The hot stove is burning to the touch, and the Chicago White Sox are, as usual, stoking the flames. In today’s Rule 5 draft, they used the fourth overall pick on Carlos Tocci, a frail-looking outfielder in the Philadelphia Phillies’ system who’s hit .266/.317/.377 in his minor-league career. Somewhat surprisingly, rather than installing him as their everyday center fielder, they promptly traded him to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations:
In other news, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Pale Hose are aggressively seeking to trade for superstar Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado. Rosenthal speculates that the seemingly Hall of Fame-bound Machado would somehow end up on the New York Yankees.
Disclosure: The author of this piece has been provided Gordon Beckham’s used footwear by the Chicago White Sox, and has been sent a Hawk Harrelson alarm clock by a White Sox enthusiast. His opinions are his own.