White Sox, Nationals ‘haggling’ over last pieces of Chris Sale trade

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Chris Sale could very well be traded. He might even be traded soon! The White Sox and Nationals are “haggling over the final pieces” of a Sale deal that he describes as having a “legitimate” chance of happening, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. It’s worth pointing out that these final pieces could be what derails the deal, especially since Washington has already declined to include Trea Turner in any trade for Sale — that value needs to be made up somewhere in any swap — but the fact these discussions are even to this “final” stage is impressive given where Sale talks usually go.

Plus, what the Nats are offering is still significant, with Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles as the centerpieces. They’re top-10 prospects, but also precisely the kinds of kids the Nats should be moving if their focus is on winning now while Bryce Harper is still in town and Max Scherzer is still pitching like he has been for them. Giolito might be a real good starter, or he could be a reliever — the risk and reward are both noticeable with him. Robles will only be 20 years old in 2017 and was just in High-A ball at the end of 2016. There’s real potential with both, but it’s potential that fits the White Sox better at this moment if the Nats are getting Sale in return.

Scherzer, Sale, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, and Joe Ross. If the Nationals can get themselves a center fielder and Bryce Harper returns to form in 2017, that would give them a frightening rotation with a lineup that certainly has enough going to support it. It’s not giving up their entire future for one guy, either: they would keep Turner, who isn’t their top prospect only because he’s already arrived in the majors, and Sale is under contract for three more years at a total cost of $38 million, or $8 million less than what Ian Kennedy is owed over the same time frame. Even if Sale is more like he was the last two years than in 2014, that’s a player and deal you add for a championship run.