News White Sox Team Notes

[Chicago White Sox]

Draft Signings: Wood, Fauske, Moss, Hartshorn

Tuesday featured a handful of draft signings with a $2MM+ bonus. All signings were first reported by Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted. View pre-draft scouting reports from Baseball America, FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Keith Law of The Athletic.

• The Phillies announced the signing of 26th overall pick Gage Wood. Callis reports that the University of Arkansas product received a $3MM signing bonus that comes in a little south of the approximate $3.49MM slot value. Wood, a 6’0″ right-handed pitcher, is most famous for throwing a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State in this year’s College World Series. Wood pitched out of the bullpen for his first two seasons in Fayetteville. A shoulder injury limited him to 37 2/3 innings during his only year as a starter. He struck out 69 hitters with a 3.82 ERA. Evaluators credit Wood with a fastball that can touch 98 MPH and has huge life at the top of the strike zone, while he has an above-average to plus curveball. His injury history and the lack of a present third pitch leave some scouts to point to a bullpen future.
• The White Sox have a $3MM deal with second-round pick Jaden Fauske, as first reported by James Fox of Future Sox. The bonus for the Illinois prep outfielder comes in a good amount above the $2.22MM slot value of the 44th selection, signing him away from an LSU commitment. Fauske is listed at 6’3″ and has a well-rounded skillset and a lefty swing that impresses evaluators. He’s viewed as a slightly above-average runner and probably projects to a corner outfield spot.
• The Rays went above slot to sign supplemental second-rounder Dean Moss to a $2.1MM bonus, Callis reports. He’s a Florida prep outfielder who’d also been committed to LSU. The 67th overall pick comes with a slot value around $1.29MM. Moss is a left-handed batter whose carrying trait is his advanced hit tool. He’s viewed as an average runner who’d be stretched in center field but doesn’t have prototypical power for a corner outfielder.
• The Cubs signed sixth-round pick Josiah Hartshorn to a $2MM bonus that represents the highest ever for that round, Callis reports. The slot value was around $355K. Hartshorn is a high schooler from California. He’s a 6’2″ switch-hitter who projects as a corner outfielder. Most pre-draft reports had him outside the top 100, but ESPN placed him as the #53 prospect in the class. The Cubs were able to sign him away from a Texas A&M commitment in large part because they saved roughly $1.2MM against their bonus pool with an underslot deal for first-round pick Ethan Conrad.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/draft-signings-wood-fauske-moss-hartshorn.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Latest On Luis Robert Jr.’s Market

With the deadline just over a week away, White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. figures to be one of the most talked-about names on the market. Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic report that two clubs “made aggressive attempts” to acquire Robert last week but the Sox held out for a better prospect package. Along similar lines, Jeff Passan of ESPN writes that Robert is in “trade limbo” because the Sox don’t want to move him for “a reduced return.”

The Sox are running out of time to pull the trigger on a Robert trade. He is in the final year of his contract. The Sox hold a $20MM club option for next year with a $2MM buyout. The piece from The Athletic mentions the possibility of the Sox picking up that option since they have almost no payroll obligations, a possibility that Buster Olney of ESPN also mentioned yesterday.

Though it’s true that the Sox have almost no money on their future books, it’s still hard to see them shelling out an extra $18MM on Robert right now. He’s been hurt and/or ineffective for most of the past two years. They’ve already missed a few opportunities to flip him when his value was higher, so it’s probably not wise to kick the can down the road yet again. The option value could look decent if Robert is hot through the end of the season but it’s also possible that he is hurt or slumping again, meaning they would have held him for nothing.

It’s likely that Robert’s appeal on the market is up a bit, at least relative to earlier this year. His overall season is still bad, as he’s sitting on a line of .206/.292/.344. However, he has actually been in a groove for a while now.

Robert sat out a few games in early June. Manager Will Venable said, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com, this was to give Robert some time to focus on making adjustments. Though Venable said it would be for two games, Robert missed three, the games on June 3rd, 4th and 5th. Whatever those adjustments were, they seem to have worked. At the time of that breather, Robert had a .177/.266/.286 batting line and 30.8% strikeout rate. Since then, he has hit .267/.347/.467 with a more manageable 25.5% strikeout rate.

That latter line is still in a small sample of work. Robert had a quick stint on the injured list due to a left hamstring strain in there and then there was the All-Star break, so it’s only 102 plate appearances. However, it’s production he’s been capable of in the past. The 123 wRC+ for that stretch is in the same ballpark as the 129 wRC+ he had in his excellent 2023 season.

Even when he was really struggling, he was still providing value. He had a 112 wRC+ against lefties at the end of April and then had a 151 wRC+ versus southpaws in May. He has 25 steals on the year and can run the ball down in center field.

