MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades White Sox should make

1. Trade Avisail Garcia

The other four players on our list fit the traditional criteria for a likely trade deadline candidate given that all four are scheduled to become free agents at the end of the season. With the White Sox sitting in last place in the AL Central, and in full-blown rebuilding mode, it makes sense for Chicago to get what they can in return for each of the four. But there are other players on the roster that fall outside the traditional criteria that would bring a bigger prospect return closer to those the club received for Eaton and Quintana.

An obvious choice is first baseman Jose Abreu, who has hit .293/.346/.505 with 16 home runs and 59 RBI this season, and has 107 homers in four big league seasons. However, the market for first basemen is particularly small this summer, with the Yankees and Angels among the only contenders in desperate need of an upgrade, and Los Angeles isn’t certain to be buyers at the deadline.

Therefore, a player with more of a market is right fielder Avisail Garcia. The White Sox acquired Garcia in 2013, expecting him to become an All-Star slugger. He started slow, but the move finally paid off. After hitting .258/.310/.385 with 39 home runs in his first five seasons, Garcia broke out hitting .312/.357/.502 with 13 homers in an All-Star performance this year. He also won’t be eligible for free agency until 2020.

Next: MLB Trade Deadline: 30 players likely to move

The Rockies rank last in the majors in Wins Above Replacement (-1.7 fWAR) this season in large part because of the struggles of Carlos Gonzalez. With Gonzalez entering free agency after the season, they would make sense as a long-term destination for Garcia. The Royals (-0.6 fWAR), Pirates (0.3 fWAR), Cardinals (0.4 fWAR), Angels (0.4 fWAR) and Orioles (0.7 fWAR) all rank among the bottom 10 in right field production this year.