Three players that the Chicago White Sox should look into trading this upcoming offseason
The White Sox are headed towards arguably their most important offseason in the past decade, yes even more important than last year. After a disappointing year, the White Sox are now at a crossroad where a few key moves could either make them contenders again or give them a jump start toward mediocracy. Now, whether White Sox fans trust this front office to make the right choices or not, they are in position where they have assets they could trade to acquire quality players to can compliment the roster, key word here is compliment, remember that. Here’s three players the White Sox have that can be used as trade assets this offseason.
LF/1B Andrew Vaughn
The White Sox in the 2022 were not the best defensive team in the league, specifically their outfield play was subpar. Given injuries to various players the team scramble to fill the position with players like Andrew Vaughn. The 25 year old, natural first baseman, played a whopping 84 games in the outfield and posted a -26.7 defensive rating. Taking the defense aspect of Vaughn aside, he’s still a above average hitter in the league. He just happened to play on the same team as Jose Abreu and Gavin Sheets who are also first baseman. Posting a .271/.321/.429 slash line and an wRC+ of 113, the White Sox could use Vaughn to acquire a better defensive player that could fix their issues in the outfield.
Think of the trade where the White Sox dealt Carlos Lee for Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino. Yes, on paper the Sox lost this deal in terms of talent but them acquiring Podsednik made the Sox a better defensive team and gave them a player that can get on base and create runs by playing “small ball.” This is a similar situation, Vaughn is a good hitter that can be great but you already have Gavin Sheets and Yasmani Grandal that take up that first baseman and DH spot. If the team also decides to bring back Jose Abreu, Vaughn can become flexible to get a player that can fix their defensive woes.
3B Yoan Moncada
When it comes to players taking a step back, Moncada fits the bill here. Coming off arguably his worst season of his career, the 27-year-old third baseman struggled to find his groove all season. Whether it was injuries or trying to get something going, Moncada posted a dismal .212/.273/.353 slash line and below league average wRC+ of 76. The Sox may be selling low here but a young third baseman that has potential that desperately needs a change in scenery could get the team a quality starter or a couple of promising players.
Its a 50/50 shot where there’s no wrong answer yet in whether the Sox should Moncada but should the right offer be presented at the table they should really consider moving him. Especially after a good two week run to end the season.
SP Lucas Giolito
The third option was a hard one, having bloated contracts that no team would want to acquire (Grandal, Lance Lynn) the most intriguing option here is Lucas Giolito. Amid a struggling season, the White Sox could decide to part ways with the 28-year-old former all-star. While the past season showed struggles the Sox could still sell high on Giolito just based on the potential alone. Depending on this option could dictate where the direction of the team goes, you can trade Giolito for pieces on the roster that can help, or acquire prospects that can provide a more balance future.
Thanks to the emergence of Dylan Cease, the Sox can make Giolito expendable for the right price of course but they can benefit from the fact that Giolito is still on a team friendly contract and has a potential comeback season in a new uniform. The other side of the coin is the Sox bet on Giolito to bounce back and have two quality starters in the front end of the rotation.
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