White Sox Fire Sale? Four Players Red Sox Could Target From Chicago

The Red Sox have plenty of room (and time) to improve and make up for their last-place standing with 71 games remaining, which means Boston could look to the trade market to bolster its roster and make a postseason push.

With plenty of teams across the leagues currently in the gutters with little to no room for optimism, the Red Sox can lean toward countering on one’s misfortunes. One team that meets that criteria, the White Sox, and they have plenty to offer despite what Chicago’s 38-54 record might suggest.

So, does Boston swoop in and play vulture before the Aug. 1 trade deadline?

Considering the Red Sox aren’t too far out of reach from contention themselves — just two games back of the Blue Jays for third place in the American League East — playing the buyers role might be the ideal avenue. Plus, the White Sox are slowly approaching the self-acceptance stage of hitting rock bottom, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who suggests Chicago could soon wave the white flag.

Here’s what Heyman wrote:

The Chicago White Sox are opening up for business as a seller, according to sources, and they plan to seriously consider deals for all but four cornerstone players on their roster: Dylan Cease, Andrew Vaughn, Eloy Jiminez and of course All-Star Luis Robert Jr., who is second among AL position players in WAR (4.1) and under a reasonable contract through 2027, including two option years at $20 million per.

That’s not much of a surprise considering three of those players are eligible for arbitration. At the same time, Jiménez has three years left on his initial six-year deal, including two club options that keep him in Chicago until 2027.

Now, while that does potentially rule out a few of the more desirable candidates, Chicago’s roster still features plenty of alternative trade chips — especially in its pitching staff — that could certainly help alleviate the load of in both Boston’s rotation and bullpen.

With that being said, here are four options, including a few familiar Boston faces:

Lucas Giolito, SP
The strongest of likely trade candidates to arise from the Windy City, Giolito checks several boxes that make him suitable for Boston.

Giolito, 28, is an impending free agent who will likely be pursued by several ambitious contenders before the deadline. He’s gone 6-5 with a 3.45 ERA over the course of 19 appearances for Chicago, positioning himself for a comeback-like season after a rough three-year stretch following his first and last All-Star nomination in 2019.

He’s also notched two scoreless outings this season, including one against the Yankees in New York on June 6 — a definite brownie point for Giolito.

In total, the right-hander has struck out 117 hitters through 112 1/3 innings pitched, however, the biggest question mark surrounding Giolito is simple: what’ll be the asking price?

Kendall Graveman, RP
Directing the attention to Boston’s bullpen, which has welcomed in a plethora of arms whether that’d be from the rotation or from Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox could look into adding Graveman.

The righty owns the second-lowest ERA (2.93) with Chicago and is currently signed for two more seasons for an annual salary of $8 million. Graveman, who’s made 40 relief appearances thus far, is on pace for a career year with the White Sox, which could make him a difficult arm to pry away.

Graveman has pitched 40 innings, striking out 39 batters. He’s also begun to catch fire in the month of July, pitching to a 1.93 ERA while holding opponents to a .118 batting average, allowing just one run in his last five appearances.

Joe Kelly, RP
Well-respected in the Boston area already, Kelly could provide a fan-approved reunion while also bringing back a boost of energy the Red Sox bullpen could use.

There are a few positives that come along with considering Kelly as a trade candidate for any contending team. For one, the 35-year-old has an expiring contract that includes a $9 million club option for 2024, making him a low-risk, high-reward guy. Second, the velocity remains in place with Kelly’s fastball and slider both averaging over 90 mph, per Baseball Savant. Not to mention, the asking price for Kelly at this stage in his career, presumably isn’t high.

The right-hander has recorded a 4.82 ERA in 29 appearances out of the bullpen, striking out 37 batters through 28 innings.

Michael Kopech, SP
Formerly drafted by the Red Sox in the first round in 2014, Kopech emerged into a highly touted prospect and a centerpiece behind the four-player package traded to the White Sox for Chris Sale in 2016.

Now, seven years later, the right-handed veteran has worked around a slow start to the season before being placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation on June 2.

The 27-year-old worked to assemble a solid eight-game run with the White Sox, pitching to a 2.47 ERA with 56 strikeouts through 43 2/3 innings tossed from May to the end of June.

Kopech, who was once clocked in throwing at 105 mph in Boston’s farm system, could be another solution to consider to enhance pitching depth for the Red Sox and help eat up a chunk of innings to help re-establish their rotation.