MLB rumors: Cashman in the way, Mariners minds made up, sellers cash in, more

MLB Rumors: White Sox prepare for busy trade deadline

Buckle in, White Sox fans. It could get bumpy.

Chicago is 21.0 games below .500 and, laughably, only 11.0 games out of first place in the universally unimpressive NL Central. That won’t cut it, of course, which sets the White Sox up to sell quite a few pieces before the bell tolls on Aug. 1.

From Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

"“The Chicago White Sox are telling teams that ace Dylan Cease and left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer are off limits, but they would be willing to trade reliever Keynan Middleton. They would listen for offers for shortstop Tim Anderson and will give away catcher Yasmani Grandal.”"

The White Sox are setting clear boundaries, which is a telltale sign of a team looking to siphon off contracts and build toward the future. While key pieces remain off limits, the Sox are willing to part with two lineup staples in Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal.

Anderson is the flashiest name here. His season has been largely disappointing, but his numbers have perked back up after the All-Star break. A number of contenders around the MLB would love to take a chance on the shortstop who is flexible enough to move to second base if needed.

Chicago already shipped pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels. The White Sox are unafraid of splashy moves and have a clear organizational mandate to flesh out the farm system as the big-league team bottoms out. We could see several more moves before all is said and done.