White Sox Rumors: Trade Deadline, Dunning, Grandal
At 12-11, the White Sox currently sit three games back of the Twins for the division lead. They’re one and a half games behind the Indians for second place in the American League Central. As things stand, they’d squeak into the postseason as an eight seed in MLB’s expanded 2020 playoff format, but the organization that spent $169MM in free agency and $168MM on extensions for young talent surely has its sights set a bit higher. Barring some form of collapse in the next couple weeks, the ChiSox will be looking to add pieces at this year’s deadline, but GM Rick Hahn said last night that rental players won’t be his focus (Twitter link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com).
It’s an understandable outlook, given that the South Siders are only in their first season of attempting to emerge from a lengthy rebuilding process. The early returns look promising, as young players like Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson have fueled a strong offense. There’s work to be done on the pitching side yet — particularly in the rotation — but the Sox clearly aren’t interested in parting with any young talent for a one-off shot at the postseason in a bizarre 2020 campaign. Many fringe contenders could feel similarly, opting instead to focus on players who can help them at least in 2021, if not longer.
A few more notes on the ChiSox…
- Hahn also gave strong indications yesterday that pitching prospect Dane Dunning could be called on for his MLB debut against the Tigers Wednesday (link via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). The GM cautioned that he prefers not to announce roster moves until the day they happen so as to avoid unforeseen circumstances necessitating a change of plans, but he followed shortly thereafter with an acknowledgement that Dunning is firmly in the mix as an option. “I know Detroit’s throwing Casey Mize, which will be fun to see,” said Hahn. “And we are certainly having conversations about one of our good young arms, like Dane Dunning, coming to make that start.” Dunning, 25, ranked among MLB’s 100 best prospects but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and hasn’t pitched in a regular-season game since. He’s been working out and pitching in intrasquad games at the team’s alternate training site, however. The righty owns a career 2.94 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 429 minor league frames since being drafted by the Nationals with the No. 29 overall pick in 2016. The White Sox acquired him in the trade that sent Adam Eaton to D.C.
- Yasmani Grandal exited last night’s game with stiffness in his lower back after fielding a ball in front of home plate, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago writes. There’s no indication to this point of how much time he’s expected to miss. The Sox have a much better backup options than many other clubs in the form of James McCann, who is out to a blistering .333/.400/.583 slash with three dingers through 40 plate appearances. That said, Grandal was the centerpiece of the White Sox’s offseason free-agent spree and offers superior defensive and framing chops to McCann. Grandal is off to a slower start in terms of hitting for power but has walked in 17 percent of his plate appearances, helping him to a .346 OBP. Duber notes that he’s also been plagued by a nagging foot issue as well, so perhaps a few days down would do him some good. Grandal has been in the Sox’ lineup early every day, spending time at DH and first base when he’s not catching.
AL Injury Notes: Yordan, White Sox, Donaldson, A’s
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was out of their lineup for the second straight day on Monday on account of right knee soreness, and it doesn’t seem as if a return to a regular role is imminent. While Alvarez’s MRI on Monday came back negative, he may only be a pinch hitter for the club in the near term, Alyson Footer of MLB.com writes. Alvarez’s lack of availability (he didn’t debut until Aug. 14 because of coronavirus-related problems) has been an enormous blow to a Houston team that has also dealt with several other significant health woes in the early going. The club lost yet another standout Saturday when it placed outfielder Michael Brantley on the IL with a right quad injury.
- General manager Rick Hahn issued updates Monday on a pair of injured White Sox, second baseman Nick Madrigal and left-hander Aaron Bummer (Twitter links via James Fegan of The Athletic). The news on Madrigal is encouraging, as Hahn said the rookie has resumed “virtually all baseball activities” and remains on track to return by the end of this month after separating his shoulder Aug. 5. On the other hand, there’s no timetable for Bummer, who went to the IL on Aug. 8 with a left biceps strain. The groundball-heavy Bummer was off to a great start before then and seemed as if he was on his way to a second straight season as one of the game’s most effective relievers. Now, Bummer only has a little more than a month to return to regular-season action, and he’ll have to go through a throwing program before then.
- Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson isn’t dealing with any issues in his recovery from a right calf strain, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Donaldson went on the IL on Aug. 7, and it remains unclear when the big-money offseason signing will return to their lineup. The 34-year-old came out of the gates slowly prior to the injury, albeit over a mere 27 plate appearances, as he hit .182/.296/.318 with one home run. Nevertheless, The Twins have started 15-8 and sit atop the AL Central – a division they won last season.
- Athletics right-hander Burch Smith headed to the IL over the weekend with a a forearm strain, which is always ominous for a pitcher. Manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Smith does not have any structural damage, but it’s up in the air whether he’ll pitch again in 2020, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. Smith has been part of a slew of organizations, but he finally seemed to find a home in Oakland this season before the injury. The 30-year-old has logged a 2.25 ERA/2.30 FIP with 9.75 K/9 and 0.75 BB/9 in 12 innings from the A’s bullpen.
White Sox Place Adam Engel On IL, Select Luis Gonzalez
The White Sox have placed outfielder Adam Engel on the injured list and selected fellow outfielder Luis Gonzalez‘s contract from their alternate training site, James Fegan of The Athletic was among those to report.
Chicago put Engel on the IL because he may have come into contact with someone who has the coronavirus. However, Engel has not tested positive for it. The IL placement interrupts a solid start to the season for Engel, who has batted .263/.317/.500 with a pair of home runs in 41 plate appearances.
Gonzalez, 24, was a third-round pick of the White Sox in 2017 who could now receive his first major league action. After producing nice offensive numbers at the Single-A and High-A levels from 2017-18, he debuted in Double-A last year and batted .247/.316/.359 with nine homers and 17 steals in 535 trips to the plate. MLB.com ranks Gonzalez as the White Sox’s 13th-best prospect, noting he has a “sweet left-handed swing,” a “plus arm” and the versatility to play all three outfield positions.
Quick Hits: Trade Deadline, Boras, Lynn, Smith, Padres, Burger
There’s no doubt the 2020 trade deadline will be the most unusual in baseball history, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) looks at some of the many unique aspects of the lead-up to August 31. Everything about how teams evaluate their own rosters, decide on being buyers or sellers, scout other teams’ talent, and potentially spend to acquire that talent will be in flux, plus there are some factors unique to the threat of COVID-19.
For instance, there might have to be some back-channel negotiations with trade candidates to ensure that a player wouldn’t opt out of the season rather than be dealt to an undesirable location. Just the idea of changing locations whatsoever also carries issues, as Rosenthal notes that intake testing could delay a new acquisition’s arrival to his new team by a few days (no small amount of time in a shortened season), and there is inherent risk in travel and in introducing the health x-factor of an unfamiliar player into a new clubhouse.
In regards to the latter concern, agent Scott Boras contacted Rosenthal with the following message (Twitter link): “So that deadline deals are not impacted by COVID, I am letting all owners know if any of our players are traded and asked to leave their existing teams’ protocols, we have arranged a private jet protocol to allow players to be safely transported (between clubs).”
More from around the baseball world…
- Rosenthal’s piece also notes that the Rangers have been getting trade interest in Lance Lynn, though a move doesn’t seem likely with Texas battling for a playoff spot. Lynn theoretically would be a good trade candidate if the Rangers were to fall out of the race, as the veteran is under contract for $8MM in 2021 and has been one of the sport’s best pitchers this season. After yesterday’s complete-game victory over the Rockies, Lynn has a sparkling 1.11 ERA, 3.00 K/BB rate, and 11.0 K/9 over a league-best 32 1/3 innings.
- Athletics reliever Burch Smith suffered a right forearm strain during Saturday’s game with the Giants. (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report the news.) The hurler will undergo an MRI on Monday and an injured list placement seems inevitable, though the A’s are hopeful that the injury isn’t structural in nature. Smith allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings of work tonight, boosting his ERA to 2.25 after he delivered scoreless work over his previous 10 1/3 frames for Oakland. Smith was dealt from the Giants to the A’s back in February.
