WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF DECEMBER 5, 2016 · According to the FOX Sports report, the Red Sox are open to a trade for the left-hander, but not for what it would currently take to land

WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF DECEMBER 5, 2016 “White Sox rebuild set to begin at Meetings?” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Lawrie, Garcia settle with White sox for 2017” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Several teams showing interest in Sale” … David Adler, MLB.com “White Sox revamp would mean fewer ‘stopgaps’ and ‘half-measures’” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox agree to one-year deals with Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox reportedly asking for No. 1 prospect plus more in trade return for Chris Sale” … JJ Stankevitz, CSN Chicago “White Sox announcer Jason Benetti cracks Crain’s 40 under 40” … Tony Andracki, CSN Chicago “Winter Meetings: How far will White Sox dare to go with rebuild” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox avoid arbitration with deals for Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Sox shopping Sale, but it’s unclear if they’ll get their price” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox agree to terms with Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “Time for the White Sox to trade Chris Sale and start from scratch” … Rick Morrissey, Chicago Sun-Times “Baines falls short in bid for Hall; Selig gets voted in” … Staff, Chicago Sun-Times “With winter meetings looming, it’s time for White Sox to start rebuilding” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Chicago White Sox sign Garcia, Lawrie to one-year contracts” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Rozner: All that matters is White Sox get better” … Barry Rozner, Daily Herald “Levine: 4 or 5 teams could have eye on Chris Sale” … Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago “The White Sox may have to tweak their Chris Sale demands” … Joel Sherman, New York Post “Hot Stove Rumors: Braves unwilling to give up Dansby Swanson in a Chris Sale trade” … Mike Axisa, CBS Sports “MLB Rumor Central: White Sox more likely to move Adam Eaton than Jose Abreu?” … Alex Tekip, ESPN.com “Winter meetings roundtable: Busy week in Washington?” … Staff, ESPN.com “Five things to watch during 2016 MLB Winter Meetings” … Staff, Yahoo Sports “White Sox avoid arbitration, agree to 1-year deal with Avisail Garcia, Brett Lawrie” … Associated Press

White Sox rebuild set to begin at Meetings? By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | December 4th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, Jose Abreu and David Robertson stand as featured parts of the White Sox as MLB's Winter Meetings get underway at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on Monday in National Harbor, Md. That fact might not be true for any or all of them by the time the Meetings come to a close with Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft. The White Sox have not officially commented on their team direction, but a rebuild is expected to shift into high gear over the next four days. And with each maneuver engineered by general manager Rick Hahn, check out whitesox.com every day for full coverage. MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 8 a.m. CT.

Rick Renteria, who moved from bench coach to White Sox manager after the close of the 2016 campaign, will have his first media meeting since that news conference on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. CT. Whitesox.com will have a story from this 30-minute session. The winner of the 2017 Frick Award will be announced on Wednesday, with venerable and colorful White Sox television play-by-play voice Ken "Hawk" Harrelson one of the eight finalists. Players such as Yoenis Cespedes and Carlos Beltran did not end up with the White Sox via free agency. Those results were no surprise to those who follow the South Siders and their apparent offseason rebuild. The Cubs and White Sox seem highly unlikely to make a trade of Sale's ilk, which also is no surprise considering the Cubs aren't likely to give up Javier Baez or Kyle Schwarber. But a few surprises could arise in connection to the White Sox over the next four days. With the rebuild in mind, the White Sox are looking for Major League-ready players along with other top prospects in potential deals for Sale, Eaton or Abreu. The goal is possibly taking a step or two back in the interim to build a team able to contend for a World Series title for multiple years.

Lawrie, Garcia settle with White sox for 2017 Club non-tenders righty Smith; 6 headed to arbitration By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | December 2nd, 2016 CHICAGO -- The White Sox agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.5 million contract with second baseman Brett Lawrie and a one-year, $3 million contract with outfielder Avisail Garcia, as announced by the team Friday. The White Sox declined to tender a 2017 contract to right-handed hurler Blake Smith, making him a free agent and leaving their 40-man roster at 38 entering baseball's Winter Meetings, which begin on Monday. MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. Lawrie, 26, batted .248 with 22 doubles, 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and 35 runs scored over 94 games during his first season with the White Sox after being acquired from Oakland on Dec. 9, 2015. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 27 (retroactive to July 21) with a strained left hamstring and did not play the rest of the season. Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez also figure into the second-base mix, although it's too early to lay out positions with the potential changes for this team via an anticipated rebuild. The high-energy Lawrie originally was acquired with third base in mind as his position, until the White Sox added third baseman Todd Frazier in a three-team deal. Lawrie took a pay cut from the $4.125 million he made last season, as an arbitration-eligible player, to stay with the White Sox. Garcia was acquired by the White Sox as part of a three-team deal involving Jake Peavy with the Red Sox and Tigers on July 30, 2013, serving as the unofficial centerpiece of the team's rebuild-while-contending focus employed by general manager Rick Hahn. Garcia was described as a five-tool talent, who played in the 2012 World Series with Detroit after only 51 plate appearances, but has struggled defensively in right field and with plate discipline offensively. Starting as the designated hitter in 2016, Garcia finished with a .245 average, 12 homers, 51 RBIs and a .307 on-base percentage. He ranked fourth in the American League with a .355 average with runners in scoring position, finishing 33-for-93. Some in the organization believe the 25-year-old will ultimately break through. His status moving forward, in regard to starting or coming off the bench, depends on the White Sox moves.

Smith, 28, made his Major League debut in September, posting a 6.23 ERA over five appearances with the White Sox. All remaining unsigned White Sox players have been tendered contracts for the 2017 season. Frazier, right-handers Zach Putnam, Jake Petricka and Miguel Gonzalez and lefty Dan Jennings remain eligible for arbitration, while first baseman Jose Abreu also opted into arbitration and out of the remaining three guaranteed years on the contract he signed when he came over as a Cuban free agent.

Several teams showing interest in Sale Some clubs balking at high asking price By David Adler / MLB.com | December 3rd, 2016 The Nationals continue to be involved in trade talks for White Sox ace Chris Sale, as well as for Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen, sources told FOX Sports on Saturday. Several other teams, meanwhile, might still be interested in Sale, but only if the White Sox are willing to lower their asking price. According to the FOX Sports report, the Red Sox are open to a trade for the left-hander, but not for what it would currently take to land him. The Astros and Rangers are out on Sale at the current asking price, per the report, and the Dodgers are focusing on free-agent signings over trades, while the Braves are still in the mix. MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman reported Friday that the Nationals, Astros, Red Sox, Rangers and Braves were "starting to separate themselves at the forefront" of the trade talks for Sale. But an executive from one of those five teams told Heyman that "the asking price is so high, it's hard to imagine he's getting traded." The 27-year-old left-hander has been an All-Star for the past five seasons, all as a starting pitcher, posting a 3.04 ERA in that span, while averaging 227 strikeouts per season, including an American League-leading 274 in 2015. Heyman also reported that the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Giants looked to be "on the periphery" of Sale trade talks. A very high price is being asked for Sale by the White Sox, and understandably so. Along with his Cy Young-level statistics, Sale also has three years remaining on his contract, with team options for '18 and '19 at $12.5 million and $13.5 million, respectively, with a $1 million buyout. It's unlikely the White Sox will drop their asking price significantly, especially at the top of the deal, because the team does not need to trade its ace. It's thought that the South Siders are embarking on a rebuild after being "mired in mediocrity" for too long, per general manager Rick Hahn. But nothing officially has been said by the team. Sale isn't the only White Sox player who could be moved this offseason. With the Winter Meetings set to begin Monday, players like outfielder Adam Eaton and first baseman Jose Abreu could also be trade targets. A rival executive told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi that Eaton seems more likely to be traded during the Winter Meetings than Abreu. Eaton is under contract through 2021 with team options for '20 and '21. He could be a player turned to by teams who are unable to pick up an outfield upgrade through the free-agent market. MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET.

White Sox revamp would mean fewer ‘stopgaps’ and ‘half-measures’ By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | December 4th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Seems like every hour another juicy rumor surfaces in which the White Sox are considering the unthinkable: a trade for five-time All-Star Chris Sale. With baseball’s Winter Meetings starting on Monday, those reports have begun to arrive at a furious pace. Team A has shown interest in Sale and plans to make a push at the four-day conference. Team B doesn’t think it can meet the White Sox reported asking price. Teams C and D have made their top prospects untouchable in a potential deal for Sale. While the White Sox won’t reveal their direction until they make their first few major moves, the tone of most reports has made it clear they’re at least entertaining a trade for Sale, who has finished in the top six in the American League Cy Young Award vote in each of his five seasons as a starting pitcher. In the past, trading Sale has been an afterthought as the White Sox have envisioned the lanky left-hander leading them back to the postseason. But those days appear to be numbered. To understand how they’ve reached this point, where Rick Hahn isn’t just humoring his fellow general managers by picking up the phone but is actively listening on Sale, you only need to look at the White Sox roster over the past five seasons. While the White Sox have an extremely competitive top half of the roster, one that could seemingly compete on an annual basis in the AL Central, much of the rest has been comprised of what Hahn himself referred to as “stop-gaps” and “half measures.” Since the start of the 2012 season, more than 30 players who have appeared for the White Sox made their final major league appearances on the South Side. Several others made brief stopovers but have spent the rest of their time in the minors, another country or retired. Were they to begin a rebuild and bolster the farm system, Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams could better position themselves to avoid the use of short-term players and quick fixes to supplement the roster for a team that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2008. “I think we’re veering away from the standpoint of looking for stopgaps,” Hahn said last month at the GM meetings in Phoenix. “A lot of what we did in the last few years had been trying to enhance the short-term potential of the club to put ourselves in a position to win immediately. I feel the approach at this point is focusing on longer-term benefits. It doesn’t mean we won’t necessarily be in a good position in 2017. It means that our targets and whatever we’re hoping to accomplish have a little more longer term fits in nature.” Whereas they were taking a step back in 2014, the White Sox at least went into four of the last five seasons with hopes of reaching the postseason. But those aspirations were dashed in part because of a thin farm system. Whether depleted by an international program that was dormant for five seasons, trades of prospects to fill holes or previous draft misses, the White Sox have had few internal answers to cover for injuries or underperformance. That lack of depth has led to a number of short-term signings or bargain trades in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. Last season, the White Sox signed Jimmy Rollins, Mat Latos and Austin Jackson in February and March in hopes of providing depth at shortstop, in the rotation and in center field. Those moves are typical of the way the club has hoped to plug holes the past few years. Rollins and Latos were released in June while Jackson suffered a season-ending injury. Jackson is a hopeful free agent this offseason and should find a home, but Rollins didn’t find a new team after the White Sox released him and Latos made six appearances with Washington, compiling a 6.52 ERA.

From the 2015 roster, Adam LaRoche retired and Mike Olt and Hector Noesi haven’t resurfaced in the majors since departing the White Sox. Kyle Drabek appeared in one game for Arizona before he was released last July. One-time 2014 closer Ronald Belisario played six games for Tampa Bay in 2015 and sat out last season. Moises Sierra has spent time in the minors with Kansas City and Miami. Adrian Nieto played 37 games with Miami’s Triple-A squad in 2016, Felipe Paulino and Dayan Viciedo finished the season in Japan, Maikel Cleto split the year between Mexico and Atlanta’s farm system and Frank Francisco hasn’t played since winter ball in 2015. Michael Taylor and Matt Lindstrom retired, Jordan Danks didn’t play in 2016 and Taylor Thompson, Scott Snodgress and Charlie Leesman all played independent ball. Jeff Keppinger hasn’t returned to the big leagues since he was released in early 2014. The same goes for Hector Gimenez, Dewayne Wise, Tyler Greene, Blake Tekotte, Ramon Troncoso, David Purcey, Brian Omogrosso and Deunte Heath from the 2013 club. Casper Wells briefly played with Philadelphia after he was waived in 2013 while Kevin Youkilis only played 28 games that season, a year after the White Sox acquired him on the cheap from Boston. Orlando Hudson, Kosuke Fukudome, Ray Olmedo, Jose Lopez, Will Ohman, Brian Bruney and Leyson Septimo never appeared in the majors after 2012. Starting with Hahn’s declaration in July that the White Sox were mired in mediocrity, the club has made its frustrations very clear. Whereas the Sale rumors once seemed far-fetched, they might not be this time as the White Sox look to replenish an organization short on talent past the very top portion. “We’ve gotten to the point where we’ve had our conversations internally with Jerry and Kenny and the coaches and our staff and our scouts where we realize putting ourselves in a better position for the long term is the more prudent path,” Hahn said.

White Sox agree to one-year deals with Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | December 2nd, 2016 Brett Lawrie and Avisail Garcia will both return to the White Sox in 2017. The team announced it reached deals with both players shortly before Friday’s 7 p.m. CST nontender deadline. Lawrie will earn $3.5 million next season and Garcia received a one-year deal for $3 million. The club didn’t tender a contract to right-handed pitcher Blake Smith, which leaves its 40-man roster at 38. Acquired last December for a pair of minor leaguers, Lawrie hit .248/.310/.413 with 12 home runs, 22 doubles and 36 RBIs in 94 games before he suffered a season-ending injury. Lawrie produced 0.9 f-WAR when he suffered what then-manager Robin Ventura described a “tricky” injury on July 21. Despite numerous tests and a lengthy rehab, Lawrie never returned to the field and was frustrated by the experience. Last month, Lawrie tweeted that he believes the cause of his injury was wearing orthotics for the first time in his career. He was projected to earn $5.1 million, according to MLBTraderumors.com and earned $4.125 million in 2016. Garcia hit .245/.307/.385 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs in 453 plate appearances over 120 games. The projected salary for Garcia, arb-eligible for the first time, was $3.4 million.

The team also offered contracts to Miguel Gonzalez and Todd Frazier, who are eligible for free agency in 2018, first baseman Jose Abreu and relievers Dan Jennings, Zach Putnam and Jake Petricka, among others. The White Sox have until mid-January to reach an agreement with their arbitration-eligible players. If they haven’t, both sides submit figures for arbitration cases, which are then heard throughout February.

White Sox reportedly asking for No. 1 prospect plus more in trade return for Chris Sale By JJ Stankevitz / CSN Chicago | December 2nd, 2016 The White Sox could be open for business when the Winter Meetings begin on Sunday in Maryland, with ace left-hander Chris Sale likely to draw the most interest at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. The price for the five-time All-Star, of course, will be steep. ESPN’s Jayson Stark offered this as to just how steep it’ll be: To acquire Sale, a team will have to part with its No. 1 prospect plus at least two more players. The starting point for the White Sox, according to Stark, will be last offseason’s Shelby Miller trade in which the Arizona Diamondbacks sent former No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson to the Atlanta Braves to acquire the 26-year-old right-hander. Miller was coming off a strong season in 2015, in which he crossed the 200-inning threshold for the first time and posted a career best 3.02 ERA. But Miller hadn’t come close to establishing the success Sale has at the time of the trade, spending just three seasons in the starting rotations of the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals without eye-popping peripherals (he had a 4.54 FIP in 2014, for example). And the Braves still managed to swipe Swanson away from a Diamondbacks team that went all in for the 2016 season (and crashed to a 69-93 record with Miller having a 6.15 ERA). Only three pitchers — Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and David Price — have racked up more WAR than Sale (26.2) since the start of the 2012 season, and Sale is one of seven starters to have 1,000 or more strikeouts over the last five seasons, too. Durability hasn’t been an issue for Sale, either, as he’s tied for second in baseball with 14 complete games since 2012 (only behind Kershaw) and has thrown the 12th-most innings of any pitcher in the last five years, too. That’s the Cliff’s Notes version of why Sale will command such a high price. So that’s why, on MLB Network on Friday, Jon Heyman threw out the following names that could be discussed: Washington Nationals infielder/outfielder Trea Turner, Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. and Red Sox infielder Yoan Moncada. Not only are those guys top prospects, but every one them outside of Moncada has had more than a cup of coffee in the major leagues. Whether or not the White Sox could pry one of those players, or someone of their caliber, away from a team in a Sale trade remains to be seen. The price may come down, as Stark reported, but the starting point in the Sale sweepstakes certainly appears to be high.

White Sox announcer Jason Benetti cracks Crain’s 40 under 40 By Tony Andracki / CSN Chicago | December 2nd, 2016 Crain's Chicago Business released its latest 40 under 40 project and White Sox announcer Jason Benetti made this year's list. The 33-year-old just finished his first season with the White Sox as play-by-play announcer, working the home games at U.S. Cellular Field (before it was renamed Guaranteed Rate Field last month) alongside Steve Stone as longtime broadcaster Hawk Harrelson saw his workload reduced to mostly road games. Benetti quickly became a fan favorite among Chicagoans on CSN and other networks in 2016 and his cerebral palsy became more of a backstory, with his work alongside Stone and his affable sense of humor taking center stage instead. Among other topics, Benetti discussed how he approaches his job of broadcasting for the team he grew up rooting for: Law school taught me that there are always two sides of the argument. I see it from the Sox prism, but I can’t believe in my heart of hearts that, if the Sox lose, the world’s over anymore. That first game, I was like, “All right, it’s just a game.” And then Avi Garcia hits a homer late in the game against the Indians and I call it like I would call it with a little more. And as the ball cleared the fence, when it was rolling around, I got a slight tear in my eye. And I was like, “What’s that?”

Winter Meetings: How far will White Sox dare to go with rebuild By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | December 5th, 2016 White Sox general manager Rick Hahn is no stranger to making headlines at the winter meetings. Two years ago, the Sox seized the baseball world's attention with their acquisitions of Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson and Melky Cabrera over the course of a week in December. The club's vision over the last two seasons, however, didn't pan out as planned. And as Hahn and the Sox front office return to the winter meetings Monday just outside Washington in Maryland, everyone is wondering if they'll dominate the discussions in a different way — with a sell-off unlike any the club has had in recent years. Hahn said at the general managers meetings last month that the Sox are looking to acquire long-term pieces, but he hasn't revealed just how deep they plan to go in plotting for the future. Sox fans could be in for a fascinating week as that is revealed. It's not a matter of who wants Sox ace Chris Sale but who is willing to put up the right package of top prospects or young major leaguers to acquire a pitcher who has finished in the top six in American League Cy Young voting in each of the last five years. The Astros, Braves, Dodgers, Nationals, Rangers and Red Sox are among the teams linked to Sale discussions. With a weak free-agent market for starting pitchers, this offseason appears to be the time for the Sox to part with Sale if they ever will, but they also have him under control for the next three years at a remarkably low cost of $38 million. Hahn doesn't have to move Sale now, and that seemingly gives him even more leverage. Weigh offers for all others If the Sox are going to dive into a rebuild with a Sale trade, the rest of their roster should be on the trading block too. While Sale has the most value, several players could bring back young talent. Jose Quintana,

an All-Star pitcher with another affordable contract through 2020, could be the most valuable. Cabrera, Robertson, Todd Frazier, Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton also could be moved. Find another catcher If the Sox are in revamp mode, it's difficult to focus on specific positions for 2017 before trades begin to unfold, but there are immediate needs, including adding a catcher for this season. Rookie Omar Narvaez inserted himself in the Sox picture late in the year, but he could benefit from working with a veteran catcher as the Sox wait to see how youngsters such as Zack Collins come along in the minors. Think about future center fielder The Sox have options at center field — from Eaton to minor-leaguers Jacob May and Adam Engel to midseason addition Charlie Tilson, who could have a shot if his surgically repaired hamstring heals properly. But Eaton was a Gold Glove finalist in right field, the offensive readiness of May and Engel is unclear and Tilson remains a question mark until he returns to the field. All this adds up to a position ripe for a trade. Consider options at DH Avisail Garcia received a look at designated hitter in 2016, but the Sox continue to have concerns about his consistency. So while he will return to the team, they also could use another player who can serve as the DH and give Abreu an occasional break from first base.

White Sox avoid arbitration with deals for Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | December 2nd, 2016 The White Sox announced Friday they avoided arbitration and agreed to one-year contracts with second baseman Brett Lawrie and outfielder/designated hitter Avisail Garcia. Lawrie, 26, will receive $3.5 million in 2017, his second with the Sox, less than the $4.125 million he made during an injury-plagued 2016 season. Garcia, 25, will make $3 million. The Sox also declined to tender a contract to right-hander Blake Smith, bringing the club's 40-man roster to 38. But all of the rest of the Sox's arbitration-eligible players were tendered contracts. Lawrie and Garcia were the two biggest decisions the Sox had to make before Friday's non-tender deadline. Lawrie, who joined the Sox via trade in December 2015 from the Athletics, hit .248 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .723 OPS over 94 games with the Sox in 2016. He didn't play after July 21 because of leg injuries. General manager Rick Hahn said at the GM meetings last month he believed the use of orthotics caused the problems. In his absence, infielders Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez filled in capably. Garcia hit .245 with 12 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .692 OPS over 120 games in 2016, when he filled in at designated hitter for the first extended stretch of his career after the unexpected retirement of Adam LaRoche in spring training. He has had an up-and-down tenure on offense and defense since the Sox acquired him from the Tigers in the three-team Jake Peavy trade in July 2013. He has hit .257 with a .698 OPS since. Hahn said at the GM meetings he believes the talent is still there, if they can get Garcia to concentrate on his plan better and lose focus in less-crucial at-bats.

"He has it in there, works hard," Hahn said. "It's not about that. It's about when he gets in the box, staying focused on what he's trying to do in that at-bat." Smith, 28, made his major-league debut with the Sox in September and posted a 6.23 ERA over five appearances at the end of the season.

Sox shopping Sale, but it’s unclear if they’ll get their price By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | December 3rd, 2016 If, after only five full seasons as a starter, Chris Sale doesn’t already rank as the best White Sox pitcher of all time, he would without a doubt should he complete the three years left on his contract with performances similar to those that made him an All-Star and a top-six finisher in Cy Young voting all five years. Sale set a franchise record with 274 strikeouts in 2015, has five of the best six seasons for strikeouts per nine innings in Sox history and has 35 games with 10 strikeouts or more — more than twice as many as any other Sox pitcher. His ERAs ranged between 2.17 and 3.41. What’s more, the left-hander is 27, has kept his arm healthy and will work for the phenomenally low cost of $39 million over the next three years (the Sox have options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons). That price is so far below market value that one has to wonder how chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, an astute businessman, would even consider letting him go. Apparently, as the Sox head to the winter meetings this week near Washington, they’re prepared to do just that. And a significant portion of the team’s fan base, throwing its hands up after four straight losing seasons despite Sale leading a quality starting rotation, seems willing to see it happen because of the potential haul of prospects and major-league-ready young players Sale could bring in return. For Sox management, this must be a tough pill to swallow — an admission of repeated failure to win with a rotation topped by two All-Stars (Jose Quintana might be on the block, too), not to mention quality core pieces such as outfielder Adam Eaton and first baseman Jose Abreu. Sale is the kind of top-tier asset every team with championship aspirations wants and needs. The Sox tried to put a winning product on the field (the signings of Melky Cabrera, David Robertson and Adam LaRoche and the trade for Jeff Samardzija two winters ago made general manager Rick Hahn the star of the winter meetings in San Diego). But their losing ways exposed a lack of roster depth and weakness in the farm system, two areas which could be bolstered by trading Sale — and perhaps even more of their top trade chips. All of which should keep Hahn’s phone buzzing at the Gaylord National Resort on the Potomac River from Monday through Thursday. Sale’s availability will be one of the top national story lines. As one industry source put it, “It’s an opportunity [for the Sox] to get real young and in numbers. You reset the payroll quite a bit, add young depth, let them grow together, and as they begin to win, there is money to fill in the gaps.’’ The big question, then, is what the Sox can get in return for Sale. Because of his value and contract, he has long been viewed as a player who’d require too much for one team to trade. Hahn is believed to have set an extremely high price of four or five prospects, including three ready to play in the majors now. We may find out this week if the Sox are willing to accept less. Several industry sources say the price could be unreasonable. Should the Sox hold firm on their demands, there is plenty of offseason left, as well as the 2017 mid-season trade deadline.

Sale’s value is extraordinary, and the fans who support trading him hope Hahn stands firm. As one veteran scout who has watched him since his college days said, “Sale is a special beast.”

White Sox agree to terms with Brett Lawrie, Avisail Garcia By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | December 2nd, 2016 The White Sox agreed to terms on a one-year deals for infielder Brett Lawrie and outfielder Avisail Garcia, Lawrie for $3.5 million and Garcia for $3.0 million. Lawrie, 26, missed more than two months of the 2016 season with various leg injuries, batting .248 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 35 runs scored over 94 games before going on the disabled list on July 27. He did not play the rest of the season. Garcia, 25, viewed as a possible non-tender after hitting .245 with 12 homers and 51 RBI over 493 plate appearances, batted .355 with runners in scoring position, fourth in the American League. Acquired from the Tigers in a three-team trade for Jake Peavy during the 2013 season, Garcia was viewed as an important piece of a Sox retooling phase at the time. Garcia has thus far fallen short of expectations both offensively and defensively. Garcia and Lawrie were were projected by MLB Trade Rumors to make more than they signed for. Garcia was pegged at $3.4 million and Lawrie at $5.1 million. All remaining unsigned Sox were tendered contracts for 2017. According to MLB Trade Rumors, here is what their arbitration-eligible players are projected to earn in 2017: Third baseman Todd Frazier, $13.5M; first baseman Jose Abreu, $12 million; left-hander Dan Jennings, $1.2 million; right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, $2.6 million; right-hander Zach Putnam, $975,000; right-hander Jake Petricka, $900,000. The Sox declined to tender a contract to right-hander Blake Smith. The Sox 40-man roster decreases to 38.

Time for the White Sox to trade Chris Sale and start from scratch By Rick Morrissey / Chicago Sun-Times | December 2nd, 2016 Contrary to popular opinion, the worst thing for a sports fan is not allegiance to a bad team. It’s allegiance to a boring team, a circumstance that can lead to catatonia if a person isn’t careful. From there, it’s a slippery slope to a career in baseball analytics. The White Sox are a boring team and have been for years. They have tried and tried to build on the fly, believing they can’t afford the public-relations hit that comes with a complete rebuild. I have news for them: Your image, one of stagnation, can’t get any worse. A razing and a three-year rebuilding process are exactly what the Sox need, which means a trade of ace Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton for as many stud minor-league players or draft picks as possible. All this from a guy who questioned almost everything the Cubs did as they went through their rebuild. That might strike some of you as rich, but what can I say? It took me longer than most to understand that manipulating the system in what feels like unseemly ways is considered good business. Nothing else has worked for the Sox. Might as well go the tanking route. I’d like to think they tipped their hand to a rebuild when they hired Rick Renteria as manager after last season. The Cubs had brought him in as manager in 2014, when they were in the tail end of their rebuild, then conveniently jettisoned him after one season when Joe Maddon became available. The belief on both ends of town obviously is that Renteria’s strength is in working with young players.

The guess here is that many Sox fans would be open to three years-plus of rebuilding pain, and not just because some of them seem to revel in their own suffering. If there was something to shoot for that came with the possibility of a prize on the other side, those fans might just go along with it. Some kicking and screaming could ensue, and that would be OK. There should be anger over getting to the point of a teardown, just as there was with the decades of futility that brought the Cubs to the point of losing on purpose to get high draft picks. For years during that rebuild, Cubs fans followed the progress of the team’s hotshot prospects with a zeal that, in other spheres, would lead to restraining orders. The Sox need to create that kind of participatory anticipation and hope to hell that their vision comes true. The Cubs’ success rate on prospects surely has led the majors during Theo Epstein’s tenure. That’s baseball acumen with some luck thrown in. We don’t know if White Sox general manager Rick Hahn can have the same kind of impact, but it’s time to find out with the winter meetings starting Sunday. This isn’t the way the Sox have typically done business. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf knows tanking isn’t good for business in the short term, and vice president Ken Williams always wants to win now. But if we’ve learned anything from the Sox over the last decade, it’s that throwing money at a free agent or two doesn’t work. Or at least it hasn’t worked the way the Sox have done it. They have been to the postseason just once since winning the World Series in 2005. In those 11 seasons, their average record was 79-83. The eyelids get heavy just typing that sentence. I know I’m being almost cavalier about trading Sale, who is excellent. If it turns out the Sox didn’t get fair value after moving him, the franchise will never be able to live it down. But watching Sale be great and Quintana be very good hasn’t resulted in a winning product, which is the whole idea. Regardless of the approach the Sox take, there will be lots of empty seats next season at whatever they’re calling their ballpark now. What’s there to lose, besides a lot of games? That’s putting a lot of faith in Hahn to identify prospects who can turn around the franchise’s fortunes. But what’s the alternative? Other teams in baseball already are emulating the Cubs’ approach to building an operation that can succeed for years, not just for one season. No one is complaining about the Sox’ 2005 title. It was a ton of fun. But there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be in contention regularly. Let’s find out if Hahn, assuming he’s really in charge, can build a foundation for enduring success.

Baines falls short in bid for Hall; Selig gets voted in By Staff / Chicago Sun-Times | December 4th, 2016 Bud Selig, who evolved from a young, avid fan to founding owner of the Milwaukee Brewers to consensus-building commissioner during a life devoted to baseball, reached the pinnacle of the game Sunday night. Also elected was John Schuerholz, the first general manager to win World Series in the American League (Kansas City Royals) and National League (Atlanta Braves). Selig was elected for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., by the newly created Today’s Game Era Committee on the eve of the annual winter meetings. Major League Baseball’s ninth commissioner was one of 10 greats on the ballot under consideration Sunday by the 16-person Today’s Game Era Committee — the latest iteration of the Veterans Committee format.

Selig will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 30, 2017, along with any former players elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America, to be announced on Jan. 18. Baines was among the players who were getting a second look by the committee. Selig, 82, was elected in his first time on the ballot of the new Today’s Game Era Committee, one of four electoral groups formed out of the dissolved Veterans Committee. Candidates from 1988 through the present included former executives, players, managers and umpires with at least 10 years in the game. The group also included six Hall of Fame players, including Don Sutton, who pitched for Selig’s 1982 World Series club in Milwaukee, as well as veteran media members Bill Center, Steve Hirdt and Tim Kurkjian, all of whom understood the importance of Selig’s stewardship as commissioner. Upon retiring in January 2015, Selig became the game’s first commissioner emeritus with an announced five-year contract. That role allowed him to be eligible for the Hall of Fame immediately rather than having to wait the requisite five years. Schuerholz, who becomes the sixth Hall of Fame electee whose primary job function was team building (among non-owners), laid the groundwork for the Royals 1985 World Series championship team as farm director and general manager, then moved to the Braves. As general manager, and later president and vice chairman in Atlanta, Schuerholz built a club that qualified for 14 consecutive postseasons, advanced to five World Series and won the crown in 1995. He was the first general manager to lead teams to World Series titles in both the American and National Leagues, and in 25 of his 26 seasons as a GM Schuerholz’s teams finished in third place or better. John Schuerholz (16 votes, 100%); Bud Selig (15 votes, 93.8%); Lou Piniella (7 votes, 43.8%); Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Mark McGwire and George Steinbrenner each received fewer than five votes.

With winter meetings looming, it’s time for White Sox to start rebuilding By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | December 3rd, 2016 Is clarity coming for the Chicago White Sox? As major-league baseball's winter meetings get going this week, the Sox's direction might finally become clear. Late this past season and again in the off-season, general manager Rick Hahn has strongly hinted the White Sox are going to rebuild. Most recently, Hahn talked about the future of the club at the GM meetings in early November. "We've always been focused on putting ourselves in the best position to win," Hahn told reporters. "At the same time, I think we're veering away from the standpoint of looking for stopgaps. A lot of what we did in the last few years had been trying to enhance the short-term potential of the club to put ourselves in a position to win immediately. "I feel the approach at this point is focusing on longer-term benefits. It doesn't mean we won't necessarily be in a good position in 2017. It means that our targets and whatever we're hoping to accomplish have a little more longer-term fits in nature." In other words, no more Adam Dunns. No more Adam LaRoches. No more David Robertsons. No more Dioner Navarros and Alex Avilas. No more Jimmy Rollins. After four straight losing seasons, the Sox clearly need to rebuild. And -- most important -- they have the trade pieces to launch a successful new start.

Hahn figures to be very popular at the winter meetings because he has arguably the two top trade chips in baseball, starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. Both left-handers were on the American League all-star team last season and they both have team-friendly contracts. Sale has attracted the most attention, for multiple reasons. First, the 27-year-old pitcher has a career 74-50 with a 3.00 ERA and 1,244 strikeouts in 1,110 innings. Sale has a composite 31.1 WAR. He has been to five straight All-Star Games and has finished in the Top 6 in AL Cy Young Award voting five straight years. Sale could fetch a package of young talent that could get a rebuilding project off to a great start, and the Boston Red Sox still look like the best trade partner. In desperate need of rotation help, the Red Sox could offer the White Sox a combination of young talent that includes Jackie Bradley Jr., Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi and Eduardo Rodriguez. With so much success and such a favorable contract, why would the White Sox even consider trading Sale? That is a question that has been tossed around for months, and here is the answer. With Sale at the top of the rotation the past five seasons, the White Sox have gone nowhere. The lanky left-hander has also had multiple off-field issues, and this past season it was almost as if Sale were trying to force a trade. In spring training, he lost his mind after LaRoche announced his abrupt retirement when Sox vice president Kenny Williams asked the ineffective designated hitter/first baseman to cut back son Drake's time spent in the clubhouse. In July, Sale cut up the throwback uniforms the White Sox were scheduled to wear before a game, drawing a five-game suspension. After the final game of the season, Sale directly questioned the Sox's organization. "What year is this, eight, that we haven't made the playoffs?" he said. "It's not good. We want to change that, we've tried to change that. Don't get me wrong, we're as frustrated as anyone in the world. We're the ones doing it. So we're probably more frustrated. Want to make some changes, shake things up and change the name, change the tone of the Chicago White Sox. Just be a better team, be a better organization, get to the promised land, to the playoffs, to show what we've been working for the last x amount of years."

Chicago White Sox sign Garcia, Lawrie to one-year contracts By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | December 2nd, 2016 Frustrated White Sox fans desperate for change were likely livid with Friday's news. Underachieving right fielder/designated hitter Avisail Garcia and injury prone second baseman Brett Lawrie were both non-tender candidates in advance of Friday night's deadline.

They both agreed to one-year deals with the Sox. Garcia signed for $3 million and Lawrie signed for $3.5 million. With the winter meetings opening Sunday and the White Sox expected to be big-time sellers, there is a chance Garcia and Lawrie are traded. For now, the Sox have two players who have plenty of room for improvement. Garcia's great size, speed and power potential are still there, but the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder posted a .245/.307/.385 hitting line with 12 home runs and 51 RBI in 120 games last season. In two full years and parts of two others with the White Sox, Garcia has slashed an uninspiring .257/.310/.388 with 37 homers and 160 RBI in 356 games. Lawrie was acquired in a trade from Oakland last winter to provide an offensive upgrade at second base and bring needed energy. He was having a decent season with a .248/.310/.413 slash line and 12 homers and 36 RBI before going down on July 21 with a mysterious leg injury. Lawrie missed the remainder of the season and blamed his health woes on wearing orthotics for the first time. The White Sox also offered contracts to all of their players that are eligible for salary arbitration -- first baseman Jose Abreu, third baseman Todd Frazier, starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez and relievers Dan Jennings, Zach Putnam and Jake Petricka. The Sox declined to tender a contract to relief pitcher Blake Smith, who spent the majority of last season with Class AAA Charlotte.

Rozner: All that matters is White Sox get better By Barry Rozner / Daily Herald | December 3rd, 2016 When you go through a season the way the White Sox just did, you're going to get called a lot of different names. And none will be flattering. But they're probably owed a few apologies after what went on last week, not that they ought to hold their breath waiting. Look, there's no mistaking where Jerry Reinsdorf is in all this. His hate for the Cubs is well documented and he's not going to green light anything that helps the Cubs win another World Series. Still, GM Rick Hahn isn't going to hang up on any team calling to discuss a deal, and Hahn was forced to declare such after being accused otherwise. "To clarify any confusion regarding our stance on possible trading partners, we want to once again make it clear that our primary goal is to make our club better," Hahn said in a statement. "We will consider any trade, with any team, that improves the Chicago White Sox. "As I have said many times over the years, we are always open to discussing trades with all 29 other clubs. We even have completed trades within our division, despite facing these teams 19 times a year.

"And while trades between the Cubs and White Sox will always draw heightened scrutiny and attention, it makes no sense for us to ever eliminate any potential trading partners." So there you have it. The Sox will listen to anyone, though Cubs exec Jed Hoyer acknowledged a Chicago trade is unlikely. "I don't expect a lot of deals done between the White Sox and Cubs," Hoyer said. "Both sides will look at a deal a little bit differently than they do from any other team. "That's just due to having two major league teams in one city. I don't think it's one side's stance or the other. I just don't think you're going to see a lot of deals done between the two sides." It's not like it happens frequently. The last deal between the Cubs and Sox was 10 years ago, the big Neal Cotts for David Aardsma trade. The Yanks and Mets last traded 12 years ago, when Felix Heredia went to the Mets for Mike Stanton. Oakland and San Francisco haven't done it for 26 years. That was Darren Lewis for Ernie Riles. The Dodgers and Angels have made several minor deals over the years, but nothing major since 1972, 44 years ago. Want to include Texas and Houston? They have never made a trade of significance. St. Louis and Kansas City? They were involved in a three-team deal in 1995. The Marlins and Rays? In 18 years, they've concluded two minor transactions. Baltimore and Washington? Since the Nats moved to Washington 12 years ago, the two sides have not made a single trade. So call the White Sox all the names you want, but the reality is huge deals rarely occur between teams in the same city or teams geographically close. This doesn't even take into account whether the Cubs would want Chris Sale, who appeared unhinged several times in 2016, at various intervals throwing under the bus such folks as his team owner, president, manager and the entire business operation. There was the Drake LaRoche insanity and the shredding of jerseys, behavior that doesn't quite fit into the way the Cubs collect character players and solid teammates. Jose Quintana, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense for the Cubs and if there's a fit, there's a deal to be made. But as is the case with any teams trading within a city, the Sox would want to win this one big and ask for the moon in the process. That has to be the Sox's thinking about any deal they make involving great starting pitching under team control with cheap contracts. They have to win huge and if the Cubs offered a package that allowed them to do that, they would trade within Chicago. On the other hand, when was the last time Theo Epstein got crushed in a trade? Yeah, if you're looking for a reason to avoid the Cubs in a deal, that would be it. As for the rest of the nonsense, it's merely that.

The White Sox need to get younger and better while rebuilding, and they have the players to trade who can help them start the process. Noise aside, that's all that really matters.

Levine: 4 or 5 teams could have eye on Chris Sale By Bruce Levine / CBS Chicago | December 4th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (CBS) — The auction of White Sox left-hander Chris Sale began in earnest last July. The culmination of the process may end in a blockbuster deal at baseball’s Winter Meetings, which began Sunday. So far, all we know is there are likely four to five teams with good enough farm systems to make a deal with Chicago for Sale. And maybe only a couple of those clubs can offer the White Sox what they may consider to be equal value for the 27-year-old ace Sale. The American League starter in the All-Star Game in 2016, Sale is the ultimate prize for a contender: a great competitor with a 96 mile-per-hour fastball who has learned how to pitch to contact. Sale threw 226 2/3 innings last season, just 3 1/3 innings behind Red Sox left-hander David Price, who led baseball with 230 innings. Sale cut back his strikeouts and added more quality innings to his outings with more of a reliance on the two-seam fastball. He went wire-to-wire without as much as a hangnail, and his new approach to pitching was good for a 14-1 start to the season and a fifth straight All-Star selection. Sale averaged seven innings per start, the highest average per outing in the game in 2016. In an era when we see four to five relief pitchers used per game, that’s a crazy number. When Sale is on the mound, a team can count on going with him and then a set-up man and a closer for one inning each. That’s a quality of his that’s underrated and one that must be analyzed by teams trying to trade for him. The lucky franchise that trades for Sale will find a young pitcher thirsty for a playoff-bound club. Sale has tired of pitching for teams that haven’t been competing for a postseason berth. The only exception to that came in 2012, when the White Sox went in the thick of it until blowing a three-game division lead with two weeks left in the season. The White Sox have signed their players to team-favorable contracts over the past decade. With Sale under contract for three more years at about $38.5 million, he represents about one-third of the cost of what the Dodgers pay left-hander Clayton Kershaw or the Nationals shell out for right-hander Max Scherzer. Three controllable seasons for an ace with a relatively cheap contract is intoxicating. As the White Sox follow a new path, Sale will likely pitch next season for either the Red Sox, Rangers, Dodgers, Nationals, Braves or Astros. Those are the clubs who match up best in a trade, as each has multiple talented, young controllable position players. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn will be center stage for the next week trying to implement the first part of his rebuild, which would be clear for all to see by trading Sale for a boatload of talent.

