White Sox “Trades” with EVERY TEAM – NL West Edition – 2023

A long time ago, I was listening to an interview with legendary poker professional Phil Ivey and the interviewer asked the question (paraphrasing) How would you recommend a player learning the game get better the fastest? Phil said something to the effect of (paraphrasing) Buy in to a game at much lower stakes than you would normally play, and then play every single hand for an hour. Try and figure out how you would play all of these different hands in different situations and positions that you are normally taught not to play in. In the spirit of that recommendation from an all-time great, Chorizy and I are once again going to undertake the exercise of making a White Sox trade with every team in the majors…..this is the NL West Edition.

Los Angeles Dodgers

White Sox send: Liam Hendriks Right Handed RP
White Sox receive: Bobby Miller Right Handed SP, Nick Robertson Right Handed RP
Rationale: This would make two years in a row that the White Sox dealt a closer to the Dodgers, although this one is under much different conditions. If you are the Dodgers and looking at ways to improve a roster that won 111 games in the regular season, but got dumped out of the playoffs in the division series, there’s nary a few spots in which you can do it. Adding possibly the top closer in the game would do just that and lengthen a bullpen that was an achilles heel in their series loss to the Padres. For a White Sox team that is looking to shuffle the deck chairs and cut some payroll, this effectively does both.

Bobby Miller is a top starting pitching prospect in baseball, he has all the pitches and stuff, just struggles enough with command where it puts him being a starting pitcher in doubt. Reminds me lots of Dylan Cease and that was one story that turned out pretty frickin’ happy for us White Sox fans.

Nick Robertson is basically a major league ready reliever on the strength of an excellent fastball. That’s also his limiting factor as he hasn’t really developed a dependable secondary pitch that would allow him to be dependable in high leverage. If this White Sox staff could get ReyLo and Lambo lined up to do this, why not go in the other direction and help this kid develop his second pitch.

San Diego Padres

White Sox send: Lance Lynn Right Handed SP
White Sox receive: Eguy Rosario 2B / 3B & Angel Felipe Right Handed RP
Rationale: This is simultaneously the trades you hate to make and love to make all in one. Lynn has been very good for the White Sox in his 2 seasons, if not having some minor injuries catch up with him as he ages into the final stanza of his career.

A White Sox team trying to cut payroll but also shuffle the deck chairs on a potential contender sometimes have to make deals like this. Lynn has 1 year left at $18.5M and a club option at $18M, which makes him very attractive for a Padres team with a veteran pitching staff. The White Sox get in return two players that are major league ready.

Eguy Rosario is probably best utilized at 2b, even though he can play SS or 3B as well. He’s only 5’9″, but built like a fire plug. He makes a lot of contact, but still impacts the ball enough to be a well rounded hitter. Rosario is ready for a big league gig, but hopelessly blocked behind San Diego’s excellent major league infield. He would start opening day at the keystone for our White Sox.

Angel Felipe is a Don Cooper era special in the bullpen. Gigantic fastball, with occasional command. He strikes out and walks the entire ballpark, but the upside here is quite large and he has minor league options, so you know, “KATZ’LL FIX’EM”.

San Francisco Giants

White Sox send: Yasmani Grandal C
White Sox receive: Brandon Crawford SS
Rationale: It’s difficult for me to tell what the Giants will do with a fairly normal roster, but this one has a lot going on. We can probably assume Carlos Rodon will opt out, they’ll buy out Longoria, and Pedersen & Belt are free agents. There are a lot of holes to fill in this roster and one question they have is at catcher. They have a previous #2 overall pick in Joey Bart that has yet to perform. He’s got an option left, so they could set him up in AAA to try to get it together while they make a bet on Grandal to bounce back.

On the Sox side, if you couldn’t get enough of Elvis Andrus, well I have a Brandon Crawford to sell you. There is nothing that tells me that Crawford will turn it around like Elvis did, but BeefLoaf said I had to find a trade with this team that absolutely doesn’t match with the Sox, so this is what you get. Sorry Brandon, you’re probably a better defensive SS than Timmy, but you’re going to 2B. Hopefully you can remember what you did in 2021 like the rest of the team needs to. At least we save Jerry like $2M with this.

Colorado Rockies

White Sox send: Lucas Giolito
White Sox receive: German Marquez
Rationale: The Rockies rarely trade, but when they do, it seems they are usually trying to find someone that the fan base will enjoy. There are few guys better in the community than Giolito. This is basically a swap of formerly very good pitchers that had bad seasons in 2022.

Giolito is expected to make ~$10 million in arbitration this year, where as Marquez is due $15.3 million in 2023, with a $2.5 million buyout or a $16 million team option in 2024. So if he takes to his new surroundings, the White Sox would add some control on a starting pitcher that could achieve a bounce back. The Rockies stink, but they get to save money and they can trade Giolito, who being mainly a fastball / change-up guy, has a good shot at rebounding in Coors.

Arizona Diamondbacks

White Sox send: Bryan Ramos 3B, Cristian Mena P, Wes Kath 3B, Erick Hernandez OF
White Sox receive: Ketel Marte 2B
Rationale: When you finish 37 games out of first place in your division, you’re probably not thinking that next year is the year. The D-Backs did outplay the odds makers and get to 74 wins, but it would be surprising to me if they thought their time to strike was now.

Ketel Marte has been someone previously discussed as a White Sox trade target, but the price tag always seemed far beyond what the Sox could stomach. However, Marte did not have a great 2022, as noted by their GM:

But Hazen acknowledged the Diamondbacks had hoped for more from Marte, who in March received a five-year, $76 million extension that kicks in next season.

“We’ve had those conversations with him, too, that, as our best player, there’s periods of time where we want him to carry us,” Hazen said. “And we need him to carry us a little bit more.”

He’s not pushing him out the door or anything like that, but you can tell there is some dissatisfaction. And as the article mentions, his contract is beginning to accelerate. While it is a generally affordable contract, he’s currently the 5th highest paid 2B in the league.

From the Sox it would be a plethora of prospects. And some of our younger prospects, which is what I would expect the D-Backs to look for in trading their best player to look towards the future.