The White Sox definitely needed another starting pitcher, though. When I first heard the rumors that the White Sox were going after a one-year rental of Jeff "Shark" Samardzija, though, I was a bit perplexed. But after seeing what the Athletics got for him, I love this trade for the White Sox. They even get the upside of young right-handed pitcher Michael Ynoa on top of renting "Shark" for a year. In return, the White Sox give up their backup catcher in Josh Phegley, a decent arm in Chris Bassitt (whose control is a bit iffy but has upside), a utility infielder in Marcus Semien, and a decent hitting prospect in Rangel Ravelo.
While the A's got a decent haul for a rental, I still love this for the White Sox. It's an OK return for a team like the A's who are clearly going for a quick rebuild, though. It's going to save the A's at least $9 million in salary arbitration. But for the White Sox, they get a chance to sandwich Shark in between Chris Sale (one of the best pitchers in baseball) and the ever-underrated Jose Quintana. They have a couple other decent arms in that rotation, as well, but this takes some pressure off of their developing young starters. GM Rick Hahn is doing a great job with this South Side team makeover. Oakland GM Billy Beane is just continuing his fire sale, but I like THIS return better than the returns for Josh Donaldson and especially Brandon Moss.
On top of their other acquisitions, this move makes the White Sox look very good going into next season. I don't think they'll miss Bassitt too much, although he has back-end of the rotation potential and probably bullpen help at worst. Though Ravelo may be something, it will be likely a couple years before he makes an impact. He's probably the best player in the deal. Phegley is a nice back-up catcher with power, but the White Sox gained catcher Rob Brantly off of waivers, so he became expendable.
The Tigers are getting older with several positions in flux. The Twins are a mess. The Royals could still be fairly good and the Indians look better. But this could be quite a race now with all of the talent the White Sox have added. It's been 10 years since the White Sox last won the World Series. Why not go for it now?
What do you think of the White Sox going forward?