The MLB Trade Deadline is just three days away as teams look to make that move that will help them get to October.
One of the hottest names in all of baseball is right here in Chicago. Yep, Chris Sale.
The rumors of the White Sox moving Sale at the deadline continue to swirl, as they are likely going to be sellers come August 1. While just about every contender is looking to make a move for Sale, one team continues to be persistent in doing so.
That’s the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers currently lead the American League West division and are looking to add another arm. In steps Sale and the White Sox. Now the White Sox are going to want a ton for Sale, and deservedly so, but what would it actually take?
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has a hint:
The #Whitesox still want Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara from #Rangers in any deal for Chris Sale
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 29, 2016
Gallo reached the majors last year and was recently called up by the Rangers last week. He struggled at the plate, finishing 2015 with a 46% strikeout rate. He’s gotten better thus far trimming that number down to just 23% while in Triple A.
Fangraphs writes:
Based on his recent performance, it seems Gallo’s gotten the seasoning he needed. Last year, Gallo hit .240/.342/.520 between Double-A and Triple-A, and struck out in a super-concerning 37% of his trips to the plate. This year, he’s slashed his strikeout rate to a merely mildly-concerning 23% in Triple-A. As a result, he’s hit a gaudy .265/.415/.639.
But do the White Sox want to take that chance? Well if the Rangers add in Nomar Mazara and Jurickson Profar, it could be a sweet deal for the South Siders.
Mazara is currently slashing .279/.332/.413 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI’s, and has been pretty solid defensively not committing an error in 47 tries this season. Then there’s Profar.
The 23-year-old is one of the most sought after pieces in trade proposals, with a “ton of calls” coming the Rangers way. It could come down to how much the Rangers value Elvis Andrus bat, who has been good offensively this year to go along with his stellar defense.
If the White Sox really want to trade Sale, the Rangers might be the best fit.
