MLB Trade Deadline Rumor Buy or Sell: Rangers make serious effort for Chris Sale
The White Sox have seemed against trading their ace, but the Rangers have plenty to offer
By
Mike Axisa
•
3 min read
Welcome to Rumor Buy or Sell. The trade deadline is less than two weeks away now, so between now and then we'll pick apart the juiciest rumors and determine whether they pass the sniff test, or are just typical trade deadline noise.
The Rangers are making a "serious effort" to land Chris Sale from the White Sox, according to an MLB.com report.
Rangers making serious effort for White Sox LHP Chris Sale but no indication if deal will get done....predictably Sox want Gallo, Profar
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) July 22, 2016
Earlier this week we heard the White Sox were offered a "king's ransom" for Sale. It's no surprise they'd ask for Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo for their ace.
Background
Despite their hot start to the season, the White Sox come into Friday with a 46-49 record and 7 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot. They added James Shields in a trade with the Padres earlier this season, though earlier this week GM Rick Hahn said his club is "mired in mediocrity" and he will "stay open-minded" about a rebuild.
Sale is on the short list of the best pitchers in baseball and that makes him one of the most valuable commodities in the game. The White Sox are absolutely right to ask for a king's ransom.
Sale, 27, is 14-3 with a 3.18 ERA (129 ERA+) in an AL-leading 133 innings this season, and since moving into the rotation in 2012, he owns a 2.99 ERA (135 OPS+) in 922 innings.
On top of that, Sale is owed only $38 million from 2017-19 assuming his two no-brainer club options are exercised. He's great, he's in his prime, and he's signed to a very below-market contract. Those are also all reasons to keep him if you're the White Sox, so they have a lot of leverage here. They don't have to trade him. Keeping Sale and trying to win with him is perfectly sensible.
The Rangers, on the other hand, are in first place in the AL West at 55-41. They've lost 14 of their last 18 games though, which has allowed the Astros to trim their deficit from 10 to only 3 1/2 games in the division. Texas just welcomed Yu Darvish back, but boy, they still need pitching, both starters and relievers. Besides, Sale is the kind of player who would make any team better.
Buy or Sell?
Totally buying. Rangers GM Jon Daniels has a history of going big at the trade deadline, most notably adding Cole Hamels last year and Cliff Lee in 2010. He's also brought in Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza in deadline deals, and of course he traded away Mark Teixeira in a blockbuster. Daniels certainly is not afraid of making huge trades.
The Rangers have a deep farm system with several elite young players, including Gallo and Profar, so they have the pieces to get a deal done. I'm guessing the White Sox will want more than those two, so others like Lewis Brinson and Yohander Mendez could be discussed as well. Point is, few teams have the farm system depth to pry Sale loose, but the Rangers are one of those teams.
The question is whether the White Sox like what the Rangers have to offer, and whether Hahn & Co. can stomach trading the face of the franchise. They can't trade Sale and get a few prospects who might work out and make the trade look good. No. They need sure things in return, which is why Gallo and Profar are likely only the start of a trade package, not the whole package.
Not too long ago trading Sale seems unconscionable. The White Sox were in the race and ready to make a run to the postseason, but it hasn't worked out, and now they're considering tearing things down and rebuilding. Anytime you talk about a trade of this magnitude, I think the odds of it happening are unlikely. The Rangers are very motivated though, and Daniels has a history of being aggressive. I'm buying the rumor but putting the odds of a deal at "slim," which is better than "none."
