The White Sox and Red Sox Are Perfect Trade Partners Yet Again

The White Sox and Red Sox have become familiar trade partners in recent years. They made the blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade last winter and connected on a separate, smaller trade that same offseason when the White Sox received reliever Cam Booser in exchange for pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo. The teams made yet another trade with each other earlier this offseason when Chicago acquired reliever Chris Murphy, sending minor league catcher Ronny Hernandez to Boston.

At this point, it’s fair to say that Chris Getz and Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow are clearly comfortable trading with each other. More importantly, the groundwork for another potential deal is already in place. The White Sox are loaded with catching and infield talent but need outfielders, while the Red Sox have an excess of outfielders but questions at the catcher position. A potential swap of a catcher for an outfielder could make sense for both organizations.

White Sox Strengths and Weaknesses

From the White Sox perspective, their strengths as an organization are clear: catching and infield depth. Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero figure to be one of the better catching duos in the league for years to come, while the infield has suddenly become a major strength as well. Colson Montgomery leads the White Sox infield at the MLB level along with Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth, Lenyn Sosa, and Munetaka Murakami.

Even with an infield at the MLB level that is young and figures to improve with time, the best infield talent in the White Sox organization could still be in the minors. The organization features several top infield prospects in the farm system, including Sam Antonacci, Caleb Bonemer, and Billy Carlson, who are all top 100 caliber prospects. The White Sox also hold the first overall pick in the 2026 draft, with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky as the consensus top player in the class as of now. If the White Sox draft him or another infielder, they could have an embarrassment of riches in the infield.

For as strong as the White Sox infield pipeline is shaping up to be moving forward, the same cannot be said for the outfield. Other than Braden Montgomery, who was acquired in the aforementioned Crochet blockbuster, the South Siders are very thin on quality outfielders throughout the organization. They could potentially convert some of their infielders to the outfield or sign a quality free agent outfielder over the next few years, but as things stand now, fixing the outfield represents one of the biggest challenges of the ongoing rebuild.

Red Sox Strengths and Weaknesses

The Red Sox, on the other hand, have an abundance of outfield talent. Right fielder Roman Anthony has emerged as one of the MLB’s future superstars, while Gold Glove winner Ceddanne Rafaela figures to patrol center field at Fenway Park for years to come. Jarren Duran has quietly become one of the better left fielders in the game, and they also have Wilyer Abreu in their outfield mix who has become a well-above-average player in his own right.

Boston’s catching situation is much more suspect. Carlos Narváez had a respectable rookie season behind the plate for the Red Sox, but Boston has made it clear that they want to upgrade. They reportedly inquired about reacquiring Kyle Teel multiple times this offseason to no avail, and also had interest in veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto before he ended up staying with the Phillies.

Why It Makes Sense

Given their respective surpluses and weaknesses at different positions, it is logical that the teams could fill their needs by making another trade with each other. The White Sox have made it clear that Teel isn’t going anywhere, but Quero has drawn interest from multiple teams this offseason. Meanwhile, the Red Sox outfield has become crowded enough to the point where Duran or Abreu could potentially become expendable in the right deal.

A trade involving Quero and either Duran or Abreu as the centerpieces could make sense for both sides. For the White Sox, a trade like this would fill a major hole in the outfield and turn the position into a strength. Duran has three years of team control left, while Abreu has four, so either would become part of the White Sox core moving forward. It would also give the White Sox an affordable outfielder and enough financial wiggle room to sign a free agent starting pitcher as well. For the Red Sox, they would get their franchise catcher of the future in Quero, who is only 22 years old, has six years of control remaining, and has already shown his talent at the MLB level.

Given that Duran or Abreu are far more established than Quero, the White Sox would almost certainly have to include another player along with Quero to land either of them. They could potentially deal from their infield mix in the form of Lenyn Sosa if Boston wants another MLB-ready bat in their infield mix, or perhaps a prospect like Sam Antonacci who has prospect helium and could be called up as early as this season.

Mutually Beneficial Scenario

The White Sox and Red Sox, each with surpluses matching the other’s needs, can help each other by working out another trade. With their history of trading with each other in mind, a catcher-for-outfielder swap involving Edgar Quero and other players for one of Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu seems like a way for both teams to address their needs and improve their rosters ahead of Opening Day.