The Chicago White Sox must add a few prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from being available in December's Rule 5 Draft before today's 6 p.m. EST deadline.
The biggest prospect the White Sox must add is top-hitting prospect Colson Montgomery as he qualifies for Rule 5 Draft eligibility.
Montgomery struggled to hit Triple-A pitching, but he did have an OPS over .700 and belted 18 home runs. He also had a strong September and played well in the Arizona Fall League. There is still hope he can hit his ceiling, which is being a Corey Seager-like hitting shortstop.
However, hitting .214 at a hitter-friendly ballpark does give off Paul DeJong vibes.
Montgomery is still considered a top 100 prospect and with a new director of hitting, Ryan Fuller, to work with him, the hope is he can still hit his ceiling. That is why it is a no-brainer he gets added to the 40-man roster.
The Sox only have a few more spots to work with when it comes to adding prospects they want to protect from the Rule 5 Draft.
That is because they are signing outfielder Austin Slater, and if Montgomery is added, that puts the 40-man at 38 players.
The front office could open up some roster flexibility by, say, non-tendering Gavin Sheets or out-righting non-productive depth players such as Braden Shewmake or Oscar Colas.
FutureSox.net's James Fox believes the White Sox must protect four more players ahead of tonight's deadline.
Pitchers such as Juan Carela, Anthony Hoopii-Tuioneotoa, and Trey McGough might be three arms a team could take a gamble on as being a cheap way to get some bullpen help.
These are three pitchers whose ceilings scream being able to help a White Sox bullpen that needs an upgrade after how many leads it blew.
Carela is rated as the White Sox's 26th-best prospect. Hoopii-Tuioneotoa came to the White Sox in the Robbie Grossman trade with Texas while McGough came over in the Eloy Jimenez deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
Hoopii-Tuioneotoa was briefly considered a White Sox top 30 prospect before some draft prospects dropped him out of that ranking.
Outfielder Wilfred Veras is another one Fox lists as a prospect the Sox must protect. MLB Pipeline describes him as having the best raw power in the White Sox farm system. He hit 16 home runs for Double-A Birmingham and helped the Barons win the Southern League championship.
Veras is considered the Sox's 25th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The White Sox could roll the dice and not protect him, considering he would have to stay at the big-league level if he is selected in the Rule 5 draft and he has yet to reach Triple-A.
Pitchers can usually make the leap from Double-A to the big leagues, but for hitters, it is a whole different animal.
Still, it would make sense to protect a 22-year-old outfielder with incredible power who is at least getting closer to a big-league debut, especially since the team plans on using their prospects and future draft picks to build the next competitive team.