good bullpen in 2021. Tyler Roger and Jake McGee were both solid relievers. However, neither of them is the same caliber of closer as Craig Kimbrel. By adding Kimbrel the Giants would have lots of flexibility in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings leading up to Kimbrel.

When playing a deep roster like the Dodgers, matchups will be crucial for the Giants in the National League pennant race. The Giants have a large sum of money coming off the books this winter so they have the room to take on Kimbrel’s $16 million contract.

The Giants have some good outfield depth in their organization. At the Major League level, they have Darin Ruf, LaMonte Wade Jr., Steven Duggar, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Dean, and Austin Slater. If the White Sox want to continue adding to their farm system, which is currently ranked last in baseball, Hunter Bishop could be a target.

Bishop is an all-around athlete. He committed to play football at Washington then changed course and decided to go to Arizona State to play baseball. During his junior year with the Sun Devils, he rose up the draft board with a .342 batting average, .479 on-base percentage, and .748 slugging percentage. He also had 22 home runs and 12 stolen bases in just 57 games.

The Giants drafted him 10th overall in 2019 and he is currently the sixth-ranked prospect in their farm system according to MLB.com. He has a high strikeout rate at the professional level thus far but has a 26 percent walk rate, which makes the strikeouts easier to swallow. Unlike most power hitters, he has blazing speed. He has the chance to be a 30-30 player.

Los Angeles Dodgers

It would be interesting to see the Chicago White Sox make a trade with the LA Dodgers.

The Dodgers longtime closer Kenley Jansen is set to hit free agency. If the Dodgers choose not to resign him, they will be in the market for a closer so Craig Kimbrel could be in play.

Despite a horrendous second half with the White Sox, Kimbrel is a statistically better closer than Jansen. The Dodgers have never been afraid to spend money so Kimbrel’s contract likely won’t scare them off either.

Because the Dodgers are gunning for a World Series, realistically the best the White Sox can do in a trade is try and restock their depleted farm system. A potential option is Michael Busch.

Busch is the highest-rated second baseman in the Dodgers farm system. His estimated arrival time in the big leagues is 2022. With Gavin Lux and Jorbit Vivas blocking him on the depth chart, the Dodgers can afford to part ways with him.

Busch is a refined hitter who could easily be inserted into the White Sox lineup. He was one of the best hitters in college baseball heading into the 2019 draft where he was selected 31st. At North Carolina, he showed great patience at the plate and that has transferred to the professional level.

He had a .386 OPB in 2021 to go along with 20 home runs. His defense could use some work, however. According to MLB.com, the Dodgers were impressed with his defensive improvements last season. He could be the White Sox answer at second base.

San Diego Padres

Things haven’t always gone well for the Chicago White Sox with the San Diego Padres.

The Padres could use some bullpen help. Mark Melancon declined his player option to test the market. Drew Pomeranz was good last year but his late-season injures are a cause for concern. Other options for the closer role are Robert Suarez, Luis Garcia, and Pierce Johnson.

Suarez had 42 saves for the Hanshin Tigers and throws 100 mph but is an unknown commodity. He may be better served in a setup role.

Luis Garcia is another hard thrower but has been plagued with inconsistency his past several seasons. Pierce Johnson owns an impressive 11.9 K/9 in his past two years but walks far too many batters to be considered the closer.

Craig Kimbrel would be a good stabilizing force in the backend of their bullpen. Meanwhile, the White Sox could use some starting pitching depth. The Padres have an embarrassment of riches in their starting rotation.

It is headlined by Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. They also have Mike Clevinger and young arms in Dinelson Lamet and MacKenzie Gore. They also agreed to a prelockout deal with Nick Martinez. That makes a player like Chris Paddack expendable.

Paddack is still young and under team control. He is coming off a rough 2021 campaign. He struggled to the tune of a 5.07 ERA. During his rookie campaign, he had a 3.33 ERA in 26 games. He held opponents to a .204 batting average and stuck out 153 strikeouts. He also had an impressive 0.98 WHIP. It may be worth rolling the dice to see if Paddack can return to form.

Colorado Rockies

The host of the All-Star Game could make a trade with the Chicago White Sox.

The Rockies are not winning anything anytime soon. They play in the toughest division in the National League and their best player Trevor Story is on his way out the door. A full-scale rebuild seems like it is in the cards for the Rockies.

If that is the case, the White Sox should try and swing a trade for Charlie Blackmon. Blackmon is 35 years old and on the back nine of his career. However, he could provide a good stop gap in right field while the White Sox try and contend. That would also allow them to wait for Oscar Colas and Yolquei Cespedes to develop.

He just exercised his club option to stay with the Rockies but if the White Sox were to trade for him, they would not be tied down long term.

Blackmon is a four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and 2017 batting champion. Last season, he hit .270 with 13 home runs and 78 RBIs proving he is still a potent offensive weapon. Since his rookie season, he has hit .270 or higher every season with a lifetime .300 batting average.

While he is up there in age, his defense is still serviceable. He does not have the range he once did but is sure-handed. With Luis Robert in center field, he would not be asked to cover that much ground. During his 11 year career, he has only made seven errors while playing right field. Blackmon would be an excellent option to solve the White Sox problem in the corner outfield.