The Royals have acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera and cash from the White Sox in exchange for minor league righty A.J. Puckett and minor league lefty Andre Davis, the White Sox announced. Kansas City has designated minor league righty Andrew Edwards for assignment in a corresponding roster move, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the White Sox are paying about half of the roughly $5.2MM that Cabrera is still owed on this year’s $15MM salary. Cabrera is a free agent at season’s end.
[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox depth charts]
Cabrera, 32, will return for his second stint with the Royals — though things are different in Kansas City this time around. Cabrera had a fine year in Royal Blue back in 2011, hitting .305/.339/.470 with 18 homers and 20 steals as a 26-year-old. However, the Royals finished out that season 20 games below .500 and finished fourth in the American League Central.
Now in his second Royals tenure, Cabrera joins the team not as an up and coming outfielder but as an established veteran that will be inserted into a potential playoff contender’s lineup. The switch-hitter has a strong .295/.336/.436 batting line through 428 plate appearances this season, and he’s been especially effective against left-handed pitching (.296/.327/.500). That was surely an area of focus for GM Dayton Moore with tomorrow’s non-waiver deadline approaching, as the Royals have posted a collective .250/.305/.415 — good for just an 87 wRC+ that ranks 20th in the Majors.
For the White Sox, the 22-year-old Puckett is the more highly regarded pickup in this deal. The Pepperdine product was selected with the 67th overall pick in the 2016 draft and ranks as the Royals’ No. 13 prospect, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. In 108 1/3 innings this season, Puckett has worked to a 3.90 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent ground-ball rate. Callis and Mayo note that Puckett is more about pitchability than power, with a 90-94 mph fastball and a plus changeup. Their report also pegs the 6’4″, 200-pound righty’s control at above-average, despite the 3.8 BB/9 rate that Puckett has turned in this season.
Davis, 23, was the Royals’ eighth-rounder in 2015 and has spent the season pitching against younger competition in Class-A Lexington. In 85 2/3 innings out of the rotation, he’s posted a 4.82 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 43.9 percent grounder rate. He’s been exclusively a starter this season, but if that track doesn’t pan out, Davis’ numbers against lefties in Class-A are solid; he’s held same-handed opponents to a .216/.289/.352 batting line through 97 plate appearances in 2017.
Edwards, 25, has spent the bulk of the 2017 season with Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. He’s punched out 34 hitters in 30 2/3 innings but has also struggled to a 7.92 ERA after allowing 45 hits and 14 walks in that same time frame.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
He’s back in KC
For Milky for sure there the Sox could have got Soler from the Royals triple A affiliate
no
Welcome back to KC Melky
The Sox gave him away for free neither minor leaguers won’t ever touch the pros trading just to trade Hahn this one was Stupid should’ve got Jorge Soler from there minor lg
He is a free agent in 2 months so what’s the problem?
Wow. This certainly came out of the blue. I thought he didn’t want to be traded. Or was the Avasail Garcia?
Every single player Hahn has traded so far has said they didnt want to be traded. Doesnt matter.
Yeah. Jose Abreu is another but figures to be the only veteran the White Sox will retain for a while as he continues to mentor the organizations latino prospects as they earn promotions to their MLB roster. He’s already taken fellow countryman Yoan Moncada under his wing as a big brother influence ever since the trade with the Red Sox last offseason.
Abreu was one of the first players to contact Moncada after the deal went down, worked with him in spring training and will be even more influential now that the White Sox #1 prospect is playing alongside him in the infield. Abreu and Moncada were actually teammates on the Cuban 2012/2013 Cienfuegos team in the CNS. It was Moncada’s first season in the top Cuban League and Abreu’s last before signing as an international free agent with the White Sox in October of 2013.
Abreu was also involved in the recruitment of top 2016/2017 international FA prospect Luis Robert since his defection from Cuba last year.
Not to mention Abreu picked Moncada up at the airport. Who needs Uber?
Who cares if he did not want to be traded. Whats your point?
Wouldn’t be surprised to see him return to the Sox as a free agent. Much loved by the fans, clubhouse, and mgmt. And he’s mentioned relishing the role of mentor and postgame cruise director.
