With just days left until the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the hot stove is starting to heat up. Several trades have already been consummated, including one between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers this afternoon. Pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak will go to Detroit in exchange for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez. While the trade doesn't directly involve the White Sox, it should boost Adrian Houser's trade value even more.
Trade Details
Paddack, 29, has experienced some success over his big league career but has struggled this year. Over 111 innings, he has an inflated 4.95 ERA and has accumulated just 0.9 bWAR. His 1.28 WHIP is respectable, as is his durability. He has already made 21 starts this season. Still, he has been mediocre for the most part and is a free agent after the season.
Dobnak, 30, has appeared in just six MLB games combined over the last three seasons and has never experienced much success at the big league level. He will likely be depth for the struggling Tigers.
Even though Paddack and Dobnak are nothing special, the Twins managed to land an intriguing prospect for the pair. Jimenez, 19, is a switch-hitting catcher who ranked as the #14 prospect in the Tigers organization prior to the trade. And this is not an example of a prospect being overrated in a weak system. The Tigers' prospect pool is the seventh-best farm system in all of MLB, per Bleacher Report and the fifth-best per Fangraphs.
Good News For White Sox
Seeing what Paddack and Dobnak could fetch is undoubtedly a positive development for the White Sox in the Adrian Houser trade discussions. While he is similar to Paddack in that they are both free agents after the season, Houser has outperformed Paddack significantly across the board this season. If Paddack and a throw-in netted a quality prospect from one of MLB's best farm systems, the White Sox should have no problem extracting a substantial return for Houser.
Pitching Market Is Scarce
This Twins and Tigers trade is not the only recent development that will work in the White Sox favor regarding Houser's market. One of the other top potential pitching trade chips is also off the market. Despite his name swirling in trade talks, right-hander Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a two-year contract extension yesterday. With Lugo staying put, that is another potential pitcher off the board for contending teams to go after. Quality starting pitching is scarce at the deadline, and the White Sox have one of the best arms available. That should also help them gain additional leverage in trade talks.
We are nearing crunch time as the MLB trade deadline is less than three days away. Between Houser, Luis Robert Jr., and their other assets, Chris Getz should have no problem infusing the White Sox farm system with even more young talent.
