MLB News: Chris Sale Traded to Red Sox in Blockbuster Deal

It only took two days in the winter meetings for things to get crazy. On Tuesday morning, the Boston Red Sox completed arguably the biggest trade baseball has seen since they traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers in 2012. Now, the hyper-aggressive Red Sox have reportedly acquired White Sox ace Chris Sale:

Sale is arguably the best pitcher in baseball besides that other lefty that wears #22 for the Dodgers. He has accumulated 27.9 Wins Above Replacement since his debut in 2010, ninth-most in the major leagues over that span. Sale currently holds a career 3.00 ERA and 3.06 FIP, excellent for a pitcher who has spent that entire time in the American League. He also averages over ten strikeouts per nine innings.

In return for Sale, the Red Sox have sent a package centered around Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada to the south side of Chicago. Moncada is currently the consensus #1 overall prospect in baseball after signing a whopping $63 million contract with Boston before the 2015 season. The Red Sox also sent hard-throwing righty Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Basabe, and young right-hander Victor Diaz to the White Sox in the deal. All three prospects, along with Moncada, were ranked in the top 30 of Boston's very strong farm system, according to MLB.com.

The Dodgers had reportedly looked into acquiring Sale, but the White Sox's insistence on Julio Urias frontlining the return package seems to have killed any chance of a trade before it even started gaining momentum. It's also worth noting that there were no serious rumors connecting the Dodgers to Sale after they re-signed Rich Hill on Monday. However, the Sale trade could still impact the Dodgers as it likely signals the beginning of the White Sox selling off other quality veterans such as third baseman Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson, and starter Jose Quintana. All three could interest the Dodgers as they attempt to strengthen their rotation and search for contingency plans in the event that Justin Turner and/or Kenley Jansen leave in free agency.