As we sit just one day away from the trading deadline, there are a ton of rumors surrounding White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., as it is expected that he will play his last game in a White Sox uniform today against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Robert Jr. is not the only player that is expected to be traded, as the White Sox will likely explore trades for everyone on the roster, specifically players that will be a free agent at the end of the season.
The player that could fetch the most in a trade outside of Robert Jr. is starting pitcher Adrian Houser. Houser has been absolutely phenomenal since joining the White Sox, as he has a stellar 2.10 ERA over 68.2 innings.
This should be enough to convince teams in the playoff hunt that Houser could help them, as he has had some of his best outings against playoff teams.
In his first start with the White Sox, Houser threw six scoreless innings against the Mariners. He then followed that up with another six scoreless against the Mets. On June 22nd, Houser threw 6.1 innings of two run ball against the Blue Jays, while three weeks later he threw seven innings of one run ball against them.
Most recently, Houser shut down the Cubs for six innings before giving up a three-run homerun when they were up by 10+ runs in the seventh inning. This quality start was the perfect ending to his White Sox career, as now he can be traded to a contender and pitch more meaningful innings, hopefully in the playoffs.
The White Sox just made a very smart move, as Houser was scheduled to pitch today against the Phillies this afternoon. However, the White Sox just announced that Tyler Alexander will be starting in his place instead.
Chris Getz is being smart here, as it would have been malpractice to let Houser start today. Houser has proved everything he’s needed to over 11 starts, so there is no need to take an unnecessary risk.
There was always a chance Houser could've had a bad game today, which likely would have affected his value more than him having another good game, as teams could see something they don’t like. However, that isn’t the main concern, as something else could have gone terribly wrong.
Keeping him healthy after a beautiful quality start against one of the best lineups in baseball should be paramount, and the White Sox scratching him is the right move, as he will likely be traded in the next 24 hours.
Take Diamondbacks star Eugenio Suarez for example. One of the most valuable trade chips in all of baseball took a 98 MPH fastball right off the hands and was taken out of the game. Luckily for him and the Diamondbacks everything is okay, but there is no need to take that chance with Houser when one misstep or pitch could completely tank his value and ruin his tremendous season.
Houser has proved himself to all the contenders out there and allowing him to pitch would be malpractice for him and the team. Chris Getz and the White Sox made the right move for both the team and Houser. Houser probably wants to play for a contender, as he has earned the chance to pitch in the postseason. Exposing him to a potential injury could only ruin that chance for him and he doesn’t deserve that. Sox fans will wish Houser the best of luck wherever he goes, as he gave it his all every time he stepped on the field.