Though it’s been a rough season, there should be some appeal and it’s understandable that some clubs have attempted to get him. He seems to have the floor of a speed-and-defense guy who can fill the short side of a platoon. The ceiling is obviously much higher. FanGraphs credited him with 4.9 wins above replacement in 2023 thanks to his .264/.315/.542 line, defense and speed. He has shown glimpses of that over the past six weeks or so.

Teams will naturally still have some hesitation due to his injuries and slumps, but few available players have Robert’s upside. The market could also feature center fielders such as Cedric Mullins, Harrison Bader and Alek Thomas. Mullins had a great April but has been in a slump since then. Bader is having a nice season but is four years older than Robert, has a checkered injury history of his own and has never had the same ceiling. Thomas is a great fielder but a subpar hitter.

The Sox are reportedly willing to include cash in a Robert deal in order to improve the prospect return. He is making $15MM this year, which will leave about $5MM left to pay out at the deadline. That will naturally appeal to clubs with tight budgets. Robert hasn’t been connected to any specific teams yet but reportedly had eight teams on the phone earlier this month. As mentioned earlier, a couple made recent pushes. Teams like the Royals, Guardians, Mets, Phillies, Tigers and Angels are some of the contenders who could use center field upgrades.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/latest-on-luis-robert-jr-s-market.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Sign First-Round Pick Billy Carlson

The White Sox have signed shortstop Billy Carlson, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com. The Sox selected Carlson with their first-round pick, 10th overall, in last week’s draft. The signing bonus is $6,235,900, effectively slot value for the 10th overall pick. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported the signing first, noting the bonus would be “about” $6.2MM.

Pre-draft rankings from MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, ESPN, FanGraphs and The Athletic’s Keith Law all had Carlson ranked from #7 to #12 in the class. All evaluators heap praise on his glovework, with many considering him the best defender in the class. BA mentions his “silky smooth actions in the field with clean hands.” His arm is strong enough that he was considered a potential two-way player for a while, hitting 97 miles per hour with his fastball when on the mound.

Offensively, there’s a bit more hesitation. His hit tool gets more praise than his power, as he generally has a contact-oriented line-drive swing. Whether he will develop into more power as he matures seems to be the key question here.

The White Sox don’t have an answer at shortstop at the moment. Chase Meidroth is currently getting most of the playing time and is performing well enough this year, but he’s expected to be a multi-positional guy in the long run. Colson Montgomery has had a challenging year and is currently playing more third base.

As a high school pick, Carlson won’t be a short-term solution. He doesn’t even turn 19 years old until next week. He’s years away from helping at the big league level, but based on the reports, he seems like a lock to stay at shortstop in the long run. The only question is what he will be able to provide at the plate.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/white-sox-sign-first-round-pick-billy-carlson.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Rays Acquire Tristan Gray From White Sox

The Rays have acquired infielder Tristan Gray in a trade with the White Sox, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports. Chicago will receive cash considerations in return.

It’s a return trip to Tampa Bay for Gray, who made his MLB debut in the form of two games with the Rays in September 2023. He followed that cup of coffee in the Show with a slightly longer stint of 15 games last season, split between the Marlins (seven games) and the Athletics (eight games). This limited playing time resulted in 36 plate appearances for Gray at the big league level, and only a .152/.222/.273 career slash line.

Gray went from Miami to Oakland on a waiver claim last August, and he was then picked off the waiver wire again by the Pirates in October, before being released and signing on with the White Sox on a minors deal in the offseason. The Sox selected Gray’s contract to the active roster for a couple of days earlier this month, but he was optioned back to Triple-A Charlotte before getting any official game action for Chicago.

Gray moves on with some pretty strong Triple-A numbers to show for his time in the White Sox organization, as he hit .270/.333/.472 over 282 PA in Charlotte. This boosts his career Triple-A slash line to .242/.310/.472 in 2050 PA, and beyond his limited bat, Gray has amassed a lot of playing time at all four infield positions. The trade gives the Rays a familiar left-handed hitting name back on the depth chart as the team evaluates its infield situation in advance of the trade deadline.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/rays-acquire-tristan-gray-from-white-sox.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Cubs Interested In Adrian Houser

Just 11 months after being released by the Cubs, Adrian Houser may be a candidate to return to Wrigleyville. The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney writes that Houser is one of many pitchers the Cubs “are considering” as deadline upgrades.

The Cubs got a first-hand look at Houser just last night, as he tossed 6 2/3 innings while allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks in a 12-5 White Sox win over the crosstown rivals. It was Houser’s ninth quality start in 11 outings this season, resulting in a sterling 2.10 ERA for the veteran right-hander over 68 2/3 innings. Houser’s 4.51 SIERA is much less flattering, as he has achieved his success despite a middling walk rate and a 17.1% strikeout rate that ranks only in the 15th percentile of all pitchers.

Houser has also allowed a lot of hard contact, but he has done a good job of avoiding the most damaging types of contact, as his 4.9% barrel rate is one of the league’s best. The righty has also limited fly balls altogether, with a very solid 47.3% grounder rate. His signature sinker continues to be a very effective pitcher, and while Houser’s 95.1mph fastball is only slightly above league average velo-wise, it represents the highest velocity of Houser’s nine MLB seasons.

Even if some regression is inevitable, Houser has at least bounced back nicely from a rough 2024 season. He posted a 5.84 ERA over 69 1/3 innings with the Mets before being designated for assignment and then released in late July. The Cubs and Orioles each signed Houser to minor league deals over the remainder of the 2024 season but he didn’t receive any big league playing time with either club. Another minors deal with the Rangers in the offseason also didn’t go anywhere and he was released by Texas in mid-May, but soon landed with the White Sox on a guaranteed one-year deal worth a prorated $1.35MM salary.

That contract has ended up being a tremendous bargain for the Sox, who now look to further benefit by flipping Houser before the July 31 trade deadline. The return will be pretty limited for a rental pitcher with Houser’s spotty Statcast metrics and career history, but the 32-year-old has certainly performed well enough to get onto the radar of the many contenders that in search of rotation help.

The Cubs have one of baseball’s best lineups, so improving the rotation and bullpen has been the team’s chief goal as the deadline approaches. Houser has worked as a swingman and long reliever in the past, so he could help Chicago in both regards depending on how the Cubs might choose to deploy him, or depending on what other arms could be joining Houser either as deadline adds or as internal returns. As Mooney notes, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad are on track to return from the injured list in August, but that won’t be until well after the deadline, and the Cubs need pitching help now in their battle with the Brewers for the NL Central lead.

Dylan Cease and Mitch Keller are among the starters who have been linked to the Cubs on the rumor mill. Chicago is also heavily involved in the bullpen market and is reportedly looking for third base help, so president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has plenty of plates in the air this close to July 31. If the Cubs invest more of their trade capital in landing a third baseman or a blue chip reliever, Houser represents more of a less expensive backup plan for the rotation in terms of both salary owed and trade cost.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/cubs-interested-in-adrian-houser.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

White Sox Notes: Robert, Taylor

Since being activated from the 10-day injured list following a minor hamstring strain, Luis Robert Jr. has hit .982 OPS over his last 43 plate appearances, only adding to the speculation that he’ll be traded at the deadline. This hot streak has lifted Robert’s season-long wRC+ to only 77, but since he is continuing to mash left-handed pitching, rack up stolen bases, and display decent glovework in center field, there is more longer-term evidence beyond just the last couple of weeks that Robert could be a valuable asset to a potential trade suitor.

Though Robert has been mentioned in trade rumors for years, and the White Sox have maintained a high asking price on the outfielder even as he struggled through an injury-marred 2024 season and delivered little at the plate for most of the 2025 campaign. Robert is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, but since Chicago holds $20MM club options on Robert for both 2026 and 2027, the Sox are “operating as if they will have [Robert] under contract for two more years,” FanSided’s Robert Murray writes. As such, Murray also hears from sources that the White Sox “are not operating with a ’get something while we can stance.’ ”

Some gamesmanship could obviously be at play here, as naturally it hurts Chicago’s leverage if the club is even hinting at any desperation to move Robert before the deadline. It was also a little over a month ago that the White Sox were reportedly offering to include some money in trades for Robert or Andrew Benintendi to help offset their salaries, and if the club is still operating with this mindset, that is more clearer evidence that the Sox would probably prefer to move Robert sooner rather than later.

Robert’s struggles over the last two seasons have left Sox GM Chris Getz in a tough spot, as he has been unable to find an acceptably high return for a player who (on paper) is one of Chicago’s best trade assets. Coming off an All-Star season in 2023, Robert’s contractual control was seen as a major plus, yet those $20MM club options now loom as complicated decisions for the White Sox and any teams who may be interested in swinging a deal by July 31. Those option years make Robert more than a rental in Getz’s eyes, but other clubs might only be willing to give up relatively little for a player they might not view as a long-term piece.

If the Sox really are viewing Robert as a player controlled through 2027, it adds credence to the idea that the team will exercise at least the first of those options. With a $2MM buyout involved, picking up the option is an $18MM decision for the White Sox, and seemingly a pretty steep price for such an inconsistent player. Such a scenario would seem more likely if Robert were to keep hitting well over the season’s final two months, but that isn’t something the White Sox can count on as we sit within a week of the trade deadline. Not trading Robert by July 31 and then declining the club option, however, would mean that Chicago would be lose Robert for nothing.

