The White Sox acquired outfielder in a trade with the Diamondbacks last week, though the deal may have been something of an either-or proposition. According to , the Sox had the option of picking either Fletcher or in the deal, with pitching prospect still headed back to the DBacks as the return piece in the one-for-one trade. Fletcher and McCarthy share a similar profile as 26-year-old, left-handed hitting outfielders who can play any of the three positions on the gra s. McCarthy was the 39th overall pick of the 2018 draft and has more Major Jair Camargo Jersey League experience, with a .261/.331/.380 slash line over 736 plate appearances in the Show. A fourth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 seemed to hint at McCarthys potential as a building block for the Snakes, yet a tough 2023 season saw him relegated to the minors and then to the Diamondbacks bench as the year developed. Arizonas willingne s to move on from either player and the Southsiders decision to take Fletcher provides some interesting wrinkles to this trade, and it might be interesting to revisit this deal in a few years time once we see how the careers of Fletcher, McCarthy, and Mena have developed. Heres more from the Windy Citys two teams Though the top four in the Cubs rotation seems set and are vying for the fifth starters job, recently drew some interest from Wrigleyville, as per . The depth of the interest isnt known, though it mightve been something of a due diligence move by the Cubs since no formal offer was made. Junis experience as a swingman means that he wouldnt have nece sarily even been in the rotation, so the Cubs couldve been looking at Junis to bolster the bullpen and also add even more depth to the starting mix. In any case, Junis is no longer an option, as the right-hander signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Brewers last week. In another piece from Mooney and Sharma, they look at the Cubs unsettled third base situation. and seem poised to get the bulk of playing time, with getting the occasional start at the hot corner, and or rookie providing further depth. Theres enough uncertainty here that Mooney/Sharma feel the Cubs might again make a trade deadline move at the position, akin to their deal for this past summer. Of course, the Cubs have also to this winter if the team still had a bigger-ticket free agent upgrade in mind, though a longer-term answer might block top prospect , who has been working out as a third baseman this offseason. Reports surfaced that the White Sox were speaking with development company Related Midwest about the potential of building a new ballpark on a portion of land in Chicagos South Loop area. Related Midwest recently released a series of artist renderings to media (including ) about what this new stadium and the a sociated ballpark village area might look like alongside the Chicago River, as well as some proposed renderings of how the area around Guaranteed Rate Field could be developed if the Sox moved to a new site. Obviously a lot of hurdles still have to be cro sed with the White Sox, developers, civic and state officials, and many other parties before this proposed ballpark could become a reality, and the earliest po sible opening date would seem to be 2030, since the teams lease at Guaranteed Rate Field runs through the 2029 season. Ernie Yake Jersey