Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has been in trade rumors this offseason, so it should not come as a surprise when his name is brought up in proposals by MLB analysts. That being said, former Colorado Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd suggested what I can only characterize as an insane trade proposal between the White Sox and New York Yankees.
I'll give him credit because his thinking is sound, as the White Sox are not players on top free agents this offseason to help improve their offseason after a disappointing 2022 season. White Sox GM Rick Hahn has already expressed through the media that the team is more likely to add via trades, but the big issue is that Chicago does not have many desirable prospects to offer other than shortstop Colson Montgomery and outfielder Oscar Colas. Both are seen as future contributors for the White Sox, Colas possibly being a starter as soon as 2023.
So, similar to last offseason, when the White Sox traded Craig Kimbrel to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder AJ Pollock, the most realistic way Hahn can add a solid hitter this year is by trading from his MLB roster.
That's how we get to O'Dowd proposing Hendriks to the Yankees for infielder Gleyber Torres. You can debate if it's worth dealing away your all-star closer when you're hoping to compete for a title in 2023, but at least the White Sox would be getting a solid hitter in return that would fill the void at second base for a couple seasons.
However, here's where O'Dowd lost everyone. Well, White Sox fans anyway. He also added left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet to his trade idea.
I know Crochet is coming back from Tommy John surgery and although 2023 may not be as dominant for him (pitchers usually struggle their first year after TJ surgery) the lefty is still viewed as a valuable piece in the White Sox pitching staff. Crochet, 23, is not set to become a free agent until after the 2026 season. That's four more years that the White Sox have a damn good pitcher under team control at a low price.
Meanwhile, Torres still has two more seasons left until he's eligible for free agency. He's estimated to earn close to $10 million in arbitration in 2023. Hendriks, who will be 34 next season, is owed $14 million in 2023 and has a club option for 2024 that includes a $15 million buyout as part of his three-year, $54 million contract.
The other major issue with this is that the White Sox would be trading two very important relievers. Again, the White Sox are trying to win in 2023. This isn't a case where a team is looking to reset and take a year off from being competitive. The American League Central division isn't a powerhouse, so the White Sox have every intention to try to win it and trading away two high-leverage relief pitchers cannot be a realistic scenario.
That doesn't mean there isn't a deal that could make sense for the White Sox that includes Hendriks, but this one from O'Dowd? No. No way. Maybe there's a reason he's a former GM.
Anyway, we also talked about the White Sox possibly being close to signing an outfielder according to David Kaplan on this week's Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.
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