White Sox Trade Rumors: D-Backs’ Eduardo Escobar Pursued as Madrigal Replacement

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

The Chicago White Sox are in discussions with the Arizona Diamondbacks about trading for infielder Eduardo Escobar, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

As Nightengale noted, the White Sox are looking to replace second baseman Nick Madrigal,  who is out for the season with a torn right hamstring. 

Escobar, 32, is hitting .240 (.743 OPS) with 15 home runs and 45 RBI for a Diamondbacks team that will assuredly undergo a fire sale this season. Arizona’s 20-53 mark is the worst in the majors, and the team has also lost 17 straight games.

A power-hitting infielder like Escobar would certainly pique the interest of contending teams, and the White Sox have a gap to fill sans the talented Madrigal.

The 24-year-old had season-ending surgery last Tuesday, ending a promising 2021 campaign that saw him hit .305 with two home runs, 21 RBI and four triples in 54 games. Thanks in part to his efforts, the 43-29 White Sox are first in the American League Central.

Danny Mendrick has taken over at second for Madrigal, whose last game this season occurred on June 9. The 27-year-old is hitting .213 (.628 OPS) with two homers and 13 RBI.

Adding Escobar may be a one-year rental for the White Sox, as the 11-year MLB veteran is in the final year of a three-season, $21 million deal.

However, Chicago would certainly welcome his power hitting from second base as the team gears up for a potential postseason run.