White Sox: Find A Trade Partner For Avi Garcia This Offseason
By Matt Manetti
The White Sox should look to trade Avisail Garcia this offseason if they feel he’s not in the picture long term. His value is at its highest right now.
Rick Hahn has suggested that no one is safe on the Chicago White Sox. Avisail Garcia was the latest to come up in trade talks. The Oakland Athletics may be interested in the 26-year-old. And if Hahn feels Garica doesn’t have a future with this club, then he should trade him this offseason.
It’s pretty simple. His value is at its highest now. He’s coming off a season where he .330 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs. You can argue he was one of the most consistent hitters during the 2017 season. Aside from his numbers, he’s under team control for two more seasons.
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Hitters don’t garner the value pitchers do. So it’s difficult to trade a position player and get top value. If the White Sox were to wait until the trade deadline or even next offseason to unload him, he would only have one year of control left. Trading for him would give a team one year with him then they’d have to let him go into unrestricted free agency. And once you hit free agency that can muddy the waters. Especially if you’ve had a strong offensive season.
The problem with waiting a year is his value will go down even if he has similar numbers in 2018. Teams don’t give top value for players with one year of control. Especially when it’s not a pitcher. Furthermore, we’re hoping he has another strong season in 2018. By no means has he shown over a period of time that he can be as effective as he was this past season. We’re talking about a guy who hit .245 and .257 the previous two seasons.
Obviously, the trade would have to make sense from the White Sox perspective. I’m not saying trade Garcia for anyone. But if a team, like the Athletics, comes along and puts together a package of some mid-level prospects, the White Sox should be prepared to pull the trigger. Especially if they don’t view him as a long-term option in left field.
Next: Avisail Garcia Garnering Trade Interest from Athletics
The White Sox have a lot of depth at outfield in their minors. Soon that talent is going to be ready and they will need to play every day. So now Hahn has a decision to make. Sure he could keep Garcia around to be a designated hitter but he wasn’t successful in that role. Hahn and his team need to decide if they see him as a long-term player. If not, then they should trade him now before his value decreases.