The White Sox wanted to thread the needle at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
“It was important for us to maintain the high-end talent that we have in our farm system, but add players that certainly can boost our major league club currently, but also have control and guys that can help us for next year as well,” said general manager Chris Getz four days later.
Usually, two out of three ain’t bad.
Rival clubs eyeing top prospects Caleb Bonemer and Billy Carlson were turned away. New acquisitions Luis Castillo, Huascar Brazobán, Brenton Doyle and Joey Bart are all under team control through at least 2027, when a young Sox core might be even stronger. It’s the immediate boost that’s been lacking.
Castillo holds a 5.89 ERA in a White Sox uniform and has completed five innings once in four starts since joining the team. Doyle is the short side of a center field platoon with Tristan Peters, and Tuesday night marked just his 10th start, but he entered Tuesday hitting .189/.189/.297 in 38 plate appearances. And those are the two that are active.
The Sox placed Brazoban on the injured list Tuesday with a left lat strain, recalling fellow right-hander Jonathan Cannon in his stead. The issue flared up on Brazoban on Monday night, which wound up being the fifth time he’s allowed a run in his last six appearances. Brazoban’s arm angle dropped noticeably in August from what had otherwise been a breakout season, and he now has a 6.10 ERA since being traded.
There’s only so much blame to dole out for injuries. Bart having his hand broken by a hit-by-pitch in his third game with the Sox is pure bad luck, and the club did well to add Jake Rogers off waivers in response.
“You’d love it if they just hit the ground running,” said bench coach Walker McKinven. “But we have plans on all these guys, a couple things here or there. We acquired these guys for a reason and still bullish on all of them. It’s difficult to make subtle changes–even subtle changes–in the season and expect immediate results.”
Castillo has reemphasized a changeup that powered his 10-strikeout performance against the Reds. Doyle has embraced swing tweaks aimed at reviving his 20-plus homer potential to augment Gold Glove-caliber defense. José Urquidy, acquired via minor league trade a week before the deadline, could still prove to be a useful addition, but has a 5.68 ERA with the Sox after getting rocked Monday night.
The first three weeks since the deadline does not represent the final word on any player, especially on a team where playoff contributions in October could be far more important. But the lack of impact has been felt in a 10-12 start to August.
Benintendi on bereavement
Andrew Benintendi was placed on bereavement leave Tuesday, with Rikuu Nishida activated to take his spot on the roster. With Benintendi out for a minimum of three days and a maximum of seven, Doyle got the start Tuesday against right-hander Jacob deGrom.
Derek Hill trade dividends
Outfield prospect Dylan Campbell, acquired from the Phillies for Derek Hill in June, won Southern League player of the week for going 13-for-28 with four homers with Double-A Birmingham. The 24-year-old enters the week hitting .266/.360/.444 with the Barons since the trade.