White Sox’s former GM explains why Chris Sale, Jose Quintana deals were inevitable
The Chicago White Sox knew they had a great pitcher when they drafted Chris Sale in 2010. He was selected with the 13th pick after playing three years in college for Florida Gulf Coast University.
In 2012, the club signed Jose Quintana to add to the rotation after a few years in the New York Mets organization. He became a free agent after the 2011 season, and formed a formidable one-two punch with Sale for a while.
However, in 2016, the club's GM at the time, Rick Hahn, traded away Sale for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz. A year later, he traded Quintana away for Dylan Cease, Matt Rose, Eloy Jimenez and Bryant Flete.
On MLB Now, Hahn explained the thought process behind his decisions. He said he felt the two were not enough to change the direction of the club, so they tried to get as much value as they could in return.
"When we were stuck there in the middle, not winning consistently enough, we had a conversation with Jerry [Reinsdorf] and we were very honest, and we were like, 'We need to take a step back,'" said Hahn.
"Ultimately, we had, perhaps, overestimated a little bit in terms of our players' growth. We obviously made some bets on some young players thinking they would grow into the level that we projected them to be," he added.
The White Sox got good value for the pitchers, but it was not enough to make them postseason contenders. With their new core, they were able to reach the postseason in 2020 and 2021, but did not win a round.
Chris Sale's protest to a throwback jersey strained his relationship with the White Sox in 2016
During the 2016 season, the White Sox were set to face off against the Detroit Tigers on July 23. They were supposed to wear their throwback jerseys until Chris Sale got hold of them.
He grabbed a knife in the clubhouse and proceeded to cut up the jerseys. He was not a fan of the jersey, claiming they were uncomfortable. He was immediately sent home and suspended for five games afterward.
The story instantly made headlines, and it did not help Sale's relationship with the front office.