July 30 – Traded OF Melky Cabrera to KC Royals for minor leaguers LHP Andre Davis, RHP A.J Puckett
This was a tough pill to swallow. The affectionately-called ‘Melk Man’ was definitely a fan favorite and one of the better players on the team over the last three seasons. It was said that there was no market for him, but he’s just so reliable and solid that it was no surprise there was interest from the Royals. He’s hitting .288 on the year with 83 RBI and 17 lhome runs. With KC, he’s hitting .274 with 57 hits in 54 games. The Sox acquired Puckett who is actually slated at No.22 in the White Sox Top 30 prospects list courtesy of mlbpipeline.com.
Grade: C+ / Cabrera is older and developed his own trade market single-handedly. The Sox got two minor leaguers and one promising prospect in Puckett.
Jul. 27 – Traded LHP Dan Jennings to TB Rays for 1B Casey Gillaspie
Jennings, the lefty specialist, was dealt to the Rays who were in contention for the playoffs at the time of this trade. Jennings had a 3.45 ERA with the Sox in 44.1 IP. The Sox however, received a solid prospect in Casey Gillaspie, brother of former Sox veteran Conor Gillaspie. Gillaspie is actually ranked as the 11th top prospect in the Sox Top 30 list.
Grade: B / This was a great trade, considering Jennings’ future with the team was up in the air. The Sox got a very promising prospect at a position where the Sox needed to add depth. If the Sox had gave up any more than just Jennings, it would have been considered a bad trade.