White Sox Are the Top Seller Who Can Control the Deadline
The Chicago White Sox will definitely be sellers at the trade deadline, and could control the market with Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet.
The trade deadline is nearly a month away and the market is still falling into line at this point with ample teams on the edge of contending. With that said, one team could ultimately dictate a lot of the subsequent deadline moves as they’re already established sellers and could posses two of the premier talents on the market.
The Chicago White Sox are the worst team in baseball but have already vastly improved their farm system in the past year and could take it to the next level if they follow through with a big sell off.
It feels certain that they’ll trade their middle-tier assets such as Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, and others. However, the real opportunity to change the future of the organization lies in the possibility of trading outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and/or starting pitcher Garrett Crochet.
The decision to trade either of their stars will be rather complicated for GM Chris Getz as he tries to instill confidence in a frustrated fan base, while getting this organization on the right track long-term. That is not one that will come easy as the young GM attempts to balance decisions in his first full year on the job.
On the Just Baseball Show this past week, MLB Reporter Ken Rosenthal shared his belief that the White Sox will attempt to cash in on their assets at the deadline. He explained that with both stars having an injury-risk and a degree of concern moving forward, this may be the time to move them as they’re currently healthy.
There has been plenty of speculation floating around and it may be too early to decipher, but Rosenthal seems to believe the White Sox will entertain a full sell off including this pair. In that case, Chris Getz would instantly become the most contacted GM over the course of July with two top trade targets for any contender and many others who could be added to a package or dealt separately on their own.
Luis Robert Jr. has three years of team control left beyond this season at a very reasonable rate with $55 million. He is undoubtably the best outfielder on the market. Robert has dealt with a variety of injuries, adding a wrinkle to a contract, but the affordability and length of control should help minimize some of that concern.
Meanwhile, Crochet is in the midst of a breakout season, as he’s been one of the best starters in baseball during his first season as a starting pitcher. He has two additional years of arbitration and will be an extremely cost-effective option for any contender which only increases his value.
However, it’s more than fair to have some reservations as he already exceeded his career TOTAL innings in just his first three months as a starter in 2024.
The concerns are valid, but the White Sox will demand hauls that should include multiple top 100 prospects. If teams don’t meet their ask, the White Sox can always revisit trading their stars in the offseason. With that in mind, deal for either will feature at least three prospects with a combination of more proven assets and long-term projects to inject talent throughout the Chicago system.
Given that the White Sox farm system is already in the range of top 10 in baseball, it would become one of the very best with potentially four or five top 100 assets added to the fold.
Rosenthal explained further that it’s risky to keep players past the season and that was evident from the White Sox deciding to move Dylan Cease right before the season. With these two players both coming with significant risk, he believes that cashing in when at the peak of their value right now is the best and most likely option for Chicago.
When factoring in that the White Sox don’t often tend to keep stars in town, it feels like a logical choice to maximize value. But that’s a hard decision to justify to a disgruntled fan base uninterested in another rebuild that clearly flopped just a few years ago. A general manager’s job is not to appease fans, but it has to be on his mind as he works to earn trust.
The team has to maintain their asking price because they can’t afford to mess up these potential trades and they’re in a powerful position within the market. They also have to honestly evaluate the possibility of being competitive in the next two years and remain active in trade talks with the chance to substantively enhance the farm.
Figuring out a price that fits for both Chicago and the suitors of Robert and Crochet will not be easy but I took a stab at it with these possible Luis Robert Mock Trades and I will have the same for Crochet coming soon.
Chicago will improve their farm either way this July with their sights set on 2026 and beyond, but they could direct the entire course of the deadline if these two stars are truly on their way out as Ken Rosenthal alluded to this week.
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Elijah is a Chicago native with a passion for baseball from an early age. He is one of the social media managers for Just Baseball as…