Liam Hendriks is one of baseball’s best relievers, and the White Sox are reportedly looking to trade him…
If the White Sox agree, this is the ideal trade to acquire Liam Hendriks
Vincent Parise of Southside Showdown, the White Sox page on FanSided came up with three insane trades that would land Hendriks in Queens.
The Mets would send Eduardo Escobar and James McCann to the White Sox in exchange for Hendriks in this fictitious trade.
It’s easy to see why the White Sox would want to trade Hendriks. Money. Over the next two seasons, Hendriks is owed $29 million. That’s not cheap for a reliever, but it’s very reasonable for today. The Steve Cohen Mets would gladly accept that money.
The White Sox currently lack a second baseman, so Escobar’s addition would be a welcome addition. Escobar could be a valuable piece for the Red Sox. He’s a switch hitter who primarily plays third base but also has extensive experience at second base.
The McCann addition is where this deal falls apart. McCann has two years left on his 12-million-dollar-a-year contract. That’s slightly less than Hendriks, and if Escobar is included, they wouldn’t even be reducing payroll; they’d be increasing it.
Even if the Mets ate the entirety of McCann’s contract, the White Sox have Yasmani Grandal to catch for them. I understand that McCann was effective as a platoon player during the shortened 2020 season, but does he have any real value?
Escobar could be an intriguing piece in a Hendriks trade, but I’m not sure why they’d want McCann. Maybe we’d get somewhere if the Mets threw in a prospect with Escobar.
