The White Sox Straight Up Told The Cubs They Won't Trade Chris Sale To Them
There’s a growing sense that Chris Sale will be dealt at some point this offseason, as the White Sox look to rebuild. If and when they do, it will not be to the Cubs.
But since this offseason began, perception of the White Sox’s intentions has changed. Some evaluators now believe they will move Sale as Chicago begins a major makeover of its 40-man roster. The White Sox have told the Cubs they won’t deal with them, but it appears that a handful of teams — the Dodgers, Cardinals, Rangers, Nationals and Astros, among others — have a legitimate shot at landing MLB’s second-best left-hander.
I don’t get it. They’re not in the same division. They’re not even in the same LEAGUE. Yeah, a Cubs rotation that consists of Chris Sale, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta is absolutely terrifying, but the White Sox won’t even come close to contending for a World Series title while that rotation is fully intact. If you’re the White Sox, you can’t turn away anybody when you have the biggest trade chip in baseball right now. Even if you have no intentions of trading Sale to the Cubs, you hear them out on the off chance that you can use their offer to get more out of somebody else.
The whole crosstown rivalry thing is such a dumb reason to not make a trade that could help out your team in the future. I’m not saying that the Cubs would put together the best package, either. I doubt they would. But they could put together a competitive offer, and you’re doing a disservice to your organization and to White Sox fans by not exploring all options. You think Theo Epstein gives a fuck about a rivalry? He’s out here trying to win as many rings as possible, however he can. That’s what makes him the GOAT. Grow up, Reinsdorf.