3 players who will become available for trade if White Sox stay out of contention
The Chicago White Sox are not having a good year up to this point. They have spurts where they look like the contender that they are supposed to be but they are falling out of contention quickly.
There are a lot of reasons for this. The management group, ownership, and the group of players haven't done what is needed to be done in order to be a winner.
If the White Sox aren't in playoff contention by the trade deadline, there are a few players that could get a lot of interest from other teams around the league.
Contenders might pay a fair amount to acquire one of these three Chicago White Sox players if they become available:
1. Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito is having a bounce back year and could end up being traded.
The Chicago White Sox have had some great moments with Lucas Giolito. He was a top ten (or better) starter in the American League in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
In 2022, he struggled and it soured a lot of people. For whatever reason, he didn't get the benefit of the doubt for one below-average year in the middle of a bunch of really good years. It happens sometimes.
He had a lot to prove in 2023 and has done so. At this point in time, he is the best pitcher in the starting rotation. He has even outpitched Dylan Cease through the middle of May.
Now, he might get an opportunity with a new team. There are plenty of teams that believe they can win the World Series. Most of them would like to add a great starter to help them on that quest. Giolito will get interest from those teams if he is made available by the White Sox.
2. Liam Hendriks
Liam Hendriks is someone that can help any contender out in 2023.
Liam Hendriks, as you know by now, had the most challenging battle he's ever faced during the off-season. As he defeated cancer, he is now getting ready to return to Major League Baseball.
It has been a long time coming but he will certainly be back over the next few weeks. He has been working his way back in a baseball sense.
There is no way that Liam is happy to be working this hard to come back just to stick with a team that is going nowhere. The White Sox can do him a favor by moving him to an elite team if they stay out of contention ahead of the deadline.
Like Giolito, Hendriks is the type of player that will be highly coveted around that time of year. There are plenty of elite teams that can use a lockdown closer.
He was as good as any closer in the game ahead of his diagnosis and there is no reason to think he'll be anything but elite when he returns. He very well could be traded at some point.
3. Tim Anderson
A Tim Anderson trade would shake up the entire Major League world.
Tim Anderson is an elite player and has been for a very long time now. He dealt with some injury trouble in 2022 but he is usually the model of consistency.
Anderson is (when everything is going well for him) one of the best pure hitters in the game right now. His ability to reach base via a hit is unlike anything in the White Sox lineup. Although he gets a bad rap, a lot of stats support the fact that he is also a pretty good defensive shortstop as well.
The White Sox have never handed out a contract north of 100 million dollars. They are one of three teams that can say that (which is not a compliment). Tim is going to be someone commanding that kind of money and it feels unlikely that the White Sox are going to give it to him.
If they aren't, they need to trade him. There are plenty of teams out there who could use him in a variety of different ways. A team like the Los Angeles Dodgers would make a lot of sense. Maybe even one of these pitchers could be packaged with him in a blockbuster.
It is sad that we are talking about trading these guys instead of them retiring in White Sox colors but it is what it is. Unfortunately, this is the state of the franchise right now.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark