Will the White Sox be able to deal John Danks this offseason?
By Brian Draus
John Danks‘ contract has been an albatross for the last few seasons. With one year at $15.75 million left on his five year, $65 million deal, it is still considered well above market value.
At this point in his career, Danks is not much more than a number five starter which makes moving him and that contract a major hurdle. But it may not be an impossible task.
He can still a guy that can start 30-plus games per year. Even at the age 30 (will be 31 next April) Danks is capable of holding down the back end of a major league rotation. If a team is in desperate need of a back end starter, Danks is a comparable option to most fifth starters in the game.
With that, it will take a team with a lot of payroll flexibility, not to mention some strong top of the rotation starters to offset the potential struggles that Danks could have.
Pitching costs a lot on the trade market. A lot greater than market value. Danks is a pitcher that wouldn’t cost much at all. Considering his age, salary, and injury history, a mediocre prospect at best should be enough.
While he is a back end starter, there is more that a team must consider when they make deals in the offseason. Mortgaging the future for a pitcher whose value isn’t a whole lot more than a number two starter will win short-term, however long-term isn’t the best way to succeed. Trading for a pitcher such as Danks won’t help much short-term but it may help a team long-term by allowing a team to keep its top prospects.
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At the end of the day, it can never hurt to have too many pitchers. When you look at how many pitching injuries occur during a 162-game season, it helps to have as much depth as possible. If a team has six or seven major league caliber starters on their 40-man roster, it means there is a cushion for injuries to their starting staff.
I realize that Danks is not a front-line guy anymore, but a number five starter that has the ability to throw more than 180 innings has value. The league is starting to become a bullpen game and keeping those arms in the pen fresh throughout a full season is important.
All in all, pitching is at a premium in baseball. Danks may statistically be a below average pitcher with a bad contract, but if a team has a need for an innings eater, he is certainly an option. Otherwise, a return to the Southside in 2016 is likely.
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