As the 2023 season quickly goes downhill for the Chicago White Sox, contending teams should be eyeing these five players as trade deadline targets.
Maybe it wasn’t all Tony La Russa’s fault. The curmudgeonly Hall of Fame skipper was an easy scapegoat (and pin cushion) for all the Chicago White Sox problems last season before a medical hiatus that turned into him calling it quits and retiring.
Before winning their second straight game in walk-off fashion Tuesday night, the White Sox had lost 10 games in a row. Their run differential is third-worst in all of baseball entering Wednesday’s action (-64), only better than the Kansas City Royals (-68) and the Oakland Athletics (-118). At 9-21 entering Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins, the Pale Hose are quickly moving into seller territory well ahead of the trade deadline.
The core of this team under first-year manager Pedro Grifol, injury absences aside, is still pretty much the same as the core that won 93 games and the AL Central under La Russa in 2022. But, in another sense, it’s easy to see that this group of players is not a good fit together, and Grifol’s lack of managerial experience isn’t necessarily helping.
The White Sox might not yet be starting a fire sale, but these five players should be on the radar of contending teams as the trade deadline creeps closer and closer.