3 players the White Sox must trade this off-season
The Chicago White Sox are a bad team. Even the off-season is giving fans very little hope because of how they have operated over the last handful of years.
Things are going to get worse before they get better which is brutal to think about. Chris Getz is going to try and prove everyone wrong but he would have to pull off a miracle.
One thing he might try is getting rid of some good players in order to return younger players who have more control. There are a few good players that other teams would love to add.
If they can get a great return for these guys, these are the three players that they should trade during the off-season:
1. Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease is a great baseball player that the White Sox should move.
It really did look like Dylan Cease was going to be traded at the deadline. It felt like the Baltimore Orioles were one of the many teams at the top of the list trying to get him. It turned out that the White Sox kept him and he finished the year on this atrocious team.
Cease wasn't very good in the second half right after the deadline. However, he did have a strong finish so there are still going to be teams that want him. After his runner-up for the Cy Young season in 2022, it is clear that he has an incredible ceiling in this league.
Cease is an elite talent in this league and it would be hard to see him go because of one disappointing season. However, if teams are giving up a lot for him, it must be done.
2. Tim Anderson
The Chicago White Sox very well could trade Tim Anderson this winter.
Tim Anderson has an option this off-season so the Chicago White Sox have a decision to make. They could choose not to take it and let him walk in free agency. They could, however, pick it up and then trade him so that they don't lose him for nothing.
There might be a lot of teams that will only trade him if he agrees to be a second baseman. That is on Tim Anderson to decide as he may not want to make that move. He may be forced to though based on his play over the last year.
For a long time, Tim Anderson was the face of the franchise. That literally went up until this season too so it is one of the farthest falls from grace we've ever seen on the south side. Off-the-field things have played into this but he also went from being an elite hitter to a bad hitter in just a few months.
If a team is willing to take the chance on Anderson, the White Sox should do it. They should pick up his option anyway because there is a chance that he will build his value back up in 2024 so teams are more likely to want him at the trade deadline. White Sox fans wish things were different but 2023 was that eye-opening.
3. Andrew Vaughn
Andrew Vaughn has to be someone that the White Sox consider moving.
Andrew Vaughn is a good baseball player. He also has been better than Jose Abreu this season who left first base open for Vaughn by taking a contract with the Houston Astros. He had the best year of his career in 2023 despite playing for a bad team.
Despite all of these nice things said about Andrew Vaughn, he was underwhelming in 2023. He was expected to become the best hitter on this team but he really wasn't close to being that guy. Jake Burger outperformed him and he was traded to the Miami Marlins at the deadline.
Now, the White Sox should consider trading Andrew Vaughn. There are absolutely some teams that would give up something to get a good young hitter like Vaughn. That team that potentially acquires him also didn't use a third overall pick on him so they would not feel underwhelmed by him with his current production.
Like the other two players on the list, it would be tough to see him go to another team. Considering where this team was two years ago, it is straight-up sad. We can only hope that if they do make trades like that, they get some help for the future in return.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark