What If? Chris Sale To Phillies: Dream Trade
Chris Sale has been the hottest possible trade chip name being thrown around so far this offseason. The 27-year-old stud lefty is right in the middle of his prime, and the White Sox aren’t really sure what they’re in the middle of at the moment, whether it be a team who should start from scratch or add some pieces and contend. With a list of players headlined by Sale that the Sox are contemplating whether or not to trade them, they have pieces that they could get rid of to start an organizational overhaul for a team who hasn’t been in the playoffs in 8 years. The Braves, Red Sox, Nationals, Dodgers, and Rangers are teams that have been mentioned as possible suitors for Chris Sale’s services, being that they have the prospects and flexibility to make a deal. What if, though, your beloved Phillies were to enter the sweepstakes? Sure, it seems a little crazy. The Phillies haven’t been mentioned as a destination for Sale all along, but this time of year it’s always fun to dream about what your team could possibly do in the offseason. So, let’s have some fun. Here would be a trade package that would make the most sense for both teams if this dream would ever come to fruition:
Phillies receive: LHP Chris Sale, OF Melky Cabrera, Cash
White Sox receive: RHP Vince Velasquez, RHP Jake Thompson, IF Cesar Hernandez, C Cameron Rupp, OF Roman Quinn
Yes, folks, that is five players for two players. Chris Sale is one of those players. That is why it is five for two. He counts as more than one player. This guy has proven that he is arguably one of the top five starting pitchers in all of baseball. He’s worth the haul. His stats and his pedigree (other than burning some jerseys along the way) speak for themselves. As for Cabrera, he has somewhat quietly had a very solid career. Since he won the 2012 all-star game MVP as a member of the San Francisco Giants, he has consistently been a solid hitter in any lineup he has been in. He had a .296 batting average in 591 at-bats for the Chi Sox in 2016, with 14 Home Runs and 86 RBI. He was tied for 6th in all of baseball with 42 doubles and his 175 hits were tied for 24th in the league, with that number of hits being two more than AL MVP Mike Trout’s 173. At age 32, Cabrera would be a better fit for a team that is in win-now mode. Most people don’t view the Phillies this way, but if they got these two guys, I would say that they would instantly become that win now team. Imagine an opening day lineup looking something like this:
LF Cabrera
2B Kendrick
CF Herrera
3B Franco
1B Joseph
SS Galvis
C Alfaro
RF Altherr
SP Sale
… with a rotation that would look something like this:
Sale
Hellickson
Eickhoff
Nola
Asher/Eflin/literally anyone else because that top 4 would be ridiculously good
Now that right there is a team that could win some ball games.
Let’s look now at the haul that the White Sox would receive here. Yes, these are 5 young, major league ready guys. What more could you ask for if you were the White Sox? If they were to go all in on their rebuild, this would be a nice package to start that journey.
Vince Velazquez has already shown flashes of being an ace-caliber arm when healthy, and the Phillies have been rumored to be willing to take advantage of that if the right deal comes along. Velazquez and fellow young righty Jake Thompson would slide right into the White Sox’s 2017 rotation while at the same time fitting into their rebuild, as both pitchers have plenty of room to grow.
Cesar Hernandez has also been a hot trade chip name ever since the Phillies traded for the versatile Howie Kendrick early this offseason. The Phils could go into the season with Kendrick in left field while keeping Hernandez at second base, but they could also go with Kendrick at second while taking advantage of Hernandez’s solid 2016 season by packaging him in a deal such as this.
Cameron Rupp and Roman Quinn would be the final two pieces in the deal. Rupp came out of nowhere for an all-around solid 2016 season, supplanting himself behind the plate for the Phils and leading Carlos Ruiz out the door. With Jorge Alfaro looking ready to roll in 2017 for the Phils, they could take advantage of Rupp’s season while handing the reigns to Alfaro or a cheap free agent catcher temporarily until Alfaro is 100% ready.
Roman Quinn is a guy who quickly went through the minor leagues for the Phillies, changing positions along the way and becoming a pretty solid outfielder. With the addition of Melky Cabrera in this deal, and with Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr holding down the other outfield spots for the Phils, there isn’t much room for Quinn, especially with Nick Williams waiting in the wings down on the farm. Quinn would be a nice addition for the Chi Sox who could either throw him right into left field to replace Cabrera or they could have him get a little more time in Triple A if need be. Overall, I think the White Sox would be pretty pleased with their side of the deal, giving their rebuild a nice little boost.
And there you have it. The Phillies just acquired Chris Sale. Rejoice, Philly! You just became a contender!
Okay, fine. This probably won’t happen. But, with things such as money and other sensible things being ignored for the moment, what if the Phillies decided to throw their hand into the Sale sweepstakes? Would this kind of deal be a bad idea? I don’t think so. I’d take it in a heartbeat. You keep your young nucleus for the most part while turning into a contender all at the same time. Yo, Matt Klentak, if you need some help, I’m here, brother!
Photo: rustlers1911 (via: Flickr)
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Categorized:Phillies