For the White Sox, the question is now this: Do you tear the whole thing down?
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“That was a big one, that’s a blockbuster, that’s a wow, ” the Yankees general manager said of the Sale deal that sent top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech and two other minor leaguers to the White Sox for the dominant left-hander.
Sale will now sit near the top of a rotation that also includes the reigning AL Cy Young victor, Rick Porcello, as well as $217 million man David Price.
“This gave us a really significant chance to win”, Dombrowski said.
It only took two days in the winter meetings for things to get insane. And we went through some of the names. Until then, the Red Sox can claim to have made the right trade for the right guy at exactly the right time.
With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, Hahn called Dombrowski on Friday to initiate the conversation.
“I’m always available for whatever the recruiting process needs”, he said.
Whereas in previous talks the White Sox desired Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi, they shifted their focus.
The 27-year-old Sale, who has three years and $38 million left on his current deal, is 74-50 with 3.00 ERA in his career.
Meanwhile, Kopech opened the eyes of prospect-watchers by hitting a reported 105 miles per hour on the radar gun this year.
With that in mind, dealing a package of top prospects for a player – even one of Sale’s caliber – didn’t fit with the Yankees’ long-term goals.
It’s never easy to give up multiple top-level prospects, but it’s also rare when a true No. 1 starter who is under team control for more than two months becomes available.
“At the same time, we have to be realistic about where we are and the likelihood of, with this current group, getting to where we want to be”. “We certainly wish he and his family all the best”. The Red Sox committed $63 million in February 2015 to sign Moncada – a $31.5 million signing bonus and an overage tax for the portion of their bonus that exceeded their $1.8 million worldwide bonus pool at the time. Sale’s contract is worth only $6.5 million in average annual value, a pittance these days.
“Moncada was the centerpiece of the trade”, Hahn said. I just don’t think you’re in as good a position. Kopech hasn’t pitched above A-ball and shouldn’t be expected to join the White Sox until next September or in 2018.
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Trading away Sale is the beginning of the rebuild. You’d be able to tell, he said, the direction of the club by the first big move they make. “Our efforts are to be the best we can possibly be, but with a strong mind for the future”. Given where we were as an organization entering this off-season, we knew we were going to have to make some painful decisions.
