In light of the impressive, almost unbelievable turn around the White Sox have put on over the past two months or so, the talk of trades is once again heating up with the trading deadline only 5 days away. So what exactly do the White Sox look for when it comes to possible trades for a postseason run? Well let’s look at some of the possibilities that have been rumored so far:
Prince Fielder
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Pros: This would be the biggest addition the White Sox could get to make a major postseason run. Fielder has been well established as a home run threat (averages at least 30 every season since 2007 and has topped out at 50 in 2007) and has driven in at least 100 runs the past 3 seasons and is well on that pace again this season. He’s also fairly solid on defense posting an average .992 FPCT over the course of his career. Playing in U.S. Cellular Field, he’s a candidate to hit 40-50 home runs every season. He’s also that coveted left handed power hitter the White Sox haven’t had since Jim Thome so he would be very beneficial.
Cons: This trade is bad for a number of reasons. First off is the money. The White Sox would have to give Fielder 4.3 million dollars for the rest of this season. If the White Sox chose to keep him for the following year, he’d likely cost the White Sox around another 16 million. That’s one expensive slugger. Now you have to take into account the players that we would have to give up in order to get him. Two definite players that the Brewers are asking for are Daniel Hudson and Gordon Beckham. Hudson is just getting used to the major leagues but with the way he has pitched it shows that he can handle the role of replacing Peavy for the remainder of the season, if not longer. Beckham is a superstar of the future. His recent hot streak shows just how great of a player he can be and that he can overcome a slump lasting half a season. He is a doubles machine, an above average second baseman, and can be the face of the White Sox in the coming years. Losing Beckham for a guy that we may have for only three months just isn’t worth the cost. Also it has been rumored that Gavin Floyd or John Danks would be included in this deal as well. Losing Floyd or Danks would be just as big a hit to the White Sox as losing Beckham because they are legit major league pitchers. They are both hitting their stride at the same time and have helped bring the Sox to where they are now. With the loss of Peavy for the season and if this trade went through, the loss of Hudson and well and Danks or Floyd would absolutely decimate their pitching rotation and pretty much make the idea of a postseason run impossible (which would also make the Fielder trade pretty pointless). The addition of Fielder would also spell the end of Paul Konerko’s run with the White Sox. Fielder would take over at first base and unless the White Sox brought Konerko back to be a DH, his time would be over. While Fielder would put up better offensive numbers than Konerko (though Konerko isn’t far off the production Fielder has had so far this season) Konerko is much more agile and mobile than Fielder, so it would be a downgrade defensively as well.
Adam Dunn
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Pros: Adam Dunn has been better than Fielder has in most offensive categories (he has one less home run than Fielder does but that can change with a swing of the bat). Dunn has hit at least 30 home runs 6 out of the past 7 seasons and at least 40 home runs 5 out of the last 6. So with that being said, it’s a safe bet he would hit at least 30, probably 40 home runs as a member of the White Sox. He’s also been pretty steady at driving in runs every year so that shouldn’t be a problem as well (at least 100 RBI 5 out of the past 6 seasons). He can also play the outfield, as well as first base and DH so it wouldn’t be that much of a problem to find him places to play if the White Sox chose to do that. Also the White Sox wouldn’t have to give up as much as they would for Fielder in both money and players.
Cons: The only major con to be seen at this point is where Dunn would play. Dunn feels that he can still play the field so if he gets traded somewhere then he would want to play in the field and not DH. This serves as a problem because the White Sox already have the field covered with set outfielders in Juan Pierre, Alex Rios, and Carlos Quentin as starters and Andruw Jones as a backup outfielder and well as Mark Kotsay being able to play out there. As for first base, Paul Konerko is the starter for sure and we have Mark Kotsay as a backup and even Dayan Viciedo can play there if necessary. So Dunn probably wouldn’t get any playing time in the field unless there were a major rash of injuries to a few of those players previously listed. So if Dunn doesn’t want to DH then there would be a considerable problem, unless someone else would be willing to DH and let him play the field (though that isn’t a very likely thing to happen).
Jose Bautista:
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Pros: Bautista has come up recently as a third option the White Sox may try and acquire before the trading deadline passes. Bautista hasn’t been playing full time for very long but has suddenly found his stroke and hitting for power. His previous career high in home runs was only 16 but has 26 this year with the season a little more than halfway over. There is a possibility that the home runs may stop but if he were to move to U.S. Cellular Field, that shouldn’t happen. He also has a career high in RBIs this year so no one really knows where that total will end (but it’s looking like he should get over 100 this year). Also he can play the outfield and both first base and third base so he should be able to find a spot to play, especially if Mark Teahen doesn’t play very well when he comes off of the DL.
Cons: The only real con here is whether or not his numbers will hold up. So far all of his triple crown numbers are careers highs except for his average which is equal to his career high right now (26 HR, 64 RBI, .238 average) so no one really knows whether or not this will continue or stop. If it continues then he would be a great addition to the White Sox, just like Alex Rios is now, but if he doesn’t then it could be seen as a bust. Also he isn’t the left handed power hitter the White Sox are looking for so that could be something to think about as well.
So at this point to me, it looks like the best option would be to go after Dunn. He’s playing better than Fielder right now and he comes at a much cheaper cost. Whether Dunn will accept the trade and be a DH is anyone’s guess but I have the feeling he would be willing to take that role to be on a playoff contending team. If they happen to strike out in their attempts to get Dunn, I see the White Sox seeing what they’d have to give up to get Bautista but I don’t see them pulling the trigger on that deal either. The White Sox have a pretty solid lineup with Quentin and Beckham on fire right now. No matter what deal is made or not made, Beckham will not be moving anywhere so Sox fans, no need to worry about our future All-Star second baseman. Only time will tell what plays out over the next few days but when the deadline does pass, it looks like it’s either going to be Dunn or nothing.