The White Sox may have to tweak their Chris Sale demands By Joel Sherman / New York Post | December 4th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The White Sox have continued listening on Chris Sale. They are just not budging much on their requests. They are looking for an elite young player/prospect anchor to head the trade. For example, they have asked Atlanta for shortstop Dansby Swanson. The Braves have told the White Sox they will not move under any circumstances the Georgia native who debuted so well last year. However, Atlanta would consider well-regarded shortstop prospect Ozzie Albies to front a deal. A White Sox official said for now the team has not lowered its standard on a young, high-end player fronting the deal. That also could squash the Nationals, who want to obtain Sale, but without forfeiting Trea Turner. Will the White Sox ultimately budge and take a quantity of quality, but without the elite youngster? They are listening to various proposals. The Dodgers and Red Sox — often tied to Sale rumors — were said not to be as serious in the current bidding. The White Sox have rightly set a high return price on Sale. He is among the handful of best pitchers in the majors (he has finished in the AL Cy Young top six in each of the last five seasons). He doesn’t turn 28 until March. And he has three years at $38 million left on his contract. Consider that oft-injured Rich Hill, who turns 37 in March, is likely to get three years at $40 million or more, probably with the Dodgers, as part of arguably the weakest free-agent starting pitching class in history. Edwin Encarnacion’s representative, Paul Kinzer, said the market for his client began to intensify after an agreement was reached on a new collective bargaining agreement. He said it is likely the righty slugger signs before the winter meetings conclude. The Yankees were in touch with Kinzer, but decided to go with Matt Holliday. The Astros went with Carlos Beltran. The Blue Jays can try a reunion, but they pulled an offer that was believed to be four years at $80 million early in the process. Texas also could try to land Encarnacion.

Hot Stove Rumors: Braves unwilling to give up Dansby Swanson in a Chris Sale trade Atlanta has such a deep farm system that they could probably still get it done without Swanson By Mike Axisa / CBS Sports | December 4th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The White Sox have continued listening on Chris Sale. They are just not budging much on their requests. They are looking for an elite young player/prospect anchor to head the trade. For example, they have asked Atlanta for shortstop Dansby Swanson. The Braves have told the White Sox they will not move under any circumstances the Georgia native who debuted so well last year. However, Atlanta would consider well-regarded shortstop prospect Ozzie Albies to front a deal. A White Sox official said for now the team has not lowered its standard on a young, high-end player fronting the deal. That also could squash the Nationals, who want to obtain Sale, but without forfeiting Trea Turner. Will the White Sox ultimately budge and take a quantity of quality, but without the elite youngster? They are listening to various proposals.

The Dodgers and Red Sox — often tied to Sale rumors — were said not to be as serious in the current bidding. The White Sox have rightly set a high return price on Sale. He is among the handful of best pitchers in the majors (he has finished in the AL Cy Young top six in each of the last five seasons). He doesn’t turn 28 until March. And he has three years at $38 million left on his contract. Consider that oft-injured Rich Hill, who turns 37 in March, is likely to get three years at $40 million or more, probably with the Dodgers, as part of arguably the weakest free-agent starting pitching class in history. Edwin Encarnacion’s representative, Paul Kinzer, said the market for his client began to intensify after an agreement was reached on a new collective bargaining agreement. He said it is likely the righty slugger signs before the winter meetings conclude. The Yankees were in touch with Kinzer, but decided to go with Matt Holliday. The Astros went with Carlos Beltran. The Blue Jays can try a reunion, but they pulled an offer that was believed to be four years at $80 million early in the process. Texas also could try to land Encarnacion.

MLB Rumor Central: White Sox more likely to move Adam Eaton than Jose Abreu? By Alex Tekip / ESPN.com | December 5th, 2016 Outfielder Adam Eaton might not be with the Chicago White Sox by the end of next week, but first baseman Jose Abreu could be. Rumor CentralIt appears the White Sox are more likely to move Eaton than Abreu during next week's winter meetings, a rival executive told MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Eaton moved from center field to right field this year and was named a Gold Glove finalist for the second time in three seasons. The 27-year-old slashed .284/.362/.428 with 14 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 59 RBIs in 157 games. Eaton is owed $18.4 million over the three guaranteed years remaining on his contract. He has a $9.5 million team option for 2020 and $10.5 million option for 2021. Abreu, 29, slashed .293/.353/.468 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in 159 games last season. The slugger is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter.

Winter meetings roundtable: Busy week in Washington? By Staff / ESPN.com | December 3rd, 2016 Jerry Crasnick: The White Sox. There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Chris Sale, and White Sox GM Rick Hahn will take advantage of having all 30 teams under one roof as a chance to hold an open auction for Sale and other veteran pieces at the meetings. Along with Sale, Hahn can discuss Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Melky Cabrera with other clubs. "There are a lot of ways they can go,'' one competing executive said. Scott Lauber: Most clubs were awaiting a resolution on the collective bargaining agreement before getting on with their offseason business, so there won't be a shortage of activity next week. But with the winter meetings taking place in their own backyard, the Washington Nationals are positioned to make a few big splashes. They will almost certainly sign a marquee closer and could get into a tug-of-war with the neighboring Baltimore Orioles over free-agent catcher Matt Wieters. Don't count the Nats out of the Chris Sale derby, either.

Andrew Marchand: The Houston Astros do not seem done yet. Not only will they sign Edwin Encarnacion, but I think they will add a few more spare pieces to make themselves legit World Series contenders. Doug Padilla: It remains uncertain if the Chicago White Sox will make a deal at the winter meetings, but even if they don't, the front office of Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams will be mighty busy. Sale is the big trade prize, but other White Sox stars such as Jose Abreu and Jose Quintana could get plenty of attention as well. The White Sox know how to work the winter meetings, proving to be one of the biggest buyers two years ago. Now it looks like their turn to sell big. Jesse Rogers: The Tampa Bay Rays will be active as they continue an overhaul of their roster. Stuck in a deep division, they'll sell off their starting pitching and perhaps closer Alex Colome, setting their sights on competing in the coming years. Adam Rubin: With the collective bargaining agreement now in place and clarity on spending penalties, look for the Red Sox to be active. Boston needs a DH to succeed David Ortiz. Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski also could be active on the trade front. Mark Saxon: The Astros will be the most active team because they appear intent on spending money to improve and could benefit most by a move or two. They were better than they appeared last season and they're in a very winnable division. One big prediction for the week? Jerry Crasnick: The Cubs acquire Chris Archer in a trade with Tampa Bay. Archer strengthens the Chicago rotation as the Cubs gear up to make a run at another world championship. He also gives the Cubs long-term protection in the event Jake Arrieta leaves through free agency next winter. Jorge Soler, a superfluous piece in Chicago, will give Tampa Bay a young power outfield bat, and the Rays can choose from a menu that includes Ian Happ, Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease to stockpile a nucleus of young talent. Scott Lauber: Never mind that the Astros already have signed outfielder Josh Reddick and traded for catcher Brian McCann. They're angling for at least one more headline-grabbing move, and after reportedly making a strong bid for Yoenis Cespedes this week before the free-agent outfielder re-signed with the New York Mets, they're poised to throw big bucks at Encarnacion. Andrew Marchand: Sale is traded to ... the Dodgers. The Dodgers have the prospects to get this deal done. Teaming Clayton Kershaw and Sale for the playoffs could bring Los Angeles its first World Series since 1988. For the White Sox, this is a great time to rebuild and maximize trading Sale's reasonable contract. Doug Padilla: If there is one thing that gets the blood pumping at baseball's annual winter meetings, it is a blockbuster trade. So we'll predict a grand three-team deal of some variety, perhaps with Sale moving away from the White Sox, or Zack Greinke being dealt out of Arizona. We'll even go as far as to say that not only will starting pitching be included in a three-team blockbuster, but so will late-inning relief help as teams run from the sticker shock that available free-agent closers Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon are revealing. Jesse Rogers: Encarnacion will sign with the Yankees, who return to the free-agent market where they made headlines for so many years. Encarnacion will serve as a veteran bat and presence on a team featuring young talent for the first time in years. Adam Rubin: With Cespedes having re-signed for four years at $110 million, the Mets have a glut of outfielders. And that means either Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson likely will be traded -- with a decent possibility it happens during the winter meetings. Both are in the final year of their contracts in 2017. Bruce is owed $13 million, and Granderson is owed $15 million. Currently, the Mets have Cespedes, Bruce, Granderson, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo under control for next season.

Mark Saxon: The Cardinals will make one major free-agent signing and one major trade within the next 10 days based on a conversation that starts at the winter meetings. The team will have a whole different feel by the holidays. Of the big closers (Jansen, Chapman, Melancon), which will sign first (and where)? Jerry Crasnick: Melancon signs first, with San Francisco. Some executives think the Dodgers are poised to make news and bring back Jansen on a multiyear deal, but Melancon to the Giants continues to make a lot of sense. San Francisco made a serious bid to acquire Melancon from Pittsburgh at the non-waiver deadline, but a deal failed to materialize. Upgrading the back end of the bullpen remains the top priority for Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans. Scott Lauber: All along, it has been presumed that Chapman will become the highest-paid closer ever. Why, then, shouldn't he set the market? The Yankees, Nationals, Chicago Cubs and Giants are among Chapman's suitors. The Nats will get him, leaving plenty of options for Jansen and Melancon. Andrew Marchand: I have Chapman signing first with ... the Dodgers. Los Angeles wanted Chapman last season, but the domestic violence allegations scuttled the Dodgers' deal with the Reds at last year's winter meetings. This year, they get Chapman, who would replace Jansen. Doug Padilla: The prediction here is that Melancon is the first to sign from this group, as Jansen and Chapman duel to the end to see who will take the record-breaking deal for a closer. Desperate for late-inning bullpen help, we will predict that the Giants take the leap first and land Melancon, who had a combined 47 saves last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Nationals, not to mention a sparkling 1.64 ERA. Nobody finished more games than the 67 Melancon wrapped up last season. Jesse Rogers: Jansen will set the closer market, staying out west as either the Dodgers or Giants won't let him leave the state. But which team will secure his services? The Dodgers might have the edge being the incumbent, but the Giants are more desperate. Look for San Francisco to outbid any suitors, signing Jansen to a huge deal and giving Chapman an idea of what he can get from the Yankees. Adam Rubin: After helping lead the Cubs to the World Series, Chapman returns to the Yankees -- who, like the Red Sox, now have clarity on the CBA and can proceed with their plans. The big question: Will Chapman actually command $100 million? Mark Saxon: Melancon will sign first, perhaps with the Colorado Rockies, which will clear the way for Jansen and Chapman -- perhaps the two best short relievers in baseball -- to sign with other teams.

Five things to watch during 2016 MLB Winter Meetings By Staff / Yahoo Sports | December 3rd, 2016 Major League Baseball will start its annual Winter Meetings on Sunday at National Harbor, Maryland, and as always, there will be plenty of drama and intrigue surrounding the gathering. With big names on big teams rumored to be on the move, this year's Winter Meetings could be one of the wildest yet. Here are five players to watch for as they progress: 1. What in the world is going on with Miguel Cabrera? Early in the offseason, reports started to circulate that the big slugger was being targeted by the Houston Astros. The Tigers never came out and squashed the rumors, but the Astros finally did. Houston also just signed Carlos Beltran, which pretty much ends any speculation of a possible trade for Cabrera.

However, on Saturday, MLB.com reported Cabrera is open to a trade, though he wants to play in Detroit. It's unlikely Cabrera and his monster contract will be on the move next week, but this is a story worth keeping an eye on, especially for Tigers fans. 2. Who, if anyone, will win the Chris Sale sweepstakes? The White Sox are stubbornly hanging onto their left-handed ace for now, but with several of the top teams in MLB clamoring for his services, it seems like the struggling South Chicago team may cash in for some top prospects. But who will get Sale should the White Sox let go? The Washington Nationals appear to be the favorites — even though they are also rumored to be close to a deal for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Should the Nationals acquire Sale, their rotation will boast three Cy Young candidates (Sale, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg). The Dodgers and Giants have also been heavily involved in Sale talks, though it's been reported hey believe the current asking price is too high. 3. Will guys like Chris Archer and Sonny Gray get saved from their current situations? Archer is a tremendous talent. Yes, he had 19 losses last season while struggling with his command. But he also finished with a whopping 233 strikeouts in 201 1/3 innings and has the talent to win a Cy Young one day. Call it a hunch, but Joe Maddon might pull the strings to bring Archer to the Windy City, giving up the likes of Jorge Soler in a package deal. Gray is a little tougher to gauge. He went 5-11 with an abysmal 5.69 ERA last season while battling injuries. Before the down year, Gray, 27, had never finished with an ERA higher than 3.08 in his first three years in MLB. Teams like the Dodgers and Giants, who need a quality starter to get over the hump, could take a risk on the 2015 All-Star. 4. The closer carousel, where will they all end up? Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon — three of the game's best closers — are all free agents and ready to cash in this offseason. The Miami Marlins are reportedly very interested in Jansen, but will have a lot of competition in the former minor league catcher turned dominant closer. Melancon finished last season with the Nationals after being traded midseason from Pittsburgh. He could wind up back at the nation's capital, but the Giants will rival them for Melancon's services. Chapman may be the biggest question mark out of all of the trio. After helping the Cubs win their frst World Series since 1908, he is in store for a hefty pay day. It appears he's waiting on the Yankees to make an offer. But if that doesn't come, Chapman could end up back with the Cubs. 5. Who will splash the cash on Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista? It seems unlikely either will wind up back in Toronto as they seek long-term contracts. Encarnacion is the most potent slugger on the free agency market after bashing 42 home runs with 127 RBIs last season. The Yankees appear to be the favorites for his signature after the Astros signed Beltran. Don't count out the Red Sox, though. Bautista's prospects are still murky. The Blue Jays have seemingly pulled their name out of the running, turning instead to Dexter Fowler as an outfield option. Bautista, 36, is an injury-riddled risk, but he could provide amazing power in Boston, Baltimore or New York.

White Sox avoid arbitration, agree to 1-year deal with Avisail Garcia, Brett Lawrie By Associated Press | December 2nd, 2016 (CBS) The White Sox avoided arbitration with outfielder/designated hitter Avisail Garcia and infielder Brett Lawrie on Friday, as both agreed to one-year deals. The 25-year-old Garcia signed for $3.5 million. He hit .245 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs in 120 games in 2016.

The 26-year-old Lawrie signed for $3 million. That marks a pay cut for Lawrie, who played on a $4.1 million deal in 2016, when he hit .248 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs in 94 games. He missed the final two months of the season with a left hamstring injury. Additionally, the White Sox on Friday declined to tender a 2017 contract to 28-year-old right-hander Blake Smith, who had a 6.23 ERA in five appearances in September after spending the season at Triple-A Charlotte. All other unsigned players of the White Sox have been tendered contracts.