Sox-Sox Deal: Gavin Floyd for Prospects, Expensive LHP? No Danks

White Sox GM Kenny Williams is dangling lefty John Danks and righty Gavin Floyd, but says it would take “at least two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below.” to make a deal; the Red Sox have prospects that would meet his needs.

Williams won’t admit it, but his minor league prospect cupboard is bare; in the latest organizational review coming from Baseball Prospectus, the White Sox were placed 30th out of a possible 30. And the comment from Kevin Goldstein to go with the placement — “It really is that bad.”

Under the current budget constraints it is unlikely that Cherington will seek Danks, since, after 2012’s salary of $8 million, Danks [26] is set to receive $14.25 million per season from the duration of his deal. The 26-year-old left-hander sports a career ERA and WHIP of 4.03 and 1.304 with 7.0 SO/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Floyd [29] is only guaranteed one more season in Chicago, as the club holds a $9.5 million option for the 2013 season. Floyd has a career ERA and WHIP of 4.50 and 1.326 with 6.9 SO/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

Although Danks is a LHP, 3 years younger, and under contract longer, their stats are nearly identical [with a slight edge to Danks]; Floyd is a one-year commitment for $3.875 million, compared to $14.25 million per year. This makes Floyd $10 million a year cheaper, so the Sox will say: “Thanks, but no Danks.”

If Floyd is the trade target and Williams is seeking “at least two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below.” what are his needs?

Assuming he is in a rebuilding mode and needs to re-stock his system , Williams would be in need of a future 1b. He currently has Konerko, and Viciedo, their once-promising prospect, who has played himself defensively out of 3b, has a sub-par glove for 1b and will likely wind up in RF, if he can improve his career .228 BA and prove more power than 2 HRs in 114 ABs.

Enter the blossoming Lars Anderson, who, at 24, is now realizing his promise with a .357/.457/.567 statline for Spring 2012. In 113 games at Pawtucket (after raking for 17 games at Double-A Portland), Anderson hit .262 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs. It was what he did late in that stint that showed that an adjustment had been made—Anderson hit .306 (63-for-206) over his final 56 games with the PawSox before his September promotion. Also, he has been willing to play OF.

During Spring training, he made a very solid impression on manager Bobby Valentine.

“Great camp…He added to a scouting report that we had gotten before, with his ability to drive the ball to center and left-center. He added to his resume with his ability to play left field. Even though you only saw him a little in the game, we’ve seen him in practice. He’s a good guy on a team. On another team, he could have made the big leagues.“

Another weak area for the White Sox is OF; do any of these guys sound like All-Stars? A. Rios , K. Fukudome, A. De Aza and B. Lillibridge. Worse, Williams has no power OFs in his minor league system; Jared Mitchell has some speed and may develop mid-range power, but he is described as “raw” and has only managed .222 in A-ball.

Enter Boston’s #2 prospect, Bryce Brentz, “using his compact swing to hit .359 with a 1.061 OPS in 40 South Atlantic Games and earn a promotion up to the Carolina League. He’s been playing right field and his arm should be just fine there. He could jump on the fast track now that he’s started moving.” [MLB.com]

With no catchers in their system, the White Sox need one to move in behind Ty Flowers [26], .291 career BA, when A.J. Pierzynski [36] wears out on defense.

Enter Blake Swihart, 19, switch-hitting catcher; MLB.com says about the Sox #12 prospect: “can hit from both sides of the plate. He should hit for average and power as he develops. Although he hasn’t been doing it for that long and isn’t the biggest guy in the world, he does have some good skills behind the plate, particularly a strong arm and some agility…he has the potential to develop into a special all-around catcher.”

If the Red Sox are keen on this kid catcher, they might offer Williams their #7 prospect, OF, Brandon Jacobs. “A toolsy high schooler signed away from a football scholarship, it took a little while for Jacobs to start using his considerable tools with any consistency. When people look back, the 2011 season may be the one they realize is when he started to put it together. He does swing and miss quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a good hitter, and he has a good amount of power he’s still tapping into to all fields. The corner outfielder does have some speed, though it’s not plus, and he used it to steal 30 bases last year. His 2011 breakout might just be a steppingstone to bigger and better things.” [MLB.com]

While the one-year $4.875 million deal is appealing financially, the Red Sox are trading valuable prospects for a one-year rental and, if Floyd, does well, he will be a FA for 2013 wanting more money.

To summarize the prospective deal:

"Red Sox acquire MLB-proven veteran RHP, Gavin Floyd, who could slot in at #4 or #5.White Sox acquire:1b Lars AndersonOF Brad BrentzC Blake Swihart AND/OR OF Brandon Jacobs"

The package would appear to meet the requirements of Williams “at least two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below.” and it would give the Red Sox a veteran starter to solidify their rotation.
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