Cubs or White Sox? Which Chicago Trade Package Speeds Up the Angels’ Rebuild Best

Reid Detmers is one of the most sought after pitchers on the trade market. His combination of effectiveness, team friendly salary, and two remaining years of club control are all highly desirable on the trade market. With far more teams likely to be buyers than sellers, the Angels are in prime position to capitalize on Detmers and return several high caliber prospects.

Both Chicago teams have shown interest in the Angels southpaw, who is slated to start tonight's game. Detmers was pulled from his last start after a mere 85 pitches, indicating his is truly on the trading block.

Both Chicago teams have prospects what would greatly improve the Angels farm system. But which package would be best?

Why Both Chicago Teams are Chasing an Angels Reid Detmers Trade

Both Chicago squads are firmly in the playoff mix and both need to add to their rotations to give themselves legitimate chances at a deep playoff run. They arrived at this point in different ways, however.

The White Sox are a very young club who is ahead of schedule. They were not expected to be leading their division this late in the season. Sean Burke and Davis Martin have been outstanding for the South Siders but both are young and inexperienced. Veterans Anthony Kay and Erik Fedde have given them solid production out of the 3 and 4 spots but that 5th spot has been an Achilles heel for the club.

Meanwhile the Cubs are without ace Justin Steele for the foreseeable future and have patched together an underwhelming rotation. Edwin Cabrera is also injured and veterans Colin Rea and Jamison Taillon have both produced negative WAR. The club is winning despite its rotation.

The Cubs Trade Package: Targeting Elite Position Player Depth

Given their lack of pitching and need to bolster their rotation in the near future, the Cubs will look to deal from their postion player group which is the bulk of their farm. Trading Detmers to Chicago likely lands them two quality everyday players plus a lower ranked prospect.

Jefferson Rojas is a well rounded shorstop.

Rojas is one of the few prospects who ranks 50 across the board, the 21 year old has a very high floor. There are no apparent weaknesses to his game nor is there a defining trait. Currently in AA ball he is hitting .272/.338/.467 through 85 games.

Rojas strikes out less than the average prospect while carrying a walk rate of about 11% over the last two seasons. His speed and fielding were ahead of his bat heading into the season but he has adapted to a higher level of competition quite well in 2026.

Josiah Hartshorn also projects as an MLB regular.

Another prospect with a 50 grade from FanGraphs, Hartshorn is a 19 year old switch hitting outfielder out of Orange Lutheran. The Cubs sixth round pick last season signed for a well above slot value of $2 million.

Projected to already have big league power and speed, Hartshorn still has plenty of physical and on field development to go. He is projected to be like Rojas and have a full suite of MLB caliber tools when he is a finished product. He is in A ball so he projects to arrive in 2029, a year after Rojas.

Ty Southisiene is a contact oriented burner.

When looking at prospects from further down an organization's list I like to find a tool or two that can potentially carry that prospect to the Major Leagues in some capacity. Southisiene has 60 grade speed to go along with a 50 grade bat.

There is not much pop from the 21 year old shortstop, but he has 30 stolen bases in 62 games this season and has walked 12.7% of the time and struck out only 11.4% of the time. His batting average of .302 and on base percentage of .422 pair nicely with his speed. Just don't look at the slugging percentage.

The White Sox Package: Maximizing the Prospect Return

I actually proposed a Detmers to the White Sox scenario a few weeks ago. Since then, Angels GM John Mozeliak has hinted he prefers to target a fairly quick rebuild which makes me think he will target players already at or near the AA level. So let's swap out a high school player for one already in AA and at a position of need in the Angels organization.

Caleb Bonemer is a third base power bat.

Third base has been a void for the Angels for years. Denzer Guzman is currently playing at a solid level but is also likely the best shortstop on the roster, With Zach Neto potentially a trade chip himself, adding a masher like Bonemer to the hot corner and sliding over Guzman to shortstop might be the way of the future.

Bonemer is known for his plus power. In two seasons of A ball he got on base at a .385 clip and slugged .564. Now facing the stiffer competition of AA, he is making more contact, still sporting an OBP of .374 and slugging a robust .476. Strikeouts come with a power game but Caleb helps offset some of that with a 13.4% walk rate.

Hagen Smith is a high upside pitcher.

Smith was part of a hypothetical return in the earlier piece and nothing has changed. The lefty out of Arkansas is already at the AAA level and striking out 13.42 batters per 9 innings. He can be described as "effectively wild" as he walks an untenable 6.38 batters per 9.

Smith's plus fastball and elite slider could make him a closer some day but with a little work on his change up and command he could be a top of the line starter. Angels pitching coach Mike Maddux is renowned for his work developing change ups and could be just the thing Smith needs.

With a little development Smith can in time be the high strikeout lefty the Angels lose in Detmers.

Which package is best for the Angels?

The Cubs package comes with a much higher floor but far less upside. Both Rojas and Hartshorn project to be the type of solid MLB players a team needs in the lineup but not the type of players who will carry a team. That is fine as the Angels currently need plenty of both types.

There is more boom or bust potentail in the White Sox package. Bonemer will either mash his way to the majors or whiff his way off prospect lists. There is little in between. Given his increased contact rate this season he is showing improvement, but he lack defensive versatility and will need to contribute with his bat. But what a power bat it is and the Angels organization is lacking power.

The system does have a plethora of pitchers with electric stuff who may profile as relievers or starters in George Klassen, Chase Shores, Chris Cortez, and Joel Hurtado. Add Hagen Smith to that mix and it is too deep to not produce at least one or two electric arms at the MLB level.

Which package is better is clearly in the eye of the beholder. Do you want to security of an S&P 500 ETF or the potentially next big AI stock that make you rich or potentially leave you with little to show? In this case, the Angels can mitigate that risk by investing more heavily in their player development program, but the risk exists.

Which of these do you prefer?

Add us as a preferred source on Google