X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Dynasty Implications - MLB Prospects in the Chris Sale Trade

The Boston Red Sox management woke up on Tuesday and decided that they didn't like the Winter Meetings to be all talk and no show. So they decided to make some noise and add starting pitcher Chris Sale from the White Sox and reliever Tyler Thornburg from the Brewers. This deal obviously has some immediate implications for redraft leagues in 2017 and owners of Chris Sale, but what about the prospects?

The White Sox received in return quite the haul for Chris Sale. By sending the southpaw to the Red Sox, Rick Hahn and company received in return top Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada, flame-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe and reliever Victor Diaz. Here are the details on the Red Sox - White Sox trade:

Red Sox Acquire: SP Chris Sale
White Sox Acquire: 2B/3B Yoan Moncada, SP Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe, RP Victor Diaz

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

Yoan Moncada (2B/3B, MLB)

There is little that Moncada can't do, but he probably still requires some time to develop in the minors. The 21-year-old phenom showed an extremely exciting combination of power and speed last season in the minors as he posted 15 home runs and 45 stolen bases across only 106 games (split with 45 at Double-A and 61 at High-A). But as he reached the upper levels of the minors, he began to show why he did not go straight to the big leagues. At High-A, Moncada struck out only 21.1% of the time, but that number jumped up to 30.9% when he advanced to Double-A. Then in a cameo appearance at the big league level, he struck out in 60% of his 20 plate appearances (12 Ks) and mustered only four hits.

Is this to say that you all should be concerned about his future? Absolutely not, but it does mean that the trade may not guarantee him starting playing time at third base for the White Sox right away. Besides, they do still have Todd Frazier at third, though it looks likely he will be dealt away before the season begins.

What this trade really means for Moncada is that it is likely he will bat higher up in the lineup upon an initial promotion, but it will be a weaker lineup. Batting leadoff for the White Sox will help him score plenty of runs, but it hurts that Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts have been effectively replaced by (what will likely be) Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton, Brett Lawrie and Melky Cabrera.

With that said, a trade to any team was never going to severely plummet Moncada's value, no matter where he was dealt. With his combo of power and speed, he still looks poised to become a future All-Star and one of the most valuable dynasty prospects in baseball.

 

Michael Kopech (SP, A+)

Kopech took some time to be fully recognized by prospect evaluators as a true dominant pitching prospect, but in 2016, he really started to turn heads thanks in large part to his outstanding stuff.

With one of the hardest fastballs in the minors and a wipeout slider, Kopech racked up a whopping 82 strikeouts in only 52 innings of work at High-A this season. To save you some trouble with the math, that is 40% of the batters he faced. Fantasy owners are probably going to read that and have their jaws drop, especially since most scouts believe racking up gaudy strikeout totals in the big leagues will hardly prove to be a challenge for the 20-year-old right-hander.

But what will prove to be challenging is reigning in his command. It should hardly be surprising that a young pitcher who has been clocked in triple-digits has trouble locating his pitches. Along with his impressive strikeout numbers, Kopech also posted a rather high walk rate of 14.2%. And while opponents only hit a meager .146 off of him at High-A, Kopech will need to bring that walk rate down in order to survive against big league hitters.

I will be brutally honest and say that I am concerned about Kopech heading to the White Sox. They tend to rush their pitching prospects through the minors (e.g. Carson Fulmer and Carlos Rodon) before their guys have any time to improve their command. Kopech has top-of-the-rotation potential and that certainly won't change by moving to the South Side of Chicago, but his control is volatile and his upside could be soured if he is not given enough time to develop.

 

The Others

Luis Alexander Basabe is the only other name you all will really need to focus on. He is a guy with a promising power/speed combination, though like Moncada, he has struggled at times with plate discipline. He is still a couple seasons away from the big leagues, but he no longer faces a major blockage ahead of him as the White Sox outfield lacks the star power and depth of the Red Sox.

It looks like he could be in the big leagues by midseason 2018. But his production will hinge on whether he can cut down on the strikeouts. If he does, he could be a solid 20/20 outfield regular. If not, he could be a fourth outfielder for the White Sox and will be limited in his value to fantasy owners.

The only other player involved in the deal is reliever Victor Diaz. He is a 22-year-old reliever still pitching his way through Class-A. He should not have any implications on dynasty owners.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Cronenworth9 mins ago

Targeting Earlier Return
Liam Hendriks18 mins ago

Set To Return On Saturday
Jackson Merrill26 mins ago

Not Expected To Return Next Week
Martín Pérez34 mins ago

Martin Perez Will Undergo MRI On Saturday
Casey Schmitt43 mins ago

Expected To Hit Injured List
Brock Stewart52 mins ago

Expected To Return On Sunday
Luke Keaschall1 hour ago

Busy In MLB Debut
Jose Fleury1 hour ago

Continues Strong Start On Friday
AJ Smith-Shawver2 hours ago

Strikes Out Eight In Defeat
Marcelo Mayer2 hours ago

Tallies Seven RBI On Friday
Zyhir Hope2 hours ago

Hits Two Home Runs On Friday
Andrew Painter2 hours ago

Sharp In Second Rehab Outing
Tyler Anderson7 hours ago

Keeps Hot Streak Rolling Friday
Logan Webb7 hours ago

Fans 12 In Tough-Luck Loss
Carlos Rodón7 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Goes Six Scoreless To Snap Personal Losing Streak
Andrew Abbott8 hours ago

Dominates Orioles On Friday
Yoshinobu Yamamoto8 hours ago

Tosses Another Gem
Cam Smith8 hours ago

Hits Two Taters On Friday
Trevor Story8 hours ago

Mashes Pair Of Three-Run Homers
Zack Wheeler11 hours ago

Records 13 Strikeouts
LaMonte Wade Jr.11 hours ago

Out On Friday
Ja Morant11 hours ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams12 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis12 hours ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.12 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince12 hours ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL12 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart12 hours ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson12 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura13 hours ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves13 hours ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL13 hours ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić13 hours ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James13 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard13 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL13 hours ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant13 hours ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen13 hours ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL13 hours ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin14 hours ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam14 hours ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton14 hours ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham14 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart14 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby14 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Jalen Brunson14 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
NFL15 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith15 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren15 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL15 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch15 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson15 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews15 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat15 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard16 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL16 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas16 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk16 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
16 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Jason Robertson16 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze16 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL16 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook16 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Leon Draisaitl24 hours ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov24 hours ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust1 day ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens1 day ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov1 day ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk1 day ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges1 day ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock1 day ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants1 day ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints1 day ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills1 day ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers1 day ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun2 days ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson2 days ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau2 days ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock2 days ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson2 days ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot2 days ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux2 days ago

Active On Thursday
Lucas Glover3 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns3 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Austin Dillon5 days ago

Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Chase Briscoe5 days ago

Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
William Byron5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
William Byron5 days ago

Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF