Well, the White Sox finally made their first trade of the deadline. They have traded Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Los Angeles Angels. This one hurts a bit, as it will be sad to see Giolito go, but it was for the long-term benefit of the White Sox. This trade hinges on the outcome of the prospects the White Sox got in return, and here we take a deep dive into both of them.
Edgar Quero
The 65th-ranked prospect on MLB’s top prospect list, Quero is the headliner in this deal. A catcher was a must-address situation at the deadline, and the White Sox were able to get their catcher of the future for two rental pitchers.
Currently, Quero is only 20 years old and plays in AA. He got a quick promotion last year after hitting .312 with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs. He even added 12 stolen bases to go along with that, to show he isn’t your typical slow catcher.
He has the ability to hit for power and could be a legitimate threat as a hitter for the catcher position.
This year he is struggling a bit, as he was aggressively promoted to AA. It will be interesting to see where the White Sox place him, but don’t be surprised if they put him back down to A ball to get more reps as he is so young.
This year he is hitting .246, but he does have a very high OBP of .386. The most impressive stat he has is the walks-to-strikeout ratio, as he has walked 55 times and only struck out 53. He has a good eye and that will definitely translate to the MLB.
This is a very nice get for the White Sox, as some outlets rank him higher than 50 on their top prospects list. He will slot in as their third-best prospect and one of their best-catching prospects in a long time. Hopefully, he can develop in the next few years and be the catcher of the future.
Ky Bush
Finally, A left-handed starter! Ky Bush is a solid piece who could become a middle-of-the-rotation arm for the Sox as soon as next year.
A second-round pick in 2021, Bush had a great season last year but has battled injuries so far this year. Last year he was 7-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 21 games started. He had about 100 strikeouts in 100 innings and had an opposing average of .237 with a 1.18 WHIP. Those are very good stats out of AA.
This year, while injury-riddled, has not nearly been as good, but he still struck out 33 batters in only 26 innings. He has the stuff to get people out, and once he is healthy he will be able to show that again shortly.
The White Sox have been desperately needing a left-handed starting option, and now with all of the rotation spots opening, he could definitely be in the mix to start next year.
He has a very good slider to go along with a mid-90s fastball and should be a back-end of the rotation guy. He has great control, as he has been able to limit the walks, which many Sox pitchers have not been able to do. I like him as a nice upside piece for the Sox to work with, as they desperately needed pitching that is close to the majors.
This is a nice start to the fire sale the White Sox will have and hopefully, they can continue to stock the farm system with solid talent while still trying to compete next year.
“The most impressive stat he has is the walks-to-strikeout ratio, as he has walked 55 times and only struck out 53.”
He almost struck out as many times as he walked. So, how is that a good thing? Looks like more of the same with the Sox!