The Chris Sale saga continues but one report indicates the Cubs will not be in the mix. According to Buster Olney, the White Sox informed their crosstown rival they will not engage in trade talks with them.
Everyday we learn more about the Chicago White Sox intentions with Chris Sale. Now we learned about one potential team out of the sweepstakes. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Sox have informed the Cubs they will not discuss a trade involving Sale with them. If the organization does move on from Sale it could turn around the franchise.
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Sale has really dominated the offseason. It appeared as if the Sox would trade their prized ace at the trade deadline this year, but decided to keep him instead. It was reported the organization is open to trading anyone with less than four years of control. Sale is definitely in that category and is perhaps their best trade chip.
News that the club isn’t willing to do business with the rival Cubs, isn’t really a surprise. It’s obvious a trade of that impact could have repercussions the front office isn’t willing to take. You can apply the same theory with the New York Mets and Yankees. When teams have an in-state rival, it’s very unlikely they make many trades with each other. The whole thing of making your rival better is something that is debated. We always hear about clubs trying to avoid trading players within their division because you’re helping a key competitor get better.
I don’t have an issue with the Sox not wanting to trade Sale to the Cubs. Just as long as the Cubs aren’t the highest bidders. Obviously we would never know, but the bottom line is this team needs to get better. One way of going about that is trading Sale for an extremely high value. All the evidence right now is showing they’re open to it but we don’t have an answer yet.
The whole idea of not trading Sale to the Cubs is understandable. But I don’t know if it’s wise to count out a team that could possibly have the talent to give up. Even if they are a rival. The fact is, while they are a rival, the teams only play each other four times a season. And if they can give you a package of prospects, better than what everyone else is offering, then why not hear them out.
Next: Would Trade Work With Houston Astros?
For what it’s worth, Chris Rongey had an excellent story that put a lot of this into perspective. I would invite our readers to check it out and let us know your thoughts on whether the Sox should entertain trade offers for Chris Sale from the Cubs.