Earlier this winter, Ken Rosenthal wondered aloud whether the White Sox might have interest in Salvador Pérez, mostly because the White Sox hired his mentor and friend as their new manager. It had all the markings of idle speculation at the time, and nothing came of it.
I was reminded of that episode when Bob Nightengale did the same thing with Nick Madrigal in his Sunday notebook ...
The White Sox, who picked second baseman Nick Madrigal in the first round of the 2018 draft and traded him to the Cubs in 2021 for veteran closer Craig Kimbrel, now have a chance to get him back.
The Cubs no longer have room for Madrigal in the starting lineup after signing shortstop Dansby Swanson and shifting Nico Hoerner to second base, and guess who desperately needs a second baseman?
Yep, the White Sox.
... except that because Nightengale has an embossed coffee mug and ashtray in Jerry Reinsdorf's office, one can't merely dismiss it as a brain dropping. Just like Chuck Garfien dropped an "Adam Eaton might not be so bad" podcast a day before the White Sox made that move official, there's a chance that Nightengale is laying similar track.
It could also just be column filler. Since Nightengale stopped one sentence short of saying the White Sox should reacquire Madrigal, everything he said is true. The Cubs lineup doesn't have room for Madrigal. The White Sox still lack a fixture at second base. The White Sox probably could get him back if they wanted it enough.
The question is why they'd want it enough. The whole point in trading him while he was hurt was getting something of value for him while they still had the chance, because he basically needed to max out all of his physical abilities in order to be a plus player, and two season-ending surgeries in two years may have lowered the ceiling on what he could possibly have to offer. Sure enough, he returned from his hamstring tear in 2021 to pull both groin muscles along with a tweaked back in 2022.
The Cubs supposedly have an idea on helping Madrigal avoid future leg issues ...
For Madrigal, part of the solution to a healthy regiment in 2023 comes from advanced data the team has on each player’s biometrics through their running and other movements they make. According to some within the Cubs system, for Madrigal, that means the way he runs — Madrigal’s running pattern has him more upright than other players, meaning he’s putting more stress on his hamstrings, which can, in turn lead to hamstring or lower body injuries.
... and while that indeed be something worth trying, it may be a nominal effort to distract everybody from the highly legible writing on the wall. The Cubs also talked about all the high-tech training they were going to give Kyle Schwarber's eyes and hands to improve his receiving, but they abandoned catching once it wasn't necessary for his value.
In a scenario where the White Sox effectively shorted Madrigal and he turns into a Rule 5 pick -- acquired from his team of origin, then sent back to that team for a fraction of the price -- then sure, add him to the pile. Anything that makes a Romy Gonzalez/Lenyn Sosa breakout less necessary helps. It just doesn't make the most sense to make him a priority, because the Sox already have enough guys who will probably lose their grip on a roster spot. That Madrigal does it by getting hurt is a distinction without a difference.
