(670 The Score) The White Sox continue to remain in serious trade discussions to acquire infielder Eduardo Escobar from the Diamondbacks, Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Audacy Sports said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday morning.
The holdup remains that the Diamondbacks have been “asking for a lot” and sense the White Sox are “desperate” to make a deal as their offense struggles, Heyman said. The White Sox are looking to fill their void at second base after Nick Madrigal recently underwent season-ending hamstring surgery.
“They obviously have been talking,” Heyman said. “They are asking for a lot. My understanding is the names (Jake) Burger and (Zack) Collins have come up. I think they’re probably off the table. They’ve probably moved on to others. But I think they sense that the White Sox are a little bit desperate. In the last nine games, they’ve scored 27 runs. That’s not great. Obviously, their (division) lead has slipped a bit. They’ve been decimated by injuries, particularly in the outfield but certainly with Madrigal out for the year, they could use an infielder. I think Arizona probably smells blood in the water.
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“They’ve clearly been talking. Names have been exchanged. There’s obviously a lot of focus on this. It’s a very real possibility, but I’m just a little careful. You never know what could happen. There are plenty of teams that could use a hitter like Escobar. (The White Sox) are not the only ones. We shall see.
“There’s probably a decent chance of it happening.”
Escobar, 32, is having a strong season, hitting .253 with 17 homers, 52 RBIs and a .779 OPS in 75 games. He’s in the final season of his contract, so he’d be a rental player for the White Sox.
If the Escobar trade doesn’t work out for the White Sox, Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier remains on their radar as well, Heyman said.
The White Sox (45-32) hold a 2.5-game lead in the AL Central over the second-place Indians entering play Monday.