6 players the Chicago White Sox must deal before the MLB trade deadline
The Chicago White Sox are unlikely to deal big names such as Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. They should move these six veterans to help with the rebuild of this team.
The Chicago White Sox are expected to be big time sellers before the July 30th trade deadline. When a teams is 50-plus games below .500, being a seller is to be expected.
However, it is looking like the White Sox will not trade star pitcher Garrett Crochet after he neither confirmed nor denied a report of his desire of a contract extension from any team that acquires him if he is to pitch in October.
It is looking highly unlikely that star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. will be dealt since the Sox value him so highly relative to how the market views him. Contenders might not be willing to pay a high price for a player who has had just one great season and is injury prone.
The Sox still must trade these five veterans to get something of value to rebuild this horrendous roster.
Erick Fedde
Since trading Crochet seems unlikely, the Sox must move Fedde who could be the best starting pitcher available.
Unless the Detroit Tigers trade Cy Young contender Tarik Skubal, Fedde's 2.6 fWAR makes him more valuable than the Tigers Jack Flaherty.
Fedde is arguably the best free-agent signing of the past offseason. His career went so badly with the Washington Nationals that he had to go to Korea to salvage his career. His return to MLB has proven to be special.
Signed to a two-year deal that pays $7.5 million each season makes him a dream for small market contenders such as the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians.
Plus, Fedde is the one trade asset the Sox have that should get them a bat that projects to be impactful in the big leagues.
The White Sox do not have to trade him since he is under club control for next season. If they want to get a foundational piece and maximize his trade value, he must be dealt before the deadline.
Tommy Pham
The veteran outfielder was signed just as the season started. He was brought in to bring some wisdom to the Sox younger players and then be flipped at the deadline.
He is having a solid season and should recoup a solid, young prospect from a contender. The issue is the return might not be what the White Sox front office is looking for. Last year, the New York Mets got a very young prospect with immense potential but is years away from the majors.
The Sox are rumored to be interested in positional bats with upside at Double-A or Triple-A. The White Sox farm system could use a bat with a higher ceiling rather than a hitter who has a ceiling of just being good enough to be in the big leagues.
Pham should at least deliver that prospect.
Michael Kopech
A couple of weeks ago, Kopech was blowing saves and was looking like prime non-tender candidate. He switched agents to Scott Boras and suddenly he is getting outs rather easily. Maybe Boras convinced Kopech the only way Kopech will have a career is to stop trying to throw the ball harder and throw his slider and cutter a bit more often.
Kopech only has one year left of club control and you never know when he will go back to just trying to overpower hitters rather than pitch to get them out.
Since he can throw serious heat, a contender is going to want him in his bullpen especially this recent version of him. While there are questions about how he can mentally handle being a closer or being thrown into a title race, he has proven over his career he can handle a seventh or eighth-inning role.
He did great in 2021 in that role and would probably deliver the same results for whoever trades for him.
Paul DeJong
He is leading the Sox in home runs and can be a valuable bench piece for a contender. If he rediscovers his defense, he can be even more valuable to a team.
He is also on a one-year deal, and since he has some trade value, the Sox should get something for him rather than lose him for nothing.
Chris Flexen
He might not be good enough to start a playoff game. What he can add to a contender like say the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brewers, or the Guardians is the chance to be a solid No. 5 starter at a rock-bottom price.
Flexen is going to pitch himself into trouble, but during most of his starts, he has been able to get out of them with minimal damage.
The running into trouble is the risk he carries despite him only making a bit over $1 million. Flexen has shown this season he can be an effective long reliever.
Providing depth to a starting rotation for contenders that have seen their rotations banged up might be worth sending the White Sox a scratch-off prospect or a young pitcher who projects to be a reliever.
John Brebbia
Brebbia is having a rough July and had a bad May. He still could have some trade value as he was outstanding June with a 1.32 ERA.
Brebbia's season is the personification of bullpen pitchers in that they are like volatile stocks. You want buy low and sell high and sometimes you have to ride the big ups and the huge downs.
Plus, Brebbia is a veteran who a contender might be interested in adding to help cover low-leverage situations down the stretch. He could be a good depth piece for any contender's bullpen.
While his return might be nothing more than a scratch-off prospect or a younger pitcher who projects to possibly be a bullpen arm, it beats the Sox declining his mutual option in the offseason and losing him for nothing and the cost of a buyout.
Plus, adding a young pitcher who can be a potential bullpen arm is great way of roster construction for the White Sox. One thing that killed last decade's rebuild was the front office spent a bulk of the limited financial resources they had on bullpen arms. That left no money to solve eternal problems in the lineup at second base and right field.
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