The White Sox made it clear that they wanted to restock their farm system with solid pitching prospects, as they acquired mainly pitching prospects at the deadline. This could be huge for the team if they can properly develop them, as pitching tends to be one of the more expensive spots on the roster. Here is a look at how the pitchers are doing since being traded to the Sox.
Nick Nastrini
The headliner in the Lance Lynn deal, Nastrini has looked very good since putting on the Barons uniform. While his ERA is a bit higher than he’d like at 4.22, he has looked much more comfortable in his last few starts.
The rest of his stats have been very good, as he has struck out 31 batters in just 21 innings while walking seven. He is holding opponents to a .235 average and has improved his WHIP from 1.40 to 1.27 with the Barons. He keeps getting better for the Barons and should be a good major-league starter.
It also appears that he was promoted to AAA, as he posted an Instagram story from the Knights dugout. For him to end out the year there is big, as he can battle for a rotation spot in the major leagues next year.
Jake Eder
Acquired in the heavily critiqued Jake Burger trade, Eder has big shoes to fill, as Burger has been playing very well in Miami, especially considering he won’t be a free agent for four to five more seasons.
Unfortunately, his start for the Barons has not been good. He currently has a 13.86 ERA in 12 innings with the Barons. He’s walked 10 in those innings while striking out 17. He has been hit around a bit as most of his stats are elevated. He was pitching well before he was injured earlier in the year, which was right around the time he was traded.
He has some great stuff he just needs to put it all together. Hopefully next year with a clean start to the season he can regain his form.
Ky Bush
The other piece in the Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez trade, Bush, like Eder has gotten off to a bit of a rough start since the trade. He did look good in his last start though.
Bush has dealt with some command issues, but he has an absolutely filthy slider. If he can continue to stack some good starts into the offseason, he could potentially compete for a role on the White Sox next year.
To this point, he has an 8.46 ERA in 22 innings. He has struck out 21 and walked 10 in that same timeframe. Just one year removed from a great season, he is still working off the rust from an early-season injury. Hopefully, he can continue to get back his 2022 form as it would be nice to have a lefty in the rotation.
Juan Carela
One of the more underrated acquisitions of the deadline, Carela was acquired for Keynan Middleton right at the buzzer. The 21-year-old has looked pretty good for the Dash since the trade. In 21 innings, he has a 3.43 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks.
He has also put together a nice string of starts and I could see him getting promoted to AA to end the season. I believe he is rule five eligible next season, so the White Sox will have to add him to the 40-man roster for him to get protected from another team selecting him in the draft. I would imagine they do that, as he is a promising prospect.
Jordan Leasure
Leasure was the other prospect acquired in the Lance Lynn trade. As a reliever, Leasure features a dynamic fastball and has the potential to be a legit back-end of the bullpen piece for the Sox.
He’s had a rough start with the Knights, but his overall 2023 stats have been very good. For the Knights, he has a 6.23 ERA in just under nine innings. But, he has struck out 13 batters in that time frame.
I could see him being called up by the Sox in the September call-ups to let him get a chance at the major league level, as he is 25.
Overall, the Sox have some very interesting arms to evaluate, as most of these guys are very talented and have the potential to be a major-league talent. If they can live up to that hype remains to be seen, but let’s hope they do.
