White Sox trade packages to acquire an Oakland A’s starter
While Chicago White Sox fans are all eagerly awaiting to see the Dallas Keuchel and Vince Velasquez combination, it is safe to say the starting rotation could still use some help.
Rick Hahn told the media that Micheal Kopech battled illness during the offseason which affected his build-up during the offseason. As a result, he will be on a “managed workload” to start the season. Kopech was expected to take Carlos Rodon’s spot in the rotation.
Seeing that the White Sox don’t know how many innings they can get out of Kopech and Velasquez/Keuchel each sported ERA’s north of 5.00 last season, some insurance would be nice.
The Oakland Athletics are having a fire sale. Athletics general manager David Frost already shipped out Chris Bassitt and Matt Olson. More pieces from the rotation could be next.
Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are names that stand out for the White Sox.
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 and 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. Since returning from surgery, Manaea hasn’t missed a beat. He owns 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.
He posted a 4.50 ERA in 2020 but lowered it back to 3.91 in 2021. Last season, he also accumulated 194 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP, while leading 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 and probably get him for cheap.
Meanwhile, Frankie Montas also owns a solid track record. The hard-throwing right-hander has a 3.86 career ERA in his 102 big league appearances.
Montas posted a 13-9 record last season and owned a 3.37 ERA. That was the fifth-best mark in the American League He proved to be durable as well, leading the American League with 32 starts.
That wasn’t the only accolade Montas collected last season. He also was named AL Pitcher of the Month in September. His 207 strikeouts were also good enough for fourth-best in the AL. He finished sixth in the Cy Young voting.
Montas’s career began with the White Sox in 2015 before getting traded. After coming off his best season to date, his price tag figures to be a bit higher than Manaea’s. Here are possible trades the White Sox could make to acquire one of them:
Sean Manaea is someone that the Chicago White Sox should consider via a trade.
Sean Manaea looks like someone that should be pitching for the White Sox. His long hair and rough-looking beard scream South Sider.
The White Sox do not have many assets in the farm system so they need to be careful when doing a deal with Oakland. Chirs Bassitt was the ace of the A’s last season. The Mets gave up J.T Ginn and Adam Oller for Bassitt’s services.
Ginn seems to be the most valuable piece in the deal. The 22-year old had a 3.33 ERA in two levels of Class A ball last season. Meanwhile, Oller had a 3.45 ERA between stints in Double-A and Triple-A. However, he is already 27 years old.
Seeing that is all the Mets gave up and Manaea only has one year before free agency the price should be fairly reasonable. A possibility for the White Sox is a trade package that includes Jake Burger and Andrew Dalquist.
Burger is major league ready but is blocked by the White Sox current infield, making him expendable. As a former first-round pick, Burger is an intriguing piece for any team to add. He has strength and good bat speed.
During his first taste of big-league action, he was solid. He slashed .263/.333/.474 with five extra-base hits in 38 at-bats.
Dalquist is a 21-year-old right-hander that can reach the mid-90s. He was drafted out of high school and is very polished for his age. In 2021, he had a 4.99 ERA in 83 innings. However, he only allowed one home run and struck out 79 hitters. The pair should be enough to acquire a one-year rental in Manaea.
Frankie Montas would be a great addition to the Chicago White Sox rotation.
For the same reasons mentioned above Jake Burger seems like a logical piece to throw into a deal. The Athletics are on the verge of trading Matt Chapman and already lost Josh Harrison in free agency. Burger is MLB ready and can play second base or third.
Jared Kelly and Norge Vera are two other names that could be included. Montas isn’t a free agent until 2024 but is arbitration-eligible in 2023. He is set to make $5,200,000 next season and could be in for a pay raise if he performs well. That would be a price the White Sox would be happy to pay if it results in Montas helping them capture a pennant.
Because of his extra year of control, his price is slightly higher than Manaea’s. Kelly is a 20-year-old right-hander with a very lively arm. His numbers were ugly during his first professional season but his raw talent is undeniable.
He dominated in high school and was arguably the best high school pitcher in the country. He was named Gatorade’s National Player of the Year, after striking out 34 batters in 12 innings without surrendering a hit in during the spring of 2020. His fastball sits around 96 mph but he has been clocked at 98.
Norge Vera was just signed by the White Sox in February His father, Norge Luis Vera, was a decorated international pitcher who has a gold medal and two silvers in three Olympic appearances.
Vera seems to have inherited his father’s talent. The 21-year-old was considered the top pitcher in the international class in 2020-21. At 6 foot 4, he has all the tools to be an. an imposing figure in the mound.
His fastball sits around 94 mph. Scouts consider his curveball as his best-offspeed pitch. It has solid movement and serves as a nice change of pace at 70 mph. However, his low-80s slider is also very polished. He needs a lot more seasoning in the minors before being major league ready but he has a tantalizing arm that should be attractive to multiple teams.
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