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After the trade deadline, what's next for the White Sox?

Rick Hahn fulfills his obligations as a seller, but rumor season isn't over for a few players

By Jim Margalus
David Banks

In his first July running the show, Rick Hahn moved the guys that weren't worth holding onto before the trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The list:

  • July 12: Traded Matt Thornton and $750,000 to the Boston Red Sox for Brandon Jacobs.
  • July 29: Traded Jesse Crain to the Tampa Bay Rays for players to be named later or cash considerations.
  • July 30: Traded Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox; received Avisail Garcia from the Detroit Tigers, and Cleuluis Rondon, Francellis Montas and J.B. Wendleken from Boston.

The White Sox did not have to send any cash over in the Peavy deal, but on the conference call, Hahn clarified that they're still on the hook for the $4 million buyout from his previous contract, which Peavy deferred until after extension. He'll receive $1 million installments from the White Sox annually from 2016 through 2019.

That's a pretty good list. Thornton and Crain are free agents after the season, and stood no chance of getting through the waiver process cleanly. Peavy just didn't make sense to them financially, so they got out from under the $20 million left on his deal, and picked up a top-100 prospect along the way.

On the conference call, Hahn said one trade was on the table in the final hour before the deadline, close enough that it was worth notifying Jerry Reinsdorf, but the other team altered it enough to take it out of consideration.

That said, the players he might have been thinking about trading should be able to get through waivers unclaimed -- or if they are claimed, it might be worth thinking of letting the contract go.

Here are the big three and their remaining obligations:

  • Alex Rios: ~$4 million in 2013; $12.5 million in 2014; $13.5 million club option ($1 million buyout)
  • Alexei Ramirez: ~$2.8 million in 2013; $9.5 million for 2014; $10 million for 2015, $1 million buyout for 2016
  • Adam Dunn: ~$6 million in 2013; $15 million 2014

Given the general reported reluctance to add payroll for the teams interested in Rios -- and given the general dearth of rumors surrounding the other two -- it's hard to imagine any GM giving Hahn the opportunity to ding-dong-ditch him, leaving only a $10+ million liability. Give it a little time, and we could have a few more weeks of rumors to navigate.

Loose ends

Starting pitching: Now that Peavy is out the door, Andre Rienzo will likely take his starts until it stops seeming like a great idea. He's set to pitch Sunday in Detroit.

Garcia's timetable: Hahn said that Garcia had started playing center field at Toledo before the trade, so the front office wants to get a look at him there at Charlotte. He doesn't have the typical center fielder's body, but he has a few believers.

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