The White Sox, to this point, have shocked the baseball world by cementing themselves firmly in the 2026 MLB playoff race. With a 1.5-game lead in the AL Central ahead of the Guardians, they are looking to end a five-year postseason drought, a feat that no one, likely not even the Sox themselves, were expecting heading into this season.
With October baseball within reach, the White Sox are expected to be aggressive buyers at the deadline to address some glaring holes on the roster. Many insiders are linking them to pitching, both starting rotation and bullpen help, along with catchers and right-handed hitting depth. While most of their top minor leaguers have graduated from prospect status and are contributing to this unlikely playoff run, the Sox still have a solid farm system that should appeal to selling clubs. In some cases, taking on the bulk of a player’s remaining salary could help preserve the team’s top prospects and may be the front office’s preferred route. Still, other deals will likely require parting with intriguing young talent.
So, who could teams target from the White Sox system? It depends on the asset, but the Sox have both blue-chip talent and solid depth, especially in middle infielders, that will allow them to have a shot at acquiring just about any available player they have interest in.
First of all, the entire 2026 draft class is ineligible for trade until after the World Series. Not that the White Sox would even entertain the idea of trading Roch Cholowsky, but by rule they are not allowed to anyway. The same goes for recent draft picks Landon Thome and Cole Prosek, who would likely be of interest to teams but are not on the table this season.
The Sox likely won’t be looking to trade away anyone from the current MLB roster who they expect to contribute to a playoff run this season, but there are a couple of names to mention. Edgar Quero, who had some trade speculation surrounding him in the offseason, could interest teams without a long-term answer at the catcher position. The Kyle Teel injury muddied this possibility, but they have been reportedly shopping the catcher market and would likely send Quero back down in the event of a trade. With Teel ahead of Quero as the long-term catcher and Quero’s underwhelming performance this year, he could potentially be part of a move to acquire pitching, either as the main piece for a rental or a secondary addition for a more controllable starting pitcher.
The other name to note is Noah Schultz. This is far less likely; however, Schultz’s rookie season has been a disappointment to say the least. The Sox assuredly have not given up on Schultz long-term, and will not actively be looking to move the 22-year-old southpaw. However, if a premium player with multiple years of control becomes available and the trading team is looking for MLB-ready pitching in return, Schultz could be someone who gets brought up. There are very few, if any, players who will be available that the Sox even consider this for, but the chances of him being part of trade talks are larger than zero.
From the farm system, the White Sox have two clear top trade chips that can be the centerpiece of virtually any trade: Caleb Bonemer and Billy Carlson. Bonemer is the stronger asset of the two and is also much less likely to be moved. There is a debate to be had on whether he should be untouchable, but his name will be brought up in any trade for a premium controllable asset over the next several days. More likely than not, the Sox will opt to retain Bonemer unless they are adamant about acquiring a premium talent (i.e., Mason Miller).
Carlson is the more likely of the two to be traded this week, although it still isn’t likely. Carlson, by most outlets, is a top-100 prospect who has gold-glove upside as a shortstop and is developing well at the plate. He has an OPS north of .762 in Low-A Kannapolis and has shown an advanced approach. The Sox would likely reject any trade for a rental that includes Carlson, but he could be the centerpiece of a deal to acquire a starting pitcher with multiple years of control. For example, if the Sox want one of Reid Detmers or Jose Soriano from the Angels, Carlson would likely have to headline their offer.
Their next strongest trade assets are a pair of Triple-A pitchers who have premium stuff but have struggled with health and command: Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal. Coincidentally, both appear to be on track to join the Sox in the bullpen, as they each have shifted to reliever roles down in Charlotte. Their outlooks are both still as starters, though, and will be valued as starting pitching prospects by selling teams. They could headline their own trades, or be part of a larger trade for more premium, controllable talent, but their close proximity to the MLB will add an extra layer to the Sox’ decision on whether to trade or keep the pair of promising arms.
As previously mentioned, the Sox have a surplus of depth in the middle infield. With their recent draft landing them three more middle infielders in the first two rounds, they are in a prime position to use that depth to acquire some help for a playoff run. William Bergolla would be at the top of this list; however, he has reportedly suffered a fractured fibula in his rehab assignment, and his season may be done. Players like Javier Mogollon, Kyle Lodise, Ryan Burrowes, Colby Shelton, and Jeral Perez are all valuable prospects who would likely be available to acquire pitching help. Mogollon and Lodise would likely net larger returns than the rest of the group, as Mogollon as both have had productive seasons while playing shortstop and are highly regarded among scouts.
The Sox really only have two outfield prospects of importance, recent second-rounder Jaden Fauske and 2024 draft pick George Wolkow. Both have intriguing upside, but are far from making their MLB debuts. Each could be a part of a trade for a strong rental starter, or net some bullpen help on their own. Ely Brown and Samuel Zavala are a couple of other outfield prospects who could be included, although they have much less value on their own. Fellow outfielder Sebastian Romero will likely be someone that other teams ask about as well, as he is having a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League, but is essentially a lottery ticket.
At catcher, breakout prospect Boston Smith is a name who could be brought up in trade conversations. After being acquired for Curtis Mead before the season opener, Smith has established himself as arguably the top catching prospect in the system. He has hit 21 home runs across three levels, and currently has an OPS above 1.200 in Double-A. He is athletic for the position, and has even spent some time in the outfield. That offensive production combined with his defensive versatility could make him an attractive trade piece. Fernando Graterol is another catcher to know, as he was the top signing in the Sox’ most recent international signing period class. Like Romero, he is essentially a lotto ticket, and has even more questions after missing much of the DSL season due to injuries.
On the pitching side, there is less that the Sox have to offer after Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal, although they still have some intriguing prospects. Christian Oppor has had one of the most disappointing seasons of anyone in the system. He still has plus stuff and is just a year removed from a breakout campaign, however, and could still be of interest. David Sandlin is another prospect who teams could be interested in, although the return would have to outweigh his value as pitching depth for the Sox.
Gabe Davis and Blake Larson are a couple of high-upside recent draft picks who may draw interest, as they both have plenty of development left and have both hit road bumps in their early pro careers, but feature front-line upside. Mathias LaCombe is one more to consider, although the Sox have transitioned him to a multi-inning reliever role and could be looking to fast-track him to the majors. No one in this group will net a substantial return, but could bring back some bullpen help or be part of a package to net a starting pitcher.
The Sox have plenty of ammo at their disposal to shoot off a trade for virtually anyone available this deadline. That being said, the organization will have to weigh how aggressive they want to be with their commitment to the long-term plan. They likely won’t be overly aggressive for anyone not under contract past this season, but have the capability to be in on whoever they want or think can help this team the most.
Be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more!
Featured image: MLB Pipeline/X
