The White Sox expect to contend next year. They will only trade away players w/ control in exchange for players who will help next year. They are losing 3/5 of their starting rotation to FA, have terrible defense in many positions, and a need for middle infielders. If they trade Robert they will need their 2024 starting CF in the deal. I'm thinking a CF, at least 2 SP, 1 who is projected to be a top 10-11 position or pitching player for them in 2024, and then 3-4 legitimate prospects who are MLB ready. That could be: Gilbert, Garcia, Arrighetti, Mushinski, Kessinger, Leon, Whitley, and K.Lee?
I would like to keep Chas, Diaz and Brown also, but for Robert, I see us having to give up someone productive at the big league level.
The more I think about it the more I think you just can’t trade Diaz. He is a 5 or 6 WAR waiting to happen catcher and that’s probably the rarest commodity in the game (if he plays 110 games at catcher and 40 at DH) at any level or position. The giants won 3 titles with that kind of guy. You can obviously win a WS without a catcher that’s any good, but having one of the 2-5 really good catchers in the game is such a cheat code to a good lineup. We are getting ready to do a trade value podcast next Monday and it will consider salary, club control, positional scarcity as well as talent and I’m not sure Diaz isn’t like the #3 player in the organization in value behind Alvarez and Framber. I’d have definitely had Javier after his 5 year extension higher but he looks pretty broken. Brown would be in the conversation as well with his having the same 5 more seasons of control left. I’d trade Tucker before either a brown or Diaz even though Tucker is obviously a better player. Emotionally, trading Altuve would be gutting but. He’s old, has 1 more year left is all and his next contract is liable to be an overpay and he’s likely to be on the decline (note- I’d still do it). The casualness with which our fans talk about potentially trading Chas is crazy to me, but Diaz, man, he should be damn near untouchable and Robert doesn’t do it for me. We have one CF playing at a near all star level right now with 3 years of club control left, and out top prospect in the minors is a high floor CF. There’s no catcher likely to be even close to Diaz in the way Chas and Gilbert is within spitting distance of Robert.
Can’t even imagine what that would take. Start with Meyers, Gilbert, Arrighetti, and probably France (maybe even Brown), and you’d still not be close. Pena and Garcia would be wild cards. Maybe Pena, Garcia, Gilbert, Arrighetti, and Meyers for Cease and Robert? That seems pretty fair off the cuff. What a swing for the fences move that would be. CF Robert 2B Altuve DH Alvarez 3B Bregman RF Tucker 1B Abreu LF McCormick C Diaz SS Dubon Bench: Maldy, Kessinger, Julks, Salazar/Singleton Rotation: Framber, Cease, Brown, Javier BP: Urquidy, France, Montero, Bielak/Dubin/Martinez, Stanek, Maton, Neris, Abreu, Pressly
Pena would have to be involved in the deal to get Robert and Cease. Think of what the Astros would ask for to give up Pena in terms of prospects. By trading them Pena, you are giving that sort of equivalent in the deal which eats up a lot of the return that would be needed. Yainer Diaz can't be part of the deal.
I don’t like any of this. Stick with rentals where you don’t have to consider trading anyone on the roster not named Meyers or Julks. Stroman, Bellinger, Snell, bullpen arms.
If we are giving up Pena and Garcia, I doubt we would have to give up Gilbert. Pena is a potential star at the hardest positions and Garcia is a bonafide starter. Both have longer club control at much lower numbers.
Altuve 2B Robert CF Alvarez DH Abreu 3B Tucker RF Chas LF Bregman 3B Diaz C Dubon SS Framber Cease Javier Brown JP Urquidy Bialek Maton Neris Abreu Pressley That would be a pretty great playoff roster especially if we could pick up someone similar to Gravemen for Julks or Meyers.
I am surprised at you on this one. Normally I think you offer too much but this time I think it’s too little. I will play: McCormick, (Meyers or Julks), Peña, Garcia or (Urquidy+ France).
You might be right. One would think Pena, Meyers, and Garcia would carry a LOT of weight as potential stars at crucial positions who also have very high floors. Thinking on it harder I think those 3 would be a fair trade for Robert/Cease and would actually probably be a good deal for both sides and maybe even one that other teams wouldn’t/couldn’t match given Chicago’s desire for MLB ready/proven players. The downside would be a resulting reliance on Dubon and Kessinger but I like what I’ve seen from both of them thus far and as long as they are down in the 8/9 hole they would still be part of what I think would be the deepest lineup in baseball. Losing Garcia is really a non-factor to me given he’s our thru a lot of next year and Houston had several guys look like adequate 4/5 SP so with Cease/Brown/Framber/Javier they don’t need Garcia.
All I can say on the report is it would take alot. I mean alot alot. They would need to be able to throw in some bad contract guys aswell
No on McCormick. His production is close to Robert right now and at a much lower number than Roberts 40 million he's making over the next 2 seasons. He should be almost untradeable unless it's for someone like Ohtani or Soto.
