White Sox Officially Start Fire Sale With Rangers Trade

As the middle of May approaches, the Chicago White Sox continue to be one of the MLB's worst clubs. As of May 8, the White Sox own a putrid 8-28 record through 36 games, putting them 15 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the AL Central lead and 12.5 games out of the final American League wild-card spot.

With the playoff being a pipedream at this point, White Sox fans were waiting for the franchise to begin trading away its players. After all, if the season is lost, it makes more sense to start trading veterans for future assets rather than try to make the playoffs in a lost year.

Well, it turns out that it only took Chicago's 28th loss of the year for White Sox president and general manager Chris Getz to make his first move.

White Sox News: Robbie Grossman Traded to Texas Rangers

On Wednesday, the White Sox announced that they have traded veteran outfielder Robbie Grossman to the Texas Rangers. In return, Chicago is receiving right-handed pitcher and former 2019 30th-round pick Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa.

Grossman joined the White Sox on a one-year deal during the offseason, so it makes a ton of sense to trade him now rather than lose him for nothing as an unrestricted free agent this winter.

You could also argue that Grossman being traded could be addition by subtraction. The San Diego, CA native was dreadful throughout his time with the White Sox, registering just 15 hits, four RBIs, 13 walks, and 20 strikeouts while slashing .211/.329/.268 across 85 plate appearances in 25 games.

Meanwhile, the White Sox could have a decent gem on their hands in the form of Hoopii-Tuionetoa. The 23-year-old hurler has looked fantastic with Double-A Frisco this year, going 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA, 0.892 WHIP, 16 strikeouts, and a save across 12 1/3 innings. According to the MLB's prospect rankings, he's expected to hit the Majors in 2025.

The White Sox also announced that Triple-A infielder Zach Remillard will be taking Grossman's roster spot for the time being. The 30-year-old veteran has played in 56 games (152 at-bats) with Chicago over the last two seasons, tallying one homer, 18 RBIS, eight walks, and 48 strikeouts while batting .250 with a .608 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Following Grossman's departure, time will tell who the White Sox send packing next. According to Spotrac, Chicago has 17 players who will become unrestricted free agents next offseason with four of those individuals holding club options.

In other words, the Grossman trade is likely only the beginning of a fire sale in the Windy City.

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