Eh I don’t see him returning he would end up blocking Robert or Eloy , unless he wants to end up being a utility outfielder just helping mentor the young players
Melky will be 33 in a couple weeks. He doesn’t have much time left as an everyday outfielder (should probably be DH’ing already), and those 2 guys, especially Robert, are still probably 2+ years away from being everyday contributors. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Melky come back, assuming nobody offers him a ridiculous contract in free agency.
Yup, exactly the ticket. A modest 2 year FA signing would reap dividends, not only for his clubhouse intangibles but service time savings. The Sox would have the luxury of keeping the kids down in Birmingham through 18, with possibly a mid-season 2019 callup if they progress as expected to avoid super two. Imagine the sight of Robert, JImenez and Adolfo all playing together with the Barons. .
Mark my words bc I know u all care…melky will be back next year
Yup, and another Melkman free T-shjirt giveaway. Gotta give the fans something while waiting for the grass to grow.
They should keep all 3 Garcia ‘s and Abeau
THE MILK MAN RETURNS!!
A.K.A the juice man
Melky would DH
still the indians do nothing
They don’t need to, they have won 9 in a row.
Against who?
White Sox angels and other garbage teams and the royals won 9 in the exact same span
Against the teams they played. You see how it works is you can only beat the teams you play on the schedule ….
Well I hope the committee takes their lousy “strength of schedule”.. Hate to see these overrated mid-majors sneak into the tourney
They can have Nick Markakis,Matt Adams, Brandon Phillips, and Jim Johnson for 3-4 prospects in the top 20-25 range.
There is a guy who has called every single show on the sports radio station in Pittsburgh for almost two weeks now (every single show, every single day) trying to pitch a Brandon Phillips to the Pirates trade.
No thanks. Phillips started way to much trouble with Pirates players in the past. The team would hate him being in the clubhouse.
Who plays 3B, 2B and RF for the Braves?
Rio, Ozzie Albies, Danny Santana for now.
Sean Rodriguez and Johan Camargo would also be utilized more so than those you listed. Albies most likely won’t come up until Sept for his cup of coffee, if even that.
……? Why any of that, this seems like those trades on MLB the show where you stack the trade with middling players to get the bar over 50%
Deadline isn’t for another 27 hours or so. More sellers than buyers.
When the music stops there will be teams stuck with guys they wanted to get rid of and anyone who waits until the last minute to shop will be able to get clearance prices.
Fascinating how the market is collapsing around all of the last minute sellers. What a difference a few days/weeks make. Props to Hahn for picking a lane and getting out in front of the market
Not sure the Tribe needs to do a lot beside add a lefty. Salazar came back and is pitching well, Kipnis is close and we have rattled off 9 straight. I would love to get Hand now that his price has come down. It is a kind of guy they like- they would own him for few years… they could add a bench bat, but nothing dramatic.
Wrong. You have 1 in a row! Ha.
More like 0…
Bet the Tribe wish they had added some surplus pitching last year. Just think what difference 1-2 arms would have made in the grand scheme of things when everyone went down in October. Talk about potentially missing out on a window.
Rick Hahn is the God of Rebuilding. Never before has a team transformed like this before in 8 months. They’ve gone from Carson Fulmer as their #1 prospect to having the best farm system in the MLB
Major props to what he’s been able to do. Let’s see how they perform now!
Wow, someone’s a huge White Sox fan and has never heard of the Braves now and in the early 90s
Or the Yankees in the early 90s
so you are saying the braves went from a bottom half farm system to number one in eight months? I don’t think it was that fast.
Uh, not the same. Aside from picking up Maddux after the hapless Cubs let him go in FA, and seeing their armory of pitching take the next step up, most of it was progressive development and not an overnight overhaul
Yeah, thats what happens when you have elite all-star level players but your team is uncompetitive for close to a decade, you get good prospects back for elite talent? There is no such thing as a “god of rebuilding” lol
Exactly if anything it more of the God of underperforming players. They should have been a very good team. They just sucked as a unit.
