White Sox Trade Adam Eaton to Washington Nationals

Oct 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Adam Eaton (1) hits a single against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Twins won 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Adam Eaton (1) hits a single against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Twins won 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

White Sox trade outfielder to Nationals in exchange for top pitching prospects. The South Siders will get the third ranked prospect in MLB in exchange for leadoff hitter.

The Chicago White Sox aren’t done rebuilding as they traded Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. The trade will include a return of top prospects for the White Sox.

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The Nationals will reportedly send its top prospect Lucas Giolito along with pitchers Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to the White Sox for Eaton. Giolito is ranked as the top pitching prospect in MLB according to mlbpipeline.com and the third overall top prospect. Lopez is the 38th ranked prospect and third overall for the Nationals. With the trade, the White Sox farm system continues its ascension to being one of the best in baseball.

After trading Chris Sale on Tuesday in a deal that netted the team the top prospect in baseball in Yoan Moncada, the White Sox continued their positive momentum during the Winter Meetings on Wednesday. The Nationals lost out on Sale to the Red Sox, and were determined to get an outfielder to solidify its outfield for next season. Trading for Eaton will certainly help their cause.

It will be a tough pill for White Sox fans to swallow seeing another productive player traded this week. However, the White Sox future looks even brighter after their last two trades. Giolito made six appearances for the Nationals this season with four of those appearances being starts. In six games, Giolito compiled a 0-1 record with a 6.75 ERA. Although this could alarm many White Sox fans, they shouldn’t expect the 22-year-old right-hander to start next season in Chicago. He will need some more seasoning in the minors before then.

The other pitchers included in this trade for Eaton should help the White Sox as well. Lopez, appeared in 11 games for the Nationals this season and started six of those games. He compiled a 5-3 record with a 4.91 ERA. In 19 starts combined for the Nationals Double A and Triple A affiliates, Lopez went 5-7 with a 3.21 ERA this season.

Dunning was the Nationals first round draft pick (29th overall) this season. The former Florida Gator compiled a 3-2 record with a 2.02 ERA in eight combined starts for the Class A Short Season and Rookie minor league affiliates of the Nationals.

Next: Nationals Showing Interest in Quintana

With this trade, Rick Hahn continues the White Sox rebuilding process for this offseason. The White Sox have been mired in mediocrity for a while now, and the past two trades indicates this front office is serious about choosing a good direction towards contending in the future. Expect more players to be traded White Sox fans, the rebuild is real.