With the winter meetings underway, the Chicago Whie Sox and Washington Nationals are reportedly close to a blockbuster Chris Sale trade.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that Washington would send top prospects Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles to Chicago for Chris Sale.
Sources: Legitimate chance of Sale trade to #Nationals. Robles, Giolito would go to #WhiteSox. Teams haggling over final pieces in deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 6, 2016
A few thoughts certainly come from this.
One, Sale will enjoy pitching for the Nationals. They don’t have a long history, so he won’t have to worry about those pesky throwback jersey promotions.
In all seriousness, though, Washington was already one of baseball’s best teams. Adding Sale is a sign that the Nats are gearing up to challenge the Chicago Cubs for National League supremacy.
It’s also a complete “all-in” move for Washington, should the trade go through.
The Nationals have been one of baseball’s best teams since 2012 but have consistently failed in the playoffs. The acquisition of Sale will be done to win a World Series before Bryce Harper’s contract expires in 2018.
If Washington lands Sale but doesn’t win a World Series in the 2012-18 window, it will go down as one of the biggest disappointments in MLB history.