MLB Hot Stove: White Sox are reportedly open to trading away several top players
The White Sox could be inching toward a total rebuild
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2 min read
A few days ago, Dayn Perry wrote about three teams who could flood the trade market with top-tier talent: the Tigers, Rays, and White Sox.
While we're still waiting for those teams to make direction-confirming moves, the latest indication from ESPN.com's Buster Olney is that the White Sox are indeed heading down the rebuild path:
The White Sox have started the process of a massive sell-off, with other teams increasingly convinced they will deal Chris Sale. "And once you trade him," said the evaluator, "why would you stop there?" They've told teams they're willing to deal any player who has fewer than four years of team control.
The White Sox are coming off their fourth consecutive losing season -- a 78-win effort that started promising, yet finished miserably. Evidently general manager Rick Hahn has tired of trying to buttress a quality core with effective role players, and will instead opt for a youth movement.
Whether you agree with that decision or not, give Hahn this much: He'll have a number of quality players to shop around in pursuit of that goal.
The White Sox' most marketable players are on the pitching side of things. Chris Sale is one of the best starters in baseball, and he's locked into an extremely team-friendly contract through the 2019 season. Sale will make around $38 million over the next three years -- a bargain when compared to what lesser pitchers receive on the open market.
In addition to Sale, the White Sox have a few other pitchers to build trades around. It's unclear whether Jose Quintana is available, but he's also being paid far less than a pitcher of his caliber would get on the open market. Quintana won't make more than $10 million in any given season until 2019. Meanwhile, if southpaw Carlos Rodon is available -- and again, it's not entirely clear either way -- he comes even cheaper, since he won't qualify for arbitration until after the ensuing season.
Add in relievers David Robertson (two years, $25 million remaining) and Zach Putnam (under team control through the 2019 season), and the White Sox have more than enough arms to satisfy multiple contenders who would rather trade prospects than pony up for free agents.
Yet the White Sox have some hitters worth discussing, too. Adam Eaton is under team control through the 2021 season, and would appeal to any team looking for a quality two-way outfielder. Todd Frazier is in his walk year, yet there aren't many third basemen out there coming off 40-homer seasons. Jose Abreu didn't provide as much offense as normal last season, but is a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat. And so on.
Basically, the White Sox have more talent than you'd think -- and much of that talent is highly affordable compared to the going rates. Makes you wonder how the White Sox have failed to build a winner around this core.
