The White Sox acquired two unranked prospects from Philadelphia in exchange for Derek Hill, but the value of the trade may have more to do with process than the return itself.
There has been a lot of talk and speculation in recent weeks about the Chicago White Sox and what they might do at the 2026 trade deadline.
A season that was supposed to be about development and continuing the rebuild has unexpectedly turned into an opportunity, with a weak AL Central and a White Sox team playing above expectations. Chicago is currently 36-31 and has sole possession of first place in the American League Central.
We're just seven weeks away from the MLB trade deadline, and we've officially reached the point where activity should be expected from the White Sox. They could be buyers. Chris Getz and company swung a midseason trade on Thursday afternoon, but it wasn't the one White Sox fans were expecting.
Chicago traded outfielder Derek Hill and $250,000 in international pool money to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for infield prospect José Colmenares and outfield prospect Dylan Campbell.
Naturally, White Sox fans wanted to know more about the return. That's only natural when a contending team trades away a player from its MLB roster. So let's start there. What exactly did the White Sox get back?
In the simplest terms, they got two lottery tickets.
Neither of the prospects the White Sox received was ranked in the Phillies' Top 30 by MLB Pipeline prior to the deal. Campbell is 23 years old and currently has a .693 OPS in Double-A. His best professional season produced a .703 OPS back in 2024. Colmenares is having a pretty respectable year with an .816 OPS, but he's currently on the injured list and is a 24-year-old still playing in High-A.
There's a reason neither player was ranked inside Philadelphia's Top 30, but there's also a reason the White Sox had some interest. Of the two, outfielder Dylan Campbell is the more intriguing prospect to me. He was the 136th overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 MLB Draft after a monster junior season at Texas, where he posted a 1.039 OPS.
Campbell has struggled to get on base consistently as a pro, but there's a lot of power in the bat that intrigues me. It's a fun combination of power and speed. In 2024, Campbell had 21 doubles, 10 home runs, and 42 stolen bases. In 2025, he set a career high with 14 home runs while adding 33 stolen bases. So far in 2026, he has seven home runs and nine stolen bases with a career-best .412 slugging percentage.
We just saw Campbell thrive in the Arizona Fall League last year, where he played 19 games for the Surprise Saguaros and batted .304 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, and a 1.044 OPS. He was also named the best defensive outfielder in Philadelphia's farm system by Baseball America.
There's talent in there. Now it's about trying to tap into it consistently, and that's a bet worth making for the White Sox.
Trading Derek Hill Was Smart
And that right there is my main takeaway from the trade. It's not even about what the White Sox got back. It doesn't matter if either of these guys ends up working out. I really like this process from Chris Getz and think it was a smart move on Chicago's part.
Outfielder Everson Pereira returned from his rehab assignment on Thursday and now rejoins the White Sox outfield. With Pereira back healthy, Braden Montgomery called up, and players like Randal Grichuk and Tristan Peters thriving at the MLB level, the outfield has been getting crowded for the White Sox. There was simply bound to be an odd man out.
The writing has been on the wall for Derek Hill in that regard for a few weeks now. Because he didn't have any minor league options remaining, the White Sox were likely about to designate Hill for assignment anyway.
So while he was a nice bench contributor for Chicago this season, he was on his way out. Instead of cutting him loose for free, the White Sox did right by Hill by sending him to another contender in Philadelphia, and they got a couple of lottery tickets in return. It's just more opportunity for Ryan Fuller to work his magic and for the player development staff to try to find a diamond in the rough.
As we've already seen this season with the emergence of someone like Peters, no move is too small. Every pickup and every acquisition could end up paying dividends if you know what you're doing.
So as much as I hate to see Derek Hill go, and as much as I appreciate what he did for the White Sox this season, I think Chicago was wise to deal him when they did.
