3 players the White Sox may trade at the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings
The Chicago White Sox may trade some fan favorites at the Winter Meetings
There are going to be some big changes made to the Chicago White Sox after their abysmal 61-101 season that they just completed in 2023. They weren't bad on purpose with a brighter future in mind. They wanted to be good and were anything but so that is why there is this massive overhaul coming.
Chris Getz is the new man in charge and there have already been a few changes made. Guys like Tim Anderson, Elvis Andrus, Liam Hendriks, and Yasmani Grandal won't be brought back.
They have already traded Aaron Bummer as well so the core of the team is already in transition. That is especially true after Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn were dealt at the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline. It hasn't been easy and there are still more tough decisions to come.
The Winter Meetings are going to kick off next week. The White Sox are certainly not going there to be one of the big-time buyers. However, they might want to make big trades to improve their future. These are three big-time names that could be moved:
Eloy Jimenez is a big bat that could be moved at the Winter Meetings
If another team in Major League Baseball were smart, they'd be all over Eloy Jimenez. He could low-key be one of the top bats available at all this off-season.
There are going to be some names that switch teams that may have bigger "money value" than Jimenez but they might not be as good.
Jimenez's only problem is his health. He has had big-time injuries or health issues that caused him to miss a large number of games in every season except 2020. That was also a short 60-game season so he didn't have time to get hurt that year.
Throughout his career, his numbers are very good when he's on the field. He has a career slash line of .275/.324/.487 for an OPS of .811. He has 89 home runs, 275 RBIs, and 208 runs scored over his 436 games played.
He is worth the risk for a contender. If the White Sox are serious about moving him, they better be getting a really nice return. A team's top-three prospect should absolutely be in play otherwise they should just keep him. He can be a consequential hitter every day if he stays healthy.
Dylan Cease is a name that big-time teams are targeting right now
There is a large market for starting pitching in Major League Baseball. That is never going to change. We see with teams like the White Sox how bad pitching can cause you to have one of the worst seasons in franchise history. They were 26/30 in team ERA at 4.87.
You are certainly not going to win a division if your rotation is that bad. We also saw the opposite end of the spectrum in the playoffs. The pitching on the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers led them to the World Series.
Of course, it helps pitchers to have an offense that supplements their work well. Dylan Cease certainly doesn't have that luxury with the White Sox. As a result, a new team might allow him to get back to the dominance that he showed in 2022.
In that crazy 2022 season, he came in second place for the AL Cy Young thanks to his 2.20 ERA, 14-8 record, and 227 strikeouts in 184.0 innings pitched. If it weren't for Justin Verlander having one of the greatest seasons ever, he would have won.
2023 was always going to see some regression but it turned into a major letdown. He went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA. He did have 214 strikeouts in 117.0 innings pitched so he was still missing bats. He wasn't horrible but it wasn't close to the year before.
He had a very strong finish (5 earned runs over his final four starts) so teams might look at that as a positive when thinking about trading for a cost-controlled pitcher with high upside. It looked like he was going to be traded last deadline but it never happened.
Now, you can expect it to possibly happen at the Winter Meetings instead. It would honestly be shocking to see him in a White Sox uniform on Opening Day.
Luis Robert Jr. is someone that teams are going to try and land in a trade
There are a lot of people who would hate if the Chicago White Sox traded Luis Robert Jr and rightfully so. He is one of the most gifted athletes in the history of the franchise.
Earlier in the off-season, they mentioned Robert as the one player that they don't want to trade. That makes no sense after a 61-101 season though because nothing should be off the table following a year like that.
He was also healthy over a full season for the first time in his career. He showed what he can do when fully healthy as he was a borderline MVP candidate.
He ended up coming in 12th place for the award thanks to his .264/.315/.542 slash line, .857 OPS, 38 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 90 runs scored. Between that, his elite defense, and his WAR of 5.0, the White Sox have a truly elite player here.
With all that in mind, what if he gets really hurt again? Then all of his trade value is gone. This doesn't mean that the White Sox will or should trade Robert Jr. but it should mean that they consider it over the Winter Meetings. They'd be smart to see what kinds of offers are out there.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark