As the Chicago White Sox look to improve on a disappointing 2015 season, they are reportedly open to trading outfielder Avisail Garcia.
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Garcia Becoming Expendable As White Sox Improve Outfield
Thursday, Nov. 19
Garcia came to the White Sox as the centerpiece of a three-team trade in 2013 but has failed to live up to expectations.
Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com said his struggles, coupled with the addition of former All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera last season and the emergence of rookie Trayce Thompson, have put the 24-year-old Garcia on the trade block.
The outfielder hit .455 during the 2012 American League Championship Series with the Detroit Tigers, which created high expectations when he came to the White Sox. However, in two-plus seasons, Garcia has slashed just .263/.312/.389, with 25 home runs and 109 RBI in 236 games.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has declined to comment on Garcia's availability but has not given up on his ability to play in the major leagues, per Hayes:
We can’t lose sight of the fact that he was still playing last year at 24, at a young age. That really was his first full season in the majors.
The ceiling is still extremely high. Certainly everyone, including Avi, would have preferred to show more consistency and flashes of that upside on a more consistent basis. But it doesn’t change the optimism around him for the future.
Even though Garcia is young and just came to the White Sox two years ago, only three players currently on the team have been in Chicago longer. That number could shrink to one if Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham aren't with the team in 2016, per Hayes:
His tenure and potential aside, words from Hahn on the development of Thompson don't bode well for Garcia, according to Hayes:
I think Trayce has shown the ability to start. How we make that work is probably a better question come spring once we see how the whole roster looks. We’ve known from Trayce for the last several years he can be an above-average major league defender at three outfield positions. That gives us a little flexibility on how to work him in best and he’s certainly, from an offensive standpoint, showed he deserves to play. That’ll either work itself out before spring based on transactions or come spring we’ll figure out a way to use him best.
The writing appears to be on the wall that Garcia, who will be in his first year of arbitration in 2016, will not be back in Chicago.
Although his contract is very cheap and he has age on his side, White Sox brass must be tired of waiting for him to produce.
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