We’re still a couple months from the 2026 MLB trade deadline, but it’s not too early for MLB GMs to scour the market to upgrade their team. The White Sox are no exception, and their recent signing of veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk is evidence of such a decision. Earlier this week, another player with ties to Chicago became available, as the Arizona Diamondbacks designated outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment. White Sox twitter immediately erupted with fans wanting to bring him to Chicago, but the fit never made a ton of sense to me, and it appears the White Sox agreed.
We have made the following trade: pic.twitter.com/kWiTYgQ11T
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 12, 2026
Thomas, 26, was a second-round pick by the DBacks in 2018 from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. The son of former White Sox strength and conditioning coach Allen Thomas, many speculated that the White Sox would be interested in drafting him at the time. Instead, he went to Arizona, where he rose through the minor leagues as a speed and power threat. His best minor league season came in 2021, where Thomas hit .313 with 18 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He made his big league debut in 2022, posting a .619 OPS in 113 games.
Alek Thomas' defense-first profile is not what the White Sox need
Unfortunately, the offensive production has never come around at the highest level for Thomas. His career-high OPS in 2025 was .659 and he’s never hit more than nine home runs in a season. In 28 games for Arizona this season, Thomas was off to the worst start of his career, hitting just .181 with a .562 OPS before being designated for assignment and traded to the Dodgers.
While I understand the sentiment of a Chicago-born player coming back home, the fit never made sense with the White Sox from a baseball perspective. Thomas is an elite defender in center field, but he’s no better than Tristan Peters. Both players hit left-handed, and Peters has provided more offensively than Thomas has this season. With a left-handed defensive specialist in center field already on their roster, there just didn’t seem to be a need to add another one.
Alek Thomas WHAT A CATCH pic.twitter.com/vT08HCSITG
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 4, 2026
The White Sox have question marks in their outfield, but Thomas would not have been the answer to those questions. The roster is full of defense-first outfielders and the team is looking for players that can consistently produce on offense. Thomas has never been that guy, and there’s no reason to believe he’ll suddenly become that guy at age 26. For the Dodgers, who could use a defensive center-fielder with potential long-lost offensive upside, the fit makes plenty of sense. But for the White Sox, it did not, and I’m glad to see the White Sox did the right thing and avoided the temptation.
As the White Sox look to take steps forward in 2026, I expect to see them continuing to monitor the market for roster upgrades, but Chris Getz should be selective about the players he’s bringing in. The White Sox are fielding a more competitive roster and have less room to add unproductive players. And it won’t be long before the team is building a roster in hopes of competing for a championship.
Add us as a preferred source on Google