CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 20: Starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel #60 of the Chicago White Sox reacts during the second inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox should already have these three players on the trade block.
The Chicago White Sox aren’t going to run away with the American League Central after all. Seemingly the best team within this division, they’ve been slow to start in 2022 and tumbled far down this week’s MLB Power Rankings. The roster may not be nearly as powerful as once thought.
With a still incredibly talented roster and a chance to turn things around before the end of the 162-game schedule, it’s not yet time to begin panicking. However, fans should have some concerns. The team could find themselves either selling in July or potentially selling pieces in order to improve their chances at a playoff run.
As we close out April, these members of the White Sox roster are looking like early trade candidates.
3. The White Sox should still be looking to trade Dallas Keuchel
Regardless of what the standings say, Dallas Keuchel is someone the White Sox should have on the trade block permanently. They’ve needed him early on this season to help overcome an injury to Lance Lynn. However, after three starts, he is only 1-2 with a 9.00 ERA in 10 innings of work.
The White Sox have already been treated to all sides of Keuchel. In 2020, he was 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in his 11 starts during the shortened season. Hopeful he could repeat the magic over the full length of a season in 2021, fans were disappointed to see him fall to 9-9 with a 5.28 ERA.
A salary hit of $18 million this year with a team option for 2023 worth $20 million that nobody is going to pick up, the White Sox will likely have to eat a portion of the deal to move on from him. One scenario they could consider is a swap of bad contracts. A team in need of a fifth starter with a position player they’d like to get out from under could work. Second baseman Robinson Cano of the New York Mets would have made some sense before the season began. However, his own struggles and the Mets’ lack of a need for an arm like Keuchel have removed this possibility.
Other teams will end up needing an arm like Keuchel’s with a bat to spare. Maybe the White Sox get lucky and what looks like a swap of bad contracts turns into something much better for them.