3 Chicago Cubs players who could be traded to the Chicago White Sox

3 players the Chicago Cubs could trade to the White Sox – #3: Craig Kimbrel

One route the White Sox could presumably take is trading for All-Star and likely future Hall of Famer Craig Kimbrel. Chicago has a pretty middle-of-the-road bullpen, as a whole – but definitely have some big-time arms in the mix.

They boast a dominant starting rotation and offense, sitting at a +113 run differential, good for second-best in the AL. The White Sox don’t exactly “need” anything outside of a second baseman, but if a team has an opportunity to make moves with an eye on October and potentially leapfrog other contenders in the process, you do so.

After your starters go six or seven innings of two to three-run ball almost routinely, it’s a pleasant feeling to then be able to turn the ball over to guys like Garrett Crochet (3.14 ERA), Jose Ruiz (2.97 ERA) and Liam Hendriks (2.61 ERA).  Hendriks has already been great this year and earned an All-Star nod himself, but adding a player of Kimbrel’s caliber might give you the best bullpen in all of baseball.

The biggest issue with this trade scenario is the lack of prospects in the White Sox system (and the potential of butting heads between Hendriks and Kimbrel over a closer’s title). They currently have zero in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. I expect due to Kimbrel’s extra year of team control, it would likely take somebody on the big league roster and a prospect – at a minimum. It would be a very interesting return.

They do have other resources though and that’s cash. Sitting $38,000,000 under the luxury tax, the White Sox have the payroll to make a power move should they decide to use it to further bolster the bullpen. Kimbrel’s ERA of 0.51 is currently tops among all closers across baseball.

3 players the Chicago Cubs could trade to the White Sox – #2: Kris Bryant

A move for Kris Bryant would bring an interesting return. Though the hottest rumors surrounding Bryant have been coming from the NL East, the fit is also there for the White Sox. Though Yoan Moncada mans the hot corner on the South Side, with the added bonuses of the four-time All-Star being able to play across the outfield and DH, it wouldn’t be hard to find a spot for him in the lineup

The oft-mentioned versatility of KB gives a manager so many options on a daily basis. Starting a lineup of Tim Anderson, Kris Bryant, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert (when healthy, cleared for rehab assignment, still no timetable) and Yasmani Grandal, (when healthy) it goes to show how powerful this team can be.

With Luis Robert not yet with an ETA back to the big league club, it would give a lot of outfield reps to Bryant. Upon his eventual return, Moncada and Bryant could alternate between third base and DH duties.

Given the aggressiveness the White Sox have shown in recent years in acquiring Dallas Keuchel, Lance Lynn, Grandal and Hendriks, it goes to show how serious the White Sox are about winning now. Don’t sleep on this team as they could come calling in the next few days.

3 players the Chicago Cubs could trade to the White Sox – #1: Javier Baez

The number one fit in a hypothetic Cubs-Sox deal is none other than infielder Javier Baez. With Nick Madrigal out for the season due to surgery with a torn hamstring, there is a gaping hole at second to fill for Tony LaRussa’s club.

While Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick currently share responsibilities at second, Garcia himself can play elsewhere in the outfield and around the diamond. Mendick, on the other hand, has a slash line of .198/.300/.273. Needless to say, they could use a boost at second. Baez not only has the tools to excel at second base – but brings postseason experience that could prove vital to a young team that had its real first taste of success in 2020 including a postseason berth following a 12-year drought.

Thinking of an infield that boasts Abreu, Baez, Anderson and Moancada from first-to-third is the stuff Sox fans dream of. Add in an outfield that has two of the best young players in the game in Jimenez and Robert and a veteran backstop in Grandal? October success could very much be in the cards for the South Siders. And don’t even get me started on this rotation.

Looking at these three hypothetical landing spots, Baez would probably cost the White Sox the least behind Bryant, followed by Kimbrel. El Mago would give Chicago a much-needed answer at second, all without breaking the bank – either in financial terms or prospect-cost.