Moncada hits first major-league homer in latest Chicago White Sox loss
General manager Rick Hahn traded another successful veteran Wednesday, sending 31-year-old reliever Anthony Swarzak to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfield prospect Ryan Cordell.
The rebuild is really on, not that Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria even notices.
"We're trying to play as well as we can," Renteria said. "It would be nice to get us a victory here with the hometown fans, for sure. That's what we're going to try and do. We're going to execute and if we go out and do what we need to do, just like any other ballclub, we give ourselves a chance and an opportunity to win a game."
The Sox (39-59) lost another game Wednesday night, an 8-3 decision to the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was their 11th loss in the last 12 games, but there was one significant highlight.
In the seventh inning, Cubs starter Jake Arrieta hung an 0-2 breaking ball and Yoan Moncada hit it over the center-field fence for his first major-league home run.
Moncada, who was working out nearly an hour after a game that ran 3 hours and 53 minutes, got the traditional silent treatment when he returned to the dugout.
Miguel Gonzalez, Yolmer Sanchez, Jose Abreu and the rest of his new teammates eventually piled on.
"He really put a good charge into that ball," Renteria said of Moncada's 409-foot drive. "The ball really jumped off his bat."
Renteria is never one to make excuses or plead for sympathy, but losing Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson. Tommy Kahnle and Swarzak to trades over a two-week stretch has removed what little starch these rebuilding Sox had to begin with.
With the season going nowhere, the remaining White Sox are trying to make the best of a dire situation.
"It's a little sad," said relief pitcher Dan Jennings, who is aware he could be the next White Sox veteran to be moved. "You see friends and teammates go but you don't want to sit here and say it's the end of the road because we still have a lot of games to play and we're still going to do our best to win every game.
"That term seller gets thrown around a lot and you never want to think of it that way because whoever is here, whoever that may be, is going to do everything in their power to win every game despite the situation."
The Sox are obvious sellers, and they flipped Swarzak for Cordell, the Brewers' No. 17 overall prospect while batting .284 with 18 doubles, 5 triples, 10 home runs, 45 RBI, 49 runs scored and 9 stolen bases in 68 games with Class AAA Colorado Springs this season.
Cordell has been on the disabled list since June 27 with a strained back and is likely out until the White Sox begin their Instructional League in September.
"We feel we picked up another interesting prospect in Ryan," Hahn said. "Scouts are very enthusiastic about his ability, his diverse skill set. He's got some power, some speed, some versatility on the field, can play all three outfield positions. He does have some history of playing some third base as recently as this year."
Does Cordell's injury worry the Sox?
"We're going to have him examined by our doctors in Chicago, but we feel like this is probably going to take another few weeks to resolve," Hanhn said. "In terms of long-term prognosis, this injury should be a nonfactor in his development."