WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF DECEMBER 7, 2016 White Sox get Moncada, 3 others for Sale Scott Merkin, MLB.com Sale expresses appreciation for White Sox fans

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF DECEMBER 7, 2016 White Sox get Moncada, 3 others for Sale Scott Merkin, MLB.com Sale expresses appreciation for White Sox fans Scott Merkin, MLB.com With Sale gone, White Sox ponder more moves Scott Merkin, MLB.com For Sale: What the White Sox got Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com Sale s changing Sox send ripple effect Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com With Moncada trade, White Sox rebuild underway Phil Rogers, MLB.com Winter Meetings interview with Rick Hahn MLB.com Sold: White Sox trade Chris Sale to Red Sox for package including baseball s No. 1 prospect Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago How the White Sox and Red Sox worked out their Chris Sale megadeal Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago Michael Kopech, Luis Basabe, Victor Diaz and the rest of the return for Chris Sale JJ Stankevtiz, CSN Chicago Examining Yoan Moncada, Baseball s No. 1 prospect and the newest member of the White Sox JJ Stankevitz, CSN Chicago Five remarkable Chris Sale stats from his time with the White Sox Chris Kamka, CSN Chicago White Sox embark on bittersweet journey with Chris Sale trade Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Meet the new White Sox guys: Prospects acquired in the Chris Sale trade Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox s haul for Chris Sale was nice, but was it enough? Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune Chris Sale traded: His 10 most memorable moments with White Sox Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune White Sox trade of Chris Sale brings young hope, finally Steve Rosenbloom, Chicago Tribune Chris Sale trade necessary for White Sox to start overdue rebuilding David Haugh, Chicago Tribune Commentary: Nationals losing out on Chris Sale might be a blessing in disguise Thomas Boswell, Chicago Tribune For Chris Sale, leaving White Sox is bittersweet Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox not done dealing after Sale trade Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox deal Chris Sale to Red Sox for four prospects Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox rebuild off to roaring start with trade of Chris Sale Rick Morrissey, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox trade Sale to Boston for Moncada, Kopech, 2 others Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Imrem: Big winners of Sale deal? Cubs Mike Imrem, Daily Herald North: Time for White Sox to find their identity Mike North, Daily Herald So long, Sale: Stars don t win on the South Side James Fegan, The Athletic White Sox deliver with blockbuster trade of Chris Sale Sahadev Sharma, The Athletic He gone: White Sox trade Chris Sale to Boston Jon Greenberg, The Athletic White Sox trade Chris Sale to Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, 3 more prospects Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago Levine: Chris Sale trade just the beginning for White Sox Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago Emma: It s the dawn of a new day for the White Sox Chris Emma, CBS Chicago Baffoe: White Sox had to trade Chris Sale to get happy Tim Baffoe, CBS Chicago Jim Callis gives scouting report on Yoan Moncada: Potential to be Robinson Cano with more speed Staff, CBS Chicago White Sox GM Rick Hahn: Yoan Moncada likely to start season at Triple-A, Michael Kopech at High-A or Double-A Staff, CBS Chicago Sale excited about Red Sox rotation Scott Lauber, ESPN.com

2 In Cubs shadow, White Sox start rebuild Bradford Doolittle, ESPN.com Red Sox acquire ace Chris Sale in trade with White Sox Staff, ESPN.com Red Sox go all-in for 2017 with Chris Sale stunner Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Implications of blockbuster Chris Sale trade could affect Dodgers Doug Padilla, ESPN.com MLB Rumor Central: Jose Quintana drawing serious interest? Kyle Basseur, ESPN.com By landing Chris Sale, the Red Sox announced that they re the AL s team to beat Dieter Kurtenbach, FOX Sports The White Sox want to help your team improve this offseason Dieter Kurtenbach, FOX Sports The future is now for the Red Sox after dealing prospects for Chris Sale Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports Nightengale: Chris Sale trade could key titles for both Red Sox, White Sox Bob Nightengale, USA Today Red Sox acquire Chris Sale in blockbuster trade with White Sox Bob Nightengale, USA Today The Chris Sale effect: How his trade impacts the Red Sox, White Sox and others Gabe Lacques, USA Today Top prospects carry most fantasy intrigue in Chris Sale trade Steve Gardner, USA Today Red Sox, White Sox combine for interesting risk-reward with Chris Sale trade Ben Reiter, Sports Illustrated In trading Chris Sale, White Sox abandon win-now approach and start rebuild Jon Tayler, Sports Illustrated White Sox ace Chris Sale traded to Red Sox Staff, Sports Illustrated Red Sox and White Sox trade, seeing future in each other s roster Tyler Kepner, The New York Times White Sox trade Chris Sale to Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, three others Mike Oz, Yahoo Sports An MLB prospect expert s take on Moncada, Kopech and White Sox haul in Sale trade R.J. Anderson, CBS Sports Chris Sale trade gives Red Sox super-rotation the American League will fear Dave Sheinin, Washington Post Boston Red Sox move all-in, trade for ace Chris Sale Jared Diamond, Wall Street Journal Chris Sale s attractiveness to the Boston Red Sox goes well beyond a franchise friendly contract Wayne G. McDonnell Jr., Forbes Sale trade signals new era for White Sox marketing Danny Ecker, Crain s Chicago Business Boston Red Sox go all-in by completing blockbuster trade for Chris Sale, one of the best pitchers in baseball Emmett Knowlton, Business Insider Powell: White Sox do what they needed to do trade Chris Sale Kevin Powell, WGN Radio Brian Cashman: Red Sox got their Kevin Durant in Chris Sale Mark Feinsand, New York Daily News Chris Sale changes Sox: Chicago sends All-Star pitcher to Boston for Prospects Joe Vince, Chicago Patch White Sox trade pitcher Chris Sale to the Red Sox Larry Hawley, WGN Chicago Red Sox get ace Chris Sale from White Sox for hefty package Ben Walker, Associated Press

