Just A Little Update On Who The Most Aggressive Team Is For Chris Sale, And What The White Sox Want In Return
We’ve got three days until the trade deadline, and Chris Sale is still a member of the Chicago White Sox. For now.
I honestly don’t think Sale ends up getting moved, but I don’t think it’s because of a lack of willingness to move him on Chicago’s part. If Sale stays put, it’s because of what Chicago’s asking price for him is, and what that asking price will stay leading up to the deadline. I don’t want this to become misinterpreted, either. While the White Sox’s asking price for Sale might be astronomical, and price out just about 95% of the entire league in the process, they’re still not wrong for asking what they are. In the last week or so, it was rumored that the Red Sox and Dodgers were the only two teams that had what it would take to acquire Sale, but it seems like there’s a third team involved here. It’s the Texas Rangers, and they’re reportedly the “most aggressive” of them all.
The White Sox want Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara in any trade involving Sale, and I’d imagine that the package wouldn’t be limited to just those two. Mazara is having one hell of a rookie campaign, tied for the most home runs among AL rookies (12), leading in runs (41), RBI (40), and second in WAR (1.3) to Tyler Naquin of the Indians (2.5). Joey Gallo, as you probably already know, is the Rangers’ top prospect, and is the No. 15 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. If you’re a Rangers fan, you’re probably sitting here thinking, that’s a LOT to give up for one guy, and then you mix in the fact that that’s probably only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what it would cost.
If you’re a White Sox fan, you’re sitting there, listening to a Rangers fan hesitating at a trade like this, and you’re probably thinking, “Guy, it’s fucking Chris Sale we’re talking about.” The truth is, neither of you are wrong. It IS a lot to give up, and it IS Chris fucking Sale. The Rangers’ rotation has been decimated by injuries this year, and they desperately need a starter, and who better than arguably the frontrunner for the Cy Young award? But for the monster package that it would cost to bring Sale in, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket. That’s a huge risk. But with three years of control beyond this season, at a very affordable salary, you can see why teams would be so tempted to mortgage a chunk of their future to bring Sale on board.