Former Tennessee Vols baseball standout involved in major MLB trade rumor
A former Tennessee Vols baseball standout was included in a major MLB trade rumor this weekend. Former Vols RHP Blade Tidwell, who made his MLB debut earlier this month with the New York Mets, was mentioned by USA Today's Bob Nightengale as a player that could be included in a trade for Chicago White Sox […]
A former Tennessee Vols baseball standout was included in a major MLB trade rumor this weekend.
Former Vols RHP Blade Tidwell, who made his MLB debut earlier this month with the New York Mets, was mentioned by USA Today's Bob Nightengale as a player that could be included in a trade for Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
Nightengale reported that the Mets, who could use another power bat in their lineup, recently checked in the White Sox about a potential deal for Robert.
According to Nightengale, Tidwell is a player the White Sox are eyeing as part of the return for Robert.
From USA Today: The Chicago White Sox finally are starting to get some inquiries on center fielder Luis Robert with the New York Mets recently among the teams checking in and showing interest. The White Sox are eying 23-year-old Mets starting prospect Blake Tidwell as part of a package in return
Tidwell, who was selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, made his big league debut on May 4 against the St Louis Cardinals.
The former Vol gave up six earned runs on nine hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in his debut. While his final line didn't look good, it wasn't necessarily indicative of how Tidwell pitched. The Tennessee native had some bad BABIP luck and he wasn't locating his secondary pitches very well. Tidwell was just a couple of pitches away from a much better outing.
As far as the Mets dealing Tidwell for Robert, it's probably far too early in the season for a deal to be made. Robert, who has had trouble staying healthy, is an elite talent who is a true five-tool player when healthy. The native of Cuba, however, is off to a slow start this season, slashing just .186/.293/.326 through the first 37 games of the season.
The Mets have been hesitant to part with starting pitching prospects under general manager David Stearns, so it would be a bit of a surprise to see Tidwell traded for the injury-prone Robert.
