Here's the first to add to the thread from David Schoenfield on ESPN

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/71551/as-white-sox-continue-to-sink-time-to-consider-trading-chris-sale

As White Sox continue to sink, time to consider trading Chris Sale

It's time for the Chicago White Sox to trade Chris Sale.

I hate writing that sentence. Sale is exactly the type of pitcher you want: He's great, he is signed to a team-friendly contract that includes options through 2019, he is a homegrown talent, and he is a good citizen. Why would the White Sox consider trading him? Simple answer: They're a mediocre team going nowhere, sinking faster than the ratings for "Shades of Blue." They started off 23-10, but that was a mirage built around Mat Latos winning his first four starts with a 0.74 ERA, Sale and Jose Quintana pitching out of this world, strong starts at the plate from the likes of Avisail Garcia and Brett Lawrie, and excellent defense highlighted by Adam Eaton's bazillion diving catches in right field.

Even after Monday's exciting win -- after Zach Putnam walked the bases full with no outs in the ninth, Zach Duke escaped the jam, and Jose Abreu delivered a two-run double off Craig Kimbrel with two outs in the 10th to beat the Red Sox -- the White Sox are 34-36, or 11-26 since the hot start. The James Shields trade has been a disaster, the offense doesn't get enough guys on base or hit enough home runs, and the defense has regressed in recent weeks.

Maybe the White Sox aren't this bad -- even Sale has a 6.07 ERA his past five starts, as his BABIP has normalized -- but they aren't playoff contenders, either. That's mostly been the story since Sale joined the rotation five seasons ago. The Sox are 331-387 since 2012, including three straight sub-.500 seasons. Building around Sale hasn't produced a winning team. As admirable as the White Sox's refusal to rebuild has been, it's time to change course, make a blockbuster trade and infuse more talent into the organization.

Sale's trade value would be enormous, given that he's making just $9.15 million this year and $12 million in 2017 and then has team options for $12.5 and $13.5 million in 2018 and 2019. A team that acquires him now would get him for four playoff runs. Compare Sale to Cole Hamels when Hamels was traded last year: Hamels had $70.5 million guaranteed to him in the three seasons remaining on his contract, plus a prorated share of $23.5 million for the rest of 2015 (and a $24 million vesting option for 2019 or $20 million team option or $6 million buyout). Sale will make half as much as Hamels over the same span. Then consider that Sale is four years younger than Hamels and a better pitcher.

The White Sox aren't in as obvious a rebuild mode as the Phillies were in July, but everyone seemed to think the Phillies got a nice return of young talent for Hamels. Sale would demand an even bigger return. The team best equipped and most likely to make a deal for Sale? The team he's pitching against Tuesday: the Boston Red Sox. Here are five reasons for that.

1. Dave Dombrowski will be under pressure to win this season, not only to erase the sting of the past two seasons, but also to send David Ortiz out in style.

2. Dombrowski's style during his reign in Detroit was to trade prospects for proven stars, just as we saw with the Kimbrel trade this offseason.

3. The Red Sox need another starting pitcher. Even with knuckleballer Steven Wright a potential starter for the All-Star Game, the Red Sox rank just 10th in the AL in rotation ERA. A playoff quartet of Sale, David Price, Wright and Rick Porcello would look pretty good in front of Boston's league-leading offense.

4. The Red Sox have top-rated prospects to deal. Second baseman Yoan Moncada would be the must-get for the White Sox. He hit .307/.427/.496 with 36 steals in Class A and was just promoted to Double-A. He ranked 12th on Keith Law's top 25 prospects update in late May, behind two more Boston farmhands: third baseman Rafael Devers (No. 5), who hasn't put up the same numbers as Moncada at Salem but is just 19 years old, and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who already earned an early promotion to Double-A. Teenage right-hander Anderson Espinoza ranked 22nd on Keith's list.

5. The state of the major league roster allows Dombrowski to make a move. With three young, inexpensive stars in Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr., the Red Sox have a strong foundation of youth. Moncada is blocked by Dustin Pedroia (signed through 2021), so although Moncada could conceivably play left field or third base, he would seem like an asset to move to improve the big-league team.

It's a perfect fit. Trade Sale for Moncada, one of the other top guys -- say Espinoza, to give Chicago a potential big arm -- Blake Swihart, whom the White Sox would move back behind the plate, and one of the young starters with some big league experience, such as Eduardo Rodriguez or Henry Owens.

Of course, if Sale were put on the market, every team would inquire. The Dodgers would be frothing at the mouth trying to come up with an offer. The Rangers are still loaded on the farm, with prospects such as Joey Gallo, outfielder Lewis Brinson and pitcher Dillon Tate. The Astros have Alex Bregman and A.J. Reed. The Pirates could look to 2017 and trade Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows.

You get the idea. Look, a Sale trade is unlikely. It isn't owner Jerry Reinsdorf's style to give up. (OK, maybe once.) But Ken Williams and Rick Hahn have to realize they haven't made the playoffs since 2008, they haven't won 90 games since 2006, and they're probably headed to their fifth losing season in six years. Put Sale on the market.

