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This is unfamiliar terrain for the Detroit Tigers.

The club has enjoyed a smooth ride for nearly a decade. From 2006-14, the Tigers averaged nearly 88 wins per season, captured four Central Division championships and made two World Series appearances.

It’s been a different narrative in 2015.

After jumping out to a scorching 12-3 record to start the season, the seemingly effortless ride has been derailed by pothole after pothole. Calling the Tigers’ season a struggle is an understatement. It’s been a disastrous journey for a team with World Series expectations.

Prior to the trade deadline, the road ahead was foggy. The club was bogged down by expensive contracts, aging veterans, a poor farm system and more questions than answers. After necessary maneuvering, the organization seems poised to travel less bumpy roads in 2016 and beyond.

General manager Dave Dombrowski was at a crossroads. The long-time executive was in a difficult position. On one hand, his club sat just 3.5 games behind the second wild-card spot and hardly out of the playoff race. On the other hand, the Tigers hadn’t put together a three-game win streak since early June and continued to struggle against the American League’s bottom feeders.

Dombrowski continued to wait.

Just four days before the deadline, his club sat four games under .500, trailed the Kansas City Royals by double digits in the standings and just got blown out by the Tampa Bay Rays in a game started by David Price.

A decision was needed. Buy or sell?

With owner Mike Ilitch desperate to bring a World Series title to Detroit and Dombrowski operating on an expiring contract, it would’ve been easy to try to salvage a fading season by further depleting an already-vacant farm system and attempt to win as many games as possible.

Multiple news outlets reported the organization was leaning toward making a push for the 2015 postseason.

Three days before the deadline, Jayson Stark of ESPN tweeted out that other teams were told the Tigers weren’t selling.

Still, Dombrowski realized his club was riding on a flat tire with no spare in the trunk. Acknowledging the Tigers’ season was over before the calendar flipped to August was a tough sell. Waving the white flag wasn’t easy for an organization with a heavy payroll.

Yet it became evident things weren’t turning around. The team is plagued by inconsistent offense and mediocre pitching. The Tigers fearsome lineup has a knack for hitting into double plays and stranding baserunners. According to MLB.com, the bullpen and starting rotation rank among the worst in baseball with a 4.30 ERA and 4.45 ERA, respectively.

Unlike some teams currently in the wild-card chase, simply qualifying for the playoffs isn’t the Tigers’ goal. The organization’s sole focus is winning a World Series championship.

Dombrowski told Chris McCosky of The Detroit News that his decision to sell stemmed from his belief the Tigers weren’t equipped to challenge for a World Series title this year.

We’ve won the division four years in a row but, however you would like to say it, unless you are in a position to win a world championship—that’s where we are at this time. In my heart, I didn’t think we were there with the club.

The Tigers’ trade chest was stacked with tremendous pieces to sell: David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Joakim Soria. The three represented arguably the best starter, hitter and reliever available on the trade market.

With Price, there was no indication a contract extension was imminent and most analysts expected him to join a different organization in the winter. With playoff hopes dim, the Tigers couldn’t afford letting a premier pitcher walk away for nothing more than a compensatory draft pick.

The fear of losing Price to free agency was confirmed by Dombrowski when he told Chris Iott of MLive Media Group that negotiations were far apart.

We like David. We said we wouldn’t discuss it publicly as far as dollars. But we did approach him at that point. It just was not really where we wanted to go from a financial perspective.

Less than 24 hours after informing other teams that Price was on the market, Dombrowski agreed to a deal that sent the left-hander to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt.

The trio represents a major haul for Dombrowski, especially Norris, who ranked as the Blue Jays’ top prospect by Baseball America.

Next, the front office flipped Soria to the Pittsburgh Pirates for shortstop JaCoby Jones. Then, minutes before the deadline, Dombrowski sent Cespedes to the New York Mets in exchange for Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa.

All six prospects immediately filled the Tigers’ top 15 list by MLB Pipeline.

The Tigers received favorable reviews from most media outlets with Jim Bowden of ESPN leading the praise for Dombrowski.

Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer are can’t-miss rotation starters, while Matt Boyd, Jairo Labourt and Luis Cessa all have good arms. Taking advantage of the Pirates’ minor league depth at shortstop to grab JaCoby Jones was also a shrewd move.

With $110 million invested in just five players for 2016, adding young, inexpensive talent was necessary. Norris, Fulmer and Boyd are expected to compete for rotation spots next season, while Labourt and Cessa project as bullpen arms.

Dombrowski told Iott the trades put the organization in a better position moving forward.

We have traded so many guys in the past. Ideally, you don’t want to be in this position, but based on where we were, we think this gives us an influx of guys who can help us going into next year. It puts us in a good spot going into next year.

The departure of its soon-to-be free agents gives the Tigers an estimated $46 million in payroll flexibility heading into the offseason.

Adding a veteran starter and bullpen arms are the top items on Dombrowski’s to-do list. He confirmed to Iott the organization is still committed to winning in 2016.

Our starting pitching will need to be addressed in the wintertime. But I assure you that our goal going into next year will be to try to win a world championship.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted the club is expected to pursue Cespedes on the free-agent market and the interest is mutual.

A few potential impact free-agent signings—mixed with the recent youth infusion to go along with an already-promising core—indicates the future is bright in Detroit.

For the Tigers, the road ahead is clearer today than it was last week. Dombrowski is working to ensure the Tigers experience a smoother ride in 2016.

Follow Chris Hauler on Twitter

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First, Yan Gomes went down less than a week into the new season, which put the Cleveland Indians behind the eightball. Now, the team will have to deal with the absence of Jason Kipnis.

Continue for updates.    

Kipnis Headed to Disabled List

Monday, Aug. 3

According to Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Paul Hoynes, Kipnis is suffering from a sore right shoulder, and Jose Ramirez will replace him on the active roster.

Expectations were high for the Indians in 2015. Sports Illustrated chose Cleveland to win the World Series, which many fans saw as the kiss of death after SI‘s now-infamous cover singing the praises of a team that would go on to finish 73-89 in 1987:

The Indians have suffered from myriad problems this year. The offense hasn’t quite clicked, and the defense has been almost an entirely new brand of awful.

Kipnis has been one of the few constants. He hit a scorching .429 in May with four home runs and 17 runs batted in and followed it up by hitting .358 in June. As a result, the 28-year-old has been the most valuable second baseman in baseball, per FanGraphs.

Taking Kipnis’ bat out of the lineup obviously hurts Cleveland, but in truth, the Indians might have been doomed even before this injury. Their playoff odds weren’t exactly high heading into Monday—5.8 percent, according to Baseball Prospectus.

Losing Kipnis for a prolonged period may be the final nail in the coffin for their postseason hopes.

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson isn’t the only one in his family playing a sport professionally at the top level.

His younger brother, Trayce Thompson, was recalled by the Chicago White Sox on Monday, per the team’s official Twitter account. It’s the young outfielder’s first stint in the major leagues, according to Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM.

Thompson, 24, was hitting .260 with 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 53 runs in 104 games with Triple-A Charlotte this season, per Baseball-Reference.com. The 2009 second-round pick boasts excellent size (6’3″, 210 lbs), elite athleticism and has the potential to be a true five-tool player at the next level.

Per MLB.com’s Prospect Watch, he’s the No. 15 prospect in Chicago’s system.

And if he lives up to that potential, he could erase the “Klay’s younger brother” tag that always accompanies his name.

He’ll be given the chance to prove himself over the duration of the season and, given his upside, could end up sticking with the White Sox. For the son of a basketball player—his father, Mychal Thompson, played in the league—and the younger brother of two Thompsons who played in the NBA (Klay, 25, and Mychel, 27), that’s the expectation.  

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This is what you call a snowball. Or at this point it might seem more like Murphy’s Law trying to take effect on the Detroit Tigers, because anything that can seemingly go wrong is creeping around the team right now.

The Tigers have now won two in a row after Saturday’s 8-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays. But that is coming off being swept at home by the Pittsburgh Pirates and, even worse, Saturday’s news that the best hitter in the game has a severe calf strain.