- Tommy Pham and Wil Myers both made early exits from the Padres‘ game with the Diamondbacks tonight. Pham left during the second inning due to cramping in both calves, while Myers left in the fifth inning due to lower back tightness.
- White Sox prospect Jake Burger is now represented by The Bledsoe Agency, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Picked 11th overall in the 2017 draft, Burger’s young career has been waylaid with injuries, as two torn Achilles tendons and a severe heel bruise have kept him off the field since 2017. Burger’s switch has been noted in MLB Trade Rumors’ updated Agency Database.
Leury Garcia To Undergo Surgery
Leury Garcia of the White Sox is headed for surgery after severing his thumb ligament during Monday’s game against the Tigers, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. He will be out until October at the earliest.
Danny Mendick will see a majority of time at second in the near-term while Nick Madrigal remains on the injured list. Ryan Goins can also fill in at second. Mendick, 26, has appeared in 13 games this season, slashing .250/.318/.325 across 44 plate appearances. The former 22nd-round draft selection put together a strong audition reel last season in Triple-A with a triple slash of .279/.368/.444.
Garcia, 29, held a significant role in the early going for the Southsiders. He started the year at second before sliding to short to cover for Tim Anderson‘s IL stint. Across 16 games, the veteran Garcia answered the call with a triple slash of .271/.317/.441. The injury is unfortunate for Garcia, who held the line for the White Sox during their extensive rebuild, only to miss the rest of this season as they finally attempt to enter the (expansive) playoff picture.
The White Sox acquired Garcia from the Rangers way back in 2013 after just a sampling of playing time in the bigs back. Garcia was the player to be named later in a mid-season trade for Alex Rios. Rios finished 2013 strong with the Rangers, hitting .280/.315/.457 the rest of the way. The Dominican-born Garcia, meanwhile, has appeared in every season since the deal, earning a semi-regular role for the Pale Hose as a utility player over the last three seasons.
White Sox Ian Hamilton Out With Shoulder Soreness
The Chicago White Sox have made a number of roster moves. Reliever Ian Hamilton has been placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness, while Leury Garcia moves to the 45-day IL. Bernardo Flores and Cheslor Cuthbert are getting the call to join the major-league team, per The Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter).
Garcia held a significant role in the early going for the Southsiders, but he is out until October with a torn ligament in his thumb. He started the year at second before sliding to short to cover for Tim Anderson‘s IL stint. Across 16 games, the veteran Garcia held the line with a triple slash of .271/.317/.441.
Hamilton, 25, projects for a high-leverage role in the Chicago bullpen at some point in the future, but he’ll have to stay healthy first. In four appearances this season, he allowed a pair of runs across 4 innings, though he walked 5 in that span. Hamilton had an exceptionally rough 2019, first injuring his shoulder in a car accident in March, and later taking a line drive to the jaw that ended his season in June. Listed by MLB.com as Chicago’s #18-ranked prospect, Hamilton can hit triple digits on the radar gun with a sinking fastball, but for now, an overabundance of caution is understandable given the 2019 season Hamilton endured.
Flores’ stay won’t be long, as he’s joining the White Sox as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. To see the full advantage of the roster move, the lefty Flores should have a better chance than not of seeing action out of the bullpen sometime during the twin bill. The 24-year-old has appeared in 3 games for the White Sox this season, tossing 5 innings and allowing just a pair of earned runs.
Cuthbert is a corner infielder formerly of the Kansas City Royals. This is his second call-up of the season, the first resulting in just a single at-bat. Over six seasons in KC, Cuthbert slashed .250/.300/.378 across 1,160 plate appearances.
White Sox Outright Drew Anderson
The White Sox have outrighted hurler Drew Anderson to their alternate training site, James Fegan of The Athletic was among those to report. The club designated the right-hander for assignment over the weekend.
Formerly a member of the Phillies, with whom he entered pro ball as a 21st-round pick in 2012, Anderson joined the White Sox on a minor league contract last offseason. He made his debut with the White Sox on Aug. 8, but it couldn’t have gone much worse. The 26-year-old yielded six earned runs on four hits (including two homers) and two walks in a loss to the Indians, leading Chicago to drop him from its roster.
