The Chicago White Sox are looking to buy at the deadline. Don’t expect them to rent. They want long-term control, not a summer fling. That is why Los Angeles Angels starter Reid Detmers looked like the perfect fit. He has a 4.13 ERA and years of team control. It was a nice dream while it lasted.
Now, reality hurts. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan just dropped a cold bucket of water on the South Side. They peg the odds of Detmers getting traded at a miserable 20 percent. Why? Because the Angels are still the Angels. Rival executives remain deeply skeptical that Anaheim will actually pull the trigger on a rebuild, even after a front-office shakeup.
History repeats itself. The Angels hoard their assets. Even with John Mozeliak stepping in for Perry Minasian mid-season, nobody expects a fire sale. Sure, they might dump a few expiring contracts. But a guy like Detmers? He is under team control through 2028. Players like that do not grow on trees, and the Angels are not known for logical asset management.
Detmers is 26. He had a stellar June before cooling off to that 4.13 ERA. He is exactly the kind of arm Chicago needs to build a future rotation around. He has two and a half years of cheap control left. He was the perfect target.
But the market is cruel. With a meager 20 percent chance of a deal, the White Sox cannot afford to wait around. They need to pivot. The front office must find another controllable starter because the Angels are apparently content to go down with their ship.
