The everyday lineup should look like this for the Chicago White Sox after the MLB trade deadline
The Chicago White Sox need to plug a hole in the lineup at DH and 3B.
Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz traded away six veterans before yesterday's trade deadline.
He got an underwhelming return for his best trade asset that had the least amount of questions, starting pitcher Erick Fedde. He did not trade ace pitcher Garrett Crochet and star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. Those two could have been dealt to get young, impact bats.
They also had a lot of questions surrounding whether they were worth what it took to acquire them. It is why some think Getz had a terrible trade deadline.
Getz was able to find a team willing to give up an actual player in return for oft-injured slugger Eloy Jimenez. He even managed to get the Baltimore Orioles to pay the rest of his hefty salary.
There are now holes in the team's lineup after Getz also traded Paul DeJong, the team's leader in home runs.
The Sox offense is the worst in the baseball. The rest of the season should be used to evaluate young hitters to see if they can even cover some positions during the next two seasons as the team continues to develop the hitting prospects they have and draft some more.
This is who should be considered a starter in the batting lineup for the rest of this terrible 2024 season...
Korey Lee, Catcher
He has proven this season that he can at least reach his floor of being a good backup catcher. Edgar Quero is hitting well in the minors and is likely the long-term starter.
The Sox do not plan on bringing him up until next season so he can have a shot to win Rookie of the Year--and net the Sox an extra draft pick.
Andrew Vaughn, 1B
Some might prefer to see newly acquired Miguel Vargas play here. Vargas can also play left field. It is looking appearant that Vaughn is nothing more than a replacement-level player.
It would not be an issue if he was not heralded as a franchise cornerstone he was drafted so high.
Still, he provides power with 13 home runs and is still 26.
Lenyn Sosa/Nicky Lopez platoon, 2B
Sosa has failed to impress during his big-league stints. He has been demoted twice after he struggled in April and then did not drive the ball when he returned in June.
He is still 24 and he can be a much cheaper option to play there next season rather than Nicky Lopez. We know what Lopez can do. Sosa still has a little time, not much, on his side to prove he can be at least a younger, cheaper version of Nicky.
That is why you still play Lopez in a platoon with Sosa.
Brooks Baldwin, SS
The rookie got off to a rough start, but he flashed some potential in last weekend's series against the Seattle Mariners.
The youngster has hit well at every level of the minors. Top prospect Colson Montgomery will likely get the chance to start there next season. He is struggling to hit at Triple-A and hit velocity. That is why he will not likely be called up.
He might also need a couple more months next year in Charlotte before he is ready. It cannot hurt to see if Baldwin can cover shortstop until Montgomery is ready.
Bryan Ramos, 3B
The White Sox are trotting out Nick Senzel right now. He was once a highly thought of prospect from the MLB Pipeline 2017 top 100 prospect list that someone in the Sox front office is obsessed with adding players from there.
He is 29 while Ramos is 22 and the Sox' fourth-ranked prospect. Ramos showed promise during a brief call-up this season. He was not given a chance to see if he could adjust back once baseball adjusted to him.
While he is not raking at Triple-A, it would be nice to see him get another look to see if he is the answer at third base next season.
The team should not consider playing Yoan Moncada if he decides he is healthy enough to play. In fact, the team should announce he will never a Sox uniform ever again.
Miguel Vargas, LF
He was the headliner acquired in the underwhelming trade package from the Los Angeles Dodgers in that three-team deal that sent Fedde and Tommy Pham to the St. Louis Cardinals and Michael Kopech to the Dodgers.
Getz is high on Vargas and he has been a monster hitter when he is at Triple-A.
The hope is he gets at-bats to show he can make the jump from the minors to the bigs and live up to his immense potential.
Luis Robert Jr., CF
This is a no-brainer. He is the Sox' best positional player. The team could use him hitting better as he has been struggling since missing two months this season with an injury.
Dominic Fletcher, RF
It looks like the Sox are going to give him another shot after he started the year as the starter. The team gave up on him quickly when he struggled to start the season.
You could put Oscar Colas here, too. It looks like the club wants to see if Fletcher can drive the ball since Colas failed to hit the ball with power when he was up.
This has been a huge problem for the Sox lineup ever since Jermaine Dye retired in 2009. The team gave up a 21-year-old promising pitcher in the offseason to see if Fletcher can be an everyday player.
Andrew Benintendi/Gavin Sheets, DH
Benintendi is not fully healed from an Achilles injury and his defense is below average. His contract is the only reason he is still on this team and demands playing time. So let him split at-bats with Gavin Sheets.
Both are left-handed, but the book on their careers are pretty much written. Sheets ideally is a left-handed bat off the bench. Benintendi is just stealing money. Let those two switch off here since the Sox no longer have to deal with Jimenez' disappointment in that spot.
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