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On Saturday night, the Chicago White Sox made their long-anticipated trade for starting pitching. Chicago acquired right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for reliever Seranthony Domínguez, minor league outfielder Nolan Jones, and catching prospect Boston Smith.
The deal comes with some risk, but it is also an example of Chris Getz and Chicago's front office trying to be opportunistic. Castillo has a ton of potential and is a three-time All-Star who is having a bad season with the Mariners. Add in his contract situation and Seattle's surplus of starting pitching, and it presented an opportunity for a team like the White Sox to acquire a controllable arm without overhauling its farm system.
Smith, on the other hand, has never had more value than he does right now. He has launched 22 home runs and posted a 1.037 OPS to begin his professional career.
An underrated part of this trade is that the White Sox moved on from Domínguez, a pitcher who had been a major disappointment in 2026 and whose contract was beginning to look like a black eye on the 2027 payroll. Domínguez signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the White Sox but was paid only $7.5 million this season. He will be owed $10.5 million in 2027, with a $2 million buyout if his 2028 mutual option is not exercised.
That makes the money the White Sox are paying Castillo more bearable. It represents an increase of roughly $14 million to the 2027 payroll, but that money comes with the potential of landing an All-Star starting pitcher with plenty of career experience and a history of postseason success.
Now that Domínguez is out of the bullpen, the White Sox also have an opportunity to add one of their top prospects to the active roster.
The current expectation is that the White Sox will add pitching prospects such as Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal to the MLB roster out of the bullpen before the end of the 2026 season. Both Smith and McDougal were among the club's top starting pitching prospects earlier in the year. However, both have temporarily transitioned to relief roles, either because of performance or injury.
The White Sox will want them to remain starting pitchers long term, but if moving them to the bullpen allows two top prospects to gain MLB experience while helping the big league club, that is a worthwhile venture for Chicago.
McDougal, in particular, seems like a strong option to be brought up soon. In 34.2 innings this year with Triple-A Charlotte, he has posted a 2.86 ERA with 40 strikeouts. He is a 23-year-old right-hander with an explosive fastball and would be a fairly natural replacement for Domínguez in terms of his bullpen role and handedness.
McDougal is currently the No. 4 prospect in the White Sox organization, according to MLB Pipeline. While the team has officially announced the trade, the corresponding roster move to add Castillo has not yet been made, so it remains unclear what the White Sox intend to do with the bullpen.
One possibility is that an existing starting pitcher, such as Erick Fedde, could move to a relief role after being displaced by Castillo. But do not be surprised if a top prospect like McDougal is added to the team over the next few days.
Continue reading...
The deal comes with some risk, but it is also an example of Chris Getz and Chicago's front office trying to be opportunistic. Castillo has a ton of potential and is a three-time All-Star who is having a bad season with the Mariners. Add in his contract situation and Seattle's surplus of starting pitching, and it presented an opportunity for a team like the White Sox to acquire a controllable arm without overhauling its farm system.
Smith, on the other hand, has never had more value than he does right now. He has launched 22 home runs and posted a 1.037 OPS to begin his professional career.
An underrated part of this trade is that the White Sox moved on from Domínguez, a pitcher who had been a major disappointment in 2026 and whose contract was beginning to look like a black eye on the 2027 payroll. Domínguez signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the White Sox but was paid only $7.5 million this season. He will be owed $10.5 million in 2027, with a $2 million buyout if his 2028 mutual option is not exercised.
That makes the money the White Sox are paying Castillo more bearable. It represents an increase of roughly $14 million to the 2027 payroll, but that money comes with the potential of landing an All-Star starting pitcher with plenty of career experience and a history of postseason success.
Now that Domínguez is out of the bullpen, the White Sox also have an opportunity to add one of their top prospects to the active roster.
The current expectation is that the White Sox will add pitching prospects such as Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal to the MLB roster out of the bullpen before the end of the 2026 season. Both Smith and McDougal were among the club's top starting pitching prospects earlier in the year. However, both have temporarily transitioned to relief roles, either because of performance or injury.
The White Sox will want them to remain starting pitchers long term, but if moving them to the bullpen allows two top prospects to gain MLB experience while helping the big league club, that is a worthwhile venture for Chicago.
McDougal, in particular, seems like a strong option to be brought up soon. In 34.2 innings this year with Triple-A Charlotte, he has posted a 2.86 ERA with 40 strikeouts. He is a 23-year-old right-hander with an explosive fastball and would be a fairly natural replacement for Domínguez in terms of his bullpen role and handedness.
McDougal is currently the No. 4 prospect in the White Sox organization, according to MLB Pipeline. While the team has officially announced the trade, the corresponding roster move to add Castillo has not yet been made, so it remains unclear what the White Sox intend to do with the bullpen.
One possibility is that an existing starting pitcher, such as Erick Fedde, could move to a relief role after being displaced by Castillo. But do not be surprised if a top prospect like McDougal is added to the team over the next few days.
Continue reading...