Thanks in large part to his one ugly appearance this season, Anderson’s now the owner of a woeful 9.67 ERA (albeit with a far more palatable 4.78 FIP) across 22 1/3 major league innings. He has been much better in Triple-A, though, having logged a 4.34 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 over 159 2/3 frames. Anderson will now stay in the White Sox organization and try to work his way back to the bigs.
Mariners Claim Brady Lail, Designate Patrick Wisdom
The Mariners announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Brady Lail off waivers from the White Sox and designated infielder Patrick Wisdom for assignment.
Lail, 27, made his big league debut with the Yankees in 2019 but pitched just 2 2/3 innings in his lone appearance with the club. It was a similar tale with the ChiSox, who got Lail into one game for 1 1/3 innings of work prior to designating the right-hander for assignment. He’s struggled in the upper minors as a starter, but he moved to the bullpen full-time a couple years back and has since enjoyed much better results. In 49 1/3 frames between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, Lail pitched to a 3.83 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.
Wisdom, 28, hasn’t appeared in the Majors with Seattle since signing with them over the winter. He’s a career .224/.306/.408 hitter in 86 MLB plate appearances and a .252/.328/.478 hitter in parts of four Triple-A seasons. Wisdom struggled quite a bit in his first run through Triple-A, but he’s slugged 77 homers in three seasons since that time while oscillating between the Majors and Minors. He has experience at all four corner positions.
Giants Acquire Luis Basabe
The Giants and White Sox have completed a trade, with outfielder Luis Basabe heading to San Francisco in exchange for cash considerations. Right-hander Jordan Humphreys was placed on the restricted list to make room for Basabe on the Giants’ roster. (Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Humphreys is dealing with a family matter.)
The White Sox designated Basabe for assignment earlier this week, ending an injury-plagued three-year run for the outfielder in Chicago’s farm system. Basabe was acquired from the Red Sox as part of the trade package in the Chris Sale blockbuster, though he sandwiched a very impressive (and healthy) 2018 campaign in between injury-shortened 2017 and 2019 seasons.
It was enough for Chicago to make Basabe expendable, though the Venezuelan prospect was once a well-regarded international prospect and is still a couple of weeks shy of turning 24 years old. There’s certainly no harm for the Giants in spending a few dollars to acquire Basabe’s services and see if he can unlock some higher potential in a new environment.
MLB Pipeline has already ranked Basabe as the 18th-best prospect in San Francisco’s farm system, with a scouting report noting that he “has the tools to be a worthwhile fourth outfielder,” even if his hitting is still a question mark. Basabe has batted .248/.345/.392 across 2570 PA in the minors (none above the Double-A level), and he has shown a lot of swing-and-miss in his approach at the plate.
White Sox Designate Drew Anderson
The White Sox designated righty Drew Anderson for assignment, as per a team announcement. Jose Ruiz, another right-hander, has been called up from the alternate training site to take Anderson’s roster spot.
Anderson signed a minor league deal with Chicago during the offseason and only had his contract selected prior to Saturday’s game. Unfortunately for Anderson, his 2020 debut was a nightmare — two home runs and six total earned runs allowed over 1 1/3 innings against the Indians. It will make for a pretty ignominious White Sox tenure if Anderson is claimed or released, though he could also simply be outrighted back to the minor league camp if he passes through the DFA period. The 26-year-old appeared in parts of the 2017-19 seasons with the Phillies, posting a 7.71 ERA over 21 innings.
Ruiz has had a similarly brief three-year tenure in the majors, though 40 of his 45 1/3 career innings from 2017-19 came last season with the White Sox. Ruiz posted a 5.63 ERA, 1.46 K/BB rate, and 7.9 K/9 over those 40 frames. Pitching exclusively as a reliever over 135 career minor league innings with the Padres and White Sox, the hard-throwing Ruiz has a 3.67 ERA, 10.1 K/9, and 2.48 K/BB rate.