A Giants-White Sox trade to put San Francisco on Dodgers’ heels

It's been a rough season so far for the San Francisco Giants as after a tough loss against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, they're now 36-40 on the year. They might be 10.5 games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, but they're only 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.

The division deficit is large, but it's not insurmountable, especially for June. The Giants have dealt with a myriad of injuries and have had some of their better players get off to slow starts. What if the Giants got healthier, saw their stars play better, and made a big deadline deal? Could we see them compete with the Dodgers in the division? It shouldn't be completely ruled out.

Jon Heyman of the NY Post pegs the Giants as one of the teams that could potentially pull off a trade for Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

It'd cost a ton, but the Giants can get a deal done. Here's what it might look like if the Giants finally get the star outfielder they've been seeking for years now.

A Giants-White Sox trade to finally land San Francisco a star outfielder

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, the list goes on and on. The Giants have been looking for a star outfielder for years, and Robert fits that bill.

Last season, we saw what Robert could do if he could just stay healthy. He was an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger, and took home a Gold Glove. He's a legitimate five-tool player who can be the face of the franchise San Francisco has been seeking. He's just 26 years old, and would come with 3.5 years of club control.

Yes, injuries are a concern, and he'd cost a lot, but he'd be worth it.

In this deal, the Giants would also acquire Chris Flexen to give them much-needed starting pitching depth. Flexen's 5.03 ERA is high, but he's allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his 14 starts and 11 of his 16 appearances. He's had some brutal outings, but has mostly been fine. With Alex Cobb, Kyle Harrison, Blake Snell, and Robbie Ray out, they could use more depth.

For the Giants to get this package, they'd part with each of their top two prospects according to MLB Pipeline in Marco Luciano and Carson Whisenhunt. Luciano could be the solution that the White Sox are looking for at the shortstop position, and Whisenhunt can become a fixture at the top of Chicago's rotation in the not-too-distant future.

Wade Meckler doesn't have much power, but he can potentially be a nice leadoff hitter for the White Sox, as evidenced by his .352 average and .447 OBP in the minors. Meckler even got a brief cup of coffee in the majors last season, so he could be ready to contribute fairly soon.

Carson Seymour's stock has risen since being acquired in a trade with the Mets in 2022, and he's yet another prospect close to making an MLB impact. His 4.33 AAA ERA might not jump off the page, but he's done well considering he is pitching in the PCL, a league notoriously known for favoring hitters.

The Giants would not only become one of the favorites to snatch an NL Wild Card spot, but if things go their way, they might be able to make things just a little uncomfortable in the NL West for the Dodgers if they were able to acquire Robert. It's a steep price to pay, but Robert's cheap contract and years of control make it worthwhile.

From Chicago's perspective, they'd be getting two of MLB Pipeline's Top 66 prospects who happen to be very close to MLB-ready. They'd be acquiring two additional top 20 prospects in San Francisco's system who are close to MLB-ready. This would be a nice haul to get for Robert if they do indeed trade him.