The Chris Sale effect: How his trade impacts the Red Sox, White Sox and others
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Chris Sale is 27 years old, averages 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings and will make an average of just $17.1 million over the next three seasons. Little wonder, then, that he was at the center of so much trade speculation once the Chicago White Sox deemed it wise to deal him.
After Sale’s trade Tuesday from Chicago to the Boston Red Sox for a four-prospect package, the ripple effects will be felt far beyond this week’s winter meetings.
Red Sox acquire Chris Sale in blockbuster trade with White Sox
A look at the many affected parties:
Red Sox: A rotation topped by three pitchers with a combined nine top six Cy Young Award finishes, including the 2016 winner in Rick Porcello and the fifth-place finisher in Sale? That will play. Oh, and Sale is 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA in 10 career games against the New York Yankees. David Price, signed to a $217 million deal before 2016, now may be the third-best starter in his own rotation. Either way, P-S-P suddenly shapes up as the most dominant troika in the AL. And the Red Sox can look to deal back-end starters in their rotation for additional depth.
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Sale came at a cost, but not a devastating one. Yoan Moncada would have figured in their infield plans almost immediately, and Michael Kopech is a potential ace with a 100-mph fastball. Those losses will hurt.
"If he's not a tremendous player," club president Dave Dombrowski said of Moncada, "I'll be very surprised."
But the rotation is galvanized without sacrificing outfielder Andrew Benintendi, a significant win. But Dombrowski already sacrificed right-hander Anderson Espinoza in July to land Drew Pomeranz. At some point, he’ll have to moderate his trigger-finger purging of prospects. For now, though, Sale’s youth and contract make this palatable.
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White Sox: The Sale is only just beginning. Third baseman Todd Frazier? Lefty Jose Quintana? Outfielder Adam Eaton? Closer David Robertson? The White Sox have stumbled into a major rebuild, with shortstop Tim Anderson and lefty Carlos Rodon likely the only untouchables. GM Rick Hahn’s moment to franchise build has arrived, and it behooves the club to maximize their returns.
In Moncada, the White Sox get what other trade packages lacked: A potential everyday impact player. They may look to start him in the minor leagues for service-time considerations, but he should be bringing his considerable thump to Guaranteed Rate Field by midsummer at the latest. Kopech is further away, but a darling of rival evaluators.
"It's much more important to do it right," Hahn said Tuesday, "than to do it quickly."
Nationals: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The Nationals made an aggressive run at Sale, eyeing a Max Scherzer-Sale-Stephen Strasburg trio much like the Red Sox’s ultimate grouping. They likely lacked the fully-developed, potent talent like Moncada to sway the White Sox, but that just means their loaded farm system remains intact, and they still have a decent rotation entering 2017.
So what now? Sale was something of a luxury pursuit, and it’s not likely another starter would pique their interest in that fashion.
"We reached as far as were going to reach in the trade," GM Mike Rizzo told Washington reporters, "and we fell short."
The good news? Their prospect war chest remains full, with certainly enough to swing a deal for…
Andrew McCutchen: That said, the Sale deal should be instructive for the Pirates, who have sought a Moncada-like centerpiece in a deal for McCutchen. Instead, teams have passed due to McCutchen’s career worst season, which came at 29, in 2016. Poor defensive metrics and a nearly 200-point drop in OPS over two seasons have dimmed the value gleaned from the final two years of a team-friendly contract. The Pirates should adjust their sights accordingly, as it seems they have little hope but deal McCutchen now.
Justin Turner: Another bad turn of events for the 32-year-old free agent. Moncada’s presence will only heighten Chicago’s desire to deal Frazier and Brett Lawrie, further clogging the infield market. Perhaps this deal is another step toward a Turner reunion with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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