The Chicago White Sox made their first of many moves before the 2013 MLB Trade Deadline, dealing reliever Matt Thornton to the Boston Red Sox.
The ChiSox sit 13.5 games back in the AL Central at 36-53, and the team is about to have its own fire sale, dealing its current pieces for future ones.
The White Sox received outfield prospect Brandon Jacobs and cash in the deal, according to Bill Baer of NBC Sports, proving that the team wants to dump salary and get young prospects.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the team has said that everyone is available via trade except ace Chris Sale and first baseman Paul Konerko.
The White Sox made it clear that they wanted to move some pieces around when that news broke on June 27. However, 14 days later Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports said that he expects Sale to also be moved before the deadline, which would mean that the White Sox are even more willing to trade than first expected.
Dealing Sale would be huge for the team, as he would easily be the best pitching option available and would bring in a few elite prospects, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Matt Garza is an oft-injured rental. Yovani Gallardo has a 4.85 ERA. Kyle Lohse is 35, Bud Norris has never pitched for a contender, and Joe Saunders is, well, Joe Saunders.
David Price isn’t out there. Cliff Lee isn’t out there. No ace is out there. Some smart team is going to exploit the shortfall by putting a top-of-the-rotation starter in play.
Other guys who should be on the move include outfielder Alex Rios, pitcher Jake Peavy, shortstop Alexei Ramirez, reliever Jesse Crain and DH Adam Dunn.
The White Sox have a bit of aging talent, but new GM Rick Hahn apparently wants to blow everything up before starting from scratch. If that is, in fact, his end goal, Hahn should reconsider not trading Konerko, as the 37-year-old isn't going to be with the team for a long time and could potentially warrant a good prospect in a trade once he comes off the DL.
This team looks to be the biggest seller in baseball this year, and fans shouldn't be surprised to see another seven or eight trades being made by the ChiSox over the few two weeks.
The White Sox have put the MLB on notice that they are open for business, and it all began on Friday.
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