Would hardly call Frazier, D-Rob, Melky, Eaton and all the relievers the team has developed and flipped elite all-star level players. The key is being decisive and selling in a seller’s market when like-minded meh AL teams like the Orioles, Jays, Angels, and Rangers can’t make up their mind as buyers or sellers and chase down that elusive 2nd wildcard.
convenient that you leave out the two players that had the highest returns.
2 elite level players, yes. And significant value for the rest. Frazier and D-Rob could have been straight salary dumps if traded separately, but good work to bundle them with Kahnle, and play the Yankees off against the BoSox to maximize value.
Rick Hahn has accumulated the best minor league team in baseball. Let’s wait to see who turns out before we label him a God of anything. Besides, we all know Theo Epstein is really the God of rebuilding. Red Sox, Cubs, and probably the Tigers or Padres are next on his list (just speculating).
Theo did not rebuild the Red Sox when he became the gm. That team was 85% in place when he was hired
By rWAR, Theo was responsible for bringing in 6 of the most valuable 11 batters of the 2004 WS team (Ortiz, Bellhorn, Millar, Cabrera, Reese, Mueller) and 7 of the 10 most valuable pitchers (Schilling, Foulke, Arroyo, Timlin, Williamson, Mendoza, Leskanic). Sure, it’s one metric, and Martinez, Ramirez, Damon, Varitek, and others were already in place, but that 85% number is hyperbole by any consideration.
“Theo Epstein is really the God of rebuilding.” Theo had a little help from Jeff Luhnow and the Astros who selected Mark Appel instead of Kris Bryant in 2013.
Theo isn’t going to rebuild the tigers or padres, he just signed a extension. He isn’t going anywhere, moron.
Classy
It’s a Cubs fan so…
Rick Hahn has a pretty impressive resume as a newer GM
1-He was Kenny Williams assistant GM when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series.
2-As assistant GM, with the qualifications of his Harvard Law degree and Kellogg School of Management MBA, he was mostly responsible for negotiating the team-friendly contract extensions given to Chris Sale and Jose Quintana which netted many of the prospects to launch this long overdue rebuild. As acting GM, Hahn also negotiated contract extension given to Adam Eaton just before the start of the 2015 season, yet another player who’s trade helped jump start the rebuild last December.
3-Hahn had long been considered a top GM candidates well before his promotion to the job with the White Sox in 2013. He turned down prior opportunities with the Cardinals, Pirates and Mariners as White Sox assistant GM.
4-Similar to Theo Epstein with the Red Sox, Hahn grew up as a die-hard White Sox fan in the Chicago North Shore suburb of Winnetka. Like Epstein, he worked his way through college and eventually achieved his dream job of running his favorite baseball team.
Hahn has already earned a World Series ring as an assistant, now his goal will be to repeat that as GM. He’s off to a rousing start with the current rebuild, a plan that he devised as GM last summer, one he was able to implement after convincing owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Executive VP Williams of it’s merit. I wouldn’t bet against Hahn to secure another championship on the South Side of Chicago.
God of rebuilding? Sorry you think this was just invented? Been done 100 times
And they have not done the “built” it part from the re-build. They got the prospects. That is step one. Nice job on step one but will it work
That’s because the Sox had elite players to trade. It’s alarming that they couldn’t put it together as a team. When you have a Sale, Quintana, Eaton, Abreu, Robertson, Frasier, etc. and you still can’t win, that says a lot.
It’s says Robin Ventura was your manager, enough said
Yup. Also, Frazier was pretty mediocre his entire time in Chicago, so I wouldn’t put him on that list.
They also had giant holes at C, 2B, SS, CF, RF, and DH the majority of that time. And the owner wouldn’t spend enough to fill those holes with high end talent. They basically had to grab bottom-to-middle tier free agents on the cheap for all those positions and hope for career years.
So he is the god of rebuilding but sux at filling out a roster that contains elite talent. Which is also part of GM job. Also, player development is huge! Reminds me more of the Marlins from a couple years ago. Remember seeing a debate of who between Astros and Marlins had better future and lots of people picked Marlins. Astros have developed many high ceiling guys over the years to succeed that were not top prospects. Guys like Chris Devenski. I think White Sox have done a fabulous job rebuilding but i would not high five until there are results.
