The Chicago White Sox finished a shitty first half of the 2023 season by losing two of three against the St. Louis Cardinals in what featured some of the ugliest baseball from this year. The White Sox are a season-worst 16-games below .500, and with the All-Star break underway the focus is turning to the trade deadline.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the White Sox could begin their sell-off this week. However, don't expect any major deals because according to Heyman the White Sox have four untouchables that they aren't willing to trade by Aug. 1. And well, if that's true, don't expect any highly-ranked prospects coming to the south side in the next three weeks.
The four untouchables are rumored to All-Star center fielder Luis Robert Jr., outfielder/DH Eloy Jimenez, first baseman Andrew Vaughn and right-handed starting pitcher Dylan Cease.
Heyman joined the Mully And Haugh Show on 670 The Score Monday morning and shared the latest from his league sources. White Sox are prepared to trade almost anyone from their current roster.
Via Audacy.
“What I’m gathering from other sources around the league is that they’re open – not saying they will trade them – open to trading almost everybody with the exception of a few players, those players being (Dylan) Cease, (Luis) Robert, (Andrew) Vaughn and (Eloy) Jimenez,” Heyman said. “So, basically four players that they don’t want to trade. Does that mean that they wouldn’t consider it or wouldn’t listen to offers? I’m not sure about that. But I expect those four players to stay and anyone else could be dealt.”
Again, the White Sox head into the All-Star break with a record of 38-54, placing them fourth in the American League Central Division. You zoom out a little more and you'll notice that the White Sox have the third-worst record in all of the AL and the fifth worst record in MLB. Not really sure the White Sox should be operating with the thought process of having four players who are untouchable at the trade deadline.
That being said, at this point it would be pretty crazy to trade Robert. He is a star player and still under contract through 2025, with two very team-friendly options for 2026 and 2027. Jimenez, Vaughn and Cease, though? A deal for any of those three should be considered.
However, the White Sox are also in a crappy position because fans should not feel at all comfortable with Rick Hahn leading the front office at the trade deadline. So, I guess you do want to stick with your most talented players as of now and then hopefully you get a new regime to run the team after the 2023 season. How likely is that to happen? Well, yeah, entire organization and its future looks pretty fucked at the moment.
The thing is, even if every White Sox player was up for grabs, their value has taken huge hits in the past two seasons. Remember Yoan Moncada? Who the hell would give up anything good for him right now? Michael Kopech? An injured pitcher? Pass. Tim Anderson has been one of the worst players in baseball in 2023, so it's not like you're getting anything good for him either.
In terms of the White Sox players who are most likely to get traded by the Aug. 1 trade deadline, right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito will be most coveted from teams around the league looking to buy a big name. Giolito ended his first half with a 3.45 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 112.1 innings The righty has struck out 117 batters, while walking 34 through his first 19 starts of the season.
Veteran starter Lance Lynn is also receiving some attention in the trade market. Bob Nightengale recently reported that the Texas Rangers have shown strong interest in Lynn.
