The Chicago White Sox started their rebuild at the end of 2016. They got it all going well thanks to three major trades that the made.
The Chicago White Sox had a very top-heavy lineup in the 2016 season. It allowed them to get off to a very good start but once depth needed to come into play the bottom started to fall out. They declined big time because of it and missed the playoffs by a long shot. As a result, Rick Hahn decided to undergo a big rebuild. They basically stripped the roster down to the bone in order to create a lineup that was deeper and younger.
In sports, when you get younger you set yourself up to be better longer. That is what the White Sox have done since that season. They have made free-agent signings, drafted well, and made significant trades to better their chances of finally becoming a contender again. The White Sox got the rebuild going by trading away their best player and then capped it off with one of the most one-sided trades in team history.
Drafting and developing is the biggest key in most sports and Rick Hahn has been doing that relatively well. He has also signed Luis Robert as an international free agent and that has worked out amazing. With that said, Rick Hahn has done wonders with trades and that has allowed this team to have an enhanced rebuild. It helped that they were a top-heavy group so they had the ability to trade away some high-end players but the returns have been awesome. These are the three trades that define the rebuild of the Chicago White Sox: