It’s official. Chris Sale is no longer a member of the Chicago White Sox. According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, Sale is headed east to the Boston Red Sox in a massive deal including IF Yoan Moncada, RHP Michael Kopech, OF Luis Alexander Basabe, and RHP Victor Diaz.
Here at FutureSox, we’ll be doing deep dives into each player and obviously update the rankings in due time. For now, here’s a snapshot of each piece the White Sox received. This page will be further updated throughout today and this will remain your one-stop shop for all the goods on Chicago’s newest farmhands.
IF Yoan Moncada
Yoan Moncada headlines the deal for White Sox and is quite the man to front the deal. The switch-hitting Moncada was a high-profile international signing two years ago. The Red Sox invested $63 million in him when all was said and done. He’s a five tool talent with notably an advanced approach at the plate, electric bat speed, and the chance for some pop. His plus run tool will make him a dynamic threat on the basepaths as well.
Moncada was rightly anointed the game’s number one overall prospect by MLB Pipeline and held that same stature in Baseball America’s mid-season rankings. He’s easily the highest ranked White Sox prospect in the FutureSox era.
MLB Pipeline Profile
Baseball America Profile
RHP Michael Kopech
Kopech is a big-time power arm. Drafted out of high school in the first round in 2013, Kopech has a plus fastball that runs as high as 105 MPH and sits regularly between 95-97 MPH. He also features a low-90s slider and has a change up coming along. His control could use some work and he’ll need that third offering, but there are at least the ingredients for him to be a front-line starter. If the control stabilizes, he has a high floor in the pen. He’s among the five best pitching prospects in all of baseball.
MLB Pipeline Profile
Baseball America Profile
OF Luis Alexander Basabe
Basabe is hardly a throw-in in this mega deal. While he carries more risk than some of the other names, he offers immense upside. An international signing in 2012, Basabe is a hitter who teases of a 5-tool profile. Plus arm and run tools give him a decent floor, but he’ll still need to improve his hit tool to stick as a regular. Pairing these traits with Basabe’s bat speed and power potential, this is the perfect player for Chicago to take a gamble on. He’s ranked as high as 8th in the Boston system.
MLB Pipeline Profile
Baseball America Profile
RHP Victor Diaz
The White Sox clearly identified an arm to their liking to round out the package. A cheap international signing in 2014, Diaz offers a plus fastball and power secondary pitches. He hasn’t quite reeled in his control. At 22 years old, he’s in A-Ball right now and needs more polishing. My guess is Chicago zeroed in on him because of his 6-3, 190 lb frame and the zip in his arm that may have him still ticketed as a high-leverage reliever if the start package falls through.
MLB Pipeline Profile
Baseball America Profile
More content on this trade and the rebuild to come – stay tuned!
*Rob Young contributed to this report
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