How the A's have fared in Jeff Samardzija deal with White Sox

Share

The trade winds are starting to blow in baseball.

On the South Side, nobody knows which way those winds are blowing for the White Sox, either as buyers or sellers. 

But the one trade general manager Rick Hahn made in the offseason that will have an impact on the future of the Sox was the deal that brought pitcher Jeff Samardzija back to the Midwest and with his childhood team, the White Sox.

[SHOP: Buy a Jeff Samardzija jersey]

Samardzija has pushed aside a rough start to the season, posting a 6-4 record with a 4.02 ERA in 18 starts with the Sox. 

But with every trade there are two sides to the transaction.

Infielder Marcus Semien, catcher Josh Phegley, first baseman Rangel Ravelo and pitcher Chris Bassitt were the pieces Hahn shipped off to the Oakland Athletics to complete the deal.

A half season certainly isn't long enough to determine who won the trade, but let's take a look at how some of the ex-White Sox players have done so far with their new team.

[MORE: Sox to call up Frankie Montas]

Marcus Semien (.256/.301/.395 8 HR, 22 RBI, 7 SB)

Semien was thought to be the key piece to the deal. With the White Sox, he never got consistent playing time but he had the flare for the dramatic, coming up in the clutch during games. Now that he's got consistent playing time (started 85 games this year), we are able to see more of what kind of player Semien could possibly become. Unfortunately for the A's, he hasn't provided a lot of production. The worse part for the A's has been his defense. Semien leads the majors with 28 errors. In comparison, White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez has made only 10 errors this year.

Josh Phegley (.269/.318/.487 5 HR, 18 RBI)

Phegley seemd to have been a victim of the numbers game with the White Sox last season. Tyler Flowers wasn't going anywhere and the team also signed Geovany Soto to be the back-up. Phegley, the 38th overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, has started 34 games for the A's this year and has provided some pop in the lineup. The biggest issue for Phegley is he's behind Stephen Vogt on the depth chart. Vogt made the AL All-Star team this year and has done a lot of damage for the A's. While Phegly may have given Flowers and Soto some competition, it's hard to say whether he would've outplayed the two veterans enough to catch Robin Ventura's eye and make him the starter. 

Chris Bassitt (0-2, 2.93 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 17 K)

The right-hander may be the one piece of the deal that has turned out okay so far for the A's. He's only started three games and made eight appearances but he's provided some good innings for the A's. With some injuries in the A's rotation, Bassitt will be counted on to help the pitching staff to start the second half of the season. The White Sox have plenty of young, promising pitchers in their minor league system and on their major-league roster so parting with Bassitt hasn't turned out to be a huge mistake for the South Siders just yet. 

Rangel Ravelo (.357/.438/.571 HR, 3 RBI)

Ravelo missed the early portion of the season after undergoing wrist surgery. The infielder recently ended his rehab stint with the Arizona A's Rookie League team, where he registered 14 hits in 25 at-bats in nine games. According to MLB.com, he's the team's 14th rated prospect in their system. Ravelo was taken in the 6th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the White Sox. 

Contact Us