3 White Sox get Moncada, 3 others for Sale Chicago receives 4 highly regarded Minor Leaguers, including MLB s top prospect By Scott Merkin / MLB.com December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- If anyone still fostered a shred of doubt regarding the White Sox direction, Tuesday's trade of Chris Sale to Boston answered any lingering questions. The Red Sox picked up a front-of-the-rotation hurler in Sale, who gives them quite possibly the best rotation in the American League and reinforces Boston's standing as a postseason frontrunner. In adding infielder Yoan Moncada, right-handers Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz, and outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, the White Sox rebuild began in full force. Moncada, MLBPipeline's No. 1 overall prospect, was the centerpiece of the deal. Kopech, with his 100- mph fastball, is ranked No. 30, and the two take over at the top of the White Sox prospect list. All four players acquired were listed among the Red Sox Top 30. "We feel very strongly about Kopech, and the upside of Basabe and the tools he brings, and the arm of Diaz," general manager Rick Hahn said. "But Moncada was essential. We view him as a young, controllable, premium position player who is going to help us both offensively and defensively for a long time. "I'm not going to put any big league names on him in terms of who he's similar to, but a little Google search will show you who he is compared to. We shared that kind of view of his future. That was an important piece. We weren't looking to move Chris unless it was a situation where we were going to acquire premium-type talent back." Some have compared Moncada with Robinson Cano, but after the switch-hitting 21-year-old hit.211 in 19 at-bats with Boston last season, he probably won't even be considered for the Majors until at least midseason. "He's already been [in the Majors], but there is still some development with him," said Hahn. "Certainly, he could be a factor in some point in '17, but given his age and where he's been, if that's not the case, that is fine. "Part of this process is not rushing the guys just to show some benefit or to feel like this is working. We do view Moncada and Kopech as guys who could come quickly. Basabe will start in A ball, as will Diaz, and it will take them a little longer. The other guys could come quickly." Boston's president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, said that Hahn called on Friday to let him know Sale was going to be traded and to gauge his interest. Dombrowski tipped his cap to Hahn for handling the situation professionally and directly. In moving Sale, the White Sox traded one of the best starters in the game who was under control at $38 million over the next three years if two team options were exercised. In moving Moncada and Kopech, the Red Sox weakened a strong young talent pool. But both Dombrowski and Hahn understood the costs. They also realized the moves made the best sense for the true direction of each team. "There is no question we gave up two of the better prospects in baseball in Moncada and Kopech," Dombrowski said. "We liked the other two guys, but it came down to a point where we thought this gave us a significant chance to win."

4 "Today was the first step in what will very likely be an extended process," Hahn said. "But it's one that we feel, if we continue to acquire similar-type players with the upsides of the individuals that we acquired today, will be for the extended long-term benefit of the organization." Having already proven his dominance for an American League club with a hitter-friendly home park, Sale will be among the top-five starters in 2017 fantasy drafts now that he has the support of a high-scoring Red Sox lineup. Fantasy owners should project the left-hander to produce at least 18 wins with 235 strikeouts and an ERA in the low-3.00s during '17. Sale will join David Price and Rick Porcello as pitchers with guaranteed spots in Boston's rotation, meaning Steven Wright, Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Clay Buchholz will likely need to compete for two starting jobs. Now a member of the retooling White Sox, Moncada could soon find himself with a regular big league role. The consensus top prospect in baseball, Moncada has the potential to make a major impact in '17 fantasy leagues after producing 15 homers with 45 steals and a.407 on-base percentage in the Minors last season. Even if he is not on the Opening Day roster, the 21-year-old will be a prime stash candidate in all formats. Sale expresses appreciation for White Sox fans By Scott Merkin / MLB.com December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Chris Sale is gone, but he won't soon forget his seven seasons in Chicago. "I really appreciate the White Sox fans' support through the years and can't wait to come back to Chicago and see everyone," Sale wrote in a text to MLB.com on Tuesday after he was traded to Boston in exchange for infielder Yoan Moncada, right-handers Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz, and outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe. "I have a lot of great memories in Chicago, and a piece of me will always be in that city." Sale, 27, began his Chicago career out of the bullpen approximately two months after he was selected 13th overall by the South Siders in the 2010 Draft. He moved to the rotation in 2012, and he was named an All-Star in each of his five seasons as a starter. His 274 strikeouts in 2015 are a single-season franchise mark, his six complete games in 2016 topped the Majors, and myriad statistics point the lanky southpaw toward being quite possibly the team's best pitcher in the modern era. His tenure wasn't perfect, with a jersey-shredding incident leading to a five-game suspension this past season and a few heated arguments with executive vice president Ken Williams along the way, but even if the method wasn't always right, the message behind it always was the same. Sale wanted to win, and he fought to give the team what he believed was its best chance at success. "That competitiveness and that fight is part of what makes him good in between the white lines," general manager Rick Hahn said. "Sometimes it may have spilled over a little in a way I think he would say in retrospect wasn't quite appropriate, but he understood that, and we understood where he was coming from." It's an exciting time for Sale, who is expecting his second son with wife Brianne in the next two weeks. He looks forward to the opportunity to win with Boston, not to mention to live at home during his first Florida Spring Training, but he also praised the White Sox, just as he did the team's fan base. "He was excited about the chance to potentially go win something with Boston, which you have to respect," Hahn said. "We wished him well, but he was very considerate and appreciative for what the organization had done for him."

5 With Sale gone, White Sox ponder more moves By Scott Merkin / MLB.com December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- White Sox general manager Rick Hahn sat on a dais at the Gaylord Resort & Convention Center for nearly 20 minutes on Tuesday, discussing the five-player trade with the Red Sox that sent ace Chris Sale to Boston. But it was his answer to the final question -- albeit an off-the-cuff response concerning how to sell the move to the White Sox fan base -- that truly could indicate the depth of this team's rebuild. "There's still some talented players in Chicago," Hahn said. "There's still some exciting young players that are going to be part of this going forward. There's Tim Anderson, there's Carlos Rodon. There's a handful of others that come Spring Training we'll focus upon even more." Maybe in the excitement of acquiring infielder Yoan Moncada, the top prospect in all of baseball per MLBPipeline.com, and hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech (No. 30 overall), Hahn couldn't think of another player to add to the mix. Then again, maybe the rest of the White Sox veterans, even those on the younger side, should rent instead of looking to buy. Basically, anyone but Anderson and Rodon will be available over the upcoming days, weeks and months leading into Spring Training. After being what Hahn termed as "mired in mediocrity," the organization has gone down a seemingly exciting path to a rebuilding phase and an attempt to contend for a number of years. It's the same road traveled by the World Series-champion Cubs, as well as the Astros, Brewers, Braves, Reds and Phillies. Hahn went as far as to mention that while they were doing the medical review on the Boston deal, they had a couple of other meetings. "Whether you're close or not, [it's usually] the same answer here: You tend to be about a phone call away from something coming together," Hahn said. "More often than not, that phone call doesn't come. "We're talking on a handful of different fronts. And it's possible something else comes together here. If not, we'll visit it later in the week." Washington made a strong push for Sale, with a deal topped by right-hander Lucas Giolito and outfielder Victor Robles. The Nationals could put together a similar package in pursuit of left-hander Jose Quintana, an All-Star in 2016 who has worked at least 200 innings in each of the last four seasons. He also is under control through 2020, via two years at $14.35 million total and two club options for $10.5 million each. Outfielder Adam Eaton, an offensive spark plug and a Gold Glove-caliber right fielder under control through 2021, also has drawn strong interest. The White Sox could look to the Cardinals and try to pry loose catcher Carson Kelly, who can work with Zack Collins, last year's first-round selection, in providing much-needed consistency behind the plate. Third baseman Todd Frazier represents a true power hitter with a positive clubhouse presence, while David Robertson and Nate Jones stand as cheaper but successful closing options for teams not in on Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen. Hahn quipped about being ready to make another trade on Tuesday evening if the right opportunity presented itself, but in reality there's no rebuilding timetable. If the White Sox talent demand is met in each instance, they clearly are ready to move.

