The Chicago White Sox And Cleveland Indians Strike A Deal

The Chicago White Sox have acquired second baseman Cesar Hernandez from Cleveland in exchange for prospect Konnor Pilkington. This is a bit of a noteworthy trade, as these two teams are division rivals. Cleveland is in second place in the AL Central, but also 8.5 games behind the White Sox.

The #WhiteSox have acquired infielder César Hernández from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for left-handed pitcher Konnor Pilkington. pic.twitter.com/ymoQFWzM03
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 29, 2021

There was no secret that the White Sox were in need of a second baseman. Nick Madrigal is down for the season and his replacements were just not getting it done. Hernandez should be enough to help fix this issue, though. In 96 games this season, he has 18 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .231 batting average. His power numbers are at a career-high, but his average is lower than previous seasons. He may be due for a turnaround when it comes to his contact because of this. He also is coming off of a Gold Glove Award season, so he will help defensively, too.

As for Pilkington, he is a left-handed pitcher who has spent this season in Double-A with the Birmingham Barons. In 14 games, the 23-year-old has a 4-4 record on the season to go along with a 3.48 ERA. It is never a bad thing to get a pitching prospect for a player with an expiring deal. We will see if he ends up joining Cleveland in the future.

Nonetheless, the White Sox have filled a big hole and are hoping Hernandez helps them have a deep postseason run.