The White Sox are one of the games few clear sellers with the trade deadline still six weeks out, and teams have been showing recent interest in closer , . Among the interested clubs are the Royals, Phillies and Yankees, each of whom has sent scouts to watch the hard-throwing righty in the past few weeks. Levine adds that rival clubs believe the Sox are seeking controllable pitching in return. Kopech, 28, is in his first season as a full-time reliever after making a combined 52 starts with the ChiSox in 2022-23. Hes taken up the role of the teams primary closer, though given Chicagos dismal results this season, hes only picked up five saves on the year. Kopechs bullpen tenure got out to a strong start, but hes hit a rough patch of late, Derrick Jones Jr. Jersey yielding eight earned runs over his past 6 1/3 frames. That rocky stretch has ballooned his ERA from 3.18 to 4.91. Despite that lackluster mark, theres plenty to like about Kopech. Once touted as one of the games elite pitching prospects he and headlined the White Sox return for during their last rebuild Kopech boasts a power arsenal that helps him mi s bats in droves. Hes averaged a blazing 98.7 mph on his heater this season and punched out a gaudy 32.3% of his opponents. Kopechs 14.1% swinging-strike rate is well north of the league average. That power arsenal, as is often the case, comes with notable command i sues; Kopech has walked 13.5% of his opponents in 2024 and sports an unsightly 13.6% mark dating back to 2022. Beyond his bat-mi sing ability, Kopech is both affordable and controllable. Hes earning $3MM in 2024 and would be arbitration-eligible once more this winter before reaching free agency following the 2025 season. Adding Kopech for a pair of pennant chases would give any contending club a power arm with an often triple-digit heater, bat-mi sing slider and a newly implemented cutter thats been a plus pitch thus far. With regard to the interested parties, none of the three teams listed by Levine comes as a surprise. The Royals have in early June, though their status as a division rival to the White Sox might make it tougher to complete a deal with Kansas City than with Philadelphia, New York or any of the surely yet-unnamed clubs who have interest in prying Kopech from the South Siders. That said, the Royals rank 22nd in the majors with a 4.32 ERA from their relievers. Their bullpens collective 93.5 mph average fastball velocity (per Statcast) is 27th in the majors, while its 17.7% strikeout rate is the worst in MLB. Kopech would add the type of power, bat-mi sing repertoire the Royals currently lack. The Phillies (3.55, ninth) and Yankees (3.19, third) both rank among MLBs ten best teams in terms of bullpen earned run average. Theyve gotten there in slightly different ways, with the Phillies focusing on strikeouts (26.5%, third in MLB) while the Yankees have a below-average 21.9% strikeout rate but also po se s the third-best ground-ball rate of any team (46.8%). Both teams are among the three best in baseball at limiting home runs, with the Philly bullpen sitting at 0.68 HR/9 and the Yankees narrowly trailing at 0.74 HR/9. Both clubs are luxury-tax payors in 2024, making Kopechs relatively modest $3MM salary all the more appealing. It stands to reason that the Royals, Phillies and Yankees are just three of many clubs looking at Kopech as the trade deadline looms next month. Bullpen help is on every postseason hopefuls deadline wishlist every summer, and Kopech is the type of power arm that any team would love to try to maximize. While velocity is up throughout the game, and triple-digit fastballs are no longer the rarities they once were, that doesnt take away from Kopechs impre sive repertoire. The only pitchers in MLB (min. 10 innings) who throw harder on average are Oaklands , Minnesotas , Milwaukees , Arizonas and St. Louis . Kopechs bottom-line run prevention numbers may not stand out, but other teams surely covet the upside and feel theres a potentially elite reliever to be unlocked with a few tweaks. Gary Trent Jr. Jersey