6 For Sale: What the White Sox got Chicago boosts farm with MLB s top prospect, fireballer, two more high-ceiling Minor Leaguers By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Perhaps the biggest name being bandied about since the Winter Meetings began, left-handed ace Chris Sale, has been dealt to the Red Sox. To get the five-time All-Star, Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombowski had to seriously raid the prospect cupboard, dealing four of the organization's Top 30 to the White Sox. The headliner of those four, of course, is No. 1 overall prospect Yoan Moncada. Signed two months shy of his 20th birthday, Moncada received $31.5 million to sign out of Cuba, a record bonus for an amateur player. That blew past the Red Sox's international pool, forcing them to pay an additional $31.5 million in penalties. After starting his pro career a bit slowly, the infielder really showed off his incredible tools in 2016, starting the year in the Class A Advanced Carolina League and finishing it in the Majors. Compared to Robinson Cano but with more speed, he can hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. Moncada showed he can use his plus speed on the basepaths, swiping 45 bags this season. A Futures Game participant last July, Moncada has potential as he continues to learn to add loft to his swing. There has been a little more debate about where Moncada fits defensively. He played second base during his time in the Minors with Boston, then moved to third when the Red Sox needed him to fill a hole at the big league level. He was slated to see a lot of time at the hot corner in the Arizona Fall League, but a thumb injury cut that short after just six games. It will be a short-lived experiment as the White Sox plan to have Moncada go back to second base full-time, which will mean finding a new home for Brett Lawrie. Michael Kopech is prospect 1A in this deal. The hard-throwing right-hander ranked fifth in the Red Sox's midseason Top 30 and No. 67 overall. Especially after his AFL performance, he moved up to No. 30 overall and is second on the White Sox's Top 30, just behind Moncada. There has never been any question about Kopech's stuff, starting with the 2014 first-round pick's plusplus fastball that consistently touches triple digits, sits comfortably in the mph range and has nasty movement. He complements that unhittable pitch with a low-90s slider that can make hitters look equally bad. That two-pitch combination is enough to get any hitter out, but the 20-year-old also has a changeup that has the chance to be a Major League-average offering as well. Kopech misses a ton of bats -- he struck out 13.7 per nine innings in and generated a ton of weak contact (.156 batting average against). Two things have held Kopech back in the early stages of his career. The first is on the mound: his command. Kopech walked 5.3 batters per nine frames this past season and 4.6 in his career since being drafted out of the Texas high school ranks. The other has been off the mound in terms of his makeup. He received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance late in 2015, then broke his pitching hand in a fight with a teammate in Spring Training. If his performance in the AFL is any indication, Kopech might be poised to vastly improve in both of those areas. He walked 3.22 batters per nine frames in his time there while striking out 26 in 22 1/3 innings. All reports were positive on how he went about his business pitching for the Surprise Saguaros. He has yet to pitch above the Class A Advanced level, but if he can continue to throw strikes at that rate with his stuff, he could be ready to start reaching his ceiling as a top-of-the-rotation starter at some point in Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz may forever be known as the "other two guys" in the Sale trade, but they bring considerable value to the table as well. Basabe was No. 8 on the Red Sox's midseason list and will come in at No. 7 on the White Sox's Top 30.

7 Basabe turned 20 in late August, and the switch-hitting center fielder has all five tools at his disposal. They're raw and in the developmental stage, but if it all clicks, he could eventually be a dynamic offensive presence and can stick in center, though he has the arm strength to play right. He's also the second Basabe to be traded by the Red Sox: His twin, Luis Alejandro, was sent to the D-backs in the Brad Ziegler trade in July. Diaz, No. 28 at the time of the trade on the Red Sox's list and will be No. 29 with the White Sox, is all about arm strength. Like Kopech, he can regularly top 100 mph on the radar gun and will sit in the mph range. The late life gets swings and misses -- he has struck out 9.5 per nine in his career and 9.4 in 2016 after making the jump from the Dominican Summer League to the full-season South Atlantic League. He also gets ground-ball outs, with a 1.95 groundout-to-flyout ratio last season. The 22-year-old also has a splitter and a slider, both of which show glimpses of being outstanding secondary offerings. With major effort in his delivery and resulting command issues (4 BB/9), Diaz profiles as a reliever. If it all clicks, White Sox fans could one day see him pitching at the end of games. Sale s changing Sox send ripple effect By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Were the Winter Meetings lobby a ticketed attraction (and maybe we shouldn't give people ideas here), then the Chris Sale trade that went down on Tuesday at the Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center would allow this year's event to qualify as money well spent. This is the kind of stuff we come for -- the big, bold splash involving a perennial All-Star and Cy Young Award candidate who is, ahem, changing Sox. A swap this seismic doesn't occur in isolation. It has ripple effects throughout the industry. And here, in no particular order, are the teams most affected. White Sox: The gates are now open, and the rebuild is off to the races. Once you trade your best player -- and especially when that best player has a reasonable contract attached to him -- you obviously don't have any untouchables. While the extra year of contractual control attached to Jose Quintana might mean he lines up better with the Sox's competitive timetable, there's something to be said for really committing to a full-scale rebuild and maximizing his value now. Beyond that, Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Adam Eaton, Nate Jones, Jose Abreu and Melky Cabrera all have the potential to be moved. "I don't know if [the Sale trade] necessarily leads to a quickening of our pace," general manager Rick Hahn said. "We've had conversations on a number of different fronts, and we're extremely open-minded on ways to continue the process we started today." The Astros, as we'll discuss in a sec, could make a push for Quintana. Frazier could be a fit with the Dodgers if they don't re-sign Justin Turner. Eaton makes sense for a Rangers team looking for centerfield help and generally more focused on trades than free agents. Abreu has been tied in the rumor mill to the Rockies, who need a first baseman. Nationals: Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said his interest in the starting pitching market was "basically Sale or nothing." We don't know if it's quite that extreme for Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, but that seems to make sense. The Nationals' rotation was already strong without Sale, and this club has more pressing needs in the back end of the bullpen and in the outfield (assuming Trea Turner does move back to shortstop). The Nats struck out on Sale, missed on closer Mark Melancon and, so far at least, haven't nailed down the Andrew McCutchen trade that they once seemed to be trending toward. But given their willingness to part with some highly prized prospects (specifically, Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles) in the right deal and just their hunger to improve, in general, the "host" club could still make a splash at these Meetings or, obviously, elsewhere this month. McCutchen remains a big target of theirs.

