White Sox were initially discussing trade with Red Sox for All-Star ace before trading deadline. Could the two teams come to an agreement on a deal in the off-season?
The Chicago White Sox are going to get a lot of calls about its two best pitchers this off-season. The one pitcher the Sox might get the most calls for is Chris Sale. With the Sox having assets in Sale and Jose Quintana, the team could very well receive a hefty return for the trade of either pitcher.
However, the Sox might reignite trade talks with one particular team, the Boston Red Sox. According to Nick Confardo of the Boston Globe, the two teams could very well discuss a trade involving Sale. The two teams previously discussed a trade of Sale to Boston, but ultimately couldn’t come to an agreement on a deal.
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With the Red Sox needing help in its starting rotation, a trade of Sale by the Sox could net them a tremendous return. The Red Sox have some intriguing players that could go to the Sox in exchange for Sale. According to Confardo, scouts for the Sox have admitted to liking some of the Red Sox young players.
One of the players Sox scouts are rumored to like is Jackie Bradley Jr. Confardo alluded the Sox would not only need Bradley as a return for trading Sale, but perhaps other elite Red Sox prospects. Those prospects include Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers. If the Sox could get all three players in exchange for Sale, this could accelerate a rebuild for the franchise.
Bradley has already provided solid contribution for the Red Sox. The 26-year old outfielder made his first appearance in the All-Star game this past season, and played in 156 games for Boston. Bradley hit .267 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI’s for the Red Sox. If the Sox do trade Sale to the Red Sox, they might also look for Eduardo Rodriguez to be included in the trade.
Rodriguez was 3-7 this past season with the Red Sox with a 4.71 ERA in 20 starts. Last season, the native Venezuelan was 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 21 starts. A trade of Sale involving Rodriguez could help the Sox mitigate the loss of a starting pitcher to its rotation. The Sox could hold onto Sale and hope to contend next season.
They could also trade Sale and have a slim chance of contending next season if they hold onto Quintana. This is a peculiar situation for the Sox. They will need to decide if they’re going to fully rebuild or push for contention during the upcoming off-season. If the Sox are able to get a return of Bradley, Moncada, Devers and Rodriguez in exchange for Sale, they shouldn’t hesitate to make this trade.
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The Sox shouldn’t have to contemplate trading Sale, but after four lackluster seasons they can’t continue to waste one of the best pitchers in baseball. Sale’s time on the South Side could be coming to end, unfortunately for Sox fans they might not ever get to see him pitch a playoff game in a black and white uniform.