Major League Baseball

White Sox move on after Peavy trade

Published Aug. 1, 2013 12:11 a.m. ET

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The Chicago White Sox have no choice - their season must go on.

Their ace has been traded. They have the second-worst record in the American League. And there are two months left in a disappointing year that began with hopes of reaching the playoffs.

The club traded Jake Peavy, the most sought-after starting pitcher on the market, to Boston following Tuesday night's game. The three-team deal also included Detroit.

While the trade was expected, it marked yet another tough moment in a trying season for the White Sox. They entered Wednesday on a five-game losing streak and were 24 games under .500 for the first time since 1989.

Chicago (40-64) is last in the AL Central and trails Detroit by 20 games.

''We knew it was going to happen, so no surprise,'' first baseman Adam Dunn said. ''We lost a good teammate, and a guy that keeps you in every game, every fifth day. He's just a solid dude that a lot of teams need.''

Peavy is the third Chicago veteran pitcher to be traded this month. Left-hander Matt Thornton was dealt to the Red Sox on July 12 and right-hander Jesse Crain, currently on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, was traded to Tampa Bay on Monday.

This season's moves are in stark contrast to last year when the White Sox acquired infielder Kevin Youkilis and pitcher Francisco Liriano to bolster their playoff run.

''I can tell you it's a lot more fun adding than subtracting,'' manager Robin Ventura said.

First-year general manager Rick Hahn doesn't think the club needs to send a message to fans about the team's future.

''I don't think we need to necessarily put a title on it or print up T-shirts or something, but I think people need to understand that we're obviously not satisfied with what has transpired so far over the first four months of the season, that we see the same thing they've seen and that it's now gotten to the point where we're trying to transition this club to a new core,'' he said.

The White Sox received four players currently in the minors for Peavy. The key to the deal is outfielder Avisail Garcia, who came from the Tigers and is considered a five-tool player and one of the top prospects in baseball. Garcia, who turned 22 in June, has been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte for the time being.

Chicago also received infielder Cleulius Rondon and pitchers Francelis Montas and Jeffery Wendelken. Rondon is 19 years old while Montas and Wendelken are 20.

I hope everyone is happy with what we got for him, and it seems like everyone is,'' Dunn said. ''I heard he's (Garcia) a stud.''

Hahn is optimistic better days are ahead.

''We do feel that we're in a very good position with our pitching,'' he said. ''That's going to allow us to be competitive in the very near future, but we need to make some improvements offensively. We need better defense. The goal is going to be for sustained success, to get to the level where on an annual basis we're in the playoffs or at the very least contending for the playoffs over an extended period of time.''

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