Miguel Cabrera, who leads the American League in several offensive categories, was pulled from Friday’s game in the fourth inning. After being evaluated, the Tigers announced a Grade 3 left calf strain for the MVP candidate, putting him on the disabled list for the first time in his magnificent career and on the shelf for six weeks.

“When you lose the best hitter on the planet it’s a huge blow,” manager Brad Ausmus told reporters. “We’re going to have to find a way to get it down [sic] without him, at least for the next month and a half or so. We still have a very good offense.” USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale noted losing Cabrera was a “huge blow” for the Tigers:

The #Tigers are dealt huge blow to their AL Central title hopes with Miguel Cabrera out 6 weeks with Grade 3 calf strain. 1st DL stint.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 4, 2015

It is true that the Tigers still have a good lineup. It has scored 15 runs since Cabrera left Friday’s game while running the bases and entered Saturday ranked second in the league in wRC+ (109), wOBA (.328) and third in FanGraphs WAR (13.4). However, the offense has been somewhat inconsistent, showing heavy firepower one day and futility the next far too often. 

Cabrera leads the league in average (.350), OBP (.456), OPS (1.034), wRC+ (184) and wOBA (.436). He has 15 home runs and entered Saturday leading the Tigers with 54 RBI.

He has obviously contributed mightily to steadying the offensive output. Cabrera is as consistent a hitter as you’ll find in the history of the game. Losing him for a significant portion could be devastating for the Tigers, and in a division where they are currently third and a disappointing two games over .500, they cannot afford to be wounded.

“We have to find a way to win without Miggy,” Ausmus told reporters. “Injuries are part of the game, and unfortunately it happened to one of the better players in baseball. It affects us tremendously, but we’re not the first team to have a star player go down.”

But because of who the injury occurred to and where the Tigers stand as an offense and team, Cabrera might be a top-three player whose team can least afford to be without.

So much so that upon news of Cabrera’s DL stint, the Internet flooded with stories of the Tigers’ four-year run as AL Central champs being finished and them going from contender to seller because Cabrera won’t be in the lineup. And, honestly, both storylines have some substance.

The Tigers’ playoff mettle is to be tested in the next few weeks. They travel to Seattle to face that much-improved rotation and then to Minnesota to face a Twins club that sits ahead of them in the Central. They then host the Baltimore Orioles and the Mariners.

At that point, the July 31 trade deadline will be a week away. Decisions will have to be made with conviction.

If the Tigers pass the next three weeks, it makes sense for them to attack the trade market for an arm like Jeff Samardzija or Scott Kazmir. If they fail, it will be brand-new territory for this bunch. Over the previous nine trade deadlines, the Tigers have been above .500, and for the previous six they have bought to improve their postseason chances. If they fail, pieces could be sold.

Six players—David Price, Yoenis Cespedes, Alfredo Simon, Alex Avila, Joakim Soria and Rajai Davis—are pending free agents, and time has likely come and gone to extend any of them beyond this season. That is where the Tigers could start if they decide to sell, which could begin to replenish a farm system that has been virtually nonexistent in recent years.

After it lost Willy Adames and Jake Thompson in the Price and Soria deals last year, respectively, Baseball America rated it the worst in all of baseball entering this season.

That is the unlikely scenario, though.

If the Tigers remain around the .500 mark and within a David Price gem or two of a wild-card berth, they have to keep prying at the window. Cabrera’s eight-year, $248 million extension doesn’t kick in until next year. Justin Verlander is owed $112 million over the next four years. They signed Victor Martinez to a four-year, $68 million deal after last season, and Anibal Sanchez has $37 million remaining over the next two seasons.

Doing a complete teardown with those names and numbers on the books could turn the fanbase against the club and would not sit well with those veterans. And anyway, aside from Price, no one else who would be on the trading block would fetch a nice enough return for the Tigers to execute such a plan.

This is how this will play out: While Cabrera is out, the Tigers will be all in. That might mean making a blockbuster kind of trade sooner than expected, and it definitely means the next three weeks without their best player will define their season.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer decided to have a little fun during his at-bat in the top of the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. 

Gearing up for his third at-bat of the night, Bauer imitated three teammates’ batting stances: Mike Aviles, Jason Kipnis and Ryan Raburn. The announcers were loving the performance and looking forward to each pitch to see what came next. 

