According to Jon Heyman, the Kansas City Royals are one of a few teams that have expressed interest in White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham. This is great news for the White Sox, as it is best that they have as many teams interested as possible. Even more so if the Royals want him the most, as they will likely have to outbid the other non-division teams by a little bit more.
Most of the playoff teams could use Tommy Pham, as most teams don’t have three outfielders and a DH that are playing better than Pham this season. He has shown to be a valuable trade deadline asset in the past, as last year he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks reach the World Series with his stellar play in the playoffs.
Now, it is the White Sox turn to trade Pham at the deadline, as they look to capitalize on his strong start to the season and improve on the return that the Mets received last year at the deadline. Last year the Diamondbacks sent over 17-year-old shortstop, Jeremey Rodriguez, who is now ranked as the 12th best prospect in a very strong Mets farm system.
This was a solid return for the Mets, as they got a very young shortstop with a lot of potential. Rodriguez is currently playing very well in Rookie Ball for the Mets and it is looking like they made a very good trade. The White Sox could aim for a similar 1 for 1 trade, but now Pham is one year older. However, he is actually playing just as good, if not better as he was for the Mets. Considering this and his strong playoff stretch last year could make him even more valuable to a playoff team at the deadline.
Now, the Kansas City Royals do not have a very strong farm system, so it will likely take one of their top-10 prospects to get a deal done. This would keep it on par with what the Mets received for Pham at the deadline last year.
It’s unclear who exactly the White Sox would target in the Royals farm system, but they should target a bat, as that is currently the weakest part of their farm and major league team. Since it is unlikely that we get the Royals number one or two prospect without throwing anything else in the deal, that leaves three position players in the Royals top-10 of prospects.
At No. 7 is outfielder Gavin Cross who was selected in the first round in 2022. He is currently having a very solid season after a very poor 2023. He is slashing .275/.362/.436 with seven homeruns and 32 RBIs in AA. He also has 14 stolen bases so far, showing off his speed tool.
Cross has a lot of power, that if he can tap into, could translate to the major league level. If he can cut down on the strikeouts in the minors, he could make his way up to the MLB sooner rather than later. I could see the White Sox targeting Cross in a 1 for 1 swap for Pham and it would be a solid deal for the White Sox. If we were not able to get one of their better prospects and needed to target hitting, this would be my choice.
The Royals also have a shortstop and another outfielder in their top 10, but both are underperforming this season. Cross would be the ideal swap with the Royals if the White Sox are targeting a bat, but if they wanted more pitching the Royals have four pitchers ranked 3-6 in their system that the White Sox could go after.
Pham will be a valued commodity at the deadline and the White Sox are in a good position to get a very solid prospect in return. However, due to the lack of talent in their farm system, the Royals might not be the best destination for Pham if the White Sox want to maximize his value.
