Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Andrew Vaughn Remains With White Sox as Trade Deadline Passes
Former Cal star Andrew Vaughn Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

For better or worse, Andrew Vaughn remains a member of the most wretched team in baseball.

Major league baseball’s 3 p.m. PDT Tuesday trade deadline came and went and the White Sox held onto Vaughn, the 26-year-old first baseman from Cal.

Vaughn hit his 12th home run of the season Monday night, but the White Sox lost 6-3 to the Seattle Mariners. That was their 15th straight defeat and Chicago became the first MLB team in 89 years to post two losing streaks of 14 games or longer in the same season. 

There actually was minimal speculation that Vaughn, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 MLB draft by the White Sox, would be sent packing. That’s kind of surprising, given that Chicago had to be in a seller’s mode and that Vaughn remains a player with big upside and a modest contract ($3,25 million) who cannot become a free agent until 2027.

So he remains in Chicago, which takes a major-league worst 27-82 record into Tuesday night’s game against the Kansas With Royals. The White Sox are 55 games below .500 for the first time since 1932, are 39 games back of AL Central leader Cleveland and have been outscored by 221 runs.

The Sox are just the fourth team in history to lose at least 81 times in the first 108 games of a season and the first to do so since the 1932 Red Sox.

Vaughn has endured a season that started horribly. Through the first 34 games, he was batting .183 with no home runs and seven RBI and the team went 7-27.

Since then, Vaughn is batting .260 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 65 games. Much better, without a doubt, but it hasn’t had much affect on the bottom line: Chicago is 19-46 over that span.

For the season, the fourth-year major leaguer is hitting .234 with 46 RBI, best on the team. Vaughn also leads the White Sox with 376 at-bats, 88 hits and 20 doubles and is second with 37 runs scored. 

His home run Monday night was the 65th of his career and he now has 250 RBI since his debut in 2021. After Paul DeJong and his 18 homers were traded Tuesday to the Royals, Vaughn shares the team lead with 12.

But with 94 strikeouts in 99 games, Vaughn also is on pace to top his career-high total of 129 last season.


This article first appeared on Cal Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

Red Sox pitcher sounds off on disgruntled sports bettors
MLB

Red Sox pitcher sounds off on disgruntled sports bettors

Lucas Giolito is tired of hearing from angry sports bettors, and the Boston Red Sox pitcher says he recently spoke with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about his concerns. During an episode of Rob Bradford's "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast that was released on Monday, Giolito spoke about what he described as a growing problem with angry gamblers issuing threats to players. The right-hander said he has received countless messages from fans who placed wagers on him and lost, even when he pitches well. "I'm getting messages after every game," Giolito said, via Jon Paul Hoornstra of Newsweek. "Even games where I pitched well, where they're mad at me because I hit the strikeout over instead of being under; prop bets, all these crazy things. People put hundreds of dollars on it. They don't have a lot of money but they're gambling it anyway because it's a disease. They freak out." Giolito added that there is only so much players can do in terms of blocking and reporting people on social media. He said his girlfriend has even received "nasty" messages from fans and that he asked Manfred what would need to happen for MLB to take serious action. "You can go private on social media. You can block accounts. It only goes so far. One thing I said to Rob was, 'Is it gonna take a player getting assaulted in front of their apartment building by some disgruntled that lost a bet for real action to be taken?'" Giolito said. As sports betting has been legalized across more states, the number of fans wagering has rapidly grown. Giolito alluded to prop bets such as over/unders on strikeouts, which are popular among casual gamblers. Giolito certainly is not the first professional athlete to raise concerns about disgruntled bettors. Scottie Scheffler recently revealed a change he had to make because of the actions of those who placed bets on him. As for what Manfred, MLB or any other sports organization can do about it, that remains to be seen.

