The Chicago White Sox's future is as hazy as the present

As if getting swept by the Chicago Cubs wasn't bad enough, the Chicago White Sox also found themselves dropping to a season-low 21 games below .500 without any light at the end of the tunnel.

With the trading deadline fast approaching, the White Sox have positioned themselves as sellers in the marketplace. But will moving potential trade pieces now help turn things around for the organization in the future despite its current downward spiral into baseball's abyss?

Perhaps, the more important question is why are those who have put the current roster together being given another bite at the apple to get the ship turned around and headed in the right direction.

Neither of these two questions are new for the organization which has yet to prove it is capable of fielding a World Series contender year in and year out.

The Chicago White Sox are not a good team and they need changes.

If general manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams want to hang their hats on overseeing the team making back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time (2020 and 2021 seasons) in the organization's history, they can.

However, the counterargument comes in the fact the team has regressed at a rapid rate to the point of not looking anything like a team that could contend for a division title let alone a World Series championship.

In the world of "what have you done for me lately", both Hahn and Williams have failed miserably, yet owner Jerry Reinsdorf's loyalty to his employees trumps all, and their keeping their jobs is all but a foregone conclusion.

Changes have to be made, and since the likely hood of administrative changes coming to fruition is a seemingly bad bet, that leaves the team itself and what will be altered.

The first of what might be a few changes occurred on Wednesday night when the team dealt pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Los Angels Angels for a pair of prospects in catcher Edgar Quero and pitcher Ky Bush.

Giolito's name has been tossed around a lot in recent trade rumors as the White Sox continued to fall further and further out of the playoff picture.

Moving the veteran right-hander was to be expected as he is to be a free agent at year's end and looked to be a piece a contending team might give up some good prospects for.

The Angels decided to push their chips all in and make a run at the postseason by deciding not to trade Shohei Ohtani who is in the final season of team control and would have commanded a haul if they opted to move him.

The move by Angels' ownership has sent a message to the team that it believes in them and the time is now to go for a title.

Conversely, White Sox ownership seems to have come to the realization that the window of opportunity it thought would be open for several years has closed quicker than hoped. As a result, it seems another "rebuild" or "retool" or whatever term one wants to use.

This brings us back to whether or not the current front office is capable of doing what is necessary to change the team's losing ways. The lack of doing anything last year or this past offseason to improve the club has not instilled confidence in a fan base looking for a change from the top down.

If Hahn and Williams are serious about turning around the team's fortunes, the trading of Giolito and Lopez should just be the start. More moves will have to be made which may need to involve the likes of Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, and Lance Lynn to name a few.

Hopefully, future moves-if more are to come-will yield a solid return of players who will make the White Sox into a contender in a short amount of time.

If not, it will be business as usual on the southside.