Brady's Take: Chicago White Sox Trade Story From MLB Insider is Absolutely Absurd

While the Sox record-breaking season is enough to infuriate fans, this note should absolutely trigger them as well.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Michael Kopech (45) throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on Aug 27. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Look, being 31-106 is a horrible indignity. Chicago White Sox fans should be hurt, embarrassed, and angry at ownership and the front office. They have every right. The team is going to set the record for most losses in a season, eclipsing the 1962 Mets in futility.

It's been embarrassing at every turn. And with the note that Bob Nightengale of USA Today dropped on Sunday, that embarrassment continued.

 While the Los Angeles Dodgers are ecstatic they stole reliever Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox in their deal for utilityman Tommy Edman, the Kansas City Royals quietly are seething.

They badly wanted Kopech, too, but the White Sox refused to trade him within their division.

What?!?! The White Sox, who are years away from contention, wouldn't trade within their division? They wouldn't trade a guy who will be a free agent at the end of 2025 within the division?

Teams don't like to trade within their division and that's understandable. They don't want to be burned by a guy over and over again in a season and they don't want fans to call them out on it. That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is not doing it when you're the White Sox.

The White Sox should be so far away from caring about this. You just take the best return you can get when you are rebuilding as heavily as they are.

Even though the White Sox didn't trade him in the division, he can just sign with an AL Central team heading into 2026 anyways, so what have they really avoided? As for 2025, it's another year where the White Sox won't be contending, so who cares if you see Kopech along the way in Kansas City?

You take the best return. Hopefully the White Sox got that with the Dodgers. They acquired infielder Miguel Vargas and prospects Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus.

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