The latest MLBTR Mailbag will look at whether the White Sox were too passive at the deadline, the Cubs’ slate of deadline additions, some non-trades from the Mets, the Tarik Skubal deal, the upcoming class of free agents and more. (Note: as always, some questions are lightly edited for clarity and/or brevity.)
Let’s dive in!
Brandon asks:
I feel the White Sox could’ve done more and should’ve done more at the deadline. I’m not saying give up any their top 3 prospects in a mega deal but there were guys we could’ve had that would’ve made more of an impact. For instance, a second starter like Kevin Gausman. Also, had they been more proactive on Tyler Stephenson before the Adley deal made him unattainable- would that have worked out? Then to just DFA Austin Hays and Everson Pereira after getting Brenton Doyle (I liked that move) and choosing to keep Drew Romo up over Edgar Quero after settling on less than mediocre Joey Bart… well… that’s just frustrating all around.
It was nice to be buyers but I feel like Getz was being too conservative with a lockout looming and our first legitimate shot at a little postseason run in decades (2020 was a fluke). I give their deadline a C+ and I really don’t think it is unfair to have expected a B/B+ out of them. The team still has some glaring issues and Davis Martin can’t be expected to carry a staff on his back when he himself is just mediocre. Expecting Drew Thorpe to come back/up or Hagen Smith to come up and be thrust into this with high expectations seems a little unfair and high pressure. The AL Central is only going to get stronger IMO and we should strike when we have a chance.
I think a deal could’ve been worked out for Reid Detmers or José Soriano (who could easily be a 3-5 guy for a few years) around Billy Carlson and another (Tanner MacDougal?). Billy is pretty much blocked right now anyway and wouldn’t be coming up (therefore impactful)for years for us either. This would have given us a safety net and a respectable and competitive rotation. Am I being a dreamer?
There are some fair criticisms here. I do feel there were opportunities for the Sox to do a bit more. Bringing in Stephenson behind the plate, as you suggested, wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) have cost this team much and would’ve put them in a better spot than Bart. (That was true even before Bart suffering a near-immediate injury that sent the Sox back to square one.) The price the Cubs paid to acquire Gausman was pretty minimal, and the White Sox could have easily topped it — but they’re also on Gausman’s no-trade list. We don’t know if that came into play, but it’s certainly possible it was an obstacle.
The ChiSox added a respectable veteran arm who’s signed through 2027 and has pitched mostly well after a poor six weeks to begin the season (Luis Castillo), a righty-hitting outfielder who can play good defense (Doyle), a fringe-y backup catcher (Bart) and a useful middle reliever (Huascar Brazoban). They also took a flier on a depth arm (Jose Urquidy) who has never thrown hard but is averaging a career-low 91.9 mph on his heater in Triple-A right now.
It’s a fine enough slate of upgrades, but nothing seismic. Accordingly, the White Sox didn’t give up any prospects of note. Right-hander Mason Adams, who went to the Rockies in the Doyle swap, is probably the best prospect they surrendered. He’s a 40 FV guy who Baseball America had pegged 18th in their system.
Could they have done more? Absolutely. Should they have? Everything depends on asking price, but I do feel they were in a position to push in a bit more. The American League is weak. The Central is very much there for the taking this season. They may win it even without any major moves, but they’d have felt more like a viable postseason club with another big arm on the staff.
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