Will Chicago White Sox get right offers for Abreu, Avi Garcia?
In advance of Tuesday's 3 p.m. nonwaiver trade deadline, Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has quietly addressed a need.
Lacking left-handed pitching prospects, the Sox added two.
Last Thursday, Hahn sent veteran reliever Joakim Soria to the Milwaukee Brewers for left-hander Kodi Medeiros and right-hander Wilber Perez.
The Brewers' first-round draft pick (No. 12 overall) in 2014, Medeiros was the key acquisition.
"He is someone we believe has a real chance to start in the long term," Hahn said.
Medeiros is expected to debut as a starting pitcher with Class AA Birmingham this week, but he could end up as a left-handed relief specialist down the road.
On Sunday, the White Sox added Caleb Frare from the Yankees' minor-league system. The Sox sent international signing bonus pool money to New York for a lefty reliever who was 4-1 with a 0.81 ERA and 5 saves in 32 appearances with Class AA Trenton and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Not bad, but Hahn is still looking to add higher premium young talent. If he gets the right offer for Jose Abreu and/or Avisail Garcia before the deadline, the Sox's farm system is going to be even more robust.
If Hahn does not get suitable offers, Abreu and Garcia will stay put. Both players are contractually under club control through the 2019 season.
"We're still engaged on a few different fronts," Hahn said Friday. "But there's really no urgency to consummate anything else over the next few days. If the right opportunity arises, we'll react."
There doesn't seem to be much of a trade market for Abreu or Garcia.
The Yankees have been mildly linked to both right-handed hitters, and there is a need with Aaron Judge out with a fractured wrist.
Abreu was mired in a slump that stretched almost two months before he rebounded with a seven-game hitting streak that included 3 home runs and 7 RBI.
Garcia has twice been on the disabled list with hamstring injuries this season, but the right fielder is hitting .333 with 8 homers and 17 RBI over his last 20 games.
"He's doing a lot of damage on pitches he can handle, which is great to see," Hahn said of Garcia. "He obviously got off to a slow start in April, but the brief stay on the DL over the course of the all-star break, both before and after that, he's putting up power numbers similar to what most in the game projected for him over the long term. It's good development."
Abreu and Garcia are established hitters who can help contending teams, but Hahn is not going to give them away.
If the duo remains with the White Sox, manager Rick Renteria will be happy.
"All these guys, I want them," Renteria said. "They're my guys and I want them to be here. If something happens along the way in which a move is made, at that point then we deal with that particular emotion and wish them the best."