Folks, bust out your prospect lists and bookmark Eduardo Escobar's Baseball Reference page, because it's officially trade deadline szn.
As the beat-up Sox roster scuffles towards the All-Star Break, and with our fearless leader out in the wilderness watching day games at 9:30 PM, I figured it'd be a good time for a trip around the masthead to see how we're collectively feeling about the job in front of Rick Hahn & Co.
Whether or not they can close the deal on Escobar, it's clear the White Sox need upgrades in order to contend for a World Series title. With that in mind, here's how the Sox Machine staff is feeling 30 days before the deadline.
Q: What do you think is the White Sox's biggest need at the trade deadline?
Josh Nelson: The White Sox need more home runs. As of June 30, the White Sox have a -14 home run differential (72 hit; 86 allowed). The last time this franchise had a winning record with a negative home differential was in 1992. Since the introduction of the Designated Hitter, the Sox have never won a division or earned a postseason spot without having a positive home run differential. I wouldn’t put the whole onus on an excellent starting pitching staff to reduce home runs. They are doing their job. This offense is not, and while we can dream of Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert back in the lineup together in mid-August, that’s still six weeks away. Rick Hahn needs to find external help who can put the ball in the seats.
Ted Mulvey: While the bullpen has induced its fair share of teeth-gnashing, butt-clenching, and expletive-uttering, I think the biggest need remains the outfield. Losing your entire starting outfield isn't ideal. Losing two competent bench/platoon options is even less so, and ultimately playing nearly enough guys in the outfield for a Saturday Sporcle (11!) puts a rotten cherry on top of this already questionable sundae. The Sox need a guy who can get on base, hit for power, and whose primary defensive position is actually in the outfield.
Bennett Karoll: Their biggest need, overall, is hitting. They have "holes" at 2B and the OF and those are the positions they need to add, but overall they just need more bats. The team is going through a massive slump right now and while it's easy to wait and see and let them turn it around, it feels a lot smarter to trade for bats that can help spark the rest of the lineup. A close second is bullpen arms, but those are cheap and easy to trade for.
Greg Nix: Left-handed power. Heading into Wednesday's games, the Sox ranked 28th in the majors in home runs. In their 32 losses, they've only hit 13 homers (compared to 59 in their 46 wins). That's not going to be good enough against tough pitching staffs in the postseason, even if the roster gets healthier.
Q: Who is your perfect (somewhat realistic) acquisition for this year's team?
Josh: If the Washington Nationals nose dive in July, it would be Kyle Schwarber. But suppose the Nationals don’t nosedive in July and stay contending. In that case, I’d like to see if Starling Marte is available from the Marlins. I understand a mutual interest between Miami and Marte in getting a new contract done, but let’s think outside of the box and borrow another sport’s perspective: soccer. Think of the Marlins trading Marte before July 31 as loaning him to another ball club for the price of two prospects. After the season, Marte is a free agent. If he genuinely decides to play for Miami and only them, I imagine a new contract will happen. The Marlins win on both fronts here. They get Marte for 2022 beyond and a couple of prospects for the second half of Marte’s services when this team isn’t going to make the postseason. The White Sox get Marte, who can handle CF and move over to RF when Robert is healthy. Maybe bat him third behind Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada. Damn, this team could win the World Series with Marte in the fold.
Ted: The obvious and already much-discussed option is Adam Frazier. Checks both second base and the outfield, can hit, etc., etc. So let's take things in a new direction: what about a different Pittsburgh Pirate who can play the outfield? Bryan Reynolds! He can play center and left field, switch hits, doesn't have much of a platoon split, hits for power (13 home runs), and gets on base (.397 OBP, wOBA .397, xwOBA .376). I just wonder how much it would take to acquire him. He's only 26 and controlled through 2025, so the Pirates might view him as a core piece for their next contention window.
Bennett: Ketel Marte and Eduardo Escobar. Marte slots into CF and is under control for a few years, while old friend Escobar fills in at 2B for the year. Is Luis Robert going to be back this year? Maybe, but since I'm still unsure I'm not risking my CF spot on it. If he does come back, I'd slot one of them into a corner and probably shuffle Marte through some starts at SS and 2B, too. Will the cost be high? Yes. It's still worth it if it's the move that can put you on another level.
Greg: As Josh mentioned, I think Schwarber is the best guy out there in terms of offensive fit, but I worry he's played himself out of their price range with 16 homers in his last 18 games. Frazier would be a great add because of his defensive flexibility and Madrigal-like ability to keep the lineup moving, but he's not going to help with the power outage. So I'll go with Joey Gallo, who's been playing extremely well lately and has power to spare -- without Schwarber's defensive limitations or extreme platoon splits. He's also controllable through 2022, giving Hahn a jumpstart on an offseason replacement for Adam Eaton.
Q: How important is it that the White Sox are active before the deadline?
Josh: Rick Hahn’s legacy is on the line here. He’s done all this work to rebuild the franchise and have this new core that I can’t imagine he’s going to sit on his hands this deadline. Jimenez and Robert are reinforcements that will eventually come. Still, if he can add to their arrival, it will just make the White Sox that much stronger of a team. Forget 2022 for a moment. We don’t know what that season holds with the CBA expiring. This season is the White Sox best chance of winning the American League pennant in 16 years. I imagine Hahn is ready to push his chips into the middle and make the moves necessary to improve this team.
Ted: Extremely, super-duper, mega important. This is a team that has holes in the outfield, second base, and relief pitching. It has an offense that struggles to put up runs and a bullpen that can't hold leads when the offense does manage to scrape together run support. Not addressing at least two of the three aforementioned areas courts disaster.
Bennett: It's hugely important. Eloy Jimenez is very much on his way back but there's no guarantee his bat will immediately come back with him. It's easy to expect that he'll be good, but even one good bat isn't enough to put this team over the top. They need to add from outside and now is the time.
Greg: Not to beat a dead horse, but it's really important. This team has managed to keep the wheels from coming off in the face of injuries, mainly thanks to the starting rotation. But it would be foolish to bet on all of Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodon, Dallas Keuchel, and Dylan Cease to stay both healthy and productive the entire year. The White Sox have a very good chance to claim their first division title since 2008 and make back-to-back postseasons for the first time ever. Not aggressively adding would be a huge mistake.
*EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS* Q: On a scale of 1-10, how frustrated will you be if/when Rick Hahn says the team views Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert as their main deadline additions?
Josh: A billion. If Hahn sits on his hands, I would delete all social media accounts and don’t plan to listen to the radio for a while. He’ll get grilled.
Ted: My wife works in healthcare and often has to ask her patients what their pain is on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "almost no pain at all" and 10 being "the most excruciating pain you've ever experienced and are likely to pass out". If we apply that pain scale to the frustration scale, I'd be at an 8. I'm not going to lose my mind over it and have a meltdown (or pass out), but there'd be some pretty severe disappointment. This is a team that purportedly had World Series aspirations entering the season, and still has the opportunity to go out and improve themselves while waiting for the reinforcements to arrive. Their starting pitching could take them far in October, but only if they're proactive in addressing the flaws that are obvious to everyone. If now isn't the time to make some moves/spend some money, when will it ever be?
Bennett: I mean, honestly at this point I've assumed for 4 months that would be the announcement on August 1st, so I'll be frustrated but it's not gonna be boiling over like it would be if I was shocked by it. I'll say a solid 6, because I'm still gonna be annoyed but it is what it is at this point.
Greg:
