The Chicago White Sox and their fan base have fully embraced the rebuild that saw their respective farm system jump from 25th to 1st in the span of eight months. The White Sox have only ever seen their farm system ranked this high just once. That would be way back in 2001, when Baseball America had the White Sox farm system ranked no. 1 in all of baseball. Four years later, the White Sox won the World Series. Back in 2001, Joe Crede and Aaron Rowand were two key names in the White Sox system. However, the White Sox had a handful of other top prospects as well, but they were traded away to acquire veterans that played a key role in the 2005 World Series. Let’s take a closer look at some of those trades.
Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, Michael Morse For Freddy Garcia And Ben Davis
What a trade this turned out to be for the White Sox. At the time, Jeremy Reed was the no. 25 ranked prospect after the 2003 season, and headlined this deal. He went on to slash .252/.309/.354 with 110 RBI’s and 100 BB’s in his entire MLB career. Freddy Garcia was a rental at the time, but obviously resigned after the 2004 season and helped Chicago win the World Series.
Gary Majewski And Jon Rauch For Carl Everett
The White Sox actually traded for Carl Everett first in the 2003 season, then he signed with the Montreal Expos in 2004, and was traded back to the White Sox that same year. Good thing too, because in 2005, DH Frank Thomas went down for the season with an injury, allowing Everett to man the DH role for the majority of the year. Majewski finished with a career record of 9-13 and an ERA of 4.75. Jon Rauch faired slightly better, going 43-40 with a 3.90 ERA. Everett would wind up playing a pretty sizable role on the 2005 team, as he batted .251 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI. Not eye-popping numbers by any means, but definitely a solid contributor, and worth the prospects given up.
How The Past Relates To The Future
No matter how many prospects a team has, they are never a sure thing. And when push comes to shove, Rick Hahn will be forced to move some young talent to acquire proven veterans to help a young, up-and-coming team. The White Sox could have all of their prospects hit, but some will still wind up getting traded. No matter how much young talent an MLB team has, it needs veterans to succeed. Look at the Cubs last year. They brought in Jon Lester, Jason Heyward, and David Ross to help the young Cubs, and look what happened. Now, some of you might point out that those were free agent signings. Fine. Look at this year’s trade deadline then. The Cubs traded for Jose Quintana in exchange for top prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease to strengthen their rotation. It’ll sting to see some prospects shipped away down the line, but it is for the greater good and the best way to accumulate seasons of sustained success.
Who Could Be On The Move?
Let’s get one thing straight first. We’re talking two, maybe three years from now when Rick Hahn is forced to deal some prospects. I think the White Sox top bats in the system (Jimenez, Robert, Rutherford, and Collins) will be untouchable, as well as Michael Kopech. So, who could be on the move?
Giolito-Dunning-Hansen
So far, Giolito’s season in Triple-A has been sub par judging from the hype he was receiving from scouts nationwide. That doesn’t mean that he will be a bad pitcher by any means. He is still ranked no. 60 overall according to MLB.com. However, if Dunning and Hansen continue to play like they have so far this season, it makes Giolito more expendable. Kopech, Rodon, and Lopez are essentially locks for a starting spot down the line. On the flip side, if Giolito figures things out and turns into a stud at the MLB level, then that makes one of Dunning or Hansen expendable. Don’t be shocked if one of these three arms gets traded a few years from now for a proven veteran in his prime.
Cease-Fulmer-Burdi
Out of these three pitchers, Dylan Cease has the highest upside. If he can harness his control and command the strike zone, he can be a front end starter. If not, his pure stuff will play just fine out of the bullpen.
Zack Burdi was a lock for the closer role for the foreseeable future until he recently underwent Tommy John surgery. The common opinion on Tommy John is that it is much more beneficial to have it done sooner in a career than later. Burdi will miss all of 2018, but should be good to go for 2019. If Carson Fulmer has shown he can hold his own out of the bullpen, then the White Sox could afford to package Burdi with other prospects for a vet.
If Carson Fulmer does not pan out however, the White Sox will certainly hold onto Burdi. Of these three pitchers, the one I see most likely to be dealt, if at all, would be Fulmer. While still a valuable asset, he simply does not have the same upside as Cease or Burdi, even with the latter undergoing Tommy John.
Adolfo-Sheets-Basabe
Two to three years from now, these lesser bats in the organization could grow into pretty solid trade chips.
Micker Adolfo has been a man on a mission this year after a disappointing 2016. He has really tapped into his power tool this season, which was his biggest concern at the beginning of the year. He is currently slashing .275/.341/.461 with 27 doubles and 14 home runs in low-A ball. Last night was his first multi-home run game of his career, as he swatted 2 out of the park. With the future outfield more than likely being Blake Rutherford-Luis Robert-Eloy Jimenez, Adolfo could wind up being blocked, making him a valuable trade asset.
Gavin Sheets was the White Sox second round pick this past June. At 6’4, 230 lbs, Sheets is destined for first base or DH. Jake Burger should eventually be the first baseman of the future, while Jose Abreu could be moved to the DH spot down the road to help preserve his career. This means that Sheets could also essentially be blocked. His raw power alone should entice any team to make a play for him at a future trade deadline.
Luis Alexander Basabe was the throw in piece in the Chris Sale deal this past December. He is a legitimate 5-tool talent, but his hitting is going to have to come around if he wants to have a future in the MLB. If he can consistently hit for at least a decent average, he could actually be a perfect utility man for the White Sox. Or, he can potentially help net a great return in a future trade.
Jake Burger
While I don’t think Jake Burger is “untouchable” by any means, he still fits perfectly into what the White Sox are trying to build. If/when the White Sox sign a grade-A third baseman (pray for Manny Machado or Nolan Arenado), Burger will be moved to first base. His raw power and ability to hit for average are too great to ignore. It also helps that he is currently mashing the baseball in the minors to the tune of .326/.426/.558 and a .984 OPS. Many thought the White Sox reached on Burger, but if he continues to put up these numbers, he will make Rick Hahn look even more so like the genius he is.
Final Thoughts
The White Sox had the best farm system in 2001, but still made the necessary trades to build the rest of the team. Four years later, they were raising the World Series Trophy. Fast forward to today, and the White Sox find themselves in the exact same position with a future as bright as any team in baseball. When the time comes, expect Rick Hahn to make the necessary trades to complete the rebuild and take the White Sox to new heights for the next decade.
