Carlos Beltran, The Chicago White Sox & Potential Trade Targets

There is a lot of discussion on the blog, and there will be for much of this month and next month as well, today about the August 1^st trade deadline and this post is no exception. Carlos Beltran is being quoted all over the place as being willing to waive his no-trade clause to help the team if approached and he even went as far as to say that he would be willing to go to the National League if need be which got me thinking. I can think of a team and organization that may need Beltran’s services and he wouldn’t have to go to the National League to do it either. This all hinges on one man currently on the Chicago White Sox 40 man roster, Justin Morneau.

The Chicago White Sox, if they plan on contending in 2016 anyway, need a designated hitter and they need one in the worst way. After the abrupt retirement from Adam LaRoche in spring training the team has watched as their DH’s, who mainly hit eighth in their batting lineup, have combined for just eight home runs and a .708 OPS. The White Sox main DH, Avisail Garcia, is batting .228 with five home runs, 22 RBI and a .658 OPS this season leading Chicago to sign Justin Morneau to a deal with the intention of him returning to the field in the second half of 2016.

Well here we are, officially this is the first day of the second half of 2016 so where is Morneau? Well the White Sox first baseman is down in Birmingham (Double-A affiliate for the White Sox) with the plan on coming back to the Major Leagues as early as this week. Morneau has been working his way back from offseason elbow surgery and has just six minor league games under his belt at the time of this writing. If Morneau is not fully healthy or he doesn’t turn it on pretty close to immediately you have to think the White Sox and Yankees become immediate trade partners, no?

The White Sox, and any team for that matter, would love to add a veteran switch hitter with postseason experience to their roster. Especially when said veteran player is leading the Yankees in home runs with 19 and RBI with 55 with a batting average that is hovering around the .300 mark. What would it take to land Beltran and what should the Yankees ask for specifically? That I do not know, I’m not an expert in the White Sox system and you have to think it would not be anyone in their Top 10 – Top 15 if they are trading for a rental in Beltran, but the deal makes too much sense not to at least look at for both teams. Am I right?

Are the Yankees and White Sox January/February Trade Partners?

Even as we stand here waiting for the calendar to turn from January to February and as we wait on spring training camps to start no team probably feels like they are complete or without needs or flaws. This is especially true for a few teams, the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox for instance. On paper the Yankees need another starting rotation arm and a rotation arm without more question marks than answers while the White Sox need an upgrade in their outfield. On paper you have to think these two teams would match up for January/February trade partners.

The Yankees need a 200+ inning starter and they prefer one that pitches from the left side of the pitching rubber. Almost every arm in their rotation is a question mark and coming off an injury or lackluster season other than Luis Severino and the team would like a “sure thing” without giving up too much to get it. David Price and Zack Greinke were too rich for the Yankees blood but former Yankees farm hand Jose Quintana is not. Quintana, 27 years old, checks a lot of boxes for New York including the fact that he’s a durable southpaw that would make a great number two or number three starter. Quintana has delivered three straight seasons of at least 200 innings and has never posted an ERA higher than 3.51 over that span. Most importantly though, depending on who you ask of course, Quintana is in the middle of a very team friendly deal that will only pay him $21 million over the next three seasons with two options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons valued at $10.5 million per year. Even Hal Steinbrenner can get behind that.

In return you have to think Brett Gardner would interest the White Sox although Jacoby Ellsbury may be preferable if you’re asking Yankees fans. Obviously a straight up trade wouldn’t work and the Yankees would have to throw in a prospect or three (and I don’t pretend to be an expert on the White Sox needs or the status of their farm system) but the deal could be made with this being the beginning of the structure work. Gardner would be an upgrade to Chicago over incumbents Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia although the White Sox seem content with Adam Eaton at the top of their lineup so who knows. I think Chicago prefers a power hitting outfielder like Yoenis Cespedes but the closer you get to March and April the more desperate teams get.

Could the Yankees take advantage of this desperation and grab a Jose Quintana or Carlos Rodon? Who knows, I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned. 

McCann Hits Walk-Off Homer in Tenth as Yankees Complete Weekend Sweep of White Sox

Chris Capuano surrendered three earned runs in six innings and David Robertson blew a 4-3 lead in the ninth, but since the Ichiro Suzuki-led offense was able to rally from a 3-0 deficit against Chris Sale and Brian McCann took Jake Petricka deep for a PH three-run shot in the tenth the Yankees found a way to complete a sweep of the White Sox today, 7-4, in the finale at The Stadium.

Going into this one's bottom of the sixth, as expected, the Yanks were struggling at the plate against Sale, collecting just two hits while never getting to third.

Nonetheless, after Martin Prado reached second on a missed catch error by Dayan Viciedo and Mark Teixeira drove him in with double New York's bats found their swing, rallying for three more to take the advantage when Sale walked a pair, Zelous Wheeler got hit in the leg with the bases loaded, and Ichiro lined a two-run single to right.

Interestingly, each of those four trips around the bases was actually scored as unearned on Sale's final line, a fact that really shows the Yankees' ability to take advantage this afternoon.

Unfortunately, though, that at-bat still wouldn't end up being enough for the Yanks to get the W, as the usually-reliable Robertson surrendered a game-tying solo homer to Avisail Garcia in the top of the ninth.

No, that mistake didn't end things by any means, but yes, it certainly sucked the life out of the crowd, who went quiet the second it hit the seats.

Be that as it may, the Yanks eventually prevailed later on, with McCann winning the contest with two on and two out in the aforementioned tenth.