Yes, he struggled to fill out a roster while being handcuffed by the owner.
Funny how these guys are looked at as “elite talents” now that they aren’t with the Sox. When they were all in trade talks, all we heard about is how these players weren’t that good and not worth giving up top prospects for. Eaton was a slightly above average outfielder. Quintana was a middle of the rotation arm. Kahnle was too unproven to bring back anything of real value. Frazier, Melky, and Robertson were nothing but salary dumps. Even Sale wasn’t “worth” multiple top prospects according to many on this site. Funny how that works.
Good point and valid comparison between the Stros and Marlins. Houston is excelling precisely because of guys like Marwin Gonzalez. Yes, time will tell, but think Hahn is already making major strides to build up system depth and identify the “rest of the roster”. Essentially, the remainder of 17 and 18 will be an open audition. Will be a big difference to see the likes of Tilson, Engle, Leury Garcia, Hanson, brother Gillaspie, and the kid from the Brewers filling potential reserve roles once the franchise core is ready. A far cry from the embarrassment of having an owie and having to reach down for your random rogues’ gallery of Shuck,, Phegley, Morel and Danks.
2 things led to the sox run of mediocrity: Robin Ventura and Reinsdorf’s unwillingness to open his pocketbook in the offseason, thus resulting in bargain bin free agent shopping like Rollins, Avila, Navarro, etc.
lol remember jordan danks? Geez he was the symbol of the sox miserable depth
Yeah, phase one of the rebuild has gone great. Phase two is the development of Moncada, Jimenez, Rutherford, and the pitchers. You’re not the god of rebuilding until the young players you get turn into a good major league team, and a whole lot has to go right for the Sox to get there from here.
Dave Dombrowski was given a sell order by Marlins ownership, and did not have the leverage Hahn has had. He turned the sell off into a 2nd WS. So far, the white Sox are still in last place. I think your proclamation is a bit premature.
What Hahn has done that really hasn’t been done before is have so many “team friendly” contracts that when the sell order came he could reap so much return, most GMs have to draft and develop which the sox haven’t been the best at but here’s another way to skin a goat
Yes, and it was Rick Hahn who was mostly responsible for negotiating those contract extensions on behalf of the organization as the White Sox GM and assistant GM the past decade.
The “sell order” came only after GM Hahn devised the rebuild plan last summer and then convinced his owner (Jerry Reinsdorf) and boss (Kenny Williams) to let him implement it.
IMO convincing both reinsdorf and Williams to rebuild is an amazing accomplishment in its own right
I love when a trade happens that you have heard no rumors about
It’s definitely nice to be surprised like this
Been rumored locally in KC for a few days.
It’s no coincidence when it comes to the White Sox front office. They rarely leak information unless it’s done for a strategic advantage. While there had been numerous rumors surrounding Jose Quintana in the past year, few if any had him going to the rival Cubs.
Even last December, most speculation had Chris Sale going to the Nationals at the first day of the winter meetings. When everyone woke up the following morning it was the Red Sox who secured him with Adam Eaton going to Washington shortly there after.
The rumors continued all winter with “Q” and David Robertson. Neither wound up with the teams that were most reported to land them.
Everyone expected Hahn to be busy dealing veterans leading up to the trade deadline. How many predictions actually came to pass? ‘Q” didn’t land with the Astros, Yankees or Pirates, Robertson never went to the Nats. Frazier never made his way to Boston. Who called the Swarzak deal to Milwaukee? The only thing most pundits agreed on with Melky Cabrera was that there was virtually no market for him yet Hahn found one…and with a division rival no less!
niceee lol i see you royals
Man the White Sox aren’t half assing this rebuild
Surprised the Sox didn’t take KC’s top prospects for him
for a rental that plays sub-par defense?
Sarcasm dude
Yea sure. Ok so K.C. Offered their top prospects and Hahn said no thanks? Come on dude. Melky is not getting top prospects.
It wasn’t a serious comment. He was jabbing at the notion that Hahn has been fleecing team for their top talent.
