It's easy to think the White Sox can play deep into October when Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel start, but it's also easy to chalk them up as a pandemic-born fluke when anybody else takes the mound, especially during turns where Dylan Cease can't get through five.
The White Sox have fared well enough with this arrangement -- 20-13 is nothing to sneeze at -- but it's showing some signs of strain this weekend. There's nothing wrong with this Reynaldo López pitch to Whit Merrifield on Friday were it 96 mph like the old days, but when it's 93 ...
... that can happen. Cease is battling his 2019 self, struggling to locate anything armside. Dane Dunning is starting today, with Gio González available for backup.
I like González as a tandem guy for López or Dunning, given that neither is a great bet to go five in his current condition. Carlos Rodón could also theoretically return, but I put him in the same basket as López. No matter how you arrange it, two days are kind of a toss-up, especially if Rick Renteria continues to reject any kind of alternate starter arrangement.
(UPDATE: The White Sox made room for Dunning by placing González on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain, so the tandem pairing is temporarily sidelined.)
So it's not a surprise that with the trade deadline looming Monday, the White Sox are tied to pitchers. Jon Morosi has the White Sox hovering around Dylan Bundy and Lance Lynn ...
... while Jon Heyman seconds the Lynn interest and includes Robbie Ray.
What's unusual about this deadline is that both Lynn and Bundy started on Saturday. That reduces their utility to their new team, should they find one, by a bigger share of the remaining season than usual. Lynn dropped his first decision of the year in a 6-3 loss to the Dodgers. He's still in position for Cy Young votes, as his ERA remains below 2.00 (1.91), and he'll wrap up the final year of his deal in 2021 on an $8 million salary.
Bundy is the one non-Trout thing that's gone right for the Los Angeles Angels this year. He made his seventh start on Saturday, lowering his ERA to 2.47 over 43⅔ innings, with peripherals to match (47 strikeouts, 11 walks). He's succeeding with an entirely new profile, which allows him to get away from a fastball that doesn't quite average 91. He's on a one-year, $5 million deal, with a year of arbitration afterward.
Little has gone right for Ray, which means he should command the lowest price. He's 1-4 with a 7.84 ERA, leading the league in earned runs and walks (31 in 31 innings), which isn't what he hoped for when he tried to follow in Lucas Giolito's footsteps by shortening his armswing. If Ray's right, he can strike out 200 batters a season even without the greatest in-season durability, but he looks like a project at the moment. How many inefficient left-handed starters can one roster hold?
Lynn and Bundy are the upgrades here, but the White Sox's top-heavy farm system means they're a little underequipped to win a bidding war for a win-now acquisition in a responsible way. Nick Madrigal's about the only guy who offers a reliable shot at major-league production for another team while not costing the Sox something they sorely need. Even then, Madrigal's a lot to give up in a season where pitchers seem even less structurally sound than usual. A true rental like Kevin Gausman or Mike Minor probably falls more in line with what the Sox have on hand, for better or for worse.
(Here's where the James Shields trade looms a little too large for me to feel comfortable about anything, although at least Keuchel provides evidence of a veteran pitcher exceeding expectations.)
* * * * * * * * *
The White Sox could also use bullpen help, if only because the weekend series also shows the issues with the current makeup of the relief corps. For one, Jace Fry is the only left-handed reliever in whom Renteria possesses even nominal trust. The other is that the Sox are a little short on swing-and-miss arms. Zack Burdi is the only White Sox reliever who ranks in the top 50 for swinging strike rate, and that number is going to drop a little after his disastrous outing on Saturday.
Burdi's slider can be a devastating pitch to both the hitter and pitcher. When it's got that sharp, late bite, it's a weapon. When it rolls, it can end up 10 rows deep. He's now up to four homers in seven games, so mid-leverage may even be aspirational right now.
Of course, the White Sox could address both of the above issues by getting Aaron Bummer back, but is that going to happen? Renteria said Bummer is playing catch in Schaumburg as he tries to return from left biceps soreness, which he experienced in a game against Cleveland three weeks ago.
It's hard to tell how good that news is. Certainly it's better than him not throwing, but with biceps injuries often related to shoulder issues, I've been conservative on estimating anything Bummer can offer the rest of the season.
How the White Sox handle themselves with regards to the deadline might shed some insight on Bummer, even if indirectly. Acquiring a starter might be the best way to avoid paying twice for bullpen help, because Rodón could theoretically be a candidate for effective lefty-oriented relief work if his body allows. There are a lot of questions in circulation, but they'll be answered one way or another by 3 p.m. on Monday, or maybe a half an hour after.
(Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire)
