For weeks, we’ve all been asking whether the New York Yankees would sell.
Turns out the Sale we should have been focused on is Chris, as in Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, as in the pitcher who could energize this July trade market.
If a team gets (or misses out on) Aroldis Chapman, it could be season-changing.
If a team gets Sale, it could change this season, next season and maybe every season left in this decade.
Too dramatic? Not really, given Sale’s age (27), stats (71-43 in his career, with a 2.95 ERA and sabermetric numbers to match) and contract (under control through 2019 with a salary that rises from $9.15 million to just $15 million). He’s also reliable (on track to top 200 innings for the third time in four years), he’s made five straight All-Star teams (he started the game this year), and he has received Cy Young votes every year since he became a starter in 2012.
He’s so good and so valuable you can ask why the White Sox would ever want to trade him. The answer is they don’t really want to, which is another reason this is so fascinating.
To get him, it’s going to take a massive trade, with huge names going back the other way. After Jon Heyman reported on Today’s Knuckleball that the White Sox are taking phone calls and at least listening on Sale and fellow top starter Jose Quintana, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com tweeted this:
That’s Joey Gallo, the power-hitting third baseman ranked by MLB.com as the seventh-best prospect in all of baseball, and Jurickson Profar, who was once the top prospect in the game and now plays all over the infield for the Rangers.
You can bet the asking price will be similar for any other interested team. Perhaps that means Yoan Moncada from the Boston Red Sox or Julio Urias from the Los Angeles Dodgers or Alex Bregman from the Houston Astros.
The Astros haven’t yet been mentioned as a Sale suitor, but given their depth of talent and their need for a top starter, it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t be interested.
Any of those teams could put together a tempting offer, now that the White Sox have said they’re prepared to make moves. As general manager Rick Hahn told reporters, including Brian Hedger of MLB.com, the White Sox are “mired in mediocrity,” even with Sale and Quintana atop the rotation.
One baseball official with White Sox connections expressed doubt Friday evening that owner Jerry Reinsdorf would ultimately approve of trading Sale. But if the return is good enough, especially if it includes players who are big league-ready, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t be tempted.
The White Sox have other players they could deal, and adding closer David Robertson could make it easier for a team to justify losing top prospects. Almost every team looking for a starter could use a back-end reliever, as well.
Here’s a look at what seem to be the three best fits:
Boston Red Sox
Heyman reported Friday they’ve already checked in with the White Sox, which is hardly a surprise. General manager Dave Dombrowski is well-known for his talent-for-talent philosophy, meaning he won’t hesitate to trade top prospects if the return is good enough.
The Red Sox have scored the most runs in the majors, and they’re extremely deep in young talent. But even after trades this month for starter Drew Pomeranz and reliever Brad Ziegler, they still could use another top-line starter.
With their young lineup, and with Sale and David Price atop the rotation, they might be in position to dominate the American League East—or the entire American League—for years.
Like Dombrowski, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels has shown willingness to pull the trigger on big deals. The Rangers added Cliff Lee in 2010 and Cole Hamels last year, and Daniels told reporters, including Sullivan of MLB.com, he’s focused on pitching again.
Yu Darvish has come back from Tommy John surgery and then from a month on the disabled list with shoulder trouble, but he showed again Friday night that his command isn’t back yet.
The Rangers lost 3-1 to the Kansas City Royals—their 15th loss in the last 19 games. Once 10 games up in the American League West, they now lead the Astros by just 2.5 games.
Put Sale with Hamels atop the rotation, and they could be the team that dominates. Put Sale with Hamels and Darvish atop next year’s rotation, and they might be the World Series favorite.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Are they really ready to make the type of big trade they stayed away from last July? We’ll see, but Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweeted earlier in the week that they’re “Big Game Hunting” this month.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com connected them to Chris Archer—a natural fit given Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s history with the Tampa Bay Rays. But as good as Archer could be, he hasn’t accomplished nearly what Sale has (and is actually older than Sale).
The Dodgers had big uncertainty in their rotation even before Clayton Kershaw went on the disabled list with back trouble. Sale would give them a true ace while Kershaw is out, and a great one-two with Kershaw going forward.
There are other teams looking for starting pitching, including the Astros, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers. The Astros probably have enough available talent to make a play, while the other three may not.
Just remember, we’ve already seen how quickly things can change in July. The Yankees have won five of their last six games, throwing more doubt on whether they’ll trade Chapman, Andrew Miller or others.
Who knows? If they win a few more games, maybe instead of selling, they’ll be the team trying to trade for Chris Sale.
Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.
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