MLB Rumors: Grading a proposed Red Sox-White Sox blockbuster trade

One Red Sox insider proposed a blockbuster trade with the White Sox ahead of the deadline. But would either team actually be on board with the deal?

Now that there are under three weeks until the MLB Trade Deadline and the Boston Red Sox have closed the gap on a wild card spot with a hot streak into and out of the All-Star break, it seems as if the club is going to be another buyer in the mix.

The question, of course, is just how aggressive they plan to be.

That was the question Chad Jennings of The Athletic (subscription required) along with insider Jim Bowden tried to answer. Jennings proposed several trades with Bowden offering an assessment of each. But perhaps the wildest, which the writer admitted as much, was a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox that would send Tim Anderson and Lucas Giolito to the Red Sox.

Here’s a look at the full deal that was proposed.

According to MLB Pipeline, Yorke is the No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox system while Gonzalez comes in at No. 11 and Fernandez does not rank inside the Top 30. But is that enough for the White Sox to budge? Or are the Red Sox paying too much?

Let’s assess this trade proposal by grading it in terms of legitimacy and practicality.

MLB Rumors: Grading Red Sox-White Sox trade for Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito

To get the White Sox to budge off of Tim Anderson, it feels like it’s going to take more than a pair of Top 11 prospects and a throw-in on top of that. Yes, Anderson probably needs a change of scenery in a bad way in the midst of arguably the worst season of his career, but Chicago isn’t going to let him walk for this type of package alone, much less when also sending away Giolito.

Now, the Red Sox could sweeten the pot by throwing in a higher-ranked pitching prospect than Fernandez, something that Bowden suggested in his assessment of the proposed trade from Jennings. That might get the deal done — or at least it would in a vacuum.

The other big issue with this trade is the market for Giolito. Though he’s only a rental for the remainder of the 2023 MLB season, the fact of the matter is that he’s going to be one of the most coveted arms on the market at the deadline with teams like the Dodgers, Reds and Astros, among others, involved. With the prospects they all can offer, that likely means that this Red Sox package, even headline by Yorke, wouldn’t be nearly enough to push this trade through.

Does this mean that the Red Sox and White Sox won’t make a trade? Not at all. There are other deals to be had, one of which is a potential reunion with Joe Kelly. But in terms of this Anderson-Giolito blockbuster, this proposal just isn’t too realistic and, even if Boston upped the ante, that might not be worth it for a reclamation project and a rental starter.

Trade Grade: 1.5/10