We quickly found out last winter that no player on the White Sox is untouchable. An apparent fact after we saw Chris Sale and Adam Eaton pack their bags during the winter meetings. This offseason is expected to be much quieter, but the Rick Hahn still has 2 valuable assets in Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia. Even if a GM has no intention of trading away a player, they aren’t doing their job if they don’t at least listen to offers. One team has openly admitted that they are looking for an outfielder with a right-handed bat, and Avisail Garcia is at the top of their list. That team?
The Oakland A’s.
There have been no specific offers for Avi from Oakland reported thus far, but the Athletic’s seem to have a definite interest in the new and improved Garcia.
The Athletic’s have a decent farm system, with 4 prospects in the top 100. Since Avi has only had one truly legitimate year, it’s tough to throw an actual trade together at the moment. If the A’s blow Rick Hahn away, he’ll pull the trigger. If he has to mull on the decision for a while, it’s a safe bet he’ll stand pat.
If a trade does happen to go down, three names I would look out for are outfielders Dustin Fowler and Austin Beck, and 2B/OF Jorge Mateo. You may remember Fowler as the Yankee who ruptured a tendon in his knee in his first ever MLB game. When he is healthy he is a 5-tool player and he hit .293 in AAA last season when he was a part of the Yankees system.
Beck was the first round pick of the A’s last season, going no. 6 overall. It was said that the White Sox were pretty high on Beck, but he never slipped far enough and Rick Hahn too Jake Burger. Beck is another outfielder who the potential to tap into all 5 tools. His power will make or break him. If he can hit for power, many see him as being a star. If not, he can still be a serviceable every-day player.
Mateo is a 2B/OF prospect rated no. 97 by MLB.com. He has 80 grade speed and has the ceiling of a .275 hitter with 20+ home run potential. He would be a great utility option to give Moncada an off day here and there, or play anywhere in the outfield, giving Rick Renteria options to work with.
If a trade with the Athletics were to go down, look for one of these three names to be included.
Bottom Line
Rick Hahn probably isn’t in any rush to trade Avi, while other teams aren’t in a rush to trade FOR him. The sample size of success is just too small for anyone to commit to Garcia at the moment. I’d imagine Hahn will keep Avi in hopes that he can repeat his 2017 campaign. If he does, the White Sox will have even more leverage to trade him, or on the flip side, an even better reason to keep him. It would be a great problem to have. But unless Hahn is blown away by an offer, expect Garcia to stay on the South Side for at least another year.
