Today marks the six-year anniversary of the now infamous trade between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.
The trade, of course, was the Cubs sending top pitching prospect Dylan Cease and top outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez as part of a package to the White Sox for starting pitcher Jose Quintana. Safe to say the Cubs regret that trade but the team has not shied away from dealing with the White Sox.
The White Sox are firm sellers at the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline and the Cubs seem to be in a position where they can thread the needle between selling while also using some of their blocked prospects to acquire pieces that can help them remain in contention this season and set them up for success in 2024.
Among the players on the White Sox that the Cubs may have an interest in is first baseman/outfielder Gavin Sheets.
Sheets seemingly is blocked from consistent playing time with the White Sox considering the team has Andrew Vaughn at first base and a long-term outfield that consists of Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr, Eloy Jimenez, and Oscar Colas.
Sheets' offensive numbers have taken a dip this season as he is slashing .220/.298/.374 with 8 home runs and a wRC+ of 84. Sheets has a career .ISO of 185 and for a Cubs team that has lacked power production, the 27-year-old first baseman turned outfielder could be an ideal buy-low candidate for the team. Sheets is also under team control through the 2028 season.
For a White Sox team that is in desperate need of prospect depth, the Cubs could be an enticing team to deal with. Especially on the pitching side where the White Sox could target a prospect such as Caleb Kilian in an effort to boost their organizational pitching depth.