The Chicago White Sox are headed into the trade deadline with momentum, a clear shopping list, and a much different kind of July than anybody saw coming. After Saturday night’s deal for Mariners starter Luis Castillo, the Sox are already showing they mean business.
With a 58-52 record on August 1 and a three-game edge over the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, they’re no longer in the background. They’re buyers.
And the needs are obvious. Chicago could use another starter, a right-handed hitting catcher, and some bullpen help. Three names stand out as possible fits: Clay Holmes, Tyler Stephenson, and Luke Weaver.
Holmes is the most intriguing rotation option of the group. Drafted in the ninth round in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school, he didn’t reach the majors until 2018 and spent the first seven years of his career as a reliever with Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees.
In New York, he became a two-time All-Star closer. Then came a move to the Mets, who shifted him into the rotation.
That switch has paid off. Holmes owns a 3.26 ERA in 40 starts with the Mets, and this season he was dealing before a fractured fibula sidelined him for a couple of months.
He had a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before the injury, and now that he’s nearing a return, he’s being talked about as available. Even after landing Castillo, the White Sox still have room for another arm, and Holmes could fit as a relatively inexpensive rental who strengthens the staff right away.
Stephenson would attack another area where the Sox have been thin. The Cincinnati Reds catcher was the 11th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft out of high school, and while his overall numbers this season haven’t jumped off the page - a .252/.338/.401 slash line - he has caught fire over his last 30 games. In that stretch, he’s hit .320/.389/.495 with three home runs and 11 RBIs, while also providing good defense.
That matters for Chicago because catcher has become a major problem since Kyle Teel’s injury. Edgar Quero and Drew Romo haven’t given the Sox enough, and Stephenson could step in and help stabilize the spot.
Weaver is the bullpen name to watch. The Mets appear to be in sell mode, and the veteran reliever could be part of that purge.
Once a first-round starter, Weaver is in his 11th season and brings both regular-season and postseason experience. The Yankees moved him to the bullpen in 2024, and he has taken off since then, posting a sub-3 ERA across his time with the Yankees and Mets.
This year, he’s been one of the better setup men in baseball, with a 1.88 ERA in 41 games and 44 strikeouts in 43 innings. He’s signed through 2027 on a two-year, $22 million deal, but with uncertainty around the upcoming lockout, he could still end up functioning like a rental.
Each of these players would address a real weakness for the White Sox. Each would give Chicago a better shot at staying in the race and making noise in October. Now it comes down to whether Chris Getz pulls the trigger.
In Other News...
White Sox Are Suddenly Linked To A Veteran Bat For The Stretch Run
The White Sox have put themselves in an unusual spot for late July, sitting atop the American League Central and suddenly looking more like a club that can add than one that has to sell. With the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline in view, the conversation around Chicago has started to shift toward veteran help, especially in the outfield, where a proven bat can matter as much as a hot month from the rest of the roster.
One name surfacing in that discussion is Toronto outfielder George Springer, whom analyst Jon Morosi identified as a potential fit for Chicago because of his recent performance and veteran presence. No deal has been reported, but the link is the kind that usually says as much about where a team is headed as it does about one player, and it leaves the White Sox with a clear question as they keep pushing through the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Just Closed The Book On A Painful Draft Miss
The White Sox have spent the better part of the last few seasons trying to squeeze value out of a pitching prospect who never quite found the strike zone or the kind of velocity that made him a notable draft investment in the first place. Jarred Kelley had been in the organization since 2020, and even with a steady run of appearances in the minors, the results never really moved in the direction Chicago needed.
His departure closes the book on a long-running development project that never got off the ground the way the White Sox hoped. For a club still sorting through the aftereffects of past draft choices, it is another reminder that promising arms can fade quickly when command and stuff do not hold up against professional hitters. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Bullpen Help Is Here But The Deadline Debate Isnt Over
The White Sox kept busy around the deadline again by adding another arm to a bullpen that has already been reshaped in recent days. After dealing Seranthony Dominguez and bringing in Luis Castillo, they turned to the Mets for veteran reliever Huascar Brazobn, a move that fits the clear pattern of Chicago trying to stabilize the late innings without overcommitting to a full teardown.
Brazobn gives the Sox a proven bullpen piece from a New York staff that has leaned on him heavily this season, while the return for the Mets came from the lower levels of Chicagos system in Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin. Even with that addition, the broader deadline conversation around the White Sox is not finished yet, because the question now is whether one more move is still coming before the roster reset is complete. [Read more 🡒]