Wild Winter Meetings

The MLB winter meetings are a land of opportunity for all teams. Whether they be struggling teams in need of a serious change, or teams on the bubble looking for a player to help them make the extra push. Today a monumental trade went down, helping teams at both ends of the spectrum. The Boston Red Sox acquired superstar Chris Sale earlier from the White Sox in exchange for top MLB Pipeline prospect, infielder Yoan Moncada, pitching prospect Michael Kopech, and two other minor leaguers to be named later.

Let’s take a look at both sides shall we? First, the White Sox gain two highly regarded young stars in Kopech and Moncada. As we’ve seen with the Cubs in the last few years, with the emergence of players like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Addison Russell, young talent can turn a struggling ball club around in a hurry. Moncada who is a top ranked prospect in the minor leagues batted a solid .294 with a .407 OBP. Within that, he produced 62 RBI’s, 94 runs scored, 15 home runs, and swiped 45 bags this past year. As for Kopech, the 20-year-old flame-throwing righty posted a 2.25 ERA in 11 starts at the class A level. The White Sox ranked 20th in the MLB last season in runs scored meaning they have a huge need for someone who can produce at the plate, and although Moncada’s few games with the Red Sox late last season showed that he may not be quite ready for the big leagues, he did show signs that with a little more grooming, he has the ability to be a force at the big league level. As for pitching, the White Sox were 14th in the league in team ERA and those numbers will likely drop now that Sale is gone. If Kopech can continue to develop at a steady rate, he’ll be entering a rotation where he will have an immediate chance to make an impact.

As for the Red Sox, they hit the jackpot with this trade. While no team likes letting go of highly regarded young talents, it makes it much easier when you’re getting a proven all-star, and former Cy-Young winner in return. After his fifth consecutive all-star season, in 2016 Sale posted a 17-10 record with a 3.34 ERA. While the ERA is higher than his career average, Sale still struck out 233 batters in 226 and 2/3 innings. Sale will join a Red Sox rotation that already consists of names like Rick Porcello and David Price. The Red Sox ranked 9th in the MLB in team ERA and 5th in wins. After being knocked out by the Indians in the divisional round, the Red Sox are hoping Sale is the missing link to making their return to the Fall Classic next season.

Both teams did what they had to do to get the deal done. The White Sox knew that they weren’t winning with Sale, and that it was time to refocus, and they hope that the players they received in this trade are pieces they will be able to develop and build around in the near future. As for the Red Sox, they gain yet another ‘ace’ caliber pitcher to add to their already impressive rotation in hopes of making another run for the World Series.

By: Jonathan Abbott

December 10, 2016