Cincinnati Reds
The White Sox would have received infielders Sal Stewart and Cam Collier, pitcher Julian Aguiar, and outfielder Mike Sirota.
Another package that would be comparable to what the White Sox got from Boston, especially when it comes to top-100 talent. However, both Stewart and Collier are lower down the top-100 list.
Both are former first-round picks. The difference is Boston was able to send Teel, who is at Triple-A. Steward and Collier are both at A-ball, so there would be a longer wait with these two headlining the deal. Whereas, Teel might be up by midseason in 2025 and Montgomery is projected to be a fast riser too.
Still, a great return as Stewart had a .845 OPS at High-A. Collier comes with strikeout concerns, but he is still young enough to learn some patience at the plate.
Aguiar started seven games for the Reds during his cup of coffee with the big-league team. He posted a 6.25 ERA in seven starts. He did have a 3.38 ERA in 13 starts at Double-A. He had a 1.21 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A.
Sirota was the Reds' third-round pick this year and did not officially play in the Complex League. The Reds would have given as close to an equal return as what the Sox got from Boston.
Philadelphia Phillies
This will always be the great what-if as there were reports the Phillies were willing to trade their top prospect, Aidan Miller. However, the Sox demanded Philadelphi's second-best prospect, pitcher Andrew Painter, to be included.
The Phillies refused to give up those two who are ranked among the top 35 prospects in all of baseball.
The Phillies went hard after Garrett Crochet in the summer but weren’t interested this week in parting with the sort of prospect package the White Sox wanted.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) December 11, 2024
Dave Dombrowski provided several reasons why.https://t.co/uKNSQfpIYl
Still, the Phillies could have sent shortstop Starlyn Caba, catcher Eduardo Tait, outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., and infielder Aroon Escobar. That would have been an impressive return.
Caba is a top-100 prospect, but he is at A-ball. The same goes for Tait. While both have tremendous upside, it will be a while for them to get to the big leagues.
Rincones Jr. has really good power and Escobar is also another very young prospect with impressive upside.
The difference is Boston had three players who are closer to the big leagues, and Philadelphia could only offer one. It sounds like the Sox took the safe deal instead of the risky one.