After three consecutive 100-loss seasons, White Sox fans have grown accustomed to watching nearly every player with an ounce of value become bait at the trade deadline. But this season feels different, as Chicago’s rebuilding roster has begun showing legitimate signs of life.
At the center of it all has been the starting rotation, anchored by Davis Martin. The longest-tenured player on the White Sox roster is putting together the best stretch of his career, posting a 1.64 ERA across 44 innings, tied for the third-lowest mark in the MLB. He’s also limiting free passes at an elite rate, with a 4.7% walk rate that ranks among the best in the league, while holding opponents to a career-best .233 batting average.
With numbers like that, Martin’s name has suddenly surfaced in trade speculation. It makes sense given that Martin’s value has never been higher.
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf only has to look across town at his other franchise, the Chicago Bulls, to see the risk of holding onto players too long after the team received minimal returns for players like Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vučević this season.
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At this point in the MLB season, the trade market appears to be shaping up with far more buyers than sellers, especially with the American League playoff race still looking wide open. That could play into the White Sox hands if a team is looking to overpay for a starter who’s putting together an All-Star caliber season.
However, that conversation has not sat well with CHSN’s Chuck Garfein, who took aim at local sports talk radio during Wednesday’s pregame show for even floating the idea.
“This is where I get salty, salty at sports talk radio, salty at social media because go a little deeper with Davis Martin. First off, he is the leader of this staff, he’s 29, he’s only pitched 300 innings in the major leagues, he’s got a fresh arm for someone who is 29, and on top of all of it, he’s not a free agent until he’s 34 years old,” Garfien said. “They got him under control until 2031, and you want to trade him away? If you trade Davis Martin, you’re basically looking and hoping to find someone like Davis Martin!”
Garfien certainly raises some valid points. Martin already underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and has come back looking stronger than ever. He also has five more years of team control, and looks like he can be a steady presence on a contending team.
There are still some red flags, such as opponents’ .274 expected batting average against Martin. But unless the White Sox can receive a trade package with at least one top-100 prospect, it would be unwise to trade Martin at the deadline.
The White Sox also face limitations in the type of prospects they can realistically target, given how heavily their farm system is already stocked with infield talent. Currently, 45 of MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 prospects are either infielders or catchers, two positions of strength within the White Sox organization.
On top of all of that, he has emerged as the clear leader of the pitching staff and earned the trust of manager Will Venable. Martin is the only White Sox starter who has not received the opener treatment and has rewarded Venable by consistently pitching deep into games, helping stabilize an overworked bullpen.
The White Sox are 6-1 in the seven games Martin has started this season. In those starts, Martin has thrown six-plus innings in five of them. The vibes in the White Sox clubhouse are the highest they have been in the last five seasons. The team is playing with confidence, and Martin is a major reason why. By suddenly flipping a cost-controlled starter at the trade deadline, what type of message does that send to the rest of the team?
Even if Martin regresses, his overall body of work suggests that he can still be a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm for a contending team. While there is certainly a case for trading Martin, the value he provides outweighs the potential benefits of trading him.
