Besides being the time to bolster rosters for the stretch run -- something neither Chicago team will be doing this year -- teams can also make more forward-thinking moves such as moving a veteran player for prospects, or picking up a veteran player under contract for multiple seasons yet. These kind of trades can be big moves that shape the future of a franchise, or small ones that add finishing pieces or future role players.
Here are the five best deals the White Sox have made near the deadline since 2000:
5. July 30, 2013. Traded Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox. Received Avisail Garcia from the Detroit Tigers and Francellis Montas, Cleuluis Rondon and Jeffrey Wendelken from the Red Sox. The Red Sox sent Jose Iglesias to the Tigers.
Garcia hasn't played much this season because of a shoulder injury. The Sox are hoping the fast-healing outfielder will see some time later this year because if he can develop into a solid everyday player, this trade will be exactly the kind of veteran-for-prospect deal the youth-starved Sox needed to make.
For all the flaws the Sox rotation has shown this year, Peavy isn't really missed considering his tepid performance this season and the big money he's making on the last year of his contract.
4. July 29, 2000. Traded Miguel Felix, Juan Figueroa, Jason Lakman and Brook Fordyce to the Baltimore Orioles. Received Harold Baines and Charles Johnson.
Johnson was a huge upgrade at catcher for the Sox over Fordyce (.272/.313/.464) and Mark Johnson (.225/.315/.316), batting an incredible .326/.411/.607 in 158 PAs over the last two months of the season. Consider how ridiculously talented the Sox offense was that year when Johnson, batting ninth in the playoffs, had 30 home runs on the season.
While Johnson left after the season, the Sox didn't win a playoff series and Baines wasn't a very effective bench bat during his third tour of duty with the team, this trade worked out just fine as none of the pieces the Sox gave up would haunt them down the road.
3. July 31, 2008. Traded Nick Masset and Danny Richar to the Cincinnati Reds. Received Ken Griffey, Jr. and cash.
It's easy to crack jokes about how Griffey was a shell of himself by the time he got to the Sox because it's true. He was no longer a great hitter and his play in center field could make you want to close your eyes. But consider that Brian Anderson, Dewayne Wise and down-season Nick Swisher were tasked with patrolling that spot after Alexei Ramirez was moved to second base full-time.
Griffey batted a decent .260/.347/.405 for the Sox, plus made a good defensive play to throw out the Twins' Michael Cuddyer at home plate in the 1-0 win over Minnesota in the AL Central tiebreaker. So even though Masset had a few decent seasons as a reliever, this is a trade the Sox should be happy they made.
2. July 31, 2004. Traded Esteban Loaiza to the New York Yankees. Received Jose Contreras and cash.
Despite having traded for Freddy Garcia just a month earlier, the Sox were headed in the wrong direction after losing Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez for the season. Loaiza, who appeared to have turned his career around the previous season, was also struggling, so the Sox opted to swap him for another right-hander who was getting roughed up, but had some potential and wasn't a free agent at the end of the year.
Contreras kept scuffling that year, pitching to a 5.30 ERA, only a slight improvement over his work with the Yankees. But the next season things clicked for the Cuban as he finished with a 3.61 ERA, including a dominant second half where he posted a 2.96 ERA and was the Game 1 starter in three playoff series as the Sox went 11-1 on their way to their first World Series title in 88 years.
1. July 31, 2005. Traded Ryan Meaux to the San Diego Padres. Received Geoff Blum.
Blum wasn't anywhere near as important as Contreras to the 2005 title march. In fact, a lot of observers were puzzled when he was the only piece added at the deadline by then-Sox GM Kenny Williams, who was notorious for his all-in style of roster building.
But it's hard to beat it when a trade deadline acquisition does this...
The Contreras deal would be No. 1 on this list for me. He carried the 2005 White Sox during the second half of the season when Cleveland was making that charge. I would argue that Blum never receives the opportunity to make the impact he made without all that Contreras did for the Sox during that championship run.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, I think the Contreras move was as impactful as any the Sox have made in my lifetime. It was a master stroke by Kenny Williams. I still remember the New York media (and others) sneering at the Sox, believing the Yankees had fleeced Chicago by acquiring "All-Star" Loaiza in exchange for a pitcher who could not handle the pressure of playing in New York.
But anyone who was watching during the first half of the 2004 season knew Loaiza was not the same pitcher he was in 2003. I wasn't sorry to see him go. I had no idea Contreras would become such an important figure in White Sox history, but I could have told the New York people that Loaiza wasn't going to get it done for them. In fact, Loaiza didn't help the Yankees at all.
Including Blum was really just a tongue-in-cheek way of pointing out the 2005 Sox didn't make a big acquisition, and despite some of the hand-wringing at the time, did just fine.
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