DONE DEAL:  CHICAGO WHITE SOX HAVE OFFICIALLY TRADING FOR PITTSBURGH PIRATES STARTING INFIELDER. IT WAS OFFICIALLY, 4 YEARS, A $139 MILLION DEAL WAS STRUCK, WITH THE PIRATES RECEIVING CASH PLUS, FOLLOWING……….READ MORE..

This prospect might be Chicago’s pitching gem

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MINNEAPOLIS — If you look closely toward the White Sox horizon, even squint to get a clearer view of that far-off place beyond the current 3-19 miasma, then the outline of a young starting rotation becomes apparent.

Nick Nastrini (No. 8 prospect) made his second Major League start on Sunday in Chicago’s 8-2 loss to the Phillies, then was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte the following day. Righty Jonathan Cannon (No. 11 prospect) then set a career high with five strikeouts in the 7-0 losing effort in Monday’s series opener in Minnesota. Noah Schultz (the White Sox No. 2 prospect and No. 46 overall, according to MLB Pipeline) is one of the top left-handed prospects in the game with his 61 strikeouts, 11 walks and 2.33 ERA over 39 career innings in 13 starts between Single-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem.

Let us of course not forget Garrett Crochet, who in his first year moving from the bullpen, was named the White Sox Opening Day starter and ranks third in the American League with 34 strikeouts. Then there’s Drew Thorpe.

Acquired from San Diego as part of the four-player return for Dylan Cease, Thorpe is considered by numerous pundits to have the best changeup in the Minor Leagues. He topped the Minors in 2023 with 182 strikeouts over 139 1/3 innings, and has posted a 0.50 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 18 innings during three starts for Double-A Birmingham in ’24.