Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn is still looking to add another starter to the rotation, and with the recent injuries to Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito, one cannot blame him. Although we are only 3 games into the 2022 baseball season, it is clear that the White Sox have lots of depth for position players.
This is evident by how productive the offense has been even with the injuries to Yoan Moncada and newly acquired A.J. Pollock.
Unfortunately, pitching depth is something the White Sox do not really have at the moment. Hahn is still in talks with the Oakland A’s to acquire Frankie Montas. Reports indicate that the deal has not progressed much because the A’s want Andrew Vaughn to be a part of the deal for Montas. Hahn is hesitant to give up a player with the potential that Vaughn possesses.
Vaughn was drafted by the White Sox not long ago in 2019, and is already become a viable player for the team early in the 2022 season. In 127 games for the White Sox last year, Vaughn hit 15 homers, 22 doubles, and drove in 48 runs. He also played many games in right field and left field last season when injuries plagued the team, proving his versatility. So far this season, Vaughn already has 10 hits, 2 homers, and 6 runs batted in.
Vaughn is only 24 years old and is the apparent future at first base after Jose Abreu. Trading him for a good starting pitcher that would only stick around for at most two years does not seem wise, no matter how bad the White Sox do need another starter. Vaughn is too important for this team moving forward.
That being said, if the White Sox can get a deal done that brings Montas to the White Sox without having to trade Vaughn, it would definitely be worth pulling the trigger. A move like that would really help the team compete for a World Series title the next two years. It is likely that players like Garrett Crochet, Gavin Sheets, Jake Burger, and Colson Montgomery would be involved in that type of trade.
If the White Sox acquire Montas, it would be the second time they trade for him. The first time they traded Jake Peavy to the Red Sox back in 2013 in exchange for minor leaguers, one of which was Montas. In 2015, the White Sox traded Montas to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Is a return to Chicago in store for Montas?
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