How will White Sox approach Trade Deadline?

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- Are the White Sox buyers or sellers?

If they are buyers, are they supplementing their current roster sitting with a 48-48 record 96 games into the season or is there a temptation for general manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Ken Williams to somewhat reshape the team?

And of course, the most important question: Who are these White Sox? Are they a .500 team, who might come up just short of the playoffs? Are they a contender who can battle for the postseason until the very end? Or are they the clear-cut American League Central favorite as picked entering the 2022 season, who will impose their will over the final 66 contests?

Let’s briefly answer some of these questions.

Buyers or sellers?

Buyers all the way. This is a team with a chance to make noise if they get to the postseason. As of July 26, Houston and the Yankees are the decidedly more complete groups, and as a third seed, the White Sox likely would have to beat them both in the playoffs, barring an upset. But the White Sox are finally getting healthy, and when hitting on all cylinders, can stick with anyone, especially with their talented pitching staff.

Hahn talked about second base and right field as possible trade options, while quickly acknowledging Josh Harrison has played well of late at second and Gavin Sheets was better in right after coming back from the Minors. A left-handed bat seems necessary if a move is made in either of those areas.

A left-handed reliever is at the top of their list. Another starting pitcher is also in that mix. To be honest, there aren’t many open spots for a healthy White Sox roster.

Is a reshaping possible?

I wouldn’t think in-season. But in the offseason, especially if this team falls short in the AL Central or falls short for the three Wild Card spots, anything is possible. Remember, though, Hahn didn’t put together this roster with top young talent and, in many cases, cost control for a number of years, to start moving them.

Who are the White Sox?

In a stretch of 19 straight games against the AL Central, completed with Sunday’s victory, the White Sox posted a 10-9 record. They started at 38-39 and 4 1/2 games behind the Twins on July 3 and finished at 46-46 and four games behind the Twins on July 24. And that stretch pretty much sums up the White Sox. They are just good enough to not be great, at least through 96 games.

Mark Potash, an outstanding veteran writer for the Sun-Times, has tweeted out the Braves record from 2021 over the past week when I post the White Sox current numbers, and they are in a remarkably similar position. The Braves were 47-49, in third place and five games out of first, before closing on a 41-24 run to win the National League East by 6 1/2 games and then going on to win the World Series. The next 19 games for the White Sox feature two in Colorado, three at home vs. Oakland, three at home vs. Kansas City, four in Texas, four in Kansas City and three at home vs. Detroit before Houston visits.

All 19 are against teams with records below .500. So maybe more will be known about this team as of Aug. 19, although that line has been uttered as much as, "Is this the win that will turn things around?" during this perplexing season. The White Sox have nine games vs. the Twins in September, including six of the last nine on the schedule. So, this division seems to be moving toward a remarkable final week.