Sox selloff: White Sox trade Lynn, Kelly to Dodgers, Graveman to Astros
It was another day of the White Sox trading veteran players for minor-league prospects.
That's commonly referred to as a rebuild in the baseball business, although the Sox don't necessarily see it that way after starting pitcher starter Lance Lynn and relief pitcher Joe Kelly were shipped to the Dodgers and reliever Kendall Graveman was dealt to the Astros Friday.
Late Wednesday night, starter Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez were traded to the Angels.
"Not by any means is this a rebuilding situation," Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. "I don't think that's where we're at. I just think we had some assets that other teams coveted, that we can capitalize on as well that will prepare us for next season."
General manager Rick Hahn did a full-blown rebuild in 2016-17 that produced two playoff wins and not much else.
With a few days to go before Tuesday's trade deadline, he wasn't in the mood Friday to define this latest teardown.
"Right now, we're working to continue to do what we've done over the last few days," Hahn said. "And then, come Aug. 1, first of all, I've been talking too much, I don't know if I need to send messages. But we're going to keep doing the deals, if they present themselves, for the next few days and discuss them when they arise."
None of Friday's deals came as a surprise, given how sorry this season has been for a White Sox team that came in with fairly high expectations.
Lynn and Kelly went to Los Angeles in a package deal for pitching prospects Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure and veteran outfielder Trayce Thompson.
"It didn't work out with as much winning as we would have liked," Lynn said. "But I have great memories, I have great friends, great relationships. I'm happy to have the time I had here. But it is a business and sometimes these things happen."
The 36-year-old Lynn is 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA in 21 starts this season, his third with the Sox. Kelly, 35, is 1-5 with a 4.97 ERA.
"It's a funny business, right?" Kelly said. "It's baseball. You could write it all up on paper and it looks great. Ultimately, we as players got ourselves in this situation and that's why we're having this press conference, why Lance is talking, why Graves is talking, why Lopey, why Gio. We just didn't play good enough.
"It's not like, there's no hard feelings. I want to thank the organization for taking me on. I pitched as well as I could every time out."
Graveman helped the Astros get to the World Series in 2021 before signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the White Sox.
The 32-year-old righty is heading back to Houston after going 3-4 with a 3.48 ERA and 8 saves in 45 games with the Sox.
"This organization's in a position to get some return from some of us that have gotten traded," Graveman said. "I'm sure they've done their homework and know what they're getting back. I think that this organization, this city, the city of Chicago, has treated my family well. We've loved it here. We've lived downtown for two years.
"Me being a guy from Alabama, I didn't know how that would be and we've loved it. This city has been amazing for my family, my girls and my wife. So I'm thankful for that."