White Sox: 7 players to trade away in the retooling phase

It's wild how this group gave a whole city hope just a few years ago. Promises of parades and champagne showers have turned all that hope into hatred.

These were players we once watched in Charlotte Knight and Birmingham Barons jerseys with anticipation. Today, we dread if a particular player is once again in the starting lineup.

We're all tired of the talk about this team's potential and their ceiling because they can't make it off the ground floor.

The craziest part is that these players do have the potential and they show sparks of it now and then but the formula isn't complete yet. A trade or two could move things in the right direction.

The Chicago White Sox could use a few trades to retool the roster.

Sox fans are tired of waiting it out and want results. These guys must all click together simultaneously, or some trades will be inevitable.

Finding the correct player to ship off and build something around is essential. Trading away the wrong player and not getting the proper return separates this from retooling and another full-scale rebuild.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has clarified that he doesn't want to start another full-scale rebuild. He wouldn't have to think about another rebuild if he didn't hire Tony La Russa but the past is the past.

For this White Sox team to win, they need to make sacrifices, and trading one or more of their players is just the first step. Trading the right players is most important.

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson is someone that could land the White Sox something nice.

In a perfect world, Timmy is untouchable. His mindset and work ethic is another representation of the South Side. Now with Abreu gone, he is an outstanding example of what it means to be a Southsider. Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world and the market for a shortstop is hot.

The Dodgers or Yankees would pay a hefty price for Anderson regardless of his injury past. He's a charismatic lead-by-example all-star who brings out the best in his teammates. It's a great reason to keep him and a great pitch to get a stacked return.

The only issue is, who replaces him at shortstop? Beyond this year, there are not many options for the White Sox. Internally, it's thin.

There's Romy Gonzalez or Leynn Sosa. Prospect-wise, Jose Rodriguez is next up but is hitting .224 in Double-A Birmingham right now. Colson Montgomery is at least three years away if he even stays at shortstop.

Externally, the shortstop free-agency market will be thin in the next few years. Anything can happen. Any player can become available. Who would've thought Mookie Betts would hit the market when he did?

The time to trade Tim Anderson is not here yet. There will be a time when the market will keep growing thinner.

The return for him could be a nice haul but that window to trade him and get that haul is open for at least another year or two. If the Sox can't figure it out by this trade deadline, it's likely to be Timmy's time next June.

Yoán Moncada

Yoan Moncada hasn't lived up to the hype in his time with the White Sox.

A majority of the fanbase has already given up on Yoán Moncada. Moving him would put Jake Burger in the starting lineup every day at third base to the delight of many.

The fact is the return for Moncada would not be ideal. The only reason the Sox would get a promising prospect would be due to Moncada's switch-handedness and gold-glove-caliber defense.

Moncada can give out bursts of great baseball. Once he hits a stride, he's driving the ball to all parts of the field. His strikeout numbers drop and walk rates rise once he slips into a groove. The only issue is once he finds that groove, he hits the IL.

The return for Moncada would not be worth it. However, if the stars align and Moncada is on a hot streak around the trade deadline, the desperation of a team could lead to a nice haul.

It would be nice to be a winning team with one of the first prospects to receive all the hype but if he can't channel that 2019 season into his career, it might be time to say goodbye.

Luis Robert Jr.

Luis Robert Jr. would land the Chicago White Sox the most in a trade.

The best return the White Sox would get straight up for a player would be Luis Robert Jr. Despite Robert's injury history, his pitch is the same five-tool player the scouts said he would be.

He hits for contact, he hits for power, he's fast, has a strong arm, and can play gold-glove defense, covering about 60% of the outfield.

The only issue is he hasn't been that player all at once for the White Sox. He has seen some time on the IL, which has limited him. Robert has not gone on a long stretch of dominant baseball. Usually, right when he gets hot, he'll either hit the IL or strike out ten times in a row.

While tremendously inconsistent with the bat, the best return the White Sox would get from anyone on the team would be from Robert. If the Sox wanted to retool without damaging too much of what is already in place, trading Robert might be the key.

The best package, and most likely one, would be with a starter or a dominating reliever to be involved in the trade with Robert. It's impossible to predict the exact haul the Sox would get but the trade could likely cover three or even four weak points in the roster.

Eloy Jiménez

Eloy Jimenez hasn't been healthy enough to produce with the White Sox.

The name Eloy Jiménez gets White Sox fans most frustrated. Easily the most powerful on the team, Jiménez can smack 30 to even 40 home runs a season. He drives in runs and is a beacon of positive energy. With a team like this, positive energy is more important than fans know.

A sad reality for Sox fans is that Eloy is on a list like this. He can be a star but finds himself in freak accidents and on IL stints. However, that may be his saving grace.

Simply because Eloy has yet to have consistent time on the field, he doesn't have much experience for the Sox to rely on when finding his market. It's easier to pitch Anderson, Moncada, and Robert Jr simply because of their athleticism but you're not trading for Jiménez's defense.

He's only a commodity because of his bat. That may be enough for most other teams not to want to take the risk. The realistic return for Jiménez would not be worth it.

Because of his torn pec trying to rob a home run and an appendectomy, Jimenez will most likely stay this season. His bad luck is due to run out and it's not worth giving up on him now and taking a fraction of what he is potentially worth.

Dylan Cease

Trading Dylan Cease has pros and cons for the Chicago White Sox.

The word untouchable for a team like the White Sox should not be in the front office's vocabulary. That being said, Dylan Cease is close to it but a wild trade package would do the trick.

With control through 2025, it makes little sense to trade Cease now. He is the White Sox's best trade piece but considering his age, skill, and contract, he isn't the guy to trade for this retooling.

Cease is the pitcher you want to build around. You only want to trade away his ace quality stuff if your record looks like the Oakland A's. He is one of the faces of this franchise, and this is a retooling. Trading away Cease would signal a rebuild and we know that is not something this ownership wants.

Not to mention trading him right now would mean not getting his full potential value in return. 2022, Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease would draw a hefty price. 2023 4.63 ERA having Dylan Cease would not bode the best return.

Teams will certainly check in with Rick Hahn about Cease because everyone knows he can pitch better than he has trying to get a bargain.

If the package blows everyone away, I don't see a reason why not but that package has to include a future ace, a top-100 prospect or two, and maybe even more.

Lucas Giolito

Lucas Giolito's stock has been rising during the 2023 White Sox season.

Again, in a perfect world, Lucas Giolito is that strong number 2 that will right the ship no matter what. He has an intensity that gives him the ability to take over ball games completely. That look in his eyes with the rocking on the rubber is terrifying.

However, we are in this world and Giolito is on the trade block. Considering Dylan Cease is the only (kind of) untouchable remaining, Giolito would bring the second-best haul straight up.

On a contract year, Giolito will be a rental if dealt which might bring down his price but taking a no-hitter through at least six innings twice this year balances that out. His walk rate is down from 3.40 to 2.91, with a higher left on base percentage from 71% to 80%.

While having ace-like stuff, Giolito is that second arm in the rotation that will grind and try everything to get that win. For a contending playoff team, he is extremely valuable. If only the Chicago White Sox were that contending playoff team.

A struggle-filled 2022 delayed any talks of a contract extension heading into his contract year. Had he kept his ERA at or around 3.50 and cut the 61 walks in half, he would've had a case for some negotiation.

His need to prove himself and the team's state has made Giolito a prime trade candidate. Do I want to see him gone? Of course not. Do circumstances point to a possible trade? Unfortunately, yes.