White Sox Scapegoats: 1 pitcher to release, 1 to trade for pennies, 1 to keep around
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Yes, the Chicago White Sox are not a good baseball team at all. They are going to be sellers at the deadline which tells you just how bad they are.
Right in the middle of what was said to be their “competitive window”, they are going to trade away a bunch of really good players. They should be ashamed of themselves as an organization.
Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams should absolutely not be allowed to run baseball operations anymore but they are not going to have that right taken from them. All fans can do is hope they don’t mess this up further.
There are some big roster decisions to be made with this team right now with the trade deadline looming. That includes the pitchers just as much as the hitters. This is one pitcher to cut, one pitcher to trade, and one to keep around:
To Cut: Aaron Bummer
The Chicago White Sox should consider letting Aaron Bummer go.
The Chicago White Sox have had a lot of players fail to reach expectations. Aaron Bummer is at or near the top of the list. He was so elite at one point but now he is straight-up awful.
When he comes in to pitch, it feels like a conclusion that the White Sox are going to give up some runs. So many times this season has Bummer ruined a game for the White Sox.
For a while, he deserved the benefit of the doubt because of his resume. Now, however, it is clear that he should not be on the major league roster because he makes the team worse.
The White Sox should cut him before the trade deadline so that they get to the other side of it with the future in mind. There are other arms in the organization that deserve a chance more than Bummer.
He would certainly latch on with another team quickly because of his past. There is also a chance that a better (smarter) team gets him back on track. That isn’t happening with the White Sox though so he needs to go.
To Trade: Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito is someone that the Chicago White Sox will trade.
The Chicago White Sox have a few good trade candidates and most of them are pitchers. They need to be smart with these assets as they try to build a better future.
Right now, Lucas Giolito is among their best assets. Of course, that doesn’t include players that have no chance of being traded. It feels like Giolito getting moved is very likely at this point.
After a down 2022 season, his 2023 season has been much better. That is why we are even having this conversation about contending teams even wanting him at all. The problem is that the Sox might not get what they truly deserve in return.
Giolito’s long-term plan probably doesn’t include the White Sox so they should absolutely trade him anyway. Who knows though, maybe a team will overpay for him because he is a reliable starter that can give good innings.
Seeing Giolito go will be a sad thing for the White Sox. This team had such promise when he was first coming up and now that is all gone. It is truly a shame to see. The trade of Lucas Giolito will officially signify the white flag on the rebuild.
To Keep: Dylan Cease
The Chicago White Sox know what they have in Dylan Cease. At a minimum, he is the pitcher that he has been this year which is a solid starter on a bad team.
At his best, you have what he was in 2022 which is a Cy Young candidate for the entire season. He ended up being the American League runner-up for the award because of the fact that Justin Verlander had an all-world season in a comeback year.
Cease is not a Cy Young candidate right now but he absolutely has the stuff to be one again in the near future. He has the highest ceiling in the rotation of this team right now.
There has been slight talk about him getting traded but there has also been talk about him being an untouchable piece. He is probably closer to being the latter than the former.
The White Sox need to keep Dylan Cease right now. His value is not what it can be and the White Sox need to know that. This is an elite talent that they need to either keep for a very long time or wait on trading.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark