White Sox trade Chris Sale to Boston for Yoan Mocada and prospects
Chris Sale for Moncada (sell while his value is high!), Kopech (hard throwing RHP prospect) and two A-ball pitchers. No hit to the 25 man roster? No Jackie Bradley? No Benintendi? I frankly can’t believe that’s all it took and wonder why in the hell couldn’t the Red Sox make this deal in July instead of getting Drew Pomeranz.
Oh my God, what a heist. That is a sensational deal for Boston.
It’s a pretty even deal for both sides under most of the prospect valuation models. Which probably means it’s a good deal for Boston given their place on the win curve, but I definitely wouldn’t call it a heist. The White Sox get the top prospect in baseball and two other legit young players.
As much as I prefer the Theo Epstein team-building model to the Dave Dombrowski one, I suppose that once you’re in for a penny…
Chris Sale is a proven ace. A perennial Cy Young contender. He’s 27 years old and locked into a bargain price for 3 more years.
I’ll just say this about Yoan Moncada. Less than a year ago he was untouchable. Then he gained a bit of a rep for not being able to hit professional pitchers’ breaking stuff. There’s a good chance his value will never be higher than it is right now.
But, you just never know. There’s also a chance Moncada figures it out and becomes an MVP while Chris Sale blows out his elbow. I’d probably stop short of calling it a heist, but I’ll say that as a Red Sox fan, I’m completely happy with the deal.
Love the deal. Rotation depth was their biggest problem last year, and now it’s fixed. So they give up a guy who may or may not be the next Robinson Cano, and even if he is, it’s worth it. The other guys? Haven’t made it above A ball yet. *Prospect *is Latin for “not worth a damn yet”.
What intrigues me is that Dombrowski is sure Pablo Sandoval is going to be healthy and productive next year, or he wouldn’t have dealt both Shaw and Moncada today. That seems a bit rash, but then he’d obviously know better. If he’s right, Sandoval and Mitch Moreland (yes, him too, and the night is still young 
) take care of the Papi-sized lefty hole in the lineup.
Boston is the absolute favorite in the AL East.
The deal seems so lopsided, it makes me wonder if the White Sox suspect Sale is headed for elbow or shoulder problems.
Yeah but the White Sox got infielder Yoan Moncada and pitcher Michael Kopech. This may be a real good trade for the White Sox… I guess time will tell.
Cubs raise season ticket prices 19.5 percent. Bleacher tickets (the price to sit on a rail) will range from $21 for “bronze” games to $79 for “diamond” games. Wrigley Field is no longer relevant to many people’s lives.
Yeah, I’m not sure why people think the White Sox got robbed. They got probably the top prospect in baseball, a guy with tremendous speed, plus defense and awesome power. Yeah he wasn’t good in his first major league trial. Neither was Mike Trout. They got a pitcher who regularly tops 100 as a starter, and even in the age of velocity, that doesn’t grow on trees. Plus they got a couple interesting throw-ins and saved some money to use other places. Sure prospects are risky, but you know who else are risky. Pitchers.
I don’t know think it was a bad deal for the Red Sox or anything, like when they massively overpaid for Kimbrel, but I also don’t think the White Sox will regret this one.
Cubs appear close to acquiring Wade Davis from the Royals. Unsure who Chicago would give up, but sources suggest Jorge Soler is involved.
It is a bit of a stretch to assume Yoan Moncada is the best prospect in baseball. There is little track record to go on.
He’s got tools, but tools do not a workman make.
Supply and demand.
That said, this is part of why professional sports leagues are seeing TV viewership declining. If you can never go to a game, that’s interest in following the game that’s not stoked by the excitement of being there.
The consensus disagrees with you. Offseason lists are mostly not out yet, but the mid-season rankings from major sites all had Moncada first or 2nd. The last two tops prospects were Cory Seager and Kris Bryant and those worked out okay. We have come a long way in prospect evaluation. Top offensive prospects aren’t really all that risky a class.
Moncada also put up an OPS over 900 and 45 steals while barely being able to drink in A and AA last year. That is production, not just tools.
According to si.com, “Orioles GM Dan Duquette said he was not interested in signing Jose Bautista because Orioles fans don’t like him.”
Well alrighty then. :dubious:
Good ol’ Dan Duquette. Always concerned with what the fans want.
Makes you what the market for Bautista and Encarnacion really is.
Looks like the Cubs trade is straight up. Jorge Soler for Wade Davis
Rumour has it that the bottom has dropped out of Encarnacion’s market. One journalist claims that he doesn’t even have a 3 year/60M offer on the table at the moment (he rejected 4 years/80M from the Jays)
There are two possibilities here:
- Dan Duquette is an idiot.
- The reporter is an idiot.
The smart money ain’t on #1.
I am going to be pretty surprised if Encarnacion can’t find someone willing to part with $80 million. He’s in no rush, and there are few finer righthanded power hitters in the world.
Bautista may end up wishing he’d accepted the qualifying offer.
ESPN says it’s down to Texas and Cleveland for Encarnacion. If Cleveland is one of two in a bidding war, I’d say there’s a good chance he won’t get that $80M.