Last week 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine pissed off lots of Chicago White Sox fans by suggesting that the team should trade the face of their franchise, Jose Abreu. And you know what, he kind of has a point, but I don’t think this trade deadline is the time to look for a deal, but there is a perfect time to do it.
For those of you who might have missed Levine’s article, here’s the gist of it.
In fairness to first baseman Jose Abreu and the future of the White Sox, it’s best if he’s traded by the non-waiver deadline that passes July 31.
Why by then? Because it’s all about timing. The 31-year-old Abreu is in the back end of his prime and producing at a high level. As he does, the White Sox still aren’t close to being a contender. And in another important aspect, Abreu is in the second-to-last season of his contract. The White Sox can fetch a higher return if the acquiring team gets a chance at two playoff runs with Abreu in the picture.
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Abreu maintains that he wants to stay with the White Sox. Letting him go and win elsewhere would be more considerate and more helpful for the organization’s future.
The main argument that White Sox fans bring up is that Abreu has a lot more value than just the player he is on the field. There is no questioning that he’s the face of the franchise and the leader of the team, which is in the middle of a rebuild.
There is no arguing that, as White Sox GM Rick Hahn discussed back in January, when he explained why despite rumors of a trade nothing ever materialized in terms of dealing away Abreu.
“There was clearly speculation that he conceivably could have been moved this offseason,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “Part of the reason that he wasn’t is that we do put a large value on what he does in the clubhouse, how he represents himself and the organization, what he does for our young players — the way he goes about his business is the epitome of a White Sox player. That probably leads to us valuing him a little more highly than other organizations who haven’t had the pleasure of having him, which makes it that much more difficult to line up on finding value on a trade.”
Avisail Garcia and Yoan Moncada have talked about what Abreu means to them among some of the other young players in the organization, so yeah it’s not just trading away a good bat for another prospect. Abreu has a special connection to the White Sox and he’s all in on the rebuild, making it clear he wants to stay on the South Side until he calls it a career.
And who knows, there is a good argument to be made that instead of a trade, the White Sox should be thinking about an extension for Abreu.
However, if Abreu really is committed the future success of the White Sox, then he should understand more than anyone why a trade would be beneficial to everyone involved.
Here’s the thing, I’ll budge and say the White Sox shouldn’t look for a trade this season. It’s Moncada’s first full year in the league, Tim Anderson is still young and learning to be a pro, so sure keep the veteran presence in the clubhouse.
Yet, right now the White Sox are 22 games below .500, and despite a recent stretch of playing better against good competition, this team still has a lot of bad on it.
I’m not trying to be a dick here, but if you fast forward to next season, and let’s say the White Sox are in a similar position as they are now, wouldn’t it make sense to try and get something for Abreu in a trade?
Would playing two months without Abreu in 2019, really hurt the development of the young players the White Sox are looking to be part of the core going forward? Again, I’m not saying you automatically go and try to trade Abreu no matter what. It has be a good enough deal to consider if the White Sox still don’t look to be contending.
My bigger question is, when are the White Sox expected to compete for a playoff spot? We’ve all sign the hashtags. It’s 2020, so even if the White Sox do trade Abreu and if he really loves this team, then he could easily re-sign with them before the 2020 season, when he’s a free agent.
This is an extreme example, but the New York Yankees traded away two months of Aroldis Chapman in 2016, and got Gleyber Torres. Then, the Yankees re-signed Chapman in the offseason. The White Sox may not get that good of a prospect in return for half a season of Abreu, but again you never know? Having another decent prospect surely wouldn’t hurt the White Sox.
So, the circumstance has to be the White Sox are bad again in 2019, they get a good deal to consider and then Abreu comes back for 2020. It’s a win-win for everyone. It’s perfect, but it has to be the perfect time.
Obviously you know where I stand on this, but my co-hosts on the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast weren’t so convinced when talking about a potential Abreu trade.
So, what side are you on? Should the White Sox trade Abreu this season, next season or keep him around no matter what?
And since you’re already here, you should definitely subscribe to the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast. We had White Sox scouting director Nick Hostetler on our recent episode and he was pretty damn awesome.
As a reminder, Abreu will be a free agent after the 2019 season.
