December 6, 2016: Sold

So it happened… it actually happened.  The White Sox traded Chris Sale for 4 Red Sox prospects.  I can’t believe they actually did it.

For a couple reasons I guess… the first being, the White Sox typically don’t do anything like this.  For that reason alone, it’s a good thing.  It was definitely time to shake things up, because what was being done was not working.  By acquiring those prospects, the White Sox minor league system went from towards the bottom to towards the middle of the pack.  It was a substantial upgrade for their farm system.  Moncada, the prized piece, is the #1 ranked prospect in all of baseball.  Kopech is a highly touted pitching prospect who throws triple digits regularly.  I heard that OF they acquired has some sneaky potential too.  And then, they got another arm.  It was quite a haul.  It should be for somebody like Chris Sale.  There aren’t many like him in baseball today.

In fact, only one pitcher in all of baseball has a better ERA and more strikeouts in the past 5 years.  That’s an easy answer.  It’s Kershaw of course, and that is the level Sale is on.  Plus, he is a salary bargain over the next couple years.  There is nobody like that in the majors right now; Boston got themselves a hell of a pitcher.  It was just sad that the Sox couldn’t win with him.  No postseason appearances.  I mean, with a guy like Sale, get into the wild card game, and you’re moving on.  Get into a 7 game series, and he may throw 3 games.  He was such a trump card to have come playoff time, that he could have carried the Sox had they ever got there.  Or, maybe like Kershaw, he would struggle in the postseason?  The White Sox will never know, although we all may know very soon, as the Red Sox are now the AL favorites.

I’ve read a bunch of stuff, and listened to some also.  The big thing, and I agree, is that the Sox shouldn’t stop here.  They need to dump all and do the rebuild the right way.  Someone went on to mention all the attractive pieces that the Sox have… Quintana, Abreu, Frazier, Eaton, Robertson.  And yes, they are attractive.  Then, the guys who are untouchable, like Anderson, Rodon, and Fullmer.  But, here’s what I thought:  Why couldn’t the Sox win with Sale and all these attractive & untouchable pieces?  I have an answer.  It was the manager of course.

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So I think, with a great manager, could the Sox have done something with that team?  And I think that answer is yes.  That is the sad part.  Now, that window has closed with the deal of Sale.  Now it’s go young time.  I love the prospects… I do, but here’s another thing.  There is no guarantee with them.  The Cubs were fortunate to hit on a bunch of them; that’s why they won sooner than later.  How many of these 4 will hit?  My theory is the more bullets you have, the more that could hit.  So it’s time to load up Sox.

One more thought… I thought they could have done better.  I thought they could have got major league ready talent.  Even Moncada, will start in the minors this year.  For somebody like Sale, I was thinking Texas would be the best fit.  With Mazara and Odor, two young, proven commodities, the Sox would have seen an impact immediately.  It didn’t have to be Texas.  But find any young guy in the league… 3 years or less… 25 and under… and get them… AND some prospects.  At least you know a little more about them, than the prospects.  But, nothing is guaranteed anyways.

I applaud the effort.  The Sox have definitely moved the interest level up; there is a lot to talk about here.  I wish them luck in their rebuilding efforts.  It’s not easy.  It’s not easy for the fans either.  But for the Cubs, it was well worth it.  A lot of things had to go the Cubs way during this process; there are no guarantees.  But, at least the Sox are trying something different.  Here’s another tip: hire a good manager.  Maybe that’s a couple years down the road in this rebuild, but you need somebody in that position that is special.  Will Renteria be that guy?  More to come…. much, much more to come.  I’m just glad they traded Sale to an AL team…