White Sox Rumors: Keynan Middleton Subject of Trade Interest Ahead of MLB Deadline

The exodus from the Chicago White Sox bullpen could continue.

Teams are interested in trading for Keynan Middleton, who "could be dealt" before the trade deadline, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Middleton struggled for the past few seasons and was originally a non-roster invite to White Sox camp, but upped his trade value since his April promotion with his best campaign since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. Through his first 30 innings pitched, Middleton put up a 2.70 ERA and a 31.7 percent strikeout rate, the best of his career.

Currently on a $750,000 deal, Middleton is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He could be a good addition for a contending club looking to add some bullpen depth.

The 42-63 White Sox are 16.5 games back from an AL wild card spot and have responded with a complete overhaul of the team's pitching corps. So far the club has dealt Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez were sent to the Los Angeles Angels.

This tracks with a July 10 report from Heyman, who said then that Dylan Cease, the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up, was the only White Sox pitcher the team would not consider trading. USA Today's Bob Nightengale confirmed Wednesday that the White Sox have turned down trade offers for Cease, who they see as a key part of their chances to contend next year.

It looks like the White Sox are looking to surround Cease with a different pitching corps to do so.

By trading Lynn, Kelly, Giolito and Lopez, the club has acquired pitching prospects Nick Nastrini, Ky Bush and Jordan Leasure. Nastrini is now No. 4 in the White Sox's prospects pipeline, while Bush is ranked sixth, per MLB.com.

If the White Sox are considering dealing Middleton, they will likely be looking for another highly-ranked prospect in return. Now in their second disappointing season following playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021, the White Sox need to rebuild quickly if they want to build a contender around Cease, Andrew Vaughn, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr.