How the Prince Fielder Signing Could Help the Red Sox?

It just sounds crazy doesn’t it?  To even think that the Detroit Tigers helped out the Red Sox by signing Prince Fielder to an enormous contract is ludicrous, but it’s true.

Our friends at Over the Monster do a great job of breaking this scenario down.  To recap, the Sox could benefit from the Tigers signing Prince because of what this might force the Chicago White Sox to do.  With the Tigers the runaway favorite to now win the AL Central for the next multiple years, the Chi Sox could be forced to rebuild rather than try a concerted effort of reloading with middle tier free-agents and a mix of rebuilding (basically running in circles hoping to find the right path).  With the writing on the wall for the South Chicago club, Gavin Floyd may suddenly become a little cheaper and who needs a quality starting pitcher?  The Red Sox do. We’ve explored the Floyd trade possibility multiple times in the past, so there is no real need to dive into who or what the White Sox would want in return.  We all know the answer to that anyway…..prospects.  OTM says Felix Doubront would be the obvious choice and throw in a Brandon Jacobs littered alongside some lower class prospects and voila.

But Kenny Williams may have other ideas if he sticks to the value that Gio Gonzalez and Mat Latos got earlier this off season.  His counterpart in the Windy City, boy wonder Epstein is also playing hard ball with anyone interested in Matt Garza.  The package better be lined with Grade A prospects, preferably from the top 100 prospect list or don’t even bother phoning.  Floyd isn’t in the same category of pitcher as Garza, but you get the point.

We also know that currently the Red Sox don’t have room for Cody Ross on the 40-man roster, leading many to believe that a trade is imminent in the very near future.  That or risk losing someone through ‘designated for assignment.’  So a trade makes sense and could be forced upon Ben Cherington.  From all angles the White Sox appear to be the perfect partner in crime.

Let’s face it, the White Sox won’t win the division this year or likely next year.  Sorry Chi Sox fans, barring a miracle that the Tigers suddenly start eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse and the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins are stricken with the plague, the AL Central banner isn’t heading to Chicago anytime soon.

It may not be anymore painfully obvious what the right approach for the White Sox now is…rebuild.  Strip it down and start from the bottom, just like your neighbors to the north are doing.  Floyd is a great trade chip to dangle and one that will likely garner a couple of prospects and two roster players.

With the Red Sox currently trying  to sign Edwin Jackson and getting the cold shoulder from Roy Oswalt, their interest in Floyd may have decreased lately.  Maybe this is a deal that won’t happen before Spring Training but more likely to happen in June, once the White Sox are all but out of the division.  At that point Williams may be forced to deal Floyd and barring a free-agent miracle in the next week with Scott Boras, the Red Sox could be willing and able to pull the trigger.  But if the Red Sox can’t make a move to accompany Cody Ross then maybe it happens sooner than later.  Maybe this deal is inevitable?

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