Inside the Clubhouse: Unnoticed Giants-Padres trade, Willson Contreras, and White Sox trade chips

In this week’s edition of Inside the Clubhouse, we delve into an unnoticed Giants-Padres trade, Willson Contreras and the White Sox as sellers.

On Tuesday afternoon, I received a text from a source that said: “Have you heard anything about a trade between the Giants and Padres? Start digging.”

I sent texts out to people who would know and quickly received confirmation. The trade sent minor-league pitcher Nick Duron to the San Diego Padres in exchange for undisclosed compensation, according to sources familiar with the deal.

The only problem? The deal happened two weeks prior … and somehow went unnoticed and unreported. Until now.

Duron, 27, has pitched for six different teams in seven minor-league seasons, posting a career 3.43 ERA and 277/19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 262.1 innings. The move cleared room on the Giants’ Triple-A roster and added another arm to the Padres’ system. It’s also the first trade that Padres general manager AJ Preller has made since last August.

MLB Rumors: Behind the bizarre Willson Contreras-Cardinals situation

The St. Louis Cardinals’ handling of Willson Contreras has been bizarre.

The Cardinals saw Contreras’ talent up close for TK years when he was the Chicago Cubs’ catcher. As a free agent, they fell in love with him after meeting him in Orlando in December. They then signed him to a massive five-year, $87.5 million contract to replace franchise icon Yadier Molina.

And 35 games into his first season in St. Louis, they benched him. They talked about playing him in the outfield and as a designated hitter. The next day, they said they no longer planned on playing him in the outfield. Starting pitchers Adam Wainwright and Jack Flaherty then met with Contreras in Chicago to deliver a message that he’s wanted and that they know “they have a catcher for five years.”

For years, the Cardinals have been the envy of other teams. Right now, with how they have handled Contreras, this Cardinals team is unrecognizable.

This offseason, there were multiple catchers available via trade — Sean Murphy and William Contreras — who would have made plenty of sense. Murphy is a player that the Cardinals liked, but the Oakland Athletics’ asking price made a deal unlikely as president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is always hesitant to deal from the top of his farm system.

Which made Contreras, a free agent, even more intriguing. But the Cubs had concerns about his game calling and defensive preparation. Other teams shared those same concerns, which was a primary reason why he was never traded before the 2022 trade deadline. And it was expected to impact his free agency, too.

The Cardinals ignored those concerns and signed Contreras anyways despite Murphy clearly being the better fit. And it’s quickly backfired on them in a season that’s been a huge disappointment through 38 games.

MLB Rumors: 3 White Sox trade chips

At 13-25, the Chicago White Sox are shaping up to be perhaps baseball’s biggest seller. Here are three of their top trade chips:

Dylan Cease: With Cease under contract for two more arbitration seasons, any potential acquiring team would have him under contract for at least three postseason runs. As one of the best young pitchers in baseball, it would take a substantial haul to pry him out of Chicago.

Lucas Giolito: While Cease is unlikely to be traded, it would hardly be surprising to see Giolito moved in July. He’s in a contract year and has bounced back after a down 2022 season, posting a 3.59 ERA and 50/11 strikeout-to walk ratio in eight starts.

Mike Clevinger: On the surface, Clevinger’s numbers — 4.79 ERA and 35/18 strikeout-to-walk ratio — aren’t that impressive. But he has allowed three or less runs in five of his eight starts, with his ERA inflated by a six-run appearance against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 25. He may not fetch much in a trade, especially being on a contract year, but could help a contender in need of rotation depth.