The funniest part of all this, Bauer reached first base on a walk, receiving cheers and a big applause from his teammates. The Indians came out on top, defeating the Pirates 5-2. 

[MLB]

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The Toronto Blue Jays have the best offense in MLB by almost any measure, yet they’re stuck in fourth place in the American League East. It doesn’t take a brilliant baseball mind to deduce the problem is pitching, or a lack thereof.

Here, let’s just lay out the numbers: The Jays have scored 447 runs to date, making them the only team in either league to eclipse 400. They also lead the field in slugging percentage and are among the top five clubs in virtually every significant offensive category.

At the same time, Toronto pitchers rank 25th in ERA overall and second-to-last in the AL, ahead of only the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox.

So that’s the windup. Here’s the pitch: On Thursday, CBS Sports‘ Jon Heyman posited a trade that would send Chicago White Sox‘s right-hander Jeff Samardzija north of the border.

Heyman suggested the Jays could ship catching prospect Max Pentecost, whom Toronto took with the 11th overall pick in 2014, to Chicago. 

It’s just a rumor at this point, bordering on pure speculation, but it makes too much sense for the Blue Jays to ignore.

Samardzija, of course, was moved in a trade last season, when the Oakland A’s acquired him from the Chicago Cubs. He pitched well for Oakland and finished the season with a 2.99 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 219.2 innings.

The A’s, however, were dropped in the wild card playoff by the Kansas City Royals before Samardzija could pitch in a postseason game, and Oakland traded him to the White Sox in December.

This time around, his stock isn’t so high. Whereas last season he had a year remaining on his contract, now he’d be a pure rental.

More than that, though, Samardzija’s numbers are down. Way down.

Through 16 starts, he sports an unsightly 4.56 ERA, and he’s coughed up an MLB-leading 123 hits.

Yet, according to Heyman, “scouts still mostly love him, and he should be quite popular,” as the trade deadline creeps closer.

He’s not the only pitcher on the block. Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels’ name keeps popping up, and the last-place A’s may dangle an arm, most likely Scott Kazmir (Heyman has Kazmir going to the Cubs, in a reversal of last year’s Chicago-Oakland, buy-sell scenario).

Because of his pedestrian performance, however, Samardzija could be the best, cheapest option in terms of assets surrendered. 

And he might well benefit from a change of scenery.

True, the AL East features four of the top ten hitters’ yards, according to ESPN’s Park Factors statistic. But there’s something to be said for relocating to a winning clubhouse.

The White Sox, after their much-touted offseason overhaul, have vacillated between bad and dreadful. The Jays, meanwhile, despite their struggles on the hill, are fluttering two games over .500 and within striking distance in baseball’s most wide-open division.

“We still need to make upgrades in the rotation and the bullpen, that goes without saying,” Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos told Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Monday. “I’d love to land both. What we come away with or don’t come away with I have no idea. Clearly we’re looking to be active.”

On Wednesday, Samardzija addressed the possibility of being dealt. 

“We’ve talked previously about what deserves a lunch,” Samardzija said, referring to conversations with his agent, per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune.

“If there ever is a situation when we need to get together to discuss something he has heard, we’ll do that, but at this point that hasn’t happened. I’m just going to continue playing baseball and let him handle that.”

That’s not even close to a trade demand. But it certainly sounds like he’s open to the possibility.

As they search for much-needed pitching help, the Blue Jays should be, too.

All statistics current as of July 3 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has landed on the disabled list with a thumb injury two weeks after he was called up from the minors. 

Continue for updates. 

Buxton Placed on 15-Day DL

Friday, June 26

According to MLB Roster Moves on Twitter, the Twins called up Danny Santana to take Buxton’s spot on the roster:

LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Buxton could miss four to six weeks.

Buxton, who was injured sliding into second base against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, has struggled in his brief big league tenure. The 21-year-old has 15 strikeouts in 37 at-bats with a .189/.231/.270 line. 

Injuries are starting to pile up for Buxton. He played only 31 games last season due to a wrist injury and concussion. He’s still young enough to think these are just fluke incidents, but at some point, it will start to become a concern for the Twins. 

