By all accounts, the White Sox are going to be the biggest sellers at the trade deadline. Despite being on pace for the worst record in Major League Baseball history, the White Sox have plenty of valuable pieces that contending teams would love to have to help bolster their playoff run.
Obviously the White Sox are going to want as many top ranked prospects as they can get, but that isn't always the case, or the best move. A lot of players on the top-100 were originally ranked high due to their draft position, but their play has not supported their ranking. While it doesn't hurt to buy low, the White Sox should mainly focus on ascending prospects, rather than prospects teams are now willing to give up due to the players not living up to the hype.
Here are some prospects that the White Sox should target when looking to make a trade deadline move:
Colt Emerson, SS/2B, Seattle Mariners
While the infield may be theoretically set for the future, as it could feature Bryan Ramos at third, Colson Montgomery at SS, and Jacob Gonzalez at second base, it does not hurt to add more competition, as none of them are lighting it up in the minors this year. But, Emerson could be a fantastic move for the White Sox, as the Mariners could look to ship out bats in the future in a win-now attempt.
Emerson might only be available in a Robert trade, but the Mariners line up well for that, as they desperately need bats and Luis Robert Jr. would be a perfect fit for them.
On the season, Emerson is hitting .290 with a .434 OBP as a teenager in A-ball. He is an ascending prospect and just the type of player the White Sox should acquire. With his timeline, he gives valuable insurance if any of the infield prospects that are closer to the majors don't pan out. Chris Getz has said he wants to target close to ready bats, but if the Mariners are offering Emerson in a trade, it might be hard to turn down.
Heston Kjerstad, Outfielder, Baltimore Orioles
Outfield is probably the most important need for the White Sox, as they don't have much high end talent in the system. They have some interesting players like Dominic Fletcher and Oscar Colas, but they haven't shown too much in their major league stints. Heston Kjerstad could change that.
While technically not a prospect, as he recently graduated off the list, he only has 84 career at-bats, which still classifies him as a rookie. So far, Kjerstad is having a great year in a small sample size, as he is hitting .296 with three homeruns in 54 at-bats. The Orioles are stacked with position player prospects, so they may be willing to let some go, and hopefully Kjerstad is one of them, as he could be the White Sox right fielder of the future.
Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF, Minnesota Twins
While it remains unlikely that there is a significant trade between the White Sox and another AL Central team, the Twins would be the perfect candidate if there were to be such a trade. They have a ton of young players and are currently gunning for a long playoff run, so they could use some of the White Sox trade assets.
Keaschall would be a perfect target if the Twins wanted to add an arm like Erick Fedde, as a one for one swap could be in order, as Keaschall is ranked as the 93rd best prospect on the MLB Pipeline list.
Keaschall is an ascending prospect who the White Sox could be adding at just the right time, as he is currently hitting .324 with 12 homeruns and 41 RBIs between A+ and AA as a 21 year old. While he may not be the most realistic trade target, the White Sox shouldn't be afraid to make trades with teams inside their division, especially if they benefit them in a significant way.
If the White Sox could walk away with any of these prospects, it would be a very productive trade deadline.
