MLB: Five Trades That Need to Happen This Offseason
The Chicago White Sox are at a crossroads after wrapping up their fourth straight losing season on the south side of Chicago. This October they watched the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years, and in the process the entire media landscape seemingly forgot that the White Sox had won the World Series in 2005. The Cubs are the talk of the town, while the White Sox haven’t made the playoffs in a while, made a managerial change, and general manager Rick Hahn has hinted that the team will begin to rebuild this winter on multiple occasions.
Oh, and by the way, they hold the most valuable trade piece on the market, Chris Sale. The All-Star southpaw is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, and boasts a team-friendly deal that runs for three more seasons, making him ultra enticing to teams in need of starting pitching. The Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers have all been mentioned in Sale discussions. You could even throw the New York Yankees in the mix with the depth of their farm system now.
The White Sox like what the Red Sox have to offer, but president Dave Dombrowski his playing his cards close to his chest on what exactly he is willing to send back in return for Sale. I’m going to go against the grain with this one; here’s what I want to see happen.
The New York Yankees, who after last season’s moves have one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball, and still made a run at a playoffs even after trading Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, get an ace for the front of their starting rotation. The Yankees are making their way back into relevance, with a young competitive roster and a deep system to make a move like snagging Chris Sale to lead their pitching staff. They also get a power bat at the third base position in Todd Frazier, who sweetens the deal enough to allow the Yankees to send an excellent prospect package back to the White Sox featuring four top-ten prospects in their deep farm system.
The White Sox get a package headlined by ex-Indians top pick Clint Frazier, who will fill the White Sox center field need sooner rather than later. Frazier is the Yankees’ top rated prospect, and 15th in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Frazier’s bat speed and raw power have him projected to have an All-Star caliber ceiling in the majors, and he is among the best in the minor leagues right now.
Todd Frazier will be eligible for free agency after the 2017 season. I’m a huge fan of Frazier so this pains me, but he will be 32 years old and expensive. Miguel Andujar is the Yankees’ seventh rated prospect, and boasts a plus rated arm at third base but needs to become more consistent with his glove. Andujar hit .273 with 12 HR and 83 RBI in 2016 in the Yankees system, and possesses great bat speed, well above average power, and a keen ability to make solid contact with breaking balls. Andujar is thought to be major league ready sometime in 2018.
The White Sox also receive a pair of right-handed starting pitchers in the form of Domingo Acevedo and Dillon Tate, the Yankees eighth and tenth rated prospects overall, respectively. Acevedo is a 6-foot-7 right-hander listed at 190 pounds, who boasts a 96-100 mile per hour fastball, and is seen as a front end starter at the major league level around the 2018 season.
Dillon Tate was a name that the Rangers were floating around in a Chris Sale deal last July. Most scouts believe that Tate can dominate hitters with his lively fastball that clocks in at 92-98 miles per hour, coupled with a sharp 85-89 miles per hour slider. Like Andujar and Acevedo, Tate is beveled to be major league ready sooner rather than later.