Chicago White Sox: 3 moves to fix pitching staff

Trade Luis Robert or Nick Madrigal

The only way I see the White Sox making a big impact move for their 2019 season would be by trading away Luis Robert or Nick Madrigal. Personally, I do not condone moving Robert. I think he has a chance to be great. I mean superstar great. However, if the White Sox decide they have enough offensive power and not enough pitching, Robert could be the guy to secure a top trade partner.

Madrigal is not going to get the same return as say Robert, but he is a top-50 prospect. He also plays in the infield, which makes him a highly coveted prospect. Madrigal is small and lacks the power needed to ever hit 20-plus HR a year, but he is a strong control hitter who would make a strong leadoff man. The White Sox have solid infielders already and an arm would be more beneficial.

Ideal trade candidates for these two would be Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman or even Noah Syndergaard. All would be upgrades to their current starters. Bauer and Stroman are free agents after the 2020 season and Syndergaard after 2021. This means they’d be more than just a half-year rental player. This makes sense because this current roster is not a World Series contender.

Madrigal and prospects would not be enough for Syndergaard, but Robert might. Syndergaard has had a history of injury problems and Robert plus some prospect arms could be enough for the Mets to move on from the often unavailable starter. This would be a tough call for Rick Hahn, but as I previously stated, I’d stick with the outfielder here.