White Sox deal Chris Sale to Red Sox for four prospects

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – After four consecutive losing seasons and an 11-year stretch with one (lousy) playoff appearance, the White Sox are officially tearing it down and rebuilding.

It started with the trade of Chris Sale for four Boston Red Sox prospects on Tuesday, a bittersweet if not painful one for general manager Rick Hahn knowing how good Sale, a homegrown first-round Sox draft choice in 2010, has become.

The five-time All-Star – Sale hasn’t failed to make the AL team since he became a starter in 2012 – was sent to the Red Sox for four players, none older than 22, including second baseman Yoan Moncada, the No. 1-ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com. Moncada is ranked No. 2 by Baseball America.

The Sox also got Class A hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech, ranked No. 30 by MLB.com; Class A tools-laden outfielder Luis Basabe, the eighth-ranked Red Sox prospect in their system; and hard-throwing right-handed reliever Victor Diaz (ranked 28th).

Moncada signed with the Red Sox out of Cuba as an international free agent for $31.5 million last March, a record-breaking bonus that almost doubled Aroldis Chapman’s as an amateur signee. Boston paid an additional $31.5 million

“When you trade a pitcher of Chris Sale’s ability, it can only be because we were motivated by an impactful return of young talent, and we have more than accomplished that,’’ Hahn said. “We believe each of these players can be part of a quality core of future championship caliber White Sox teams.”

On the second day of the Winter Meetings, the Sox send away one of their best pitchers ever and one with three years of contract control at a bargain cost of $39 million. The blockbuster trade signals what is believed to be the start of a significant overhaul and rebuild of a system short on prospects and organizational depth.

Hahn said it was tough to give up Sale for obvious reasons, and not just because his young son has a picture of Sale hanging in his bedroom.

“It’s tough to give that up,’’ Hahn said. “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 to make the tough decision to let go of someone as valuable as Chris in order to pull back what we feel is a premium package that will help put us in a better position long term.’’

Sale’s short fuse, intensity and competitive fire were on one hand lauded by Sox management and staff as part of what made him good. It also made them uneasy at times, especially when he ripped vice president Ken Williams for what Sale called unwanted interference in the clubhouse in the Adam LaRoche saga during spring training and when he cut up throwback jerseys on a night he was supposed to pitch because he didn’t like the uniforms.

Those didn’t affect Sale’s value and, Hahn insisted, played no role in the ace getting dealt.

“Chris and I talked about it a little bit this afternoon, even,’’ Hahn said. “Certainly was uneasy with some of the situations but at the same time, as Chris and I talked about today, it was usually motivated — rightly or wrongly — for him out of competitiveness and a desire to fight for what he felt was right.

“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.’’

Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski understands what makes good teams great – great pitchers. So even though he wasn’t looking for pitching when Hahn called Friday, he listened.

“When you have a chance to win, you want to give yourself every opportunity to do so and this deal improved us,” Dombrowski said. “Short of just a total giveaway of your system, or making moves that you don’t think are smart, I think you go for it.”

Sale, whose Naples, Fla., home is near the Red Sox spring training site, is known to be thrilled with the trade. He joins a rotation with Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, David Price and more on a team some view as the AL favorites.

The Nationals of the National League late Monday were thought to be the favorite to get Sale, but their trade offer package highlighted by outfielder Victor Robles and right-hander Lucas Giolito paled to Boston’s.

“I really thought for sure he was going to end up in Washington,” Mets Manager Terry Collins said. “I really did. We dodged a bullet.”

Yoan Moncada

Michael Kopech