Trade loses game appeal
Sale out, but ChiSox in play
CHICAGO — In a perfect world, Chris Sale would not only never come down with a second mild case of shoulder irritation but he also would be starting for the Red Sox tonight, the same night Michael Kopech will throw the first pitch for the White Sox with Yoan Moncada playing second base behind him.
The epic trade the Red Sox and White Sox pulled off on Dec. 6, 2016, was the foundational trade in recent Red Sox history, their “window of winning” and “we’re going for it” deal that signaled they had a core of young players and established elite veterans that would result in a World Series title.
That title could very well arrive this season.
With Sale still sidelined and the Red Sox not exactly playing at their peak powers of late, the brakes have been pumped on that “best team that’s ever walked on the planet” that Sale depicted earlier.
They are still very much a team of the present, while the White Sox took two of the Red Sox’ very best bluechip talents in Kopech and Moncada, as well as two others, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz.
Chicago is still very much a team rebuilding for its future, having made other trades of veterans nearly as elite as Sale over the past couple of years. And while their plan remains intact, the White Sox have been on a bit of a roll when the Red Sox arrived here, winning 11 of their last 15, including 2-of-3 against the Yankees.
Which is why having Sale in action, or even active, would have been so cool from a storyline standpoint.
Not every trade has a winner and a loser. Each team can win a trade, and right now with the way Kopech’s career has begun and the potential Moncada still has, the game tonight would provide all the narrative and then some any game could need for these two franchises.
It would have been nice to have heard from Kopech, the high-heat throwing right-hander. But as is common with many 22-yearolds, not necessarily major league 22-year-olds, he did not manage his pregame time well enough yesterday and did not meet with reporters as he indicated he would.
Kopech’s pitching is what’s more important anyway, and the early word is that he is very much as good as advertised.
As factoids go, the one Kopech established after his two major leagues start — he is the only major league pitcher since 1908 to allow one or no runs and no walks in each of his first two career starts — is right up there.
The Red Sox have seen the video.
“That’s electric, that’s electric,” said manager Alex Cora. “Hopefully it’s not that electric tomorrow.”
With Moncada, he’s played virtually the entire season. The 23-year-old is leading all major leaguers with 184 strikeouts in 478 at-bats. He has 16 homers, not too bad, but there’s the .220 batting average, .302 on-base percentage and .393 slugging percentage.
Cora joked that he would be fine if the White Sox sent Moncada down to play for the Puerto Rican winter league team for which Cora still serves as an adviser.
“With Moncada, it’s just a matter of time with him, just more repetitions,” said Cora. “Very athletic. Very explosive. He’s learning at the highest level of baseball and that’s not easy. You can see it.”
Asked if he had seen a young position player who struck out as prolifically as Moncada ever turn it around, fill in those holes in his swing, Cora could not come up with anybody.
Moncada feels as if he is getting better, certainly better than the 20-year-old who struck out 12 times in eight games in a brief appearance for the Red Sox in the 2016 season.
“Definitely,” said Moncada through an interpreter. “When I made my debut with the Red Sox, I was just 20 years old. Now I’m 23, I’m more mature, I know better about baseball here, and I’m just better overall.”
He appreciates the roles he and Kopech play.
“I do believe that the future for us as a team is bright. Michael and all the guys here are going to be good in the future and are going to be able to compete for a championship and even win a World Series,” said Moncada. “We are, I think, a very big part of the future this team is building to be good. I think the trade was good not just for the teams but the players. I think it was the best thing that could happen to me. Sometimes you need to go a little bit beyond the teams. You need to see the whole picture.”
The whole picture will not be on display tonight, but there’s enough there to ponder both teams’ present and future.