White Sox Should Consider Trade Reunion With Former All-Star

The Chicago White Sox need to add to their starting rotation, and they likely need to add more than just one arm. There should be ample opportunity to do so in both free agency and the trade market over the next few weeks.

While I expect the White Sox to be involved in the sweepstakes for all of the top free agent starting pitchers, GM Chris Getz may also have to get creative to make multiple additions and build the well-rounded starting rotation he covets.

What if that involves bringing back a former White Sox All-Star and fan favorite?

For the first time in a long time, the New York Yankees have what feels like a plethora of starting pitching at their disposal.

The rotation is anchored by Cam Schlittler, who went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA in 2026 and is about to win the AL Cy Young Award.

Schlittler is followed by Max Fried, one of the best and most consistent starting pitchers in baseball when healthy. Fried is 78-35 with a 2.82 ERA since the start of the 2020 season, and he led all of baseball in wins with the Yankees in 2025.

There's Will Warren, a solid 27-year-old under team control, Gerrit Cole, who bounced back healthy and has two more years on his deal, and Ryan Weathers, a 26-year-old left-hander who posted a 3.60 ERA in 25 starts last season.

Beyond that five, there's additional depth with right-handed pitcher Clark Schmidt, who missed almost the entire 2026 season due to injury but could be a factor in 2027. There's also 23-year-old right-hander Elmer Rodriguez, the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees' farm system, who debuted and made six starts for New York in 2026 after posting a 2.45 ERA over 21 starts in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

And I haven't even brought up Carlos Rodón yet…

Rodón was the third overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft by the White Sox, and he made his MLB debut with the team as early as 2015.

In seven years in a White Sox uniform, Rodón made 121 starts and went 42-38 with a 3.79 ERA. He dealt with injuries that slowed down his development, but it was in the final year of his White Sox tenure, 2021, that Rodón finally put it all together and started to look like the MLB star Chicago drafted him to be.

Rodón finished the 2021 season 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA, which remains the best mark of his career to date. It also helped the White Sox win the AL Central for the first time in 13 years.

The White Sox then let Rodón walk in free agency and opted not to give him a qualifying offer, which ultimately helped his market. He landed a two-year, $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants and pitched just one season in the Bay Area, once again making an All-Star team before cashing in on a six-year, $162 million deal with the New York Yankees.

After a rough first season in the Bronx, Rodón has settled in very nicely over the last three years, going 41-21 with a 3.35 ERA over 81 starts. He made the 2025 AL All-Star team and won 18 games, a new career high. While battling injuries in 2026, Rodón finished the season 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA over 16 starts.

But as we just went over, there's now an argument to be made that he's expendable for this Yankees pitching staff. New York could be looking to redistribute some of its pitching assets to add offense, and that could make the White Sox an intriguing trade partner if Chicago puts an emphasis on bolstering its pitching staff.

Rodón has two years remaining on his contract at $27 million per season. That could be a decent fit for the White Sox. I don't necessarily think Chicago is allergic to adding money, especially when there's a competitive roster to build upon. It's the long-term commitment to an aging pitcher that could give ownership some pause.

Taking on a contract that could be off the books after 2028 and fills an immediate need would be the least of the White Sox concerns. For a pitcher with a 2.95 ERA over his last 347.2 innings pitched, it would be well worth it.

Of the 76 pitchers in baseball who have completed at least 300 innings since July 22, 2024, only eight have done so with a lower ERA than Carlos Rodón has in New York.

It would be a happy homecoming for White Sox fans, bringing back a fan favorite and an All-Star who got his start on the South Side. And if Rodón were an addition complemented by a free agent signing to the starting rotation, the White Sox could turn starting pitching from a glaring weakness into a strength in the span of one offseason.