I can still see Melky in a NYY uniform …
Running backward – only to have the ball land behind him, because he thought he was faster than he was….time & time again …
…and also those strong throws to the plate – waaaay up the first base line…time after time …
He’s a DH….pathetic fielder.
Fair trade, guessing Melky turns Gordon into a very expensive 4th OF now, being that Moss has been hitting really well in the second half.
No – the Royals see Gordon’s defense as just too valuable to them for him to spend much time on the bench. Plus he’s been contributing more offensively the last few weeks (although that didn’t take much).
Now that Cabrera, Robertson, Frazier, etc. are gone Hahn can keep it moving
Nice addition to the royals and Chicago continues to add prospect after prospect… anyone have an idea if Jose Abreu is being marketed? You gotta love this site there on top of everything and continue to be my go to for all baseball rumors and information. Wonderful job done by all there writers on a daily basis. Thank you!
Yes, I strongly agree with this sentiment. Easily my fave baseball-related site.
I finally registered today but have been using for last 3-4 years or so.. I know so many people that use other sites and never hear of half the information and the chats etc are really good and always very well written and unbiased which is how it should be.
Who the heck is Jose Avery
Sorry spell check changed it..Jose Abreu
Sorry just did not know who Avery was
Abreu isn’t being marketed. That being said, if someone came in with a great offer, I’m sure Hahn would take it.
Thank you.. I recall hearing that awhile ago figured he could bring back a nice package and would make for a nice fit on a lot of clubs so maybe someone overwhelms them at some point maybe in the off season.
Again the important part of this is we are getting closer to the number 1 pick in next summers very strong class. Melky was hitting to good and Hanh didn’t want him messing up that part of the plan
If only the sox knew how to develop offensive talent…
This is a real concern and anyone who doesn’t see that doesn’t watch Sox games. We’ll be dealing with a higher level of talent soon, but it’s absolutely on the organization to prove they can develop hitters.
This comment hits it on the head. There’s a lot of discussion of the White Sox farm system, rebuild, and future potential. But at the core, the White Sox have been terrible at developing (and scouting) young hitters. A restocked system is great, but the Sox need to be able to translate that talent into quality MLB players.
To Hahn’s credit, he’s replaced the directors of scouting and player development and seems actively involved in the improvement of both. The Sox have drafted better and smarter since Hostetler took over as the scouting director for the 2016 draft. There’s more of a focus on polished talents and college players than toolsy, but unrefined, types. The jury’s still out on Chris Getz, who became director of player development after the 2016 season. His stated philosophy and approach to development appear sound, but he also seems a bit green (only 33) and fixing the development network will likely take time.
Does every trade have to start off with the comment “wow didn’t see that coming”? Of course you didn’t!! To many MLB The Show trades proposed lol
From the trade of sale to the trade of melky, a tip of the cap to Rick Hahn on an outstanding rebuild.
Love it! We don’t hit lefties well and he will spot Gordon against them and split with Moss at DH. Makes sense!
Excellent, now the Chisox will start a Garcia at every outfield position…..brilliant.
Someone will have to beat out Engel!
Decent bat, amazing WebDev skills.
Man, I’m a Tigers fan and I’m seriously envious of all the young talent the White Sox have acquired. The Tigers definitely waited a few years too late. *sighs*
The Tigers are in a terrible spot. Not good enough to compete, bunch of bad contracts, bad farm. Gonna be rough
It’s gonna be a long few ye…decade.
That wraps it up for the White Sox. I don’t see anyone springing for the remaining turd sandwiches on their roster. Gonzalez or Holland? Lol. Too bad Avisail Garcia is ailing. They should move him asap in the offseason while his numbers look serviceable and they can still fool somebody.
Nobody is going to give more than a couple average prospects for him because he doesn’t have the track record. With his age and contract status, they’re better off keeping him until at least next year’s deadline and hoping that what he’s doing this year is for real. If it is, he’ll have a year and a half track record of strong performance, and then he can be moved for better prospects or kept for the long run.
Even then, he might not draw much interest. Not many hitters were moved this time around because it seems most contenders are content with the offense they have. Lucroy, Frazier, Avila, and now Melky have been traded, but that’s nothing compared to the pitchers that have been dealt.
