The White Sox have been one of the many surprises in the MLB’s young season so far. Expected to be one of the bottom dwellers of the league, they are currently right in the thick of things in the A.L. Central. While some fans might be worried that the White Sox could become buyers at the deadline, GM Rick Hahn has already reiterated that he will not, under any circumstances, sacrifice the future of this team for possible short term success. Remember, the White Sox were in an even better position this time last year, and look how that turned out.
The White Sox have stayed afloat this long almost entirely because of their pitching; both from a rotation standpoint and their bullpen. In fact, the White Sox currently boast the top team ERA in all of baseball at 3.24.
Why does this matter? Because many contenders are still in need of both starting pitching depth and relief pitching. Everyone knows that pitching is usually the last piece of the puzzle to a championship. Look at the Cubs for example. When they were ready to compete they went out and spent big on Jon Lester. Then last year, they traded away top prospect Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Champan. Let’s be honest, do the Cubs win the World Series last year without either of them? Absolutely not. So without further ado, here are three potential trades that Rick Hahn can make at the deadline in July.
Jose Quintana To The Yankees For Gleyber Torres And Justus Sheffield
Before anyone says anything, I want to say that this trade probably is the least likely of the three to happen. The only way the Yankees will give up Gleyber is if they get in a very tight bidding war for Quintana. This trade would be similar to the Oakland Athletics giving up Addison Russell for Jeff Samardzija. The big difference is that Samardjiza was just a rental at the time, while Quintana still has numerous years of control on his contract.
Right now, the Yankees look almost like a carbon copy of the 2015 Cubs. A young, solid lineup who has exceeded expectations, but a shallow pitching staff. Pairing Jose Quintana behind Masahiro Tanaka would give the Yankees a dynamite 1-2 punch without depleting anyone from their current lineup.
A Quintana trade certainly will not bring the same number of players back as Chris Sale did, but the talent should be near the same. If the Yankees want Quintana, they are going to have to include one of either Torres or Clint Frazier, and rumors have leaked that the White Sox have never been too high on the ladder. Frazier’s current numbers do not help his case either, as he is putting up a slash line of .235/.333/.471 so far in Triple-A.
Torres however, will almost certainly become a star in the Majors. He is currently slashing .305/.406/.458 in Double-A. Currently the No. 2 prospect in baseball (behind Yoan Moncada), his hit tool grades out at 65 and shows the potential to hit 20+ home runs a year once he hits his prime. The Yankees also have a great infield already with Chase Headley, Didi Gregorious, Starlin Castro and Greg Bird, so Torres is virtually blocked for now.
Justus Sheffield is another top 100 prospect for the Yankees, coming in at no. 72 overall, and the No. 8 left handed pitcher. Sheffield possesses two plus pitches in his fastball and hard slider. While his changeup needs work, he is only 20-years-old and has time to figure it out. Once he does, he has the potential to develop into a quality No. 3 starter. The fact that he is a lefty will also excite the White Sox, as the golden trio of Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito are all righties.
People will scoff at the fact of including Torres in this trade, which is fine. But if the Yankees become serious bidders for Quintana at the deadline, Hahn is surely going to start by asking for Torres. If Quintana was a rental piece, then obviously this would be a different scenario. However, with his cost controlled contract, the Yankees will have enough money to go after even more help during free agency after the 2018 MLB season. The White Sox get two top 100 prospects, while the Yankees get that 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that every contender needs.
