MLB 2017: One prediction for each team

Chicago White Sox: The rebuild isn’t nearly as painful as it could be

The rebuild is in full effect on Chicago’s South Side. With Chris Sale and Adam Eaton moved for two massive prospect hauls, the White Sox have made their intentions clear. Their farm system is now one of the best in the league, and the front office may not yet be done stripping away the pieces left over from the recent attempts to build a contender.

The White Sox have timed this rebuild to perfection. Unlike some other rebuilders around the league, like the Philadelphia Phillies or Cincinnati Reds, Rick Hahn and the front office pulled the plug before it got too late. Sale and Eaton were dealt with plenty of years of team control left, upping their value. This allowed the White Sox to acquire at least three prospects — Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez — who could be ready for the major leagues as soon as this year.

There are still a handful of players to be traded for the White Sox before the rebuild can move into its next phase. Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera, Jose Quintana and Jose Abreu could all be dealt before the end of next year. Robertson and Quintana are most likely to be traded before the start of the 2017 season. Frazier should be held onto for now and flipped to a power-hungry team at the deadline. Only Abreu should be held for the long haul. He’s still under control for three years, and the farm system is lacking power bats. Let Abreu stick around for at least one more year and mentor Moncada.

As the White Sox rebuild, there will definitely be more than a few ugly losses, but the tide will turn quickly. The hardest thing for a team to acquire during a rebuild is a starting rotation, and the White Sox already have a handful of potential aces. Focus on offense for the rest of the process, and Chicago can be ready to strike when rebuilding efforts begin in Kansas City and Detroit.