8 Astros: Well, Sale didn't go to the rival Rangers, so that's good. But the totality of the Astros' offseason, to date, qualifies as a splash, and, with starting pitching a key item left on their shopping list, they're not looking for another Doug Fister-type deal here. They want to upgrade an iffy unit that was riddled with injury by the end of 2016 in a significant way. With Sale, a guy they acted upon but ultimately were unwilling to part with Alex Bregman to acquire, off the board, the Astros are going to have to look elsewhere -- but maybe not too far elsewhere. They could stay engaged with the White Sox on Quintana. Or they could perhaps pivot to the next team on this list Rays: They're not actively shopping Chris Archer. He's tied to three ridiculously affordable guaranteed years (just like Sale) and another two affordable team option years beyond that. And for a budgetconscious Rays team that expects to be competitive next year, that's not something you walk away from easily. But Archer has been viewed as an alternative for teams unable to land Sale, and, as we saw with the Sox haul, there are attractive packages to be had for premier pitching in this marketplace. So at the very least, the Rays will now be getting a firmer feel of whether somebody's going to overwhelm them for their ace. Oh, and their division just got a liiiiitle bit more difficult, too. Speaking of Blue Jays, Orioles and Yankees: Consider the American League East ante upped. Yankees GM Brian Cashman called the Red Sox the "Golden State Warriors of Baseball" with the way they've stacked their squad. For whatever it's worth, the Sox, winners of 93 games in 2016, are currently projected by FanGraphs to be at least 11 games better than every other team in the East. What does this mean in reality? Absolutely nothing. But every club analytics department runs its own projection models, and there's no denying Boston just improved its outlook. The others are trying to do the same. The Blue Jays need outfield help. While Dexter Fowler remains an obvious free-agent target, there is still the possibility of Jose Bautista coming back in what has been a quiet market for him so far. The Orioles want Mark Trumbo back, and the crowded corner outfield/dh market might eventually work in their favor. The Yankees are trying to move Brett Gardner as they generally try to get younger and more flexible in the lineup and could bring back Aroldis Chapman to make their bullpen a force again. Rangers: They were never a great fit with the Sox for Sale because they simply don't have a high-end, high-level pitching prospect like Michael Kopech. But if they find themselves bidding on some of the same arms as the Astros, that's an interesting little intra-divisional bargaining war. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported on Tuesday that the Reds' Anthony DeSclafani and Dan Straily are among the arms the Rangers have inquired about. The Rangers also want an elite defender in the outfield, and Eaton fits that bill. Braves: Cooler heads prevailed here, and that is sensible. The Braves could/should be greatly improved in 2017 with a more respectable rotation alignment and the continued maturation of their young talent. But significantly depleting the system for Sale (especially if the deal involved Dansby Swanson) would have been an awfully bold leap of faith in the ability to quickly escalate the National League East ladder. Archer and the A's Sonny Gray also currently rate as too rich for the Braves' trade tastes, so it appears Atlanta will have to "settle" for moving into a new ballpark with an improved club, a stocked system and a big revenue boost looming. There are worse fates in life. John Farrell: He'll have the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, the 2012 Cy Young Award winner and the guy who has finished in the top five of the voting each of the last four years. Have fun picking an Opening Day starter. (No, that's not meant to be sarcastic. Seriously, have fun!)

9 With Moncada trade, White Sox rebuild underway By Phil Rogers / MLB.com December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Here we go. After hemming and hawing about whether to rebuild or try to contend, seemingly since Chris Sale's rookie season, the White Sox decided on a full rebuild on Tuesday. The deal sending Sale to the Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and two prospects signals an overdue change in philosophy for the ownership group and front office, and probably won't be the last trade that general manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Ken Williams make at the Winter Meetings. Every veteran on the White Sox roster is in play now, including Jose Quintana, Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton. The goal is to build a contender with some shelf life, like South Side teams from the early 1990s, constructed around Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Ozzie Guillen, and such pitchers as Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez and Wilson Alvarez. Hahn referred to the "bittersweet" nature of his journey, but have no doubt -- it is one that he and his organization, from chairman Jerry Reinsdorf on down, embraces. "You wind up sitting up here talking about moving a five-time All-Star and Cy Young candidate, which is never enjoyable,'' Hahn said. "At the same time, there is a level of excitement about what this potential can look like down the road. We have a lot of work ahead of us in similar such moves.... But the idea to put yourself in [the] position on an annual basis to contend, to be self-sustaining