The White Sox have been one of the many surprises in the MLB's young season so far. Expected to be one of the bottom dwellers of the league, they are currently right in the thick of things in the A.L. Central. While some fans might be worried that the White Sox could become buyers at the deadline, GM Rick Hahn has already reiterated that he will not, under any circumstances,
sacrifice the future of this team for possible short term success. Remember, the White Sox were in an even better position this time last year, and look how that turned out.
The White Sox have stayed afloat this long almost entirely because of their pitching; both from a rotation standpoint and their bullpen. In fact, the White Sox currently boast the top team ERA in all of baseball at 3.24.
Why does this matter? Because many contenders are still in need of both starting pitching depth and relief pitching. Everyone knows that pitching is usually the last piece of the puzzle to a championship. Look at the Cubs for example. When they were ready to compete they went out and spent big on Jon Lester. Then last year, they traded away top prospect Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Champan. Let's be honest, do the Cubs win the World Series last year without either of them? Absolutely not. So without further ado, here are three potential trades that Rick Hahn can make at the deadline in July.
Jose Quintana To The Yankees For Gleyber Torres And Justus Sheffield
Before anyone says anything, I want to say that this trade probably is the least likely of the three to happen. The only way the Yankees will give up Gleyber is if they get in a very tight bidding war for Quintana. This trade would be similar to the Oakland Athletics giving up Addison Russell for Jeff Samardzija. The big difference is that Samardjiza was just a rental at the time, while Quintana still has numerous years of control on his contract.
Right now, the Yankees look almost like a carbon copy of the 2015 Cubs. A young, solid lineup who has exceeded expectations, but a shallow pitching staff. Pairing Jose Quintana behind Masahiro Tanaka would give the Yankees a dynamite 1-2 punch without depleting anyone from their current lineup.
A Quintana trade certainly will not bring the same number of players back as Chris Sale did, but the talent should be near the same. If the Yankees want Quintana, they are going to have to include one of either Torres or Clint Frazier, and rumors have leaked that the White Sox have never been too high on the ladder. Frazier's current numbers do not help his case either, as he is putting up a slash line of .235/.333/.471 so far in Triple-A.
Torres however, will almost certainly become a star in the Majors. He is currently slashing .305/.406/.458 in Double-A. Currently the
No. 2 prospect in baseball (behind Yoan Moncada), his hit tool grades out at 65 and shows the potential to hit 20+ home runs a year once he hits his prime. The Yankees also have a great infield already with Chase Headley, Didi Gregorious, Starlin Castro and Greg Bird, so Torres is virtually blocked for now.
Justus Sheffield is another top 100 prospect for the Yankees, coming in at no. 72 overall, and the No. 8 left handed pitcher. Sheffield possesses two plus pitches in his fastball and hard slider. While his changeup needs work, he is only 20-years-old and has time to figure it out. Once he does, he has the potential to develop into a quality No. 3 starter. The fact that he is a lefty will also excite the White Sox, as the golden trio of Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito are all righties.
People will scoff at the fact of including Torres in this trade, which is fine. But if the Yankees become serious bidders for Quintana at the deadline, Hahn is surely going to start by asking for Torres. If Quintana was a rental piece, then obviously this would be a different scenario. However, with his cost controlled contract, the Yankees will have enough money to go after even more help during free agency after the 2018 MLB season. The White Sox get two top 100 prospects, while the Yankees get that 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that every contender needs.
David Robertson And Nate Jones For Victor Robles
The White Sox have the best bullpen ERA in baseball, while the Nationals, while contenders, sit in 20th in the same category. In today's MLB, the value of the bullpen has never been higher. Flipping just one of Robertson or Jones would probably not be enough to bring back No. 5 overall prospect Victor Robles. But packaging both of them together could be a different story.
The Nationals already have a stacked outfield containing Jason Werth, Adam Eaton and Bryce Harper. Obviously
Eaton went down with an ACL injury, but he should return next season 100%. Robles is not coming up this season anyways, and at just 19-years-old, he should not be ready until late 2018.
The Nationals window to win now is wide open. How long it stays that way is anyone's guess. By adding both Robertson and Jones, the Nationals could turn their biggest weakness into a strength. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo may be skeptical to deal with the White Sox after Rick Hahn got away with murder in the Adam Eaton deal. This trade is different though. It's unfortunate that Eaton tore his ACL, but this trade will legitimately strengthen a position of need for both teams. The Nationals get two great bullpen arms and that much closer to a World Series, while the White Sox shore up their outfield depth with one of the best in the minors in Robles.
Jose Quintana To The Astros For Kyle Tucker And Francis Martes
Of the three trades, this one is still the most likely to happen in my mind. Everyone saw Chris Sale and Boston being a perfect fit, and eventually it happened. Jose Quintana to the Astros has that same vibe. It was reported that the Astros were in talks with the White Sox about Quintana but they refused to include Martes in the deal. If they are still in the playoff race at the deadline, they might have to up their offer.
Kyle Tucker is a long, lengthy outfielder who possesses a very high hit tool. The No. 31 prospect in baseball would look very nice on the South Side. Some see him as a top of the order player, but he does not possess the ideal speed that is so common at the position. Regardless of where he bats in the lineup, Tucker has the potential to hit .275 and smack 20 home runs once he taps into his power.
Francis Martes would have to be the headliner in this deal. The No. 18 prospect in baseball has a dynamite fastball/curveball combo. The fastball has topped out at 98, but Martes sits at 93-96. While the movement on it is iffy, he can locate it wherever he wants. His curveball is is second best pitch, grading out at 65 on the 20-80 scale. Martes throws it with both power and control, keeping hitters off balance repeatedly. While his changeup needs work, it shows promise, and he can also snap off a solid slider when he needs to.
The Astros get a formidable 1-2 punch with Dallas Keuchel and Jose Quintana, while the White Sox obtain two prospects that will become core members of the rebuild for the foreseeable future.
Supply And Demand
The biggest thing about these trades are that each team involved is sure to be in a playoff race. The Yankees, Astros and Nationals are all right on the brink of making not only a playoff run, but a World Series run.
We saw what the Indians did when they obtained Andrew Miller, and we saw what the Cubs did when they brought in Aroldis Chapman.
The White Sox currently have the pieces needed to strengthen other teams biggest weakness. The timing, market and price will all form a better shape once the deadline approaches. Time will tell if other teams get desperate enough to pull the trigger.
