If a team is going to pry Chris Sale away from the Chicago White Sox, it's going to take an entire war chest.
The White Sox rejected a "king's ransom" trade offer in the last 48 hours for their southpaw ace, sources told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
While a king's ransom may not be enough to take Sale out of Chicago's South Side, the club has reportedly considered becoming sellers toward the trade deadline.
"We're not where we want to be," general manager Rick Hahn told The Associated Press on Thursday. "We've spent a fair amount of time focusing on the here-now for the last few years, and it hasn't paid off as handsomely as we hoped. So we have to stay open-minded."
Should the White Sox opt for a complete rebuild, Hahn knows a possible trade involving Sale or No. 2 starter Jose Quintana would help facilitate the process.
"We have not ruled out anything at this point, other than (rentals)," Hahn said specifically of the pair, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
It's unclear which MLB club made a run at Sale, though it isn't surprising the White Sox responded with a flat "No," Rosenthal added. With a 3.18 ERA, Sale is tied for the most wins in the American League with 14 in 19 starts, while his 1.01 WHIP ranks second in the league only to Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada.
