The Chicago White Sox moved three players before the July 31 trade deadline, and are better off for it.
Matt Thornton and Jake Peavy were moved to the Boston Red Sox, and Jesse Crain is now a Tampa Bay Ray. Double-A prospect Brandon Jacobs and Detroit Tigers #2 minor leaguer Avasail Garcia were the prized pieces in the deals to Boston. Crain’s move will bring back a player at a later date.
Also included in the Peavy three-team trade were three low level prospects sent to the White Sox. The Tigers acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from Boston, and sent relief pitcher Brayan Villarreal to the Red Sox.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn wanted major league-ready prospects in deals, and got one in Garcia. With Boston assuming the rest of Peavy’s deal, getting that one prospect of note is huge.
Garcia has been called “Miggy Jr.” after comparisons to Miguel Cabrera, but has yet to show any patience like his former teammate. Garcia’s BABIP is the highest at the Triple-A level and his contact rate is one of the lowest. Free-swinging White Sox prospect? Sounds familiar.
Brandon Jacobs has been with the organization since mid-July, and has enjoyed the change in scenery. At Double-A Birmingham, Jacobs is hitting .327 with one home run and 12 knocked in. Like most White Sox prospects, he has some challenges walking. In his defense, Jacobs walked 33 times in 291 at-bats in high A earlier this season.
So what do these deals mean? Added depth to a pathetic farm system, salary cap relief, and a commitment from a GM that knows he has a lot of wrongs to make right. The moves also give young players like Andre Rienzo, Jordan Danks, and potentially Erik Johnson and Scott Snodgress some playing time before season’s end.
The White Sox can still move players in August. The waiver trade deadline is August 31. Teams can place players on waivers in an attempt to trade. If a team claims a player, Chicago can let him go via waivers, or pull him back to negotiate a trade. The White Sox can only pull a player off of waivers once total no matter what. If a player goes unclaimed, he can be traded to any team.
Alex Rios, a trade candidate for the South Siders, was claimed by Chicago off of Toronto’s waivers in 2009 and was let go outright.
The product on the field now may be abysmal at best, but management on the south side is showing fans that there will be moves made to better the team now with the future in mind. That is about all fans can ask for.
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