Matthew Stafford news highlights potential need for Rams
NFL

Matthew Stafford news highlights potential need for Rams

Matthew Stafford's latest injury raises concerns about the depth of the Los Angeles Rams' quarterback room. Stafford suffered a back injury last season, and it's bothering him again at training camp. Rams head coach Sean McVay said the medical concern will force the QB to miss five practices, but it's not season-ending. "He's been throwing, feeling good. It's not necessarily anything that's new. Something that he's dealt with before," the coach told the media. "Going into year 17, we were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program. And so we'll allow him to kind of just work off to the side, on his own, getting himself feeling as good as possible." Stafford's durability has already been waning. The 37-year-old QB missed eight games because of a spine injury and concussion during the 2022 season. The following season, he missed one game because of a right thumb injury. The Rams have a capable backup QB, Jimmy Garoppolo. He has a 43-21 starting record in the regular season in 11 years with the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Rams. Garoppolo, however, is injury-prone. He has battled foot, ankle, knee and shoulder issues over the course of his career. Rams QB Stetson Bennett — a fourth-rounder in the 2023 NFL Draft — has yet to throw a pass in a regular-season game. Plenty of solid free-agent QBs are still available, including one-time Pro Bowler Carson Wentz. He would be a more trustworthy option than Bennett and already knows the Rams' system. The 2016 first-rounder played for the team during the 2023 season. The Rams hope to win their third Super Bowl after consecutive playoff appearances. Injuries at the most important position could derail their aspirations. McVay doesn't seem too concerned about Stafford's health, but L.A. should still consider adding another QB as a precaution.

Maple Leafs get unfortunate news about acquiring Flames veteran
NHL

Maple Leafs get unfortunate news about acquiring Flames veteran

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to explore ways to upgrade the roster following Mitch Marner's departure in free agency. The Leafs front office has been trying to fill in the gaps along the roster, and they have been searching on the trade front. One name that has been heavily connected to the Maple Leafs in recent weeks is Calgary Flames star Nazem Kadri. Kadri could replace Marner very well in the lineup, but it seems that a deal could be complicated to complete. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto has tried to land Kadri multiple times this summer, only to be rebuffed each time. Kypreos believes that a deal involving Kadri returning to the Maple Leafs could be unlikely at this point in the summer. Last season, Kadri posted 35 goals and 32 assists for the Flames. His presence has been steady on the ice for years, and Calgary could probably get a lot on the trade market for him. The Maple Leafs will likely continue to explore ways to pry Kadri from the Flames. But Calgary likely won't trade him unless it receives an offer that it deems too good to be true. But Kadri is the leader of this team, and he was the best player for them last season. Toronto doesn't have a lot of tradable assets to work with, which could be what is holding things up between the two sides. The veteran could give Toronto a nice boost, but unless the Maple Leafs up the offer, he isn't returning to town.

Caleb Williams wants to do something no Bears QB has ever done
NFL

Caleb Williams wants to do something no Bears QB has ever done

There is an expectation that Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is going to take a big leap forward in Year 2 of his career. He is not only looking for a big step forward, he is looking to re-write the Bears' franchise record books. Williams said on Tuesday that one of his goals for this season is to become the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, while also completing more than 70% of his passes. “Obviously I have self goals, and that’s being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history.” Williams said. “That’s a goal of mine. Seventy percent completion helps the team, keeps us on the field, puts us in better positions, and then other than that just trying to go down and score the most points that we can with each drive that we have. That’s kinda my self goal and obviously, other than that, you gotta go win. That’s success for me, that’s success for the team, and that’s all we wish for and all I wish for.” Williams arrived in Chicago with huge expectations prior to the 2024 season after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick. The hope was always that he could finally give the team a franchise quarterback that could put it on a Super Bowl contending level. His rookie season had some ups and downs, but it was easy to see the talent and potential. It was also easy to dream on him if you are a Bears fans given some of the plays he made. He ultimately threw for 3,541 yards, completed 62.5% of his passes and threw 20 touchdown passes to only five interceptions. He is not only entering Year 2 with a full season of NFL play under his belt, the Bears have also surrounded him with playmakers at every position and given him a young, innovative head coach in Ben Johnson. Johnson was one of the masterminds behind the Detroit Lions' offense, and there is an expectation that he can do the same thing with the Bears given the young quarterback and talent around him. The Bears have never had a 4,000-yard passer in franchise history, and Williams certainly seems to have a strong chance of achieving it. If not this season, then certainly at some point in his career. The single-season franchise record is 3,838 yards set by Erik Kramer during the 1995 season. If Williams can get 4,000 yards and complete of 70% of his passes — as he wants to do — there is a good chance the Bears offense would be one of the best in football. It would also probably mean they win way more than the five games they did during the 2024 season.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!