The once-dormant trade market is coming to life. According to USA Today writer Bob Nightengale, the Houston Astros are in trade talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks about outfielder Daulton Varsho. 

Despite the fact that one of their roadblocks in the American League engaged in talks for an elite defensive outfielder, this is good news for the White Sox. Rick Hahn has alluded that the White Sox will be looking to upgrade the team through trades this offseason. 

The White Sox have holes in both corner outfield positions and second base. If the White Sox want to trade for an outfielder, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen is the first person he should call. 

Nightengale mentioned Varsho, but the Diamondbacks are wealthy in outfield depth. If the asking price is too steep for Varsho, there are plenty of other names that Rick Hahn could inquire about. 

The Diamondbacks have three more left-handed outfielders who can play center field: Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and Alek Thomas. The D-backs have told teams that Carroll is not available. However, they seem open to discussing trade opportunities with the other two. Mike Hazen indicated that it will be a player with at least three years of club control remaining to part ways with any of these outfielders. 

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that the White Sox were among the list of teams that have shown interest in at least one of the Diamondbacks outfielders. He writes:

“According to sources, perhaps a third of baseball’s 30 teams have checked in on at least one of the Diamondbacks’ outfielders, with two new clubs reaching out for the first time on Tuesday. Sources say the interested teams include the Astros, Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Marlins, Reds, White Sox, and Yankees, among others.” 

Any one of these young outfielders could be a game-changing solution for the White Sox, who have struggled to find a right fielder since Avisail Garcia left.

Daulton Varsho 

Daulton Varsho would be a perfect remedy for a team that struggled with defense. According to Baseball Savant, his outfield jump ranked in the top three percentile, while his outs above average rank in the top one percentile. He tracks down balls that not many others can reach. 

Last season he ranked 10th in the National League in defensive WAR (2.0), fifth in Total Zone Runs as a centerfielder (5), fourth in Range Factor per nine innings (2.73) as an outfielder, and third in Range Factor per game as an outfielder (2.45). 

The 26-year-old has played over 600 innings in both center and right field. As a bonus, he can also play catcher. He has played 82 games there, with 61 starts behind the plate. 

Varsho would also add another left-handed bat to the lineup. 

The former second-round pick out of the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin is entering his fourth year in the league. He is a career .234 hitter with a .783 OPS. His strikeout percentage is a tick higher than he would like at 24 percent for his career. The MLB average is at 22 percent. 

However, he slashed .232/.302/.443 with 27 home runs and 74 RBIs last season. His 27 home runs and 74 RBIs each were career highs. He also stole a career-high 16 bases.   

While those numbers don’t jump off the page, it is still more home runs than anyone on the 2022 White Sox hit. He is under contract until 2027, so he would fit in the White Sox contention window and be a future piece to build around. 

Jake McCarthy

Jake McCarthy is 25 years old and coming off his second year in the big leagues, but he has yet to reach a full year of service time. He can put the ball in play but lacks power. Last season he hit .283 in 321 at-bats with a .769 OPS. McCarthy had just eight home runs but still posted a solid 116 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR.

A concern with McCarthy is that he does not hit the ball very hard. His average exit velocity, hard hit, and barrel percentage all ranked in the bottom 20th percentile last season. McCarthy makes up for it with his speed. 

His sprint speed is in the 98th percentile, and it helped him squeeze out a few extra infield singles. It also made him a nightmare on the base paths. He swiped 23 bags last season and was only caught three times. After appearing in a career-high 99 games, he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting. 

The potential is there for McCarthy to develop into a great offensive player. What makes him even more attractive to teams like the White Sox is that his average salary is $702,400, and he doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until 2028.

Alek Thomas

Alek Thomas is a local kid who was born in Chicago. His father, Allen, worked as the White Sox strength and conditioning coach but was let go following the 2021 season. 

Alek is just 22 years old and labeled a Top 50 prospect entering the 2022 season. He served as the D-back’s primary centerfielder and was named a Gold Glove finalist for his efforts. Baseball Savant places his arm strength in the 70th percentile and his outs above average in the 92nd percentile. 

His outs above average came in at seven, while his +6 DRS in centerfield was tied for fourth-best in the NL. His skill set places him amongst the MLB’s best defensive center fielders. 

Unfortunately, there was plenty of room for improvement on the offensive side. Thomas slashed 231/.275/.344 with eight home runs and a 5.4 percent walk rate. 

If the White Sox were to trade for him at this stage in their contention window, it would be because they value his defense. Thomas is still young, with plenty of time to develop his offensive game. 

All three players would cost some assets, but each would immediately improve the White Sox’s porous outfield defense. They also have the potential to be a long-term fit. It’s worth picking up the phone and inquiring about the trio.