The White Sox are heading into the 2026 trade deadline in a spot they haven’t occupied in years: buyers. That alone changes the conversation. Instead of dealing away pieces and stacking up future value, Chicago is finally in the market to make the club better right now.
The clearest need sits in the rotation. The bullpen could use help, and there’s room to upgrade the outfield, but the starting staff is the biggest issue. Davis Martin has been solid, and beyond that, the White Sox don’t have much to lean on this season.
That’s why ESPN’s Jeff Passan pointed to Reid Detmers as the “Best match” for Chicago - and even called him the club’s “dream” target. Detmers, a left-handed starter for the Los Angeles Angels, carries a 4.13 ERA, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Passan described him as the kind of pitcher whose stuff would get a team excited.
"Best match: Reid Detmers, LHSP, Los Angeles Angels. Dream matchL Reid Detmers, LHSP, Los Angeles Angels," Passan writes.
"... At the same time, while Detmers is Chicago's best match, he's also a dream because it's unclear if Angels owner Arte Moreno will allow interim general manager John Mozeliak to trade any players with multiple years of club control."
The appeal for Chicago goes beyond just the arm itself. Detmers is under club control through the 2028 season, which would give the White Sox 2.5 years of control if they landed him. That kind of move would let them address the rotation now without locking themselves into a pricey rental.
At 27, Detmers fits the idea of a deadline addition that helps both the present and the future. The problem is whether he’ll even be available. Passan’s point was clear: Detmers makes all the sense in the world for the White Sox, but the Angels’ willingness to move him is the real question.
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The comeback came in the seventh, when the Angels put together a rally to tie it and briefly made the finale feel winnable. Even with that surge, the margin for error never disappeared, and the game ended the way so many frustrating losses do for this club, with the Angels unable to protect the tie and left to wonder how a late push still turned into a defeat. [Read more 🡒]