Ex-Yankees top prospect from Juan Soto trade skips Double-A, earns MLB debut

On the one hand, it's got to be somewhat strange to be an agreed-upon top-tier pitching talent, yet to somehow still find yourself traded twice in one offseason. It's got to be doubly frustrating when that trade path brings you from the New York Yankees to a budding spender on the west coast in San Diego to ... the Chicago White Sox, a team known mainly for getting yelled at.

Still, Drew Thorpe had an easy-to-access silver lining in all of this summer's machinations. After all, the Padres viewed him as a key piece in exchange for Juan Soto. The White Sox were willing to surrender Dylan Cease to acquire him. Clearly, he was wanted, and clearly, he'd find an opportunity in Chicago, as long as his S-tier changeup continued piling up whiffs.

This weekend, the White Sox decided they'd seen enough, sending Thorpe immediately to the bigs for a Tuesday start, telling him to not pass go, not collect $200, and not even think about showing up in Triple-A Charlotte.

His trademark mid-1.00s ERA and absurd K/BB ratio have followed him from New York to Chicago, briefly via San Diego, and now we'll all get a chance to see if his magic changeup and low-90s fastball have the same effect against the league's best.

Former Yankees top prospect Drew Thorpe makes predictable MLB leap with White Sox

The Yankees, famously, weren't quite so quick to move Thorpe up the ladder. Somehow, he lasted at High-A Hudson Valley until last August despite mowing down hitters with ease. Shortly thereafter, he got the Double-A bump and predictably carved up Somerset's opponents into paste.

Maybe the Yankees were trying to keep him shrouded in mystery? Either way, word got out this offseason. Twice.

Now, it's the AL Central's turn to get exposed to the fruits of the Yankees' pitching lab and Thorpe's entirely unique arsenal, used masterfully to keep hitters off balance thus far at every pro stop.

The journey begins anew on Tuesday at Seattle against a division leader with an offense Thorpe could still silence. And yes, the Yankees do play the White Sox once more this season, Aug. 12-14 in Chicago. Would love to duck him.