Red Sox Acquire Sale For Moncada, Kopech, Two Others

THE DEAL

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—The long-rumored Chris Sale trade was finally consummated on Tuesday, and it was a doozy.

The Red Sox acquired Sale from the White Sox in exchange for a huge package including Minor League Player of the Year Yoan Moncada, 100 mph-throwing righthander Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe and righthander Victor Diaz, all of whom ranked in the Red Sox’s top 20 prospects, including three of the top eight, according to BA correspondent Alex Speier.

“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 with Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. “We believe each of these players can be part of a quality core of future championship caliber White Sox teams.”

Sale has been an All-Star for each of the past five years and finished in the top six in AL Cy Young voting each year during that stretch. He is under contract for the next three years at $38 million, assuming the Red Sox exercise his team options in 2018 and ’19.

Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski said trade discussions began in earnest last Friday and lasted through the weekend into the Winter Meetings.

“We gave up some good young talent, there’s no question,” Dombrowski said. “For us it just came down to, we thought at this point this gave us a really significant chance to win….We think this gives a chance to (progress in the postseason) and it’s not just for a one-year type of deal. But if I was in Rick’s case, I’d be very happy with the return that I got because those are good young players.”

WHITE SOX ACQUIRE
Yoan Moncada, if
Age: 21

Moncada has been a frontline presence as a prospect since the day he signed, when the Red Sox gave him a $31.5 million signing bonus out of Cuba in Feb. 2015. They had to pay a 100 percent tax on that bonus because it exceeded their bonus pool, making their total outlay for Moncada $63 million. He delivered on that enormous sum almost immediately, winning Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year Award for 2016 after hitting .294/.407/.511 with 15 homers and 45 stolen bases between high Class A and Double-A and reaching the majors. He also won the Futures Game MVP Award for good measure and was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the game at midseason. Moncada brings a tantalizing blend of physicality, power, speed and athleticism as a switch-hitter with defensive versatility, making him one of the most dynamic prospects in the game. He projects as a plus offensive force, a plus defender at either second base or third base, and a plus runner capable of wreaking havoc on the basepaths. The one big area of his game that needs improvement is his plate discipline, which was exposed after he struck out 12 times in 20 plate appearances with the Red Sox. Despite that poor showing, he demonstrated patience throughout the minors and has shown a propensity for making quick adjustments before. He could start 2017 in Triple-A, but very well could break camp with the White Sox and solidify himself as a starter from day one in his new organization.

“He’s a great player. If he’s not a tremendous player, I’ll be really surprised,” Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters. “But you have to give to get.”

2016 Club	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
Salem (HiA)	.307	.427	.496	228	57	70	25	3	4	34	45	60	36
Portland (AA)	.277	.379	.531	177	37	49	6	3	11	28	27	64	9
Boston (AL)	.211	.250	.263	19	3	4	1	0	0	1	1	12	0

Michael Kopech, rhp
Age: 20

Kopech is the latest in a long line of big, hard-throwing Texas righthanders, with a 98 mph fastball that routinely gets up to triple-digits and recently hit 102 in the Arizona Fall League. The 33rd overall pick in 2014 is more than just a thrower though, with an 87 mph power slider and 91 mph changeup that both made significant progress throughout the 2016 season and give him two quality offerings to confound batters even further. Taken on the surface, his raw stuff draws comparisons to Noah Syndergaard. Kopech does come with red flags, however. In 2015 he was suspended 50 games for amphetamine use and in spring training 2016 he broke his hand in an altercation with a teammate. If he can harness his talent without any more incidents, Kopech profiles as a possible No. 1 starter.

2016 Club	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Lowell (SS)	0	0	0.00	1	1	4.1	4	0	4	4	.250
Salem (HiA)	4	1	2.25	11	11	52	25	1	29	82	.147

Luis Alexander Basabe, of
Age: 20

Basabe signed with the Red Sox along with his twin brother Luis Alejandro out of Venezuela when they were 16. They climbed the system together until this year, when Luis Alejandro was traded to the Diamondbacks midseason for Brad Ziegler. Now, Luis Alexander is on the move too after reaching high Class A as a 19-year old and solidifying himself as one of Boston’s top 10 prospects. He is a switch-hitter with the speed and athleticism to stick in center field, and his 25 stolen bases in 30 attempts last season are a testament to how his speed plays on the basepaths. Basabe is still very raw and refining his game, particularly his plate discipline and strike-zone judgement, but has shown the skill set to become a top of the order center fielder down the road.

2016 Club	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
Greenville (LoA)	.258	.325	.447	403	61	104	24	8	12	52	40	116	25
Salem (HiA)	.364	.391	.545	22	5	8	2	1	0	1	1	3	0

Victor Diaz, rhp
Age: 22

Diaz is the only one of the four prospects traded who didn’t rank in the Red Sox’s Top 10, but emerged as a potentially valuable power bullpen arm at low Class A Greenville last season with 63 strikeouts in 60 innings and 10 saves as the Drive’s closer. He has a power fastball in the 96-100 mph range, an 87-90 mph slider that is his main secondary pitch, a riding two-seamer and a splitter in its nascent stages. Diaz is still learning how to harness his arsenal after issuing 41 walks in his first 90 career innings. If he does that, he becomes a bona fide closer prospect down the road.

2016 Club	W	L	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Greenville (LoA)	2	5	3.88	37	10	60.1	65	2	25	63	.277

RED SOX ACQUIRE
Chris Sale, lhp
Age: 27

Simply put, Sale has been one of the best lefthanded starters in baseball this decade and joins Randy Johnson, Johan Santana and Cliff Lee in the pantheon of southpaw aces traded for prospect hauls. Sale is in his prime and coming off his career high in innings and complete games while tying his career his career high in wins. He immediately moves to the front of the Red Sox rotation, joining Cy Young winners Rick Porcello and David Price to give Boston one of the most fearsome rotations in baseball.