Should the White Sox Already Regret Trading Boston Smith to the Mariners?
In this story:
Before the trade deadline, the Chicago White Sox acquired starter Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor leaguer Nolan Jones, reliever Seranthony Dominguez, and prospect Boston Smith.
Trading Smith was thought to be an aggressive move for Castillo, who has struggled this season. This was especially confusing given the salary taken on for Castillo, who is due $22.75 million next season.
Indeed, Castillo's troubles have continued to start his White Sox career, while Smith is thriving in the Mariners' Double-A affiliate. Does it already feel like Chris Getz made a mistake?
Boston Smith's Hot Play Continues
The Washington Nationals selected Boston Smith in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Wright State University. Smith would not play in the minor leagues until 2026. He was then traded this year to the White Sox for infielder Curtis Mead.
With the White Sox, Smith thrived, hitting 22 home runs in the 79 games between Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. Smith showed great plate discipline, power, and athleticism before the trade that would send him to the Mariners. In just 23 Double-A games in Birmingham, Smith slashed .306/.485/.667 with eight home runs.
However, Smith has now taken it to another level with the Mariners organization. In six games with Seattle, Smith has slashed .381/.458/.1.095 with five home runs in his last five games. In his 21 at-bats overall, Smith also has 9 RBIs and a trio of walks.
Boston Smith's massive week continues, now with his five homers in five games, including two today!@Mariners | @ARTravs | @MsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/HwvLKcmaSe
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 9, 2026
Power isn't everything, but Smith has the kind of swing that is hard not to fall in love with. Especially when we consider that this is only his first year as a pro, it's been amazing to see just how confident he has been swinging the bat. His threat to go long has also led to plenty of trips to first base, helping boost his career minor league OPS to 1.076 thus far.
Smith still has a long way to go before he is an everyday major league guy. But a Year 1 like this sure makes it feel as if he's on his way. MLB Pipeline currently has Smith as the Mariners' No. 14 prospect.
Chicago was feeling pretty darn good about their future at catcher heading into this year with Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero in the mix. However, Teel has struggled heavily to stay healthy, while Quero has taken a considerable step back offensively. With that in mind, it's only made the decision to move on from an athletic and hard-hitting player like Smith sting that much more.
More On the Other Trade Pieces
Luis Castillo had a 5.06 ERA before he was traded to Chicago. With that being the case, it was surprising that a contending team like the White Sox would take a chance on Castillo. And it has not gone well so far.
In his first start with Chicago, Castillo went just four innings against the red-hot Boston Red Sox, giving up five runs on six hits and a walk. The White Sox would lose that game en route to a Boston sweep.
Jones, in four games with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, has a .200/.368/.333 slash line with one run driven in.
As for Dominguez, on August 4, his first game with the Mariners, he gave up four runs while recording just one out. Included in that were two home runs, four hits, and two walks. However, in his next 1.2 innings, Dominguez gave up just two hits and a walk.
This trade might not mean much in the grand scheme of things as the White Sox are exiting their rebuild. However, Boston Smith, in particular, has been rising quickly through the minors and could very well become a huge future piece of the Mariners' roster.
He has the hitting tools and athleticism to be an impact major leaguer, he just needs a place to thrive.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.
Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
Follow Schuster_Elias