One player who seems far less likely to be moved at the deadline is Grant Taylor, the rookie right-hander who has a 3.93 ERA over his first 18 1/3 Major League innings. A source tells The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that rival teams have been “all over” the Sox about Taylor’s availability, yet the team has barely been willing to even entertain these offers for obvious reasons.

A second-round pick for Chicago in the 2023 draft, Taylor made his big league debut on June 10 and has already opened a lot of eyes around baseball. A .341 BABIP and a low 61.9% strand rate could account for Taylor’s uninspiring ERA, as his SIERA is a much more impressive 2.50. Taylor also has a 31.5% strikeout rate, an 8.2% walk rate, and a fastball that averages 99mph.

With a Tommy John surgery and a significant lat strain already on Taylor’s health history, he has logged only 64 1/3 pro innings to date, as the White Sox have eased him into game action primarily as a reliever. He has appeared in relief in 14 of his 15 big league games, with his lone “start” coming as an opener. Taylor has already recorded three saves, so a future as a closer might be in the cards if starting pitching doesn’t work out. Until the White Sox know what they have in Taylor, it doesn’t make sense for the rebuilding club to move such an intriguing long-term building block, even if it seems like Chicago could already land a massive trade return if Taylor was moved in the near future.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/white-sox-notes-robert-taylor.html

 

[Chicago White Sox]

Mets Discussing Mark Vientos In Trade Talks

The Mets are clear buyers this summer with a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for control of the NL East, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible that they would deal from their big league roster. As the club seeks help in multiple areas of it’s roster, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the club has been discussing infielder Mark Vientos with rival clubs ahead of this week’s trade deadline. He adds that teams have inquired after not only Vientos but also fellow infield youngsters Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, though Martino notes that teams have come away with the belief that Vientos is the most available of those three names.

It’s a position that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season last year when he slashed .266/.332/.516 with 27 homers and 22 doubles across just 111 games. That seemed to position Vientos as the club’s third baseman of the future in spite of his lackluster work with the glove last season. Unfortunately for the Mets and Vientos, however, things have gone off the rails this year. The Mets were surely hoping that his glove would improve at least somewhat with time, but he’s remained one of the worst defenders in the sport this year. This time, however, his offense isn’t carrying the overall package. Vientos has slashed just .226/.280/.358 (81 wRC+) across 73 games this year amid a power outage that’s seen his barrel rate collapse from 14.1% last year to just 7.3% in 2025.

With Vientos unproductive on both offense and defense, he’s arguably expendable on a club with better options at first base (Pete Alonso) and DH (Starling Marte). Baty, Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and Jeff McNeil can all hold their own on the infield as well, to say nothing of the anticipated eventual return of Jesse Winker from the injured list, at which point he’ll likely return to sharing time with Marte at DH. All of those options leave Vientos somewhat squeezed out of the mix for playing time, but another club could look at Vientos’s 2024 performance and the fact that he remains under team control through the end of the 2029 season and see an opportunity to buy low on a bat with an All-Star caliber ceiling.

The White Sox, for instance, have interest in Vientos according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Nightengale suggests that the Sox would want Vientos in return for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. after months of connections between Robert and the Mets in the rumor mill. Robert’s value is unlikely to be high enough to land Vientos in a one-for-one trade at this point, though speculatively speaking it’s at least possible he could be had if Robert was packaged with pitching help that would help address New York’s other needs.

Chicago is far from the only team that should have interest in Vientos if he’s available, however. The Diamondbacks are primarily targeting young pitching, but Vientos would be an intriguing fit given the recent loss of first baseman Josh Naylor and the club’s impending plans to trade third baseman Eugenio Suarez in the coming days. The Padres are dangling Dylan Cease in hopes of adding a bat or two this summer, and Vientos’s combination of upside and cheap team control could be attractive to a cash-strapped contender. The Rays are always creative and appear to be at least considering dealing incumbent first baseman Yandy Diaz this summer. The Red Sox are in need of first base help and could benefit from another right-handed bat in their lineup.

A handful of those clubs mentioned remain in playoff contention alongside the Mets, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time a pair of buy-side GMs managed to get creative and work out a trade that benefits both clubs. Vientos should have broad appeal to teams looking for help on the infield corners or at DH regardless of their competitive timeline thanks to his combination of near-term upside and long-term team control. Of course, it’s far from a lock that the Mets will actually move Vientos. New York stands to benefit as much as anyone from the slugger’s upside in 2026 and beyond, particularly in the likely event that Alonso opts out of his contract this winter. Even in 2025, the depth Vientos provides could prove essential in the event of an injury sidelining a player like Marte or any of the club’s infielders. While the slugger isn’t the key cog in the Mets’ lineup he was last year, all the traits that make him an attractive buy-low candidate would make it difficult for the club’s front office to justify selling low on him.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/mets-discussing-mark-vientos-in-trade-talks.html