This White Sox season has created more questions than answered from last season.
For a second straight season, the White Sox are underperforming. In a historically bad division through nearly 70 games, the White Sox are gripping onto the third place spot. Though, they're shockingly, somewhat undeservingly 4.5 games back on the division lead and 2.5 back on second.
For that, ESPN says the White Sox should head in a different direction come the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
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"For Chicago, the time is now to change its deadline destiny," Brad Doolittle wrote. "Its roster is as healthy as it's been all season. Either the White Sox go on a sustained run now, or the deadline could and probably should result in a significant retooling. If that were to happen, Chicago would have some of the more alluring trade candidates around."
The White Sox are still attempting to dig themselves out of the hole they dug in April.
During the premiere month of the season, the Sox owned the ninth-worst offense in the majors, the eighth-worst pitching staff, and arguably one of the worst defenses. In May, however, they turned things around with some incredible starting pitching and potent offense from unlikely characters, such as Jake Burger, Romy Gonzalez and Gavin Sheets.
Still, however, the White Sox are not predestined to win the AL Central, one of MLB's worst divisions.
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They have a roster ready to win now. And now, they're finally healthy enough to get a solid glimpse at how they operate as a cohort. But not much has changed. Yes, recently, the Sox have won six of their last eight games. Even then so, they still have the seventh-worst offense during that same time frame.
What will change before the season's end?
As Doolittle wrote, if the White Sox decide to be sellers at the trade deadline, they will have some of the more intriguing trade candidates. On that list, likely, would include Lucas Giolito, Mike Clevinger and maybe Dylan Cease. Giolito and Clevinger are on expiring contracts this season and Cease is arguably one of the Sox' best assets, who could return a "haul," according to Jon Heyman.
"I don't think it's that likely he'll (Dylan Cease) be traded because he has two years after this year where he avoids free agency," Heyman recently said on MLB Network. "They have some other trade candidates I think are more likely. (Lucas) Giolito I think. (Mike) Clevinger, if healthy, is more likely to get dealt than Cease. But I think teams will be asking about him if they're not in the race. And it's gonna take a haul."