👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Joey Gallo

Throwing for Interested Teams
Jason Adam

Thinks he Could be Ready for Opening Day
Zac Gallen

Diamondbacks Re-Sign Zac Gallen
Zac Veen

Overcomes Substance Abuse, Adds Muscle
Yohel Pozo

Drops Significant Weight Heading into 2026 Season
Sandy Alcantara

Adding a Sweeper
Cleveland Cavaliers

Riley Minix Signs Two-Way Deal With Cavaliers
Nate Pearson

Coming Off Offseason Elbow Surgery
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Available for All-Star Game
Clarke Schmidt

Seen Throwing on Friday
Chris Paul

Retires From Basketball
Spencer Steer

Quad Injury a Thing of the Past?
Zach LaVine

to Undergo Season-Ending Hand Surgery
John Means

Royals Agree to Two-Year Minor-League Deal With John Means
Gleyber Torres

Should be Good to Go for Opening Day
Kyle Manzardo

Packs on Muscle in Offseason
David Pastrnak

Gets Off the Mark at Olympics
Macklin Celebrini

Pots Another Goal Friday
Kevin Fiala

Stretchered Off Against Canada
Bryan Woo

Turns Down WBC as he Eyes Larger 2026 Workload
Rowan Wick

Giants Agree With Rowan Wick on One-Year Deal
Luis Rengifo

Agrees to One-Year Deal With Brewers
Francisco Alvarez

Drops 10 Pounds
Aaron Rodgers

Likely to Return to Steelers?
Emmanuel Clase

Used Coded Language for Pitch-Rigging Plans
Kyle Teel

to be Chicago's Everyday Catcher?
Chris Paddack

to be in Opening Day Starting Rotation
Shelby Miller

Cubs to Sign Shelby Miller to Multi-Year Contract
Roman Anthony

to Play for Team USA in World Baseball Classic
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Want Terry McLaurin to Get 10 Targets a Game
Deandre Ayton

Remains Day-to-Day for Lakers
LeBron James

Posts Historic Triple-Double in Win
Ja Morant

Still Without Clear Return Date
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Expected Back After All-Star Break
Oscar Tshiebwe

Enters Concussion Protocol Thursday
Naji Marshall

Exits Early with Foot Strain
Daniel Gafford

Leaves Game with Ankle Issue
Jordan Binnington

Records 26-Save Shutout Against Czechia
Connor McDavid

Ties Canadian Record With Three Assists in Olympic Debut
Josh Morrissey

Hurt in Olympic Opener
Robert Williams III

Will Not Play Against Utah
Deni Avdija

Sidelined vs. Jazz
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Multiple Weeks
Naji Marshall

Gets Upgraded to Probable
Myles Turner

Will Not Play Thursday
Caleb Martin

is Downgraded to Doubtful
Jeremy Sochan

Heading to New York
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Eligible for 2026 Season
Kyle Kuzma

Cleared to Play Against Thunder
Ryan Rollins

Remains Sidelined Against Thunder
Shaedon Sharpe

Sidelined Against Utah
CFB

BYU's Parker Kingston Charged with Felony Rape
Cameron Young

Looking for Pebble Beach Success
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Turn Things Around at Pebble Beach
Collin Morikawa

Eyes Turnaround at Pebble Beach
Jake Knapp

Brings Hot Form to Pebble Beach
Nick Taylor

in Good Form Going into Pebble Beach Event
Viktor Hovland

Carrying Momentum Into Pebble Beach
Tommy Fleetwood

Set for 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Harris English

Looks to Build on Steady Form at Pebble Beach
Justin Rose

Tuned in for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Keegan Bradley

a Boom-or-Bust Play at Pebble Beach
Maverick McNealy

Playing Well with Pebble Beach Looming
Russell Henley

Carries Momentum to Pebble Beach
Shane Lowry

Makes 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Michael Kim

Putting Well with Pebble Beach on the Horizon
Billy Horschel

a Little Rattled After Consecutive Missed Cuts
Ben Griffin

Solid But Not Spectacular Early in 2026
Wyndham Clark

Has Question Marks Heading to Pebble Beach
Daniel Berger

Heating Up at the Right Time for Pebble Beach
Jordan Spieth

Looking For a Return to Form at Pebble Beach
Juuse Saros

Starting Wednesday
William Nylander

Iffy for Olympic Opener
Martin Necas

Ready for Thursday
Drake Maye

Says his Shoulder Injury was Significant
Xander Schauffele

Trying to Get the Motor Going at Pebble Beach
Hideki Matsuyama

Trying to Overcome Sunday Collapse
Kenneth Walker III

Runs Away With Super Bowl MVP Honors
Vinicius Oliveira

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Mario Bautista

Gets Back In The Win Column
Kyoji Horiguchi

Dominates At UFC Vegas 113
Amir Albazi

Gets Dominated At UFC Vegas 113
Rizvan Kuniev

Earns His First UFC Win
Jailton Almeida

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 113
Marc-Andre Barriault

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Michal Oleksiejczuk

Gets His Third Win In A Row
Las Vegas Raiders

Klint Kubiak Confirms he Will be Next Raiders Head Coach
Jonas Rondbjerg

Out for Olympics
Brad Marchand

Good to Go for Olympic Opener
Gabriel Landeskog

Healthy for Olympics
Jack Hughes

Cleared for Olympics
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Returns to Super Bowl After Injury Scare
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Being Evaluated for Concussion, Questionable to Return
James Pearce Jr.

Arrested Following Police Chase
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF