White Sox urged to dump former first-round pick before MLB trade deadline

The Chicago White Sox are achieving things that no one thought they were capable of during the first half of the 2026 MLB campaign, as they are sitting at 38-32 and in first place in the AL Central.

They just took series from the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and since bottoming out at 11-17 earlier in the season, they have gone 27-15.

This makes the White Sox one of the most intriguing teams to watch heading into the MLB trade deadline. The entire world had them pegged as midsummer sellers going into the campaign, but now, Chicago might just do something crazy and buy.

The White Sox certainly have some holes that need to be patched, such as a thin starting rotation and a lineup that gets shaky once you get past the big boppers. They also have some assets they could move in blockbuster deals, and Noah Phalen of Southside Showdown already thinks they could be shopping shortstop prospect Billy Carlson.

Chicago White Sox urged to trade Billy Carlson

Chicago selected Carlson with the 10th overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft, but with the White Sox being absolutely loaded at Carlson’s position, they can afford to send him packing.

“In Carlson, the White Sox have a young, developmental hitter with an elite defensive profile at shortstop. It’s difficult to envision him needing to move away from shortstop defensively, but he’s just 19 years-old and needs to take steps forward at the plate. On top of this, the White Sox have the top pick in the 2026 MLB draft and are likely deciding between shortstops Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson,” Phalen wrote.

Carlson is slashing .257/.386/.340 with no home runs and 11 RBI over 177 plate appearances at Single-A Kannapolis this season. The complete absence of power is definitely concerning, even for a shortstop. So perhaps Chicago should look to move him in a major trade.

“With Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Sam Antonacci, Caleb Bonemer, Jacob Gonzalez, and Kyle Lodise all at or near the big league level and capable of playing shortstop, it’s an area the organization can afford to deal from to bring in another position of need,” Phalen added.

Trading from a position of strength is always the way to go, so the White Sox shouldn’t be shy about including Carlson in trade offers. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should just give him away, but when it comes to acquiring a star player, the Mission Viejo, Ca. native should be on the table.

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