This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series. The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.
The White Sox set a rebuilding course with a pair of Winter Meetings blockbusters in which Chris Sale and Adam Eaton were cashed in for top prospects.
Major League Signings
- Derek Holland, SP: one year, $6MM. Includes performance bonuses.
- Total spend: $6MM.
Trades And Claims
- Claimed OF Rymer Liriano off waivers from Brewers
- Claimed RP Giovanni Soto off waivers from Athletics
- Acquired 2B Yoan Moncada, SP Michael Kopech, OF Luis Alexander Basabe, and RP Victor Diaz from Red Sox for SP Chris Sale
- Acquired SP Lucas Giolito, SP Reynaldo Lopez, and SP Dane Dunning from Nationals for CF Adam Eaton
- Acquired SP Dylan Covey from Athletics in Rule 5 draft
- Acquired cash from Rangers for P James Dykstra
- Claimed OF Willy Garcia off waivers from Pirates
- Acquired 1B Brandon Dulin from Royals for player to be named later or cash
Notable Minor League Signings
- Cory Luebke, Anthony Swarzak, Geovany Soto, Everth Cabrera, Cody Asche, Peter Bourjos, Blake Smith, Tyler Matzek, Tyler Ladendorf
Extensions
- Tim Anderson, SS: Six years, $25MM. Includes club options for 2023 and 2024.
Notable Losses
- Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, Brett Lawrie, J.B. Shuck, Justin Morneau, Austin Jackson, Alex Avila, Matt Albers, Jacob Turner, Daniel Webb, Anthony Ranaudo, Jason Coats
White Sox Roster; White Sox Payroll Information
Needs Addressed
When I published my White Sox Offseason Outlook on November 5th, the team had not yet tipped its hand as to the offseason direction. GM Rick Hahn had said in August, “By the time we make our first or second transaction, publicly it will be fairly clear as to our direction.” Hahn wasn’t kidding. The White Sox staked a very clear rebuilding position with back-to-back Winter Meetings blockbuster trades. Finally, the team committed to a full teardown.
First, longtime ace starting pitcher Chris Sale was traded to the Red Sox for a bevy of top prospects, led by Moncada and Kopech (pictured at right). In Moncada, the White Sox acquired the type of player who is rarely traded: a potential perennial All-Star, on the cusp of being MLB-ready. The switch-hitting Cuban is penciled in as Chicago’s second baseman of the future. Moncada draws raves from prospect gurus for his power, speed, and arm. Kopech, meanwhile, is a power pitcher who comes with “front of the rotation potential,” according to Baseball America. Basabe, while further from the Majors, also rates as one of the team’s top ten prospects now. The White Sox determined they could not win in the next three years with Sale, and Hahn was able to maximize the return by pitting the Red Sox against the Nationals, Astros, Braves, and others.
Barely 24 hours later at MLB’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Hahn made a deal to send Adam Eaton to the Nationals for three pitching prospects. Baseball America ranks Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez both slightly above Kopech, and has all three in the #25-32 range among all MLB prospects. Like Moncada, Giolito and Lopez have Major League time. While there may be growing pains, the top assets acquired by Hahn are all close to contributing in 2017. Dunning played the Basabe role in this deal, as a third piece who is further from the big leagues. Eaton, 28, is at the top of his game and was the rare veteran player to be dealt with five years of remaining control. With the Eaton trade, Hahn was able to pull off a second deal that drew raves around the industry. The total haul for Sale and Eaton leaned toward pitching, a function of Hahn pursuing the best available young players, regardless of position.
A week later, the White Sox filled their rotation vacancy by signing Derek Holland to a one-year deal. Holland hasn’t had a healthy, valuable season since 2013, but this is the kind of free agent signing we expect to see with a rebuilding club. In the best case scenario, Holland has a nice first half and the White Sox are able to spin him for a useful, controllable piece in July.
Earlier this week, the White Sox locked up shortstop Tim Anderson to a precedent-setting six-year, $25MM deal. The contract sets a new record for a player with less than one year of Major League service. With only 115 days of Major League service under his belt, it’s difficult to project what kind of player Anderson will become. But at age 23, he already looks like a solid two-win contributor. And the team has a fantastic recent track record with these types of extensions, having previously signed Sale, Eaton, Jose Quintana, and Nate Jones.
