Chicago Cubs: Saying goodbye to a superstar in FanSided Mock GM Meetings

Chicago Cubs: 1B Andrew Vaughn, No.3 overall

The primary piece of this trade, Andrew Vaughn, ranks as the White Sox’ number three overall prospect. A product of the California Golden Bears, Vaughn starred for three seasons and did not disappoint.

An outstanding collegiate career, Vaughn slashed .376/.497/.691 with a 1.188 OPS in 160 games at Berkley. It was strong enough to render him the number three overall pick in 2019 Major League Baseball amateur draft.

Within one season, Vaughn has already worked his way from Rookie ball to Class-A Advanced and is putting up some respectable numbers. In 23 games at Class-A, Vaughn slashed .253/.388/.410 with a .374 wOBA and 138 wRC+. Following a promotion, Vaughn cut his strikeout rate by four percent and managed a similar .252/.349/.411 line with a 122 wRC+.

Only 21 years old, Vaughn has plenty of time to develop into a budding star. According to his prospect report on MLB.com, Vaughn could turn into a 30 home run guy with an affinity to earn walks. His plate discipline is strong, and Vaughn can drive the ball to all parts of the field. Sound like someone we know?

While Vaughn is not as big as Anthony Rizzo, there are some parallels in their makeup. Looking more into the rationale behind the deal, Rizzo is set to be a free agent in 2022. He will be 32 years old at that point, and a long-term deal likely will not be in the cards. Giving Vaughn more time to develop will afford the Cubs the option to let Rizzo walk, and Vaughn can slide right into the big league lineup as the next excellent Chicago star.