for the most part, with mostly homegrown players, [that] has a great deal of appeal." Landing the 21-year-old, switch-hitting Moncada to play alongside 23-year-old shortstop Tim Anderson is a great start. Moncada perfectly fits the mold of the controllable impact hitter that Hahn had said he had to get in any deal for Sale, who makes the Red Sox the team to beat in the American League. It's surprising -- no, astonishing -- that the Red Sox would deal MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect less than two years after committing $63 million in bonus and taxes to get his rights. "We admired him as an amateur," Hahn said. "We were interested in him as an amateur. We quickly realized we weren't going to be able to sign him." But Dave Dombrowski wasn't the executive who recommended that outlay to Red Sox ownership, and he was able to convince his bosses that having Sale in his age-28 season (and -29 and -30 seasons) would be worth watching Moncada develop into an All-Star elsewhere. The Red Sox were only willing to deal Moncada because they have so many other talented position players under age 25, including outfielder Andrew Benintendi, whom the White Sox coveted. Unlike the Nationals (Trea Turner) and the Astros (Alex Bregman), the Red Sox had two hitters high on the White Sox wish list, not just one. That was the key to completing a deal that also sends Kopech, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe and right-hander Victor Diaz -- who is being developed as a closer -- to Chicago. Moncada will quite likely begin the 2017 season at Triple-A Charlotte, not in Chicago. He's dominated in the Minor Leagues, and although he wasn't an instant success when the Red Sox rushed him to the big leagues last September, his long-term outlook is bright. "It's a very difficult deal to make,'' Dombrowski said. "But you have to give something to get something. The ability to get Chris Sale doesn't come along that often. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball. He's

10 proven it. We're trying to win. [But] there will come a day when Moncada's put in his 15-year career and we'll be saying, 'Gee, I can't believe we traded him.'" It won't be a surprise to see Sale pitch in a World Series or two for the Red Sox. But for as loyal as he'd been to the team that drafted him from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2010, he wasn't going to get there with the current version of the White Sox. Chicago's scouting and player development operation slowed down in the aftermath of the 2005 World Series victory, and Williams and Hahn couldn't win again without a heavily homegrown lineup. Instead they were "mired in mediocrity,'' as Hahn aptly described last July. But for now, they will not put themselves in the category of contenders. The White Sox are willing to take the route of talent acquisition, as the Astros and Cubs have done, the latter ultimately assembling a core that just won the World Series. One way in which Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, operated shrewdly was timing the pace with which he put his trade pieces on the market. He dealt Scott Feldman (in a deal that included Jake Arrieta) on July 2, 2012, leaving him the rest of the month to market Ryan Dempster (whom he traded in a package for Kyle Hendricks). Hahn seems to have done the same with Quintana. Before the Winter Meetings, Hahn said he was open to business regarding any players with contracts covering fewer than four years. That meant that Sale, controlled through 2019, was fair game, but not Quintana, controlled through Guess what changed after the Sale trade? Almost immediately after that deal was done, executives from other clubs were saying that the White Sox were discussing the possibility of dealing Quintana. Quintana may not have the same high profile as Sale, but he has compiled a 3.41 career ERA while working 200-plus innings in each of the past four seasons. Also entering his age-28 season and coming off an All-Star season, he might do as much for the Nationals, Astros, Dodgers, Rangers or Cardinals -- as Sale would have. Given that he's under control for a fourth year (at $36.85 million total), he might bring almost as big of a return as Sale. Abreu and Eaton both seem to have strong markets, with the Rockies pursuing Abreu and the Rangers and Cardinals among the teams with interest in Eaton. The White Sox could also deal Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera and David Robertson, either individually or in a package for Quintana, Abreu or Eaton. It's a shame the White Sox never made it to the postseason behind Sale, as he deserved the chance to pitch in October. He should get it now, and if he stays in Boston long enough, he might one day get a chance to face Moncada and the rest of a young White Sox squad that has become one of the most exciting teams in the Major Leagues. Winter Meetings interview with Rick Hahn By MLB.com December 6th, 2016 RICK HAHN: It's never easy to trade a pitcher the caliber of Chris Sale, a player that our amateur scouting staff identified early on, prior to 2010 draft, and our player development people along with Major League staff helped maximize his high, high level of talent at the Big League level. As I talked with Chris this afternoon to inform him of the trade, pass along our great gratitude as an organization for everything he did in our uniform and obviously wished him well, it was not an easy phone call to make, but one, quite frankly, based upon the return that we were able to procure in this trade was one that we were extremely excited about making.

