White Sox trade rumors: Chicago considering dealing David Robertson, Todd Frazier

With their team falling out of contention, the White Sox are mulling over the sale of some assets according to a report from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have managed just one win over their six games. After opening the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball, the White Sox have taken a significant nose dive and now find themselves 10 games back of the division-leading Indians and below .500.

In April, the White Sox seemed like locks to be buyers at the deadline. However, with realism hitting them swiftly, Rick Hahn and the rest of the White Sox front office may be better suited to sell off some assets.

According to Heyman, the most realistic and intriguing options for the White Sox to sell would be David Robertson and Todd Frazier.

With relievers being typical fare for deadline movers, Robertson fits the profile and could rank as one of the best names on the market, despite not having a great year. Over 38 innings this season, Robertson has allowed 17 earned runs on 34 hits and 21 walks while striking out 45. Since the All-Star break, Robertson has been particularly ineffective. While it’s a small sample size, in his 1.2 innings of work he’s allowed four earned runs. As a result, July has been by far his worst month of the season.

That being said, Robertson would still likely represent an upgrade to many bullpens around the league. Especially depending on what the Yankees decide to do with Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman who would be top names on the relief market if they are indeed available.

Just seven months after acquiring him, it also appears the White Sox could make Frazier available. At third base, Frazier represents a premium position with keen plate discipline and substantial pop to his bat. Unfortunately, the 30-year old’s defense seems to have begun its decline so perhaps his positional worth is less of an asset.

Contending teams that could use help at third include the Astros and Red Sox. However, while Travis Shaw’s splits have been revealed as a weakness, the Astros’ signing of Yulieski Gurriel and prospect depth of Alex Bregman could easily remove them from that list. While Jose Ramirez has been a pleasant surprise, the Indians might also find some value to upgrading their third base position, though the odds of division rivals getting together on a deal could be slight.

Heyman also suggests that the White Sox are drawing a lot of interest from the outfielder Adam Eaton. Their best player this season, Eaton can manage center field duties admirably while also handling himself at the plate. While he’s having a bit of a down year with the bat, Eaton still boasts a .353 OBP and has stolen 11 bases so far.

All of this comes with a strong caveat from Heyman however:

“The White Sox are very reluctant to sell, and one rival said he believes they should still go for it, considering there may be no powerhouse in their division (though the Indians are playing like one). White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has always been a reluctant seller, too.”

Whether the White Sox decide to buy or sell remains to be seen, but one should probably expect the answer to surface soon with the deadline just 11 days away. They have great assets to sell, but another disappointing showing on Hahn’s resume could be very damaging.