Rumored White Sox trade chip should raise alarms for Braves, Cardinals and more

USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale left this breadcrumb for teams in dire need of a starting pitcher to fight over. He mentioned that recently converted relief pitcher Michael Kopech could be made available for trade at some point down the line. The 2-14 Chicago White Sox have the worst record in baseball, but Kopech has been "lights out" in his new role. He has a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched.

While he may not be a starting pitcher worth counting on anymore, it is not like the Atlanta Braves or the St. Louis Cardinals are too good to look under every rock for pitching talent. Atlanta has already lost Spencer Strider for the season. St. Louis is the only team below .500 in the NL Central currently. Starting pitching woes were a huge reason why they are coming off their worst season in decades.

Although I sincerely doubt that Kopech will ever be the starting pitcher we all thought he would be as a top prospect coming up the farm system, a team with rich winning traditions like Atlanta or St. Louis could be the change of scenery he may need. Even if Kopech is not going to be a starter this year, his great work in the bullpen thus far has been a rare bright spot for a White Sox team that is abysmal.

We are only in the first month of the season, but a lot can change between now and the end of July.

MLB trade rumors: Chicago White Sox RHP Michael Kopech is available

While many of these teams who have gotten off to blistering starts will inevitably cool off, it is hard to imagine a scenario where struggling teams like the Miami Marlins and the White Sox will be able to turn it around after a disastrous first few weeks of the season. Chicago's competitive life cycle is in full-blown rebuilding mode, so it serves the South Siders to look at sell high on some of their assets.

From a third party perspective, the idea of Kopech has always been better than the real thing. Given that the Braves have recently made a flurry of moves with players who have White Sox connections, maybe Alex Anthopoulos can make a deal? Chicago and St. Louis are in neighboring states. While the Cardinals need to get better in a hurry, desperate times call for desperate measures over in St. Louis.

I don't know if the fit is ideal for either party looking for potential pitching help, but I do know that the White Sox will in fact be sellers at the trade deadline. Everything going on with them suggests that they are not going to be anything close to a playoff team this year. If that means selling high on a pitcher like Kopech, then you would have to consider it. Other teams may emerge as landing spots.

Kopech's reinvention as a relief pitcher could be a boon to helping the White Sox rebuild even faster.