On Friday, the Chicago White Sox sent outfielder Alex Rios and $1 million to the Texas Rangers in exchange for either a player to be named later or cash. The player to be named later is reportedly second baseman Leury Garica.
This deal should work out well for both teams.
With Nelson Cruz being suspended for 50 games for his involvement in the Biogenesis case, the Rangers had a glaring need for a right fielder. Rios will be able to step right in and provide Texas with the production needed to make a playoff push.
By acquiring outfielder Avisail Garcia from the Detroit Tigers in the 3-way Jake Peavy deal, the White Sox were eager to move Rios to allow Garcia a spot in the lineup. Garcia has already been recalled, and is on his way to Chicago for tonight’s game.
But, the best part of this deal is that the White Sox are free from Rios’ contract. Rios was still owed $12.5 million next season, and the remaining portion of the $12 million he was set to make this season. Over the last two weeks, the White Sox have cleared a ton of salary by subtracting Rios’ and Peavy’s contracts from the books. In addition, Paul Konerko’s contract expires this season which will eliminate $13.5 million from their payroll. With the White Sox now free from those three large contracts, they will have roughly $40 million to spend in the offseason, or future seasons, as general manager Rick Hahn tries to reshape this roster. And, with a strong starting rotation intact for the foreseeable future, the White Sox might not be too far away from competing for a division title again.
-Eric Tichelbaut
Follow me on Twitter @etichel07
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