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After two seasons of trying to construct a contender around a core of Chris Sale and Jose Abreu, the White Sox have wisely embraced the rebuilding process. GM Rick Hahn didn't do a very good job of surrounding his key contributors with a playoff-worthy supporting cast, but thus far his teardown is going swimmingly in the extreme.

Simply put, the recent trades of Sale to the Red Sox and Adam Eaton to the Nationals have drastically improved the club's base of young talent. Consider the seven prospects they've added since Tuesday and where four of them ranked on Baseball America's midseason top-100 prospects list ...

ProspectMidseason overall rank
INF Yoan Moncada
No. 1
RHP Lucas Giolito
No. 4
RHP Reynaldo Lopez
No. 48
RHP Michael Kopech
No. 93

Yes, the White Sox have added to the fold four top-100 prospects (and two top-five prospects) as part of these two trades. That's to say nothing of outfielder Luis Basabe and right-handed pitchers Victor Diaz and Dane Dunning, the "lesser" parts of these deals who also have some upside.

Also on BA's top-100 list is White Sox right-hander Carson Fulmer at No. 73. As well, Kopech's excellent second half means he'll be much higher on a pre-2017 top-100 list.

Need more? Catcher Zack Collins, the 10th-overall pick in the June draft, has top-100 potential, and let's not forget high-ceiling youngsters like shortstop Tim Anderson and left-hander Carlos Rodon who have already graduated to the major-league roster. The White Sox will also have the No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 draft and, given the stripped-down roster, a very high pick in 2018 seems a given. That is to say, there's a lot of high-ceiling talent in place, and more may be on the way.

Speaking of "more on the way," Hahn may not be done dealing. Given the going rates on starting pitchers, left-hander Jose Quintana would fetch quite a return. He's consistently strong, has a healthy track record, and is signed to a team-friendly contract potentially through 2020. Suffice it to say, he'd have a great deal of appeal on the trade market. It's not certain that the Sox will shop Quintana this offseason -- they may wait to see whether the non-waiver deadline market is stronger -- but he's a valuable chip.

Elsewhere, veterans like Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera, and perhaps Jose Abreu won't yield the return that Quintana will, but they're moveable veterans who may not have much to offer by the time the South Siders are ready to contend again.

That brings us to Hahn's next challenge -- wholesale embrace of the rebuild. At the very least, he needs to move Quintana by July 31 of next year. The Sale and Eaton deals were two true needle-movers, and a trade of Quintana has the potential to be the same.

The case is strongest that Quintana should be dealt sooner rather than later, as you never want to take the chance on having a pitcher get hurt or struggle in the short run and thus lose trade value. Hahn's already to be praised for what he's achieved this offseason, but his work isn't done.

No, things are not going to be pretty on the field for the White Sox in the near-term, but these trades are the kind that can remake franchises. For instance ...

He's not wrong. In a span of hours, Hahn turned the White Sox's farm system from one of the worst into one of the best. Quibbles? Sure. A lot of the future value is tied up in young pitching, and there's risk inherent in pitching-heavy systems. Again, though, we come back to Quintana and what he could yield. Shopping him in exchange for a hitter-heavy return package would be highly advised.

Perhaps the Nationals could be re-engaged about an offer built around Victor Robles. Hahn's already said he's willing to trade with the crosstown Cubs, so perhaps there's a fit there. The Astros have been mentioned in connection with Quintana, and the Rockies, who just signed Ian Desmond to a five-year deal, could be a potential fit. Perhaps the Dodgers and Pirates could be engaged. The Yankees? It's not hard to think of a number of teams who could both use Quintana and send position prospects back the other way.

In any event, it's possible we'll be talking about the White Sox's winter of 2016-17 for a long time. Perhaps the truly impressive thing is that have the pieces in place to make this offseason even more memorable.