3 possible Chicago White Sox trade packages for Frankie Montas
A Major League Baseball team changes at least a little bit from year to year. The 93-69 Chicago White Sox have some few changes that were made and they still have a few things to address throughout the 2022 season. One of the biggest areas is the starting rotation.
Carlos Rodon has moved on to the San Francisco Giants. After being a top-five American League pitcher in 2021, they let him walk for nothing. It wasn’t the brightest move after the two parties stayed loyal to each other through thick and thin up to that point.
In his place is going to be Michael Kopech. He is one of the most talented pitchers the White Sox have ever had at a young age but he needs to prove himself. His arm talent should help get it done but that doesn’t fix the back end of the rotation in full anyway.
Dallas Keuchel had a miserable 2021 season. Things did not go his way and it is hard to think of him as a trusted starter going into 2022. He is going to try and prove everyone wrong but until he does, it is fair to doubt him. Reynaldo Lopez and Vince Velasquez are also options but they don’t instill the most confidence either.
The Chicago White Sox could really use one more starter for thier rotation.
The Chicago White Sox would have loved to add a starter like Sean Manaea from the Oakland A’s but he is off the table now. Oakland traded him to the San Diego Padres. However, Manaea wasn’t the only starter to acquire from the A’s.
Frankie Montas is someone to consider if the White Sox does want to add one more starter. He used to be with the Chicago White Sox before they traded him over to the A’s in the three-team trade that landed the White Sox Todd Frazier. If they want Montas back, one of these three deals might get it done:
There is a player that the Chicago White Sox might be able to involve in a one-for-one.
The Chicago White Sox could really use a pitcher like Frankie Montas. If there was a player that the Oakland A’s could consider a one-for-one trade, it would be Gavin Sheets. He is a big left-handed bat that might be able to play multiple positions if asked.
Sheets earned his call up to the White Sox in 2021 after he lit AAA on fire to start the year. It was incredible for him as he really played well once he made it to the show. He is one of the better left-handed bats that the White Sox have in the organization.
Defensively, he is a first baseman by nature but nobody is taking that job from Jose Abreu while he is there. He has had some time as a DH and in right field which makes him a bit more versatile than a typical first baseman.
With the White Sox, he might not get as many at-bats as he would with a rebuilding team. If he went to the A’s he would fit in perfectly. They traded away Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves so Sheets could step right in and be the first baseman every day.
He would get an insane rep increase playing on a team like that. This is a deal that could work out for both teams as the White Sox need a pitcher and the A’s need a young version of pretty much every position on the diamond.
The Oakland A’s could land another Chicago White Sox former first-round pick.
The Chicago White Sox don’t have the best history of all time when it comes to making trades with the Oakland A’s. Studs like Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, and Frankie Montas all made their way there when the White Sox should have just kept them and developed them.
This is a chance for the White Sox to make one of those trades right. Frankie Montas coming back here in 2022 would really help their rotation take another step. He would just fill in for Lance Lynn at the moment until he comes back from injury.
However, when Lynn returns, it would be a loaded rotation with those two, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Michael Kopech. That is why trading a former first-round pick and a young pitcher would be totally worth it for the Sox.
Jake Burger and Jimmy Lambert could both probably use a change of scenery. Burger is incredibly easy to root for because of his injury history and how he has managed to return. It is just a shame because there isn’t really anywhere for him to play on the MLB roster for right now. If he went to the A’s, we’d really be able to see what he can do.
For Lambert, he is a young pitcher that has MLB experience. He is currently listed as the 16th ranked guy in the White Sox system but he keeps falling. He might need a team like the A’s to take him on as a reclamation project. They have time for that with their pending rebuild while the White Sox don’t. For that reason, this could be a trade that is good for the teams and players.
Micker Adolfo might be better off if the Chicago White Sox traded him away.
The Chicago White Sox have done a tremendous job developing prospects but a few of them have gone at a different pace. One of them is Micker Adolfo who dealt with some injuries early in his Minor League career. He stayed healthy in 2021 and dominated in both AA and AAA.
Now, he looks like he could be a guy that deserves a shot to play Major League Baseball. If the White Sox keep him, there is a good chance that he makes the team when they break camp. He is out of Minor League options so chances are that they either have him on the team or trade him. It would be foolish to lose him for nothing.
If he were traded to the Oakland A’s, however, he could play in their outfield for most of this season if he stays healthy and performs well. He isn’t playing over Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, or AJ Pollock right now so it would be a good idea for him.
He probably wouldn’t even play over Andrew Vaughn or Gavin Sheets at this point. That doesn’t mean that he is a bad player either. The White Sox are just very deep and have a lot of players to fit on a small roster.
Jared Kelley is a fireballing prospect who was considered a first-round talent that fell to the second when the White Sox drafted him in 2020. He still has amazing pure stuff but his numbers weren’t good in his first-year pro (2021) at all.
He has a very good fastball with high velocity and run along with a changeup that he works well off of. If he develops his slider a bit better and controls all of his pitches to the best of his ability, he could become a good Major League pitcher one day. This is the perfect pitcher for an organization like the Oakland A’s right now.
It is going to be interesting if the White Sox actually consider a deal like this. Montas is a great pitcher that would fit in on this team so nicely. There are plenty of innings in need of pitchers right now and he would be perfect. Even when October comes he could be very useful. One of these three trades would be worth it.
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