Last Saturday, Geovany Soto and Jeff Samardzija became the 25th and 26th people I’ve seen play in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox. Here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.
David Aardsma
After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts. Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.
Jason Bere
Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting. After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998. He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.
Neal Cotts
Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003. He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season, and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season. Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.
Scott Eyre
Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big league team in 1997. He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners. He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.
Kosuke Fukudome
He became the first Japanese player in Cub history when he made his debut in 2008. After an initial All Star berth that year, he faded over the next 4 seasons until he was traded to the Indians at the deadline in 2011. He signed with the White Sox for 2012, but was not particularly effective and was released in June.
Tom Gordon
After missing the 2000 season due to injury, he signed with the Cubs as a free agent. He saved 27 games in 2001 and then was hurt in 2002, appearing in only 19 games prior to his August trade to the Astros. He signed with the White Sox that offseason and had a good 2003 season on the South Side.
Jeff Gray
Acquired by the Cubs from the A’s in the Jake Fox deal, he appeared in 7 games for the team in 2010. He signed with the White Sox as a free agent and appeared in 6 games for them in April 2011, before being claimed on waivers by the Mariners.
Bob Howry
Acquired in the infamous White Flag trade of 1997, Bob Howry debuted with the White Sox the following year, becoming a mainstay of the bullpen until his 2002 trade to the Red Sox. He signed as a free agent with the Cubs prior to the 2006 season, where he would spend the next 3 years. He rejoined the Cubs in 2010 for a little over 2 months to finish out his career.
Edwin Jackson
Acquired by the White Sox in an aborted 2010 attempt to get Adam Dunn from the Nationals, Jackson spent just under 1 calendar year with the team, being traded to the Blue Jays the following July. He signed a 4 year deal with the Cubs prior to the 2013 season, and he has been a tremendous bust, currently languishing in the bullpen.
Lance Johnson
Acquired by the White Sox in 1988, Lance Johnson became the teams leadoff hitter and center fielder for most of the next 8 seasons. In 1997, he was traded to the Cubs in the Brian McRae trade, and he would remain on the North Side until being released following the 1999 season.
Matt Karchner
Matt Karchner was acquired by the White Sox from the Royals via the minor league draft in 1993, making his major league debut on July 18, 1995. He would remain in the White Sox bullpen until 1998 when the Cubs, in the midst of a battle for the NL Wild Card, sent a young pitcher named Jon Garland to the White Sox for Karchner. He disappointed the Cubs until he was released in September of 2000.
Vance Law
Vance Law was acquired by the White Sox in a 1982 trade with the Pirates. He would become their primary third baseman until his trade to the Expos following the 1984 season. He signed as a free agent with the Cubs prior to the 1988 season, where he would remain for 2 seasons, becoming one of the few modern players to appear in the post-season for both organizations.
Darren Lewis
Darren Lewis signed with the White Sox as a free agent prior to the 1996 season, and he spent the next year and a half with the team until his August 1997 trade to the Dodgers. He joined the Cubs as a free agent in 2002, before being traded to the Pirates at the deadline.
Brent Lillibridge
Brent Lillibridge joined the White Sox in the deal that sent Javier Vazquez to the Braves following the 2008 season. He spent the next 3 1/2 years with the Sox, hitting the 10,000th home run in franchise history in 2011, until being traded to the Red Sox in 2012. He signed as a free agent with the Cubs for 2013, but appeared in only 9 games with them.
Kenny Lofton
Kenny Lofton spent half a season on each side of town, spending the first half of 2002 on the South Side until being traded to the Giants, and then the second half of 2003 on the North Side after being acquired from the Pirates.
Dave Martinez
Drafted by the Cubs in the 3rd round of the 1983 draft, he made his debut with the big league club in June of 1985. He was traded to the Expos in July of 1988, after alledgedly having his way with Ryne Sandberg’s wife. He joined the White Sox as a free agent in 1995 and spent the next 3 seasons on the South Side. He returned to the Cubs in 2000 for 18 games between stints with the Rays and the Rangers. He is currently the bench coach for the Cubs.
Chuck McElroy
Acquired by the Cubs in April of 1991 in the deal that sent Mitch Williams to the Phillies, McElroy became a mainstay of the Cub bullpen for the next 3 seasons until being traded to the Reds in December of 1993. In May of 1997, he was traded by the Angels to the White Sox, and he finished out the year on the South Side before being lost in the expansion draft.
Jaime Navarro
Jaime Navarro signed a free agent deal with the Cubs in 1995 and spent the next 2 years toiling on the North Side. In December of 1996, he became one of, if not the worst free agent signing in White Sox history, putting up an ERA over 6 until he was mercifully traded to the Brewers in 2000.
Will Ohman
Drafted by the Cubs in the 1998 draft, he debuted with the team in 2000 and spent 5 of the next 7 seasons with the big league club. He signed with the White Sox as a free agent in 2011 and spent the next year and a half in their bullpen, until being released.
Josh Paul
The Chicago area native was drafted by the White Sox in the 2nd round of the 1996 draft and made his major league debut with the team in 1999. He stayed with the team until being let go in 2003. He signed with the Cubs a week later and appeared in 3 games for the North Siders.
Juan Pierre
Juan Pierre was traded by the Marlins to the Cubs prior to the 2006 season. He spent one year on the North Side before leaving as a free agent. He returned to Chicago after the 2009 season, when he was traded by the Dodgers to the White Sox. He spent the next 2 seasons leading off and playing left field for the South Siders.
Jeff Samardzija
Drafted by the Cubs in 2006, he debuted in 2008 and remained with them until his trade last July to the A’s. This past offseason, the A’s flipped him to the White Sox, and he is 3 starts in to his first season with the team.
Sammy Sosa
Acquired by the White Sox in the 1989 trade that sent Harold Baines to the Rangers, Sosa roamed the outfield for the Sox until the end of spring training in 1992, when he was traded to the Cubs for George Bell. He became a superstar with the Cubs, surpassing 60 home runs 3 times, until becoming a pariah in 2004.
Geovany Soto
Drafted by the Cubs in the 2001 draft, he made his major league debut with the team in 2005 and became the NL Rookie of the Year in 2008. He remained with the Cubs until the trade deadline in 2012, when he was sent to the Rangers. He joined the White Sox this spring on a minor league deal and earned the backup catcher spot in spring training.
Ryan Sweeney
The 2nd round pick of the White Sox in the 2003 draft, Ryan Sweeney debuted with the White Sox in 2006. He had cups of coffee in 2 straight Septembers before being sent to the A’s in the horrible Nick Swisher deal. Sweeney signed with the Cubs as a free agent prior to the 2013 season and spent 2 years with the North Siders before being released this spring.
Luis Vizcaino
Acquired by the White Sox from the Brewers in the Carlos Lee deal, he spent the 2005 season with the team, earning a World Series ring in the process. Following the season, he was traded to the Diamondbacks. In January of 2009, he was traded by the Rockies to the Cubs for Jason Marquis. He appeared in 4 games before being released in early May.