1 last-minute trade White Sox must make before deadline

The Chicago White Sox are one of the great success stories of the 2026 season. No team has exceeded expectations like the South Siders, a team that is just two years removed from having the most losses in the expansion era. This year’s team is in first place in the American League Central, and their 58-51 record has given them a 3.0-game lead over the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians.

They are coming off two straight victories over the Yankees and a series-opening win over the AL-best Tampa Bay Rays. General manager Chris Getz knows that his team has done very well through the first four months of the season, but the regular season’s most critical games will be played in August and September.

The White Sox have done it largely with youth and the power of Japanese import Munetaka Murakami, but there are holes that Getz must fill if manager Will Venable is going to guide this team to the division title  — or at least a spot in the playoffs.

Chicago has multiple needs, but the team’s biggest is on the mound. The White Sox need significant help with their starting pitchers.

Davis Martin and Sean Burke have gotten the job done at the top of the rotation, but Venable and White Sox fans can’t feel very confident in the rest of the starters. Erick Fedde pitched an impressive game against the Rays Friday night — 5.0 innings, 4 hits allowed, 1 earned run, 6 strikeouts and no walks — but he lacks consistency. The same holds for Anthony Kay and Noah Schultz.

White Sox have to go after a starter who won’t break the bank

The White Sox don’t appear to be in the market for Tarik Skubal of the Tigers, the top prize at this year’s trade deadline. The asking price is likely to be way too high and the competition for Skubal’s services include the Dodgers, Yankees and Brewers. Those three teams are likely to break the bank in order to get the starter who can deliver a possible championship.

The White Sox look at themselves as a team that should continue to grow for multiple seasons and they don’t want to give away their best prospects and young players for a tw0-month rental.

The pitcher that makes the most sense at this point appears to be Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels have the worst record in the American League and they are clearly a team that has no hope of getting back in the race for a playoff spot.

High-quality pitcher who is not a rental

Detmers appears to be an ideal pickup for the White Sox because he has two controllable years on his contract beyond the current season. He is a power pitcher with one of the best fastballs in the game, ranking just behind Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sanchez and Dylan Cease in strikeouts. Detmers does not give up a lot of home runs or bases on balls, and that makes him a very attractive candidate.

He has also improved with his secondary pitches, and that should help him rise to the occasion when pitching for a team with a winning record. Detmers has started 22 games for the Angels this season and 8 of his starts have ranked as quality starts. He has 145 strikeouts in 125.0 inning along with a 4.03 earned run average.

The White Sox would have to give up a couple of key prospects and perhaps one rostered player to acquire Detmers.

White Sox need to look at Kevin Gausman

If a trade for Detmers does not work out because other teams make stronger offers to the Angels, the White Sox would be wise to call on the Toronto Blue Jays and attempt to make a deal for veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman.

The 35-year-old Gausman has pitched 14 years in the big leagues for five teams. He has been with the Blue Jays for the last five seasons and he has seen it all in his career. He had a chance to pitch in the World Series last year and has been quite consistent throughout the last six seasons.

His numbers this season are not great — he has a 4-10 record with a 4.51 ERA as well as 123 strikeouts in 121.2 innings — but that may have more to do with the Blue Jays’ downturn than any other factor.

The defending American League champions are currently in last place in the AL East with a 51-59 record. Going from a last-place team to a first-place team that clearly needs a veteran starting pitcher could bring out the best in Gausman going forward.

Gausman will be a free agent at the end of the season, so he is a clear rental. While he does not have an overwhelming fastball, he has the know-how to handle the difficult pitching assignments that will come his way over the final months of the season if he is traded to a contender.

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