Chicago White Sox: Three trades to finish the offseason

No. 1: Acquire Joc Pederson from the Los Angeles Dodgers

Last Sunday when I broke the Pederson rumors, I had kept hearing four names from different sources.

Those names were Jace Fry, Aaron Bummer, Carson Fulmer and Bryce Bush. Depending on your level of White Sox fandom, you’ve probably heard of anywhere from two to all four of those names.

Now, quite obviously, all four of those players would garner a much larger return than just Pederson. However, at least as far as I have heard, the White Sox have not discussed any other players at length with the Dodgers.

Pederson has two years of control, and is a 2-WAR player. The 26-year-old would’ve led the White Sox in several offensive categories last season, and therefore carries moderate value.

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From the Dodgers perspective, coming off of back-to-back World Series losses, they’re going to have a building mentality. After signing A.J. Pollock last week there is simply no place for Pederson in center, hence why he’s being shopped. But considering the Dodgers current state, they’re going to want some Major League contributors in return.

Of the four players mentioned at the beginning of the slide, just one spent all of 2018 in the MLB–Jace Fry.

Fry had a great rookie season in the White Sox bullpen last season. In 59 appearances, Fry struck out 70, had 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings, and held opponents to a .194 batting average.

With several years of control remaining, a high strikeout rate and experience in high-leverage situations, Fry would be extremely valuable. The Dodgers are clearly interested in Fry being included in a deal, and in order for a deal to happen, I believe Jace Fry’s name must be involved.

Now, it wouldn’t be a one-for-one. Despite Fry’s positives, trading a slightly above-average relief pitcher for a major lineup piece doesn’t exactly ring deal.

To finish the deal, the White Sox would send 18-year old third baseman Bryce Bush to Los Angeles. Bush was a 33rd round pick in last year’s draft, but had a spectacular minor league debut, hitting a combined-.309 between two levels.

Bush and Fry should be enough to entice the Dodgers to parting with Pederson. From what I’ve heard, a deal could get done as soon as the start of the week, so if anythings happens, look for the White Sox to be right in the middle of it.