The White Sox may want to get moving on their offseason pitching plans, but the Angels’ front-office timeline could slow everything down.
With the winter market still sitting in that quiet stretch before the expected lockout, one of the names that keeps coming up is Angels left-hander Reid Detmers. He was heavily linked to the White Sox in trade chatter at the deadline, and that interest could surface again once deals start picking up. The problem is that the Angels appear to be in no rush to make major decisions until they hire a full-time general manager.
According to the reporting, the Angels are expected to hold onto Zach Neto and Reid Detmers until they get a full-time GM. Right now, their search is still in the early going.
No candidates have been named, and the word out of the GM meetings in Las Vegas is that the club is only now beginning preliminary meetings. That leaves a narrow window for a new decision-maker to step in and complete a trade before the lockout arrives.
If the White Sox are aiming to check off a big chunk of their offseason shopping list before baseball shuts down, that could push them toward other options.
Detmers’ availability is still very much up in the air. He has two years left on his contract, and it isn’t clear whether the Angels are even eager to move him.
It also isn’t clear whether the White Sox are ready to reopen talks. At the deadline, the Angels reportedly wanted slugging prospect Caleb Bonemer included in discussions, and the White Sox weren’t willing to do that then.
That stance probably hasn’t changed. If that remains the price, a deal looks tough to pull off.
A new GM could always bring a different approach, but the Angels may also be staring at a roster that could use a bigger reset. Detmers would be one of the more valuable pieces they could move if they decide to go that direction.
On the White Sox side, Chris Getz said on the radio this week that the team is looking for starting pitching and will explore both free agency and the trade market. Detmers would fit right into that search. Whether the Sox can get traction before the lockout is another matter.
The recent history suggests patience may be required. In 2022, the White Sox made a couple of moves before the lockout and a couple after it. This winter could play out the same way, even if that’s not the pace fans want.
For now, Detmers remains a name to watch, and the Angels’ GM search may end up deciding whether the White Sox can make a run at him soon or have to wait.
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