White Sox Must Take Advantage of Being Sellers

Jul 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher David Robertson (30) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox defeat the Cubs 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher David Robertson (30) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox defeat the Cubs 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

White Sox won’t be contending after losing last two games to Cubs to fall to 50-52. With the trade deadline looming, White Sox must take advantage of selling and get good returns for players they ultimately trade.

The White Sox had a nice four game winning streak at the beginning of this week which included three consecutive walk-off wins. Something the team hadn’t done since 1962. However, after losing two consecutive games to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the White Sox are back below .500 and are most likely not going to contend this season.

With the White Sox having a number of trade assets that would be needed for many contending teams, the front office has to make sure they’re getting a good return for any player they might trade. The White Sox are reportedly looking to trade closer David Robertson, which would give the team more financial flexibility moving forward.

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Robertson was signed after the 2014 season to a four-year $46 million contract. Although he hasn’t necessarily lived up to that large contract, he’s still been a solid closer for the White Sox. Robertson had 34 saves in 2015 and has 25 saves this season. The Red Sox and Nationals would make the most sense in terms of teams that could trade for Robertson.

Although the White Sox would like to trade Robertson, can the front office be trusted to get a good return? In 2013, the White Sox traded Jake Peavy to the Red Sox in a three-team trade that involved the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox got Avisail Garcia from the Tigers and Frankie Montas and Cleulius Rondon from the Red Sox. Garcia was thought to have been the cornerstone of that trade, but three years later and he looks like he won’t be on the team next season.

The White Sox need more depth in its minor leagues, and they most certainly need to recoup some quality prospects in any trades involving any of their veterans. Players such as Melky Cabrera, Zach Duke and even James Shields should not only provide a solid return, but it will give the White Sox financial relief going into 2017.

Next: White Sox Need to Be Cautious As Sellers

Its time for the White Sox to stop fooling themselves into thinking they can contend this season. Its been a bad stretch of baseball for White Sox fans this decade, and it doesn’t appear it will get better anytime soon. Unfortunately, the White Sox refusal to completely rebuild after the 2014 season has proven to be disastrous.

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