Revisiting White Sox Deadline Deals and Prospects Traded Away

With a first-place team and an opportunity to capitalize on a weak American League, the Chicago White Sox decided to operate as buyers at the 2026 MLB trade deadline. Looking to fill multiple needs, the White Sox brought in four players via trade prior to the deadline, with hopes that it would give them the extra boost needed to win the AL Central and make some noise in the postseason.

Up to this point, the contributions from those trade deadline acquisitions have been underwhelming. Outside of right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo, who has flashed at times and looks to be a pretty clear upgrade for the White Sox starting rotation, there hasn't been much value added to the White Sox by the deadline acquisitions.

That may need to change if the White Sox hope to hold their lead in the AL Central and outpace the AL West champion to get a first-round bye straight to the ALDS.

But then again, not every trade ends up working out. Every GM is bound to take some losses, and Chris Getz has never had a fear of making a move that ages poorly. It's his willingness to take a swing that has helped put the White Sox, with a 67-61 record, in first place in the AL Central to begin with. But just as important as the players coming in are the players going out.

Nearly three weeks removed from the MLB trade deadline, it's time we take a look at the deals the White Sox made and how the prospects dealt have fared in their new homes.

While Luis Castillo has been the best addition for the White Sox thus far, it's also the deal that hurts the most from a prospect standpoint.

Catcher Boston Smith made waves during his professional debut season with the White Sox organization in 2026, launching 22 combined home runs between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham in 71 games.

He's been even better since being moved to the Seattle Mariners. In 15 games at the Double-A level with the Mariners organization, Smith is batting .314 with seven home runs, a .804 slugging percentage, and a 1.230 OPS. The 23-year-old catcher has 29 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases on the season with a 1.070 OPS across all four minor league teams he's played for.

It seems like every night now he's doing something to turn heads in the minor leagues. He has the highest OPS in minor league baseball and figures to keep rising in national prospect rankings.

Veteran outfielder Nolan Jones has really struggled since switching organizations, posting a .546 OPS in Triple-A Tacoma with no clear path to MLB time this season. Seranthony Dominguez continues to be addition by subtraction for the White Sox, though. He has a 9.95 ERA in nine appearances with the Mariners and a 2.37 WHIP.

Getting that contract off the books and attributing that money to paying down Castillo's salary is the major win for the White Sox here, especially if they can continue to get the best version of Luis Castillo moving forward.

The White Sox sent right-handed pitching prospect Mason Adams, one of the top ten prospects in their farm system, to the Colorado Rockies, along with 16-year-old infielder Carlos Vielma to acquire outfielder Brenton Doyle.

Adams seemed to be on the verge of making his MLB debut after returning from Tommy John surgery and pitching in Triple-A Charlotte with a 4.25 ERA over 36 innings on the season. Since being moved, he's made three starts in Triple-A Albuquerque with the Rockies organization and has posted a 2.08 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP.

It's been an overall strong showing for Adams, who's making a case for an opportunity in the big leagues at 26 years old and likely has some sort of future with the Rockies at the MLB level.

Vielma turned 17 on August 12 and has played in nine games in the Dominican Summer League since being traded, batting .452 with a 1.101 OPS in the Rockies organization. Combining that with his White Sox statistics, Vielma has a .359 batting average and a .996 OPS over 44 games this year.

It's still far too early to tell if Vielma will develop into a legitimate prospect. He needs to get stateside in affiliated ball before we can make any sweeping conclusions about his value or project his future. That likely won't come until 2028. But the Rockies have to be pleased with the early production they've seen from a teenager with an on-base percentage above .500.

The White Sox moved just one player to the Atlanta Braves to get catcher Joey Bart, and it was right-handed pitcher Duncan Davitt, who had already been designated for assignment by Chicago. Davitt made his MLB debut with the White Sox this season, back on April 10, then pitched in a game in Tampa Bay on August 2, just one day before he was moved in a trade.

It's been a rough year for Davitt. He struggled with a 6.22 ERA in Triple-A Charlotte despite getting two chances in the big leagues with Chicago. It's been equally as rough for him since the trade, posting an 8.44 ERA in four appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett.

Davitt remains on the Braves' 40-man roster while pitching in the minor leagues, but it's hard to imagine how much longer that will last, especially if Atlanta needs a 40-man spot to make a roster transaction that improves their first-place ballclub.

In a deal with the New York Mets to get relief pitcher Huascar Brazoban, the White Sox sent two pitchers to New York: right-handers Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin.

Franklin is a 27-year-old with a strong fastball who has enjoyed a lot of success in pro ball over the last few years with the White Sox organization. He emerged as a closer in Double-A Birmingham in 2025 and was on my radar as a potential bullpen option for the White Sox in 2026.

He had a 4.37 ERA over 45.1 innings with Triple-A Charlotte this season and has a 3.38 ERA in eight innings with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets after the trade. I do think we'll end up seeing Franklin in the big leagues with New York at some point, maybe even before the 2026 season is over.

Gabe Davis has a high ceiling as a potential starting pitcher, with a floor as an MLB relief arm for the 6-foot-9 right-hander. After a great start to his debut season in 2026 with High-A Winston-Salem, Davis really struggled with an 0-5 record and an 8.31 ERA in Double-A Birmingham.

He's made two starts in the Mets organization in Double-A Binghamton since the trade, posting a 4.26 ERA.

The Mets will likely continue trying to develop him as a starting pitcher, but could fast-track him to the big leagues at some point over the next few years if they make the transition to a bullpen role. Still, with a big arm like Davis and some explosive stuff, taking a swing on upside is always worth it.

As things currently stand, many of these deals don't seem to be going that well for the White Sox. But the jury's still out on what these players can contribute in 2026 and beyond.

Let's not forget that Chris Getz made trades for four players with club control beyond the 2026 season. They're looking at some of these players not just to help this year's club, but potentially have a role in the future as well.