According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians have agreed to a trade that would send second baseman Cesar Hernandez to the White Sox.
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The Indians will bring in Konnor Pilkington, a Double-A left-handed pitcher who has a 3.48 ERA in 62 IP with a WHIP of 0.919 this season. Pilkington was a third-round selection in the 2018 draft out of Mississippi State. While he struggled at the beginning of his pro career, many people around the White Sox believed that he was finally finding his groove and was starting to flash his potential.
Hernadez, 31, won a gold glove in 2020 in his first year with the Indians. During the offseason, Hernandez agreed to another one-year deal to return to Cleveland. On the season, Hernandez is slashing .231/.307/.431 with an OPS of .738. He also has a career-high 18 home runs with 47 RBI.
In the trade, the White Sox will add some much-needed infield depth as well as some extra pop in that lineup. With an 8.5 game lead over the Indians for the AL Central crown, the White Sox are clearly in the driver’s seat to take the division title, while the Indians have begun to accept the reality that it is going to be very hard to catch the White Sox.
Sources are telling me that the Indians are not believed to be done and will be talking trade offers for “A good chunk of their roster.” Some players that have been discussed include Roberto Perez, Eddie Rosario, James Karinchak, and Brian Shaw.
The Indians have also shown that they are willing to listen to offers for all players including Jose Ramirez and Zach Plesac, although the asking price seems to be too high for other teams to pull the trigger.
While the White Sox missed out on the Joey Gallo sweepstakes, it is clear that they are very active in acquiring depth as they make their playoff push. It is rumored that they will now shift their focus to the reliever market.
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