The Chicago White Sox started the offseason off with a bang when they swung a trade with the Braves that sent Aaron Bummer out of town in exchange for five players. Given that general manager Chris Getz has already declared that every player on Chicago's roster is available for the right price and the White Sox's desire to lower their payroll, that deal is very unlikley to be the last trade they make.
The most important part of this equation from the White Sox's perspective is finding the right trade partners. Half the league would love to have Dylan Cease on their roster, Eloy Jimenez's upside will get plenty of interest, and basically every team should want Luis Robert Jr. However, matching up with a team that has the prospects that could help the White Sox in the future is a bit more challenging.
Here are 7 teams that match up really well with the White Sox on trades this offseason
No trade partner is going to be perfect because, well, other MLB teams are mostly pretty smart. In a perfect world, Chicago would find someone in love with one of Cease/Robert Jr./Jimenez and that team also has a top notch farm system that they are willing to clean out for their guy. Rather than hoping for that, the goal here instead is in identifying teams that have strong farm systems and that also have corresponding needs that the White Sox can help address while generally avoiding division foes, no more or less. Here are some of the best trade partners for the White Sox this offseason.
Orioles
The Orioles are coming off a very impressive 2023 season where they won the brutally difficult AL East. Given how young that team is, the American League should be spooked by the fact that they already have a 101 win season under their belts with more help coming from the minor leagues. However, their early exit from the playoffs highlighted the fact that Baltimore needs starting pitching and that is where the White Sox come in.
Dylan Cease is going to remain a topic of conversation every single day until he is traded. In terms of rotation arms that are readily available on the trade market, Cease is at the top of the list. However, Baltimore is one of the few teams that has the prospect depth to make a strong offer for Cease given that he still has two years of team control while also not torpedoing their own future too much. Assuming that the Orioles are serious about wanting to be aggressive during this competitive window of theirs, this trade pairing makes a ton of sense.