The Chicago White Sox enter MLB’s unofficial second half in fourth place in the American League Central with a 38-54 record. Despite the pedestrian nature of the division, contention moving forward this season does not seem to be in the cards.
It has led to widespread speculation that general manager Rick Hahn could blow up the roster ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline.
Insider Jon Heyman focused on this recently, indicating that Chicago is open to listening to offers for all but four players on its roster. That limited list includes Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn, Dylan Cease and Eloy Jiménez.
That leaves a whole bunch of possibilities for Chicago to be big time sellers with the deadline quickly approaching.
Related: MLB trade tracker with grades
Chicago White Sox chips ahead of MLB trade deadline
- Lucas Giolito, SP: This 29-year-old starter has been bandied about a whole heck of a lot over the past couple weeks. Most recently, the Los Angeles Dodgers came up as a potential landing spot for the All-Star. Giolito is pitching to a 6-5 record with a 3.45 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 19 starts this season.
- Lance Lynn, SP: While the Chicago White Sox can’t expect a huge return for Lynn (5-8 record, 6.03 ERA), contending teams love the type of experience he brings to the table. The veteran has been shipped off several times during the MLB trade deadline throughout his 13-year career in the Majors.
- Kendall Graveman, RP: Yet another veteran who has seen himself moved during the summer in recent years, Graveman is having a solid season as the Sox’ primary closer. He’s posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.13 WHIP while striking out 39 in 40 innings of work.
- Gregory Santos, RP: Noticing a theme here? Chicago boasts a ton of arms that could be of use for contending teams moving forward this season. Santos (2.76 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.7 K’s/9) is a real option. Sure, he wouldn’t land a lot. But a team in Chicago’s situation has no need for a veteran in the pen.
- Jake Burger, 3B: The 27-year-old Burger is under team control through the 2028 season. A former first-round pick of the White Sox, he’s also in the midst of a breakout season. That includes heading into the second half with 19 homers, 41 RBI and a decent .792 OPS. He’ll draw a nice amount of interest.
There are other players the Chicago White Sox could move ahead of Aug. 1. Veterans such as Elvis Andrus (INF), Tim Anderson (SS), Andrew Benintendi (OF) and Reynaldo López (RP) make sense.
Expect it to be a busy next few weeks in the Windy City. That’s for sure.