Questions Remaining
With the Sale and Eaton trades occurring in rapid succession, it seemed a Jose Quintana deal wasn’t far behind. Quintana’s availability this winter was no secret. While the 28-year-old doesn’t have Sale’s ace reputation, he is a very good starting pitcher on a very team-friendly contract. With a terrible free agent market for starting pitching, it was surprising no team was willing to meet the demands of the White Sox for Quintana. The Pirates and Astros were reportedly quite interested, with the Rangers, Yankees, and Braves also connected. Quintana is undoubtedly a major trade chip for the White Sox in the coming months. In a February call with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Hahn said, “Frankly, there just hasn’t been an offer on the table that has made us feel like, ’Boy we better move now or we are going to be kicking ourselves.'” While Hahn noted he’s feeling no economic or timing pressure on his remaining trade chips, the team is taking a calculated risk that offers will improve in future. While a summer Quintana trade currently seems like the most likely scenario, it’s possible a deal could be struck between now and Opening Day.
Rumors were scant regarding first baseman Jose Abreu, outside of a Winter Meetings note that the Rockies were interested. The White Sox may have run into an overcrowded free agent market, which featured more first base/DH-type bats than there were jobs. At the lower end, players such as Brandon Moss, Mike Napoli, and Chris Carter took cheaper-than-expected deals. Abreu, 30, is more appealing than many of those free agents, but not enough to trigger wide reported interest.
In their talks for Adam Eaton, the Nationals reportedly attempted to expand the deal to include reliever David Robertson. Talks continued, but the Nationals and White Sox have reportedly reached a stalemate on the veteran closer. With two years and $25MM remaining on his contract, and control problems in 2016, Robertson is not for everyone. He’s another name to watch this summer. Perhaps the White Sox will end up eating more money than they were willing to in the winter. Todd Frazier, a free agent after 2017, is another veteran player who received little reported interest this winter despite hitting 75 home runs over the past two seasons. The White Sox will be rooting for strong, healthy first halves for many veteran players, which would lead to an active July. Hahn repeatedly said he would have liked to have made four more transactions this winter, and perhaps Quintana, Abreu, Robertson, and Frazier were the four players.
The team would also be best served moving 32-year-old veteran Melky Cabrera, who will serve as the Opening Day left fielder. The Melk Man hit about as well as Wil Myers, Adam Eaton, or Mike Napoli last year, but his below-average defense and $15MM salary seems to have limited interest. One quietly intriguing trade chip this summer will be Nate Jones, a fantastic reliever who is under contract for up to five more seasons. Jones, a 31-year-old with a 97 mile per hour fastball, is far more valuable than Robertson and could be the best reliever traded this summer. The White Sox still have a ton of trading left to do.
Aside from all the trades that have yet to happen, the other question is who is actually going to play for the 2017 White Sox. With a team that is clearly not concerned about winning in 2017, the White Sox have a rare opportunity to use low-pressure playing time to unearth trade chips or future contributors. Unfortunately, the roster is currently loaded with placeholders devoid of upside. For example, the club’s Opening Day outfield could feature Cabrera, Peter Bourjos, and Avisail Garcia. Someone has to stand out there, but hopefully Hahn can identify a few post-hype sleepers to try out in the outfield until long-term fixtures are identified. The White Sox make a great home for players feeling the roster squeeze. The release of Lawrie was a step in the right direction, opening up second base for cheaper options led by Tyler Saladino. The team’s catching position is another area of uncertainty. The club is hoping 25-year-old Omar Narvaez can keep the seat warm until 2016 first-round pick Zack Collins is ready for The Show.
Overview
In 2017, the White Sox are set to join teams like the Phillies, Reds, Padres, and Brewers as clubs undertaking rebuilds. It’s the right move for the franchise as Hahn and company look to build a sustainable winner with a deep roster. The Major League product will get worse before it gets better, as the White Sox will continue to clear the decks of veteran players this summer.
