Tales of White Sox transactions past, present and (possibly) future

An old trade resurfaced thanks to current events, another one wrapped up, and the prospect of a major signing becomes a little more real.

The past

With Jake Peavy starting for Boston (unsuccessfully, it turned out) in Game 4 and Jose Iglesias starting at shortstop for Detroit in the ALCS, there's been a lot of talk about the three-way trade that put those players in their current places (and Avisail Garcia on the White Sox). Red Sox manager John Farrell called it great work by all executives involved ...

"It's a great baseball trade because it clearly had specific needs and fits for the three teams involved," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "You have to give up a quality player to get a quality player in return. But having been around Iggy (Iglesias) when he first signed here a number of years ago and then to see how he's matured, and the way he played for us, it was hard to see him go. You don't see that kind of defender come along very often. He's a future gold glove, he's a great kid, he fit in our clubhouse great.

"When you see him walk on the field even now in a Tigers uniform, there's always a smile on his face. He loves to play the game. I think players, teammates, really like to be around him. It's hard to see him go, but in return we knew that we needed another quality starter and we got one in Jake. For him to cap off our divisional series with him on the mound, like I said, it was a very good baseball trade for all teams involved."

... and one of those executives explained how it took several weeks to come to fruition. Scott Merkin talked to Rick Hahn about the process of building a market for Peavy, and you should read the whole thing. Here's a taste:

"You want to give a sense if you are looking for quantity or quality or are you looking for positional need or a pitcher," Hahn said. "And that's usually in the first conversation or two. The subsequent ones start focusing on, 'All right, who does that mean for us? Who fits that description in your opinion?' You throw a name out and they say no and then ask, 'What about this guy instead?'

"There are clubs that come back and check back in hoping that, 'All right you wanted four guys and one premium at least and the other three legitimate prospects. Have you come off that?' Sometimes you have to. Sometimes the market doesn't bear what you set as or the market is more robust because someone wants to get it done."

One scenario presented to Hahn had five names, but that was "a pure quantity thing," with no player of Garcia's caliber.

"Trying to overwhelm us with quantity, which I get," Hahn said. "It's a legitimate way to go about it."

The present

As expected, the White Sox and Rays completed the Jesse Crain trade on Wednesday. Along with Sean Bierman, the Sox also received shortstop Ben Kline and cash.

Kline, a 24-year-old drafted in the 32nd round of the 2012 draft out of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is a reason to type "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University." He played just 40 games across three A-ball levels in 2013, and he's played every position except catcher during his 11/2 years in pro baseball. Add it all up, and he's a guy who will probably fill roster gaps at Kannapolis or Winston-Salem.

The future

The White Sox had established themselves as one of five teams expressing the most interest in Cuban first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu. Now, according to Buster Olney, they're Top 3.

Bidding on Cuba defector Jose Abreu is expected to be for a $70 million deal, sources say. White Sox,Astros, Rangers viewed as frontrunners.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 16, 2013