11 We have made no secret heading into the off-season our goal is to put ourselves in the best position to contend for an extended period of time for multiple championships. Given where we were as an organization entering this off-season, we knew we were going to have to make some painful decisions. But if we had the opportunity to acquire some high-impact talent that would be around for a number of years, it was time to start that process. So today was the first step in what will very likely be an extended process but one that we feel, if we continue to acquire similar-type players with the upsides of the individuals that we acquired today, will be for the extended long-term benefit of the organization. With that, questions. Q. With the interest you had from various teams besides Boston and the talent packages you were being offered, how tough was this decision to make, where to pull the final move on it, and how much did you go back and forth with your Boston people before deciding on the Boston fit? RICK HAHN: There was extensive debate. Obviously we took this decision quite serious, and there were a number of talented players involved not just in the Red Sox package but in other packages that we were debating, and those conversations went up to late this morning until we decided the Red Sox deal was the one that made the most sense for us, based on the players that were coming back. Q. How was the last, maybe, from 6:00 on last night, what was it like in the room until this morning? RICK HAHN: Stuffy. Didn't smell great. (Chuckles.) There was a great level of excitement since we got here about the caliber of players that we were likely to receive back. We view Moncada as a premium position player, a guy who is going to play up the middle for us, be an impact offensively and defensively for us for a long time. And Kopech, we project him out as a front end of the rotation starter, the kind of guy that's pretty rare in terms of peers throughout Minor League Baseball right now. Basabe, another switch-hitting up-the-middle talent plus defender in center fielder who can run. And then Diaz, a plus-plus arm who has some secondary offerings to back it up. These are the type of impact players that we need to continue to acquire and build up to get our system to the point where we are able to have that extended run of success, and there were similar-type players being offered from other clubs, and there was a level of excitement in that room as we debated which was the best path for us. And although there were a few minutes along the way where you take time to realize the caliber of player that you're giving up in Chris and, as I said, someone who's success is a tribute not only to his great ability but our amateur scouts and player development and Major League coaches and one of our own. In the end we knew this was something we had to do for the benefit of the club. Q. Does this in your mind, in your people's minds, open up the floodgates for the possibilities of numerous other players possibly being dealt over the next couple days here and in the future? RICK HAHN: I don't know if it necessarily leads to a quickening of our pace. We've had conversations leading up to these meetings as well since we've gotten here on a number of different fronts, and we're extremely open-minded on ways to continue the process that we started today. It's conceivable more comes together while we're here, or it may take a few more weeks on certain fronts and conceivably into the season as well. We don't view this as a quick fix; this is something that we're going to do with diligence and with the proper patience in order to maximize our returns. Q. Rick, you've been making a lot of moves the last couple years the other direction, going for it, signing free agents, making trades, how difficult is it to reset and what finally convinced you now is the right time? RICK HAHN: It was an organizational decision, something that Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams and I and others, Buddy Bell, and Jeremy Haber in the front office have been discussing for a long time. It doesn't -- this path, you're right, doesn't fit with how we have acted over the last several years. We've been in a more of a "win now and patch and play" type of situation.

12 We feel the same frustration that the White Sox fans have felt over the last few years which those plans may look good on paper or entering Spring Training make everybody feel optimistic haven't played out the way everybody inside and outside of the organization anticipated. That extended period of frustration and not being able to see a path in order to rectify that based upon where we were in terms of our resources as an organization led to very serious conversations over not just the last few months but over the last few years about when is the right time to pivot to taking this longer-term approach. And ultimately, based upon where we were during the off-season and the landscape ahead of us, we felt now is the type to, again, put ourselves in a position where we can have that success over extended period, maybe change our time horizon as we look to make these moves, our focus as we make these moves. Q. Rick, in Moncada you acquired a tremendous prospect. The Red Sox were so high on him they even bring him up last year, they brought him up as a third baseman. But his favorite position is a second base. Do the White Sox view him as a second baseman, and how soon you think he will be (indiscernible)? RICK HAHN: There is still some development left in this player, obviously. He's extremely young, has had success already at the higher levels, but he's not a finished product. In terms of his time horizon, the good ones have a way of forcing the issue. But we project him, in all probability, to start in the Minors. Second base, third base, we think he's capable of playing both, but at this point we would have him playing second base for us. Q. With Kopech, obviously a limited time this year, pitched in the fall league. What stood out to you guys from him in the fall league and with his past, the suspension and the broken hand and an altercation earlier this year? How were you able to look at that when taking this deal into account? RICK HAHN: We did a lot of due diligence in all of the players in terms of their make-up and background, and with Michael there were a couple of incidents that we wanted to look into. And we got comfortable with what led up to the background and the back story behind him. He's an extreme competitor, you can see that from the physicality in his mound presence, the stuff is obvious with the plus-plus fastball and the slider. We project him out about as well as just about any Minor League starter out there right now. There is still a fair amount of development left for him given the missed time and where he finished the season, but he did perform extremely well out here or in the Arizona Fall League, which sorta reinforced those projects that we have for him. Again, not a finished project by any stretch, but a guy we project out to have a strong potential of helping to anchor a rotation in the future. Q. Clubs get caught on that treadmill where they're between 75 and 85 wins, and they think, okay, this is the next step we're going to go, and it doesn't happen. How much does that play into that decision? RICK HAHN: It's a big part of it. Last thing you want to be is caught in between. You don't want to be a club that's not good enough, not capable of winning a championship but at the same time is just sort of mediocre or stuck in the middle. We try each off-season to be realistic about where we are as a club and what are going to be the opportunities based on the free agent or trade market or internally to improve ourselves and get us to that spot where we are going to be able to contend for a championship. In the past few years we've been aggressive in trying to patch some of those holes, and unfortunately they haven't played out the way we anticipated when we made those deals. This is an effort to move more toward being able to sustain ourselves at that higher echelon. There may well be some pain along the way. That's part of this process in terms of the performance at the Big League level. But ultimately we think whatever, you know, sacrifice we make for the short-term at the Big League level is going to pay off