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So if you really want to trade chris sale to blow this thing up... wouldnt you not need at least 2 teams best prospects to get equal value for sale... sale is a top 5 pitcher with the most team friendly deal in baseball.... does any team besides the cubs have enough top prospects to acquire chris sale?

Chris Sale will never be traded.

His contract is a source pride for Jerry. It's pretty much the only reason Hahn is the GM.

Rangers and Red Sox?

The Dodgers could do it, but any trade for Sale would have to include Joc Pederson or Corey Seager (not both, as shorts-tightening a trade as that would be) and a bevy of their pitching prospects including Jose DeLeon.

I'm not against the idea in principle. I just don't trust them to know what they should get in return.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Exactly. It is entirely possible the Dodgers could dangle Yasiel Puig in front of Kenny, and he'd throw Hall of Fame-bound Jose Quintana in for free.

Agreed.

Although when you trade Sale, you will be looking for a Chris Sale for the next 20+ years.

Also, that ESPN trade is shit.

Sale doesn't just get you A prospects with plenty of opportunity to slide in their development. He gets you guys top prospects who are ready to play today in the MLB.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Why would Jerry ever agree to trade a pitcher who's underpaid by $15-$25 million?

Dude gets his jollies off that.

The Cubs dont have the prospects to get Sale.

Red Sox, Dodgers, Rangers and MAYBE Nationals could do it. If the Sox offered Swihart, Moncada and Benintendi + some lower level arms I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Because he still wants to win without buying bats. Clearly there is no one on the way.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Schwarber, Hendricks,Baez, Underwood. And Torres...Kenny turn that down?

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I dont like that from the Cubs POV.

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Sale
Jake
Lester
Lackey
Hammel.


Nobody is beating that team in a series

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No fucking chance

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

There is one player you really want in that group, and he is coming off a major knee injury

Schwarber and Baez are too much to give up. Schwarber is a rare player, with prodigious power. Baez has perhaps one of the highest ceiling's amongst all of the players in terms of his offense, defense and versatility. Hendricks......okay. He's good, but a back of the rotation guy nonetheless. Torres....He may well be better than Russell, but I guess to get a top of the rotation starter, I sacrifice him. Underwood....okay with that, as well as McKinney.

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Go Cubs!!!!

If the Sox are talking trade with the Cubs for Chris Sale, it STARTS with a player from group A, a player from group B, and a couple of minor leagur arms.

Group A
Kris Bryant
Kyle Schwarber

Group B
Addison Russell
Albert Almora
Willlllllson Contreras

Anything less, and Hahn tells Theo to go pound sand. Sale makes in a season what Jason Heyward makes in a month.

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Keep him. Don't need starting pitchers.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

You Cub fans are delusional... Sale would be our ACE, he's 27...he makes 12mill a year for 4 more years..lefty DH with bad knee is a small price to pay

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Hell, the Sox could start Schwarber at catcher. They had stone-handed AJ Pierzynski behind the plate for the better part of a decade, at least Schwarber would hit 35+ HR's and be on-base more than 30% of the time.

Swihart > Schwarber. Though not by too much. The deal-breaker is the Cubs can't come up with enough on top of Schwarber to get Sale. Well the Cubs COULD trade Bryant, but they wont.

The shine has worn off Russell, Baez, Soler etc. I'd rather have Moncada than any of them, shit Benintendi is better than Soler or Baez. Willson Contreras and Gleyber Torres are throw-ins to a Sale deal, I'd take them but it's not like that's the primary target.

Cubs can't get the deal done.

Underwood projects out as a decent starter with a devastating curveball, and the Cubs have Dylan Cease, a 20-year old kid two years removed from Tommy John that touches 97 on the regular. Them + Schwarber + Torres/Happ would be a decent haul for Sale.

That deal doesn't even get Quintana. Or Eaton.

Come on Frank, Theo isn't offering that and Hahn would be hung up on for even suggesting Bryant's name.

I agree Bryant is an untouchable. Schwarber has got to be movable, though. He's got to be a part of any deal that would get done between the two. Probably Wilson Contreras as well.

Sale to Cubs talk is pointless. The remaining 500 or so Sox fans would revolt.

I take schwarber and Almora plus filler in a heartbeat and don't look back. No promise of the dh in the NL still and Kyle still likely goes against their defensive plans. Bryant is a non starter. And so far willlllllllson isn't far from it.

I like Schwarber (in the AL) but he is coming off a catastrophic knee injury. This isn't some fresh faced masher who's only problem is complete inability to play the field...there's a chance he is never the same because of that injury.

Almora is whatever, same with Contreras. I'd rather have Tim Anderson than both and nobody in their right mind would call Tim Anderson even remotely worthy of getting Chris Sale.

From then on I'm being sold on players in A+ and guys who are coming off TJ. Not interested, especially when Boston or the Dodgers loom with a lot more players who are a lot better than anything the Cubs have.

Rare day when I agree with a lot of that. I don't have great hopes of Almora, but think he could be a defense Cf with a chance his bat holds up and he is a plus player. I'm much more bullish on willson especially if he can hold his own defensively. His bat has been legit for over a year now.