Earlier this month the White Sox declared themselves rebuilders by trading Chris Sale to the Red Sox and Adam Eaton the Nationals. Lefty Jose Quintana and closer David Robertson have both been mentioned in trade rumors as well.
Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier, Chicago's power hitting corner infielders, are also generating trade interest this offseason, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. There is more interest in Abreu at the moment.
From Cafardo:
While Chicago has received more interest in Jose Abreu, there have been "due diligence" phone calls on Frazier because of his right-handed power. Frazier had 40 homers and 98 RBIs last season. The White Sox would like to move him for a prospect or two, but the fact Frazier can be a free agent after next season may be holding back his market.
Even with Edwin Encarnacion off the board, the free agent market is still flooded with right-handed sluggers similar to Frazier and Abreu. Why give up actual prospects for Frazier or Abreu when you could forfeit a single draft pick for Jose Bautista or Mark Trumbo? Or keep your pick and go with Chris Carter or Mike Napoli?
Of course, the answer is Frazier's positional advantage -- he's a good defensive third baseman and can also play first base -- and Abreu's three years of team control. He'll earn $10.825 million in 2017, less than what Bautista and Trumbo figure to make, and he'll remain under control as an arbitration-eligible player in 2018 and 2019.
Still, the point is that guys like Bautista, Trumbo and Napoli are still free agents, and if those guys are having a tough time finding jobs, the trade market for Frazier and Abreu might not be very robust. The White Sox have the option of simply keeping Abreu, seeing how the market shakes out in a few weeks, then trading him at a later date, such as the trade deadline or next winter.
Frazier will be a free agent after next season, so the club doesn't have the same luxury of time. The White Sox could always make him the qualifying offer next winter, but surely Chicago would rather trade Frazier for multiple prospects than settle for one supplemental first-round pick. Perhaps there will be increased demand in June or July.