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The air horn prank, as a means of terrifying people, is one of the more reliable scare tactics in the anarchist playbook.

The target is alarmed, no one is punched in the neck (usually) and everyone goes home with a fun, dull ringing in their ears.

Of course, combining the air horn with any other number of surprising elements only adds to the pants-soiling factor, as Minnesota Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado found out after Monday night’s 13-2 evisceration of the Chicago White Sox.

Guardado stepped near his locker after the post-blowout revelry and was quickly blasted across the room by what I can only assume was a Coast Guard-certified air signaler.

Twins pitcher Glen Perkins captured video of the prank. Guardado threw up the Dez Bryant “X” and ran off. He might still be running.

MLB.com’s Michael Clair and Rhett Bollinger hypothesize pitcher Brian Duensing (originator of the locker room air horn prank) was behind the sneak attack.

Pray for Guardado, and pour some out for his collapsed eardrums.

Dan is on Twitter. He learned how to harness the power of the air horn drive-by in high school.

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The Detroit Tigers find themselves mired in mediocrity as the MLB season nears its midway point. At 36-34, Detroit holds the 16th-best record out of 30 teams in the majors.

This is a big underachievement for a perennially contending team.

Not that it is entirely unexpected. Fate has conspired against Detroit in many ways since the end of the 2014 season. Injuries have beset key contributors Justin Verlander and Victor Martinez for extended periods. Also, one of the game’s best pitchers, Max Scherzer, decided to flee the scene last offseason.

Even with these setbacks, the Tigers are still punching well below their weight. Lagging behind eight teams in the American League is unacceptable for a team with the third-highest payroll in the game.

Here’s why they find themselves in their current position…

The offense has not delivered consistently

After finishing second in the AL in runs the past two seasons, Detroit has slid well down the pole in 2015. They currently rank eighth in the league with 4.2 runs per game.

The Tigers are somewhat of an offensive enigma. Despite crossing the plate less frequently, they have still swung the bat well this year. Their batting average (.273) and OPS (.746) are second and third in the league, respectively.

However, Detroit just isn’t getting it done in the clutch.

Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press recently documented the team’s struggles in key spots:

By the stat of WPA Clutch (wins probability added, adjusted for the leverage of the situation), key offensive cogs Yoenis Cespedes, Rajai Davis, Ian Kinsler, Jose Iglesias, Nick Castellanos, James McCann and J.D. Martinez all rank in the negative. Utility man Andrew Romine is clutchest at 0.5. Last year, this was the spot that J.D. Martinez was so stellar, hitting .271 with five homers and 12 RBI in late and close situations. This year, he’s hitting .154, with one RBI, no home runs and nine strikeouts.

The return of Victor Martinez from injury could trigger a turnaround. After the switch-hitter’s recall on June 19, Detroit has scored 25 runs in four games. This includes a season-high 12 runs against the Yankees on Father’s Day with Martinez contributing four RBI.

But can Detroit do it when counts?

The starting pitching is not what it once was

Detroit’s rotation has also slipped this year after being prolific in recent seasons.  In 2014, they ranked first in the AL with a 3.38 Field-Independent Pitching (FIP) mark. This year they languish at 10th with a 4.10 FIP.

Behind David Price (6-2, 2.50 ERA) and Alfredo Simon (7-4, 3.29 ERA), the team is searching for answers.

Justin Verlander was being counted on to provide a lift upon his return from the disabled list earlier this month. So far he has not. In two starts, the righty is 0-1, 6.17 ERA, 4 K, 3 BB.

The Tigers urgently need Verlander to step up and for Anibal Sanchez to continue his recent upward trend—3-2, 2.18 ERA, 37.2 IP in his last five starts. Otherwise, continued mediocrity—as well as every un-hittable outing by Scherzer—will feel like a punch in the gut to Tigers fans.

The bullpen is still flawed

Not so long ago, this looked like a bright spot for Detroit. Apparently, old habits die hard.

With Joakim Soria sitting pretty at 13-for-13 in saves on May 20, the Tigers’ bullpen was at least looking sturdy. Times have changed…

As the closer’s standards have faded, so have the unit’s as a whole. The Detroit relief corps now ranks third-bottom in the majors in FIP (4.24).

