The Chicago White Sox weren’t done dealing when they announced they traded pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Chicago sent outfielder Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals in exchange for pitchers Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez.
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports confirmed the deal.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Chicago was looking at Giolito’s medical records before completing the trade because he underwent Tommy John surgery in the past.
Eaton is the trade’s headliner as the established major league contributor. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012 and 2013 before joining the White Sox for the last three seasons.
Eaton appeared in a career-high 157 games in 2016, slashing .284/.362/.428 with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases in his third straight productive year for Chicago:
He also provided a stellar glove in right field, where he was responsible for 22 total defensive runs saved above average in 980.1 innings in 2016, per FanGraphs.
According to Sports Illustrated, Eaton’s 15.4 WAR over the last three seasons ranked behind only those of Mike Trout (27.8), Mookie Betts (17.6) and Kevin Kiermaier (16.4).
Sports Illustrated also noted he is under team control through 2021, and Steve Adams and Charlie Wilmoth of MLB Trade Rumors called his contract “wildly affordable” with two club options on top of three guaranteed years at just $19.9 million.
“This deal is built around asset allocation,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters. “Adam Eaton is a heck of a player with long-term control and [a] favorable contract.”
Eaton can play center field for the Nationals in 2017 but may eventually move over to right if Jayson Werth leaves in free agency next offseason.
“We need guys that come to play every day,” Nationals manager Dusty baker told reporters regarding Eaton. “This guy’s not afraid to get dirty.”
Superstar Bryce Harper seemed initially shocked by the trade but then welcomed Eaton to the team:
Washington landed a talented outfielder, but Rosenthal illustrated it still needs more pieces:
“You’ve got to give to get,” Rizzo told reporters regarding the package the Nationals parted with. “And we certainly got what we wanted in Adam Eaton.”
Rizzo also said the Nationals were dealing from a “position of depth” in that the 2016 starting rotation remains in tact.
As for the White Sox, the rebuild is underway. They landed Yoan Moncada—whom MLB.com listed as the best prospect in baseball—Michael Kopech, Luis Basabe and Victor Diaz in the Sale swap.
“This is going to be an extended process,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters. “This is going to take some time.”
Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine noted a rival executive said “They’re kicking some butt,” when discussing Chicago. Bob Nightengale of USA Today even talked to “several scouts and executives” who said they thought the White Sox did better in the deal with the Nationals than Tuesday’s with the Red Sox.
“Our expectations were high in these moves,” Hahn told reporters. “We expected to get strong returns for Chris and Adam.”
Hahn also said there were “mixed emotions” in the deal but noted the club was “ecstatic” about the return.
MLB.com rated Giolito and Lopez as the third- and 38th-best prospects, respectively, in its 2016 rankings, noting that “Giolito has the highest ceiling among minor league pitchers, boasting an elite fastball that sits mid- to upper-90s and a 12-to-6 curveball that he throws with power and hard, downer action.”
He made six appearances and four starts at the major league level in 2016, posting a 6.75 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
“The analytical side of it was very, very positive,” Rizzo told reporters regarding the decision to part with Giolito.
Following the trade, Giolito commented on the deal in a Twitter post:
Lopez pitched in 11 games for Washington in 2016, finishing with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 44 innings. He started six games but is also capable of coming out of the bullpen.
Dunning was not as highly regarded as the other two, but MLB.com ranked the 2016 first-round draft pick as Washington’s sixth-best prospect in its farm system.
The White Sox went 78-84 in 2016 and could be in for a couple of rebuilding seasons after shipping out their ace and a productive right fielder, but the future looks bright after their headlining moves at the winter meetings.
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