13 for an extended period at the Big League level, because the last place we want to be is caught in between. Q. Moncada was an amateur or free agent coming out of Cuba recently. Where were you guys in that process in 2015 and was there ever a point in this negotiation when the cost that the Red Sox paid to get him might have made him an untouchable? RICK HAHN: We didn't discuss his signing bonus or the tax or any of that stuff with the Red Sox in terms of his accessibility in this trade; it was more about the talent that they were receiving and what we acquired coming back. We admired him as an amateur. We were interested in him as an amateur and quickly realized we weren't going to be able to sign him as an amateur. Q. A lot of clubs recently the last few years have gone through the rebuilding process, including one in your own town. Is it a fun process or a painful process? RICK HAHN: It's probably a bittersweet process because you wind up sitting up here potentially talking about moving a five-time All-Star and CY Young candidate, which is never enjoyable, especially when it's a home-grown guy. At the same time there is a level of excitement of what this could potentially look like down the road. We have a lot of work ahead of us and similar such moves ahead of us to the once we made today, but there is the idea of being able to put yourself in that position to on an annual basis contend and to be selfsustaining for the most part with your own homegrown players. Has a great deal of appeal not only to the front office but when you talk to our scouts about it and the challenges it presents and the opportunity it presents as well as our Major League coaching staff. We had organizational meetings back in Arizona a month ago prior to the general manager meetings, and while we weren't public about these conversations, there was a great deal of enthusiasm in the room for where we potentially could go over the next five, six years even though the front end of that may be painful. Q. Did you contact Jose Abreu about Moncada? RICK HAHN: We had a conversation with Jose at the time Moncada was an amateur. They were teammates in Cuba. I haven't spoken to Moncada directly today, but in speaking with his representative he mentioned the fondness he has for Jose and the excitement he has to potentially be playing with them in the future. Jose spoke very well of him at the time. Q. Scouting reports? RICK HAHN: He gave us scouting reports. Us, not ESPN, a scouting report. Q. If you're going to do this, you're going to go all in, assuming, would you prefer to get most or all of it done by the time you guys hit Arizona so you can start building this the way you want to? RICK HAHN: We would love to get as much as possible done as soon as possible, but that desire to do it quickly isn't what's going to dictate how quickly it happens. What's going to dictate is our ability to make trades that we feel good about that do further our cause. There is no rush to do it from that standpoint. It's much more important to do it right than to do it quickly. Do it too quickly, do it hastily without the proper vetting of targets could put yourself in a worse predicament, if you aren't careful. Internally, yeah, we want to move as quickly as possible. We're ready to do more deals today if the right opportunities present themselves. But we're not going to force the issue. If nothing happens right now, we have some talented players under control going forward, some who are under control for the next four or five years who conceivably could fit in as this next young core grows together and be on the next potential championship core. The short answer is, yeah, we feel a desire to do it as quickly as possible, but in reality we are going to have to follow the market and the value of these players and what makes the most sense.

14 Q. Dombrowski said you called him on Friday and said the asking price was different than it used to be. What was the discussions with the Red Sox like this time compared to any previous discussions? RICK HAHN: There have been a lot of reports out there about what we asked for last time. I'm not the sure what that's alluding to, public reports, there were some fairly aggressive asks that apparently came from me that weren't necessarily entirely accurate. There have been players -- David and I have had these conversations with regard to Chris for over a year now, and certainly this time around there were different players than a year ago that were in the mix, in part because some of those players played so well that, frankly, they're contributing at the Big League level in Boston and less accessible than they might have been a year ago. This time around versus the deadline or versus last year when we had the conversation, I think it was a little more the universe of players that we were focused on was narrower than in the past, and David and I were able to fairly quickly zoom in on the key elements of the deal and then needed to build it out from there over the last few days. Q. No secret that the Washington Nationals are out looking at a lot of players, too, including Chris Sale. Wondered last night especially or today how aggressive were they, if you can say, and whether anything came close with them? RICK HAHN: I don't think it's really appropriate to talk about deals we didn't make instead of focusing on the deal we did. I will say there were other clubs that were aggressive on Chris. We had a lot of productive conversations, and ultimately it came down to two in the end, and both of them were aggressive and presented us with solid packages that we had to choose between. Q. What sort of a sell line to fans now that this has started? Is it anything more complicated than be patient, invest your energy in the Minors, follow our Minor League teams? RICK HAHN: There is some of that, but there are still some talented players in Chicago. There's still some exciting young players that we think are going to be part of this going forward, whether it's Tim Anderson or Carlos Rodon and a handful of others that we will focus on come Spring Training even more. I think the message is that we realize that the way we had been approaching this for the last few years wasn't bearing fruit, and given that and given the frustration, we're taking a different approach. With that approach we think that the long-term benefit is well going to be worth whatever potential short-term hardship may arise from it. Sold: White Sox trade Chris Sale to Red Sox for package including baseball s No. 1 prospect By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago December 6th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. The White Sox got their bidding war and found a price to their liking enough to trade Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon. The teams completed a deal that sends the five-time All Star east to Boston in exchange for top Red Sox prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, among others. The White Sox also received Single-A outfielder Luis Basabe and Single-A pitcher Victor Diaz in a deal that has significantly boosts the farm system overnight. Three of the four players received were ranked in the top 10 players in Boston s minor leagues, according to MLB.com, and all were within the top 30. All the White Sox had to do was trade a homegrown pitcher who had the potential to be the best in franchise history and signal the start of what could be a massive rebuild. It s hard, general manager Rick Hahn said. It s real hard. He is one of our own. Or was one of our own. A homegrown guy who made his way to five All-Star Games and was controllable and projected to be damn good going forward. And it s tough to give that up. At the same time, we have to be realistic about where we are and the likelihood of this current group getting to where we want to be. In the end you had