Rebuild on paper looks good/all in favor for years. Anderson and Rodon are very underwhelming as so-called young building blocks. Early mild concern that Moncada hasn’t shown more at the plate in his 2 abbreviated stints (Boston and now). Hope he starts to click bc nothing to prove in minors.
Sox “40 man roster” at 35 now!
That should motivate some Sox minor leaguers to step it up!
Sox need to be careful about adding to the 40 man. Will be facing a roster crunch heading into the rule 5 this year.
Well another trade candidate the Pirates won’t get. Bums!
This is going to make for some interesting lineups for K-City.
Puckett is now ranked #25 in the Sox top 30
I know the Royals (and most of their fans) are irrational when it comes to Alcides Escobar, but they really need to do something about the SS position. He’s on pace to have one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB in the last 15 years. And his defense and base-running certainly don’t justify it.
While he is having his worst season, over the last two months he’s raised his average over 50 points and is getting some quality at-bats now that his confidence is back. That being said I doubt they try too keep him after this season.
Hilarious reading some of the comments on the Sox Facebook page about these trades. Seems like half the people don’t understand what a rebuild is.
may I recommend SouthSideSox.
Facebook is a cesspool of dour know-nothings.
Am I mistaken, or is this an arguably better package than the Tigers got for JD Martinez?
I get the Tigers got salary relief for Martinez as well (about 2.5 million more than the Sox). I’m just surprised that the payouts were so similar. Really shows the difference between Hahn and Avila I suppose.
Good trade for both sides. Nice to not hear Royals fans whining about giving up too much or how they’re too good of prospects etc. Pretty good chance Melky would have taken the qualifying offer if not moved as well. Dudes not great but still a good ballplayer and fun to watch. Glad he’s on a team with playoff chances. Been a long time since the Sox traded within the division.
They have great prospects, but they only one developed player on the team and to me it is going to take moncanda 2 or 3 years to become a contender. It might also take 4 years to become a all-star.
Melky is fun to watch; really ungraceful but he plays hard 100% of the time and looks like he’s having fun. I’ll miss him on the Sox. Hope he helps the Royals knock off the Indians and Twins
Rick Hahn,
I don’t want to come across like this was a mistake, I mean, you know the numbers better than me. But Melky was a heart player on this team, and we’re already going through some tough times in the clubhouse and in the stands watching players we really enjoy disappear.
Many Sox fans, few represented here, were disappointed by the trade of Quintana, Frazier, Robertson and now Melky. And sites like these mostly represent a money-game, dump the bum attitude type of crowd, and a lot of these people here haven’t come to terms with the fact that rooting for intentionally losing is for losers. Not all, but many posters here won’t admit to themselves that they have lost their edge, glimmer of light, or any sense of a soul. All that’s left are their spreadsheets and chortling opinions. It makes me sad for them.
Now, I understand we received a lot in return for all these trades, but the MEN we’ve given up have had lasting impressions on both their current teammates and solid White Sox fans. Please, consider getting Melky back. There are tens of thousands of us fans who love him.
Done being condescending yet? I’m among those rooting for the Sox to lose because I actually enjoy watching them more when they’re playing for something rather than another season of hoping to finish right around .500. They were going nowhere, and they did something about it. Losing hard now gets us better draft picks and trading away everybody gets us stacked for the future. I have nothing against Melky and if they bring him back, fine, but he’s going to have to DH in a couple years as the OF prospects come up. And who’s to say the kids brought back in those trades won’t have an equal or greater effect on their teammates in a few years?
Yeah, we’re good. All this talk about arranging your team for a better draft pick is just sad though. I don’t care what anyone says, there’s no strategy in losing. And I’m saying this because the White Sox fans are not like the north siders getting the wool pulled over there eyes. It’s not happening down here. You wanna claim Theo the man? I don’t. I will never. Cornering the market on hitters, everyone saying he’s a genius. Everyone knows what the cubs did, but because they won the world series it’s smart? You know what they did. And so does every NL team out there at least. We all know what they did…