Could Cubs and White Sox pull off another crosstown deal? |
Dustin Riese
· · 6 hours ago
It's no secret that the Cubs are a good team, but not a great team, as they do have some holes to address on their roster. Barring a catastrophic failure at the deadline, you can expect Jed Hoyer to make at least a few moves to try and improve this team, as they have the pieces and resources to make that happen.
Where those moves come from and what those moves are remain to be seen, but it does appear that the Cubs are open for business and ready to deal as soon as the rest of the league is ready. One team to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches is the Chicago White Sox, who, although they are having another terrible season, have a few names that are viewed as trade chip options, and two of them could be names to watch for the Cubs. It's very unusual for rival teams to make deals during a season, but the Sox and Cubs are no strangers to making deals that have benefited both sides. The first of those deals occurred in 2017, when the Cubs sent Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease to the Sox in exchange for Jose Quintana. Granted that deal worked out more for the Sox than the Cubs, the Northsiders still got plenty of success from Quintana while the Sox no longer have either of those two. The next trade that took place between the two was the acquisition of Nick Madrigal from the Sox by the Cubs in exchange for Ryan Tepera. This was a deal that didn't work for either team, as neither one of them panned out at their new home. Given the track record of the deals being made, you could see a cautious approach from either side. However, if the price is right, don't be surprised to see these sides meet again for another deal. Two of the players being discussed on the Sox were ironically former Cubs, as Mike Tauchman and Adrian Houser have emerged as logical trade chips for the Cubs. Both are signed through the end of this season and are having breakout years, which is all you can ask for. When it comes to Houser, this is a classic case of catching lightning in a bottle. Should the Cubs indeed try to land him, they are hoping his success can continue. Ever since signing with the White Sox after being released by the Rangers, Houser has not only stabilized the rotation but has become the ace over Shane Smith as he has gone 5-2 with the White Sox, posting a 1.56 ERA. That would be the lowest starter ERA in baseball had he had the innings to qualify, as he is living proof that anyone can have a breakout year at any time. What makes this such an intriguing possibility is that Houser not only has experience with Craig Counsell during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, but he was also in the Cubs organization last season, where he latched on with the Iowa Cubs. Granted, he only made four starts in Iowa, going 0-2, but with a 3.86 ERA, you already started to see some massive improvement.
Tauchman is another intriguing name to keep an eye on as he would give the Cubs another left-handed bat that is far more valuable than Vidal Brujan and could be the Cubs' fourth outfielder that they currently don't have.
He is also someone with not only ties to Counsell but ties to the Cubs, also spending both the 2023 and 2024 seasons on the Northside and having tons of success in the process. Nicknamed the Palentine Pounder from his Illinois routs, Tauchman was one of the more beloved players in the organization, so losing him stung a bit for this team.
Since battling back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for more than a month, Tauchman has gone on to post some solid numbers, as he is hitting .297 with four homers and 18 RBIs. Most of that is in a platoon role as a rotational outfield piece, but he has been starting much more recently and is now landing back in the leadoff spot.
These are not the moves that you would consider over-the-top moves by any means, but given what we have been hearing about the trade market, they could be two of the better moves this team could make. Regardless, should either of these guys land back in Chicago, the Cubs would be improved because of it, and both would play huge roles down the stretch.
