3 Angels trade targets on the White Sox not named Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease isn’t the only White Sox player the Angels should be looking to trade for.
The Chicago White Sox find themselves in a rough spot after a disappointing 2023 season. They have several talented players and should be good enough to compete in a lackluster AL Central division, but went 61-101, winning 12 fewer games than the Los Angeles Angels, in 2023.
As a result of their failures, Chicago fired their GM Rick Hahn and replaced him with Chris Getz. The new GM has made it abundantly clear that he is willing to trade anyone and everyone as Chicago enters what will likely be a long rebuild.
One piece every team including the Angels will be salivating over is Dylan Cease. Unfortunately for the Angels, they likely don’t have enough to land him for their rotation. While Cease and fellow star Luis Robert Jr. are probably off the table for the Angels, there are three other players on the White Sox that Perry Minasian should consider trading for.
1) Eloy Jimenez
This fit here is rather simple to figure out. If Shohei Ohtani departs in free agency, Jimenez can simply take his spot as the team’s designated hitter. Having a 26-year-old be the regular DH isn’t exactly what a team would want, but in Jimenez’s case it’s really the only option.
Jimenez is an atrocious defender in the outfield, posting career marks of -19 OAA and -18 DRS throughout his five-year career. He’s doing this despite only having one season in which he has played over 100 games in the field. That came back in his rookie year of 2019.
In addition to the poor defense, Jimenez has had a rough time simply staying on the field. He’s played over 100 games twice, with the second time coming this past season. He’s hit whenever he’s played, but injuries are a main concern.
Jimenez is set to make over $13 million this season and has two club options for each of the next two seasons at $16.5 million and $18.5 million respectively. A 26-year-old with all-star qualities and three years of control would normally be hard to get, but Jimenez’s limitations in the field and in the health department make him a player the Angels can target.
At the plate, Jimenez has been nothing short of solid, posting an .811 OPS and 118 OPS+ in his career. He’s not Ohtani, but would still provide a big boost to the Angels lineup if Ohtani does leave.
Leave a Reply