What’s your take on the White Sox’ winter? (Link to poll for mobile app users …)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Eaton trade alone, I give the White Sox an A overall.
Agreed but I say an A overall. Will be interesting when Q gets traded to Dee the haul they add
Last sentence of the White Sox offseason review: “What’s your take on the Braves’ winter?”
If this is subtle insinuation of a Quintana-to-ATL trade, I’ll give you props when the time comes.
I love the question regarding my feelings about the Braves’ offseason at the end of this article. [edit obviously required]
But in all seriousness, I give them an A. A Quintana trade in the next week for a decent haul could upgrade my assessment to A+.
There needs to be an A++ option. Really can’t do much better than the Sox did. Very mad i wont get to watch Reynaldo Lopez with the Nats after following and seeing him grow in the minors for years.
The White Sox still haven’t traded anybody except the two clubhouse problems in the La Roche situation. I wouldn’t consider this a total rebuild until Quintana is traded.
Adam created the problem
Kids don’t belong in the club house with grown men all the time
Once and awhile? Cool
Everyday? Go to school
You think the Sox’ FO is so petty and thin-skinned that they tanked the short-term outlook of the entire organization by trading their 2 most productive players, under the 2 most team friendly deals, because their feelings were hurt over a 12 year old??
HA!
the answer to that is…oh yeah! Ken Williams? as thin skinned as they get. Remember all that Ozzie Guillen stuff?
When Ozzie quit on his team and negotiated a contract before leaving town? Or when he had his kids airing clubhouse dirty laundry to anyone who would listen? Or when he publicly had a temper tantrum because the Sox didn’t draft his kid early enough? Or when he refused to sit Dunn because he made a lot of $ and KW had to publicly tell Ozzie it was OK to sit him? Or when Ozzie admitted to getting drunk every night and not caring about running Spring Training drills? Or when Ozzie ruined Joey Cora’s chances at a Managerial career by talking him into burning the same bridge and skipping town?
How do you see through those rose colored Ozzie glasses??
Garbage narrative. Those two guys were traded already because they had the most value, and teams were willing to meet (or come close to) Hahn’s asking price. Quintana, and others, will go once someone comes to the table with a fair deal. Hahn isn’t going to trade him for less than what he’s worth.
Couldn’t bring myself to give the Sox an A with all of Frazier, Jones, Robertson, Abreu, Melky, Quintana still on the roster.
It was a great start, but so much more still needs to be done.
Hard to trade guys when there is no market for any of them. No market for Frazier and Melky (there was literally one team that was serious about Frazier and that was only if they didn’t re-sign Turner). Check out Abreu’s market. While he is better than a lot of the guys that were in free agency this off-season, a lot of those guys still struggled to find a home. Robertson: I’m sure they didn’t receive a decent enough offer to unload him and we all know the Quintana situation. Jones has 5 years of control left so it wouldn’t be the worst to let him close for half season or a year after Robertson is moved.
I agree on Melky, Frazier and Abreu.
Maybe I’m grading harshly, but I would’ve liked to have seen move move(s) to clear roster spots, align incoming prospect timelines, save some $, mitigate injury risks, tank the w/l record a bit more and take advantage of a very weak Pitching market.
Still think it’s a great start.
Agreed, the Sox have a lot of work to do. It’s also crucial their scout department nails it in the next 2 or 3 drafts. They really need better OF talent.
Jones and Robertson can be dealt for prospects in july as can abreu and frazier. Desperate teams do pay more when they feel they can contend.
You might want to change Braves off-season to white sox offseason
Perhaps I’m being harsh by my B grade (although I would give a B+ if it was an option), but it would have been nice to see them move other players such as Frazier, Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Robertson and Quintana (could happen soon).
Perhaps they felt their value will be higher in July than it is now.
They absolutely got great value for Sale and Eaton though.
When the market isn’t there, you can’t fault them for holding off on taking a smaller return just for the sake of completing a trade. With injuries and surprise contenders, the trade deadline will be a better marketplace for the White Sox to shop their talent. Solid A for CWS from me, would have been an A maybe if they had netted some minor league talent for absorbing salary. There’s still room to capitalize there, I think.