We saw the Kansas City Royals ride the success of their bullpen all the way to the Fall Classic last year. Detroit simply must get better in this area to be contenders. The trade market seems like the only solution to their problem.

The defense is genuinely good

There is cause for optimism amid the gloom. After years of being average at best, Detroit can now go get it in the field.

We all know what Jose Iglesias can do, but center fielder Anthony Gose has made some gems, too.

Their presence, along with newcomer Cespedes and the ever-consistent Kinsler, makes the Tigers’ defense one of the best in baseball. According to FanGraphs, they have the fourth-highest total of Defensive Runs Saved (26) in the majors.

All is certainly not lost for Detroit. Even with all their issues, they still maintain a winning record and are only two games back of the playoff places. After dropping back to .500 on June 20, they seemed to draw a line in the sand.

Their journey has only just begun.

All stats in this article are courtesy of FanGraphs

Hit me up n Twitter: @jdunc1979

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Any day you join a club that counts Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez as its only other members is a good day.

On Friday, Chris Sale had a good day, even if his Chicago White Sox decidedly did not.

By punching out 14 Texas Rangers, Sale became just the third pitcher in baseball history to record at least 12 strikeouts in five consecutive starts. Johnson did it in 1998 and Martinez in 1999, MLB.com‘s Greg Garno and Scott Merkin noted, and they both have a bust in Cooperstown. 

Sale flirted with history of another kind, retiring the first 17 hitters he faced, and wound up nailing down eight frames of two-hit, shutout ball.

His dominance, though, went for naught, as Texas plated a pair of runs in the ninth off Chicago closer David Robertson and walked away with an improbable 2-1 victory.

With the loss, the White Sox fell 10 games below .500 and cemented their status as cellar-dwellers in the American League Central. 

That’s a shame, because the ace of their staff is pitching like a guy who deserves to start the All-Star Game, as ESPN’s Keith Law opined:

How good has Sale been? Since May 12, he’s pitched into the seventh inning in every start and has gotten through the eighth five times. During that span, he’s racked up 93 strikeouts while walking just 10 and surrendering a scant nine earned runs.

Even after missing time early with a foot injury suffered while unloading his truck in the spring, Sale now leads the AL with 119 strikeouts. Sonny Gray is having a fine season with the Oakland A’s, and Dallas Keuchel and Chris Archer are breaking out for the first place Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. 

At the moment, Sale might be the best of the bunch.

This is nothing new, of course. The 26-year-old southpaw eclipsed the 200-strikeout plateau in each of the last two seasons and, not coincidentally, finished among the top five in American League Cy Young balloting.

If he keeps dealing like he has been, Sale could get over the hump and win the award, though he won’t get support from voters who unfairly penalize players for their teams’ poor performance. 

After Friday’s wasted gem, Sale was asked about the lack of run support and deflected the question, per David Just of the Chicago Sun-Times: 

That’s kind of a crappy question to ask, really. You think I’m gonna say something bad about one of my teammates, you’re dead wrong. We have a bunch of fighters in here. We have guys that come in here every single day and play as hard as they can, plain and simple.

Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Tonight it didn’t, and it hasn’t for a few games. But that doesn’t mean that we’re doing anything different or going to point a finger at anybody.

Kudos to Sale for refusing to throw anyone under the bus. Let’s face facts, though: Chicago’s issues go a lot deeper than “a few games.” A team that added flashy pieces in the offseason and was a trendy pick to win the division has vacillated between listless and downright awful.

There’s still time to right the ship, but with the defending AL champion Kansas City Royals leading the pack (and crashing the All-Star ballot) and the powerful Detroit Tigers and surprise Minnesota Twins also in the mix, the White Sox’s prospects are as bleak as the South Side sky in late December. 

Consider Sale a ray of sunshine. Even if the Sox go nowhere in 2015, they’ve got their stud signed through the 2019 campaign. And with the way he’s been throwing, he’s a foundation worth building on, one of the very best arms in an era bursting with elite hurlers. 

Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Chris Sale—has a nice ring, doesn’t it?

All statistics current as of June 19 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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