I agree with LADreamin. Consider the alternative where the Sox trade those players, but for the lesser returns that their diminished markets commanded. That would also prompt lower than A (maybe lower than B) grades if people were convinced that they could/should have gotten more.
Some of that very much depends on 2017. If Robertson doesn’t bounce back are they really going to get any more for him than they will now? They will have paid half a season of his contract and stand to get equal or less.
If Abreu continues to trend down, how long can you keep selling teams on his strong rookie year?
These are risks they are taking. I’m not even saying they are bad risks, but they exist. The idea that they will just get a better market for these players by the trade deadline completely ignores the negative outcomes that are possible. If you want to argue that it’s worth the risk, than that’s fine, no fault with that argument, but don’t dismiss that there are risks.
Oh I definitely agree that there are risks; I’m not dismissing them at all. I tend to lie on the side with situations for players like the ones you mentioned to get what you can while you can, but default to the Sox brass’s evaluation of the players’ past and their projections for this year. At this point, it seems that the risks and the benefits offset each other until something happens (player gets hurt, player is on the stretch of his life, etc.)
You have to give them an A. I think the Sale and Eaton trades alone are enough for that grade. You have to think they tried to trade the other pieces as well, but simply weren’t getting the offers they wanted. That’s not their fault.
I’m sure to hear about this, but I gave them a middling score because right now they are headed for a middling record, which won’t help them if they want a quicker full rebuild and higher draft picks and pools.
Waiting to move such players as Abreu, Melky, Robertson, Jones, and Frazier was risky and could backfire at the trade deadline due to injuries, underperformance, market shifts, and/or salary obligations. It also blocks some prospects from moving up and gaining experience.
Sure, that other teams weren’t offering enough early on may be a valid point, but isn’t it then when the GM negotiates hard to get that best value — if the rebuild is in earnest?
I’m still not convinced that everyone in that dysfunctional FO (above Hahn) is fully on board, despite Kenny Williams and his supposed newfound enthusiasm.
Kudos for changing direction (finally), but jump in all the way.
Not interested in seeing a prolonged rebuild. I expect this team to be competitive in 2019. Rick got a great return on Eaton ( great RF , bad CF / solid hitter that doesn’t have a high enough OBP to be a real good # 1 or 2 hole hitter & can’t steal bases) Sox brought in Vince Coleman last year Eaton showed no improvement stealing bases. Most excited to see R. Lopez MLB debut from Eaton trade. From Sale trade for me Moncada & one of other 3 need to turn into All-star caliber players for that to be a win for ChiSox. I think Rick will continue to maximize return on future trades. Abreu is a heck of a hitter & I’d like to see him stick around through this rebuild, finish his career here & He wants to be here. Great mentor for Moncada n others. Hahn should put Kenny & Hawk Harrelson
In a package; shop those 2 clownsuits see if he can’t get a big bag of fun size Snickers for em. Grade B+ so far, if Rick lets Frazier & Cabrera go and gets nothing in return B-
I’m not sure anyone is willing to give up THAT MUCH for Kenny and Hawk…..
Eaton had the 13th highest OBP in the AL last year.
.362, .361, and .362 OBP’s in his 3 full years. You have some ridiculously high standards if that isn’t good enough to be a real good #1 or 2 hole hitter in your book…
B, and here’s why. In order to do a “full rebuild” they would have to sell Quintana and possibly Todd Frazier (last year on contract). Sox did OUTSTANDING in the prospects they got but they could add 2-3 great prospects from Houston and another one for Frazier. Point is they did very good but could be great by July 31.
B- or C+ Wish they would have gone further or had a clear veteran to build around. Abreu and Quintana will be Free Agents by the time the rebuild completes. Those were two outstanding trades this winter though.
Maybe they can flip the Derek Holland signing at the deadline and a couple other guys on their last year.
Hey troll put an original thought down, Scott podsednik was a difference maker as a lead-off hitter. Don’t know how much White Sox baseball you watch but Eaton is not a difference maker. I liked Eaton a lot as a player, but Sox got a great return for an above avg guy.