MINNEAPOLIS -- The reality that they’ve been mired in mediocrity finally hit the White Sox clubhouse on Sunday morning when reliever Zach Duke was traded to St. Louis.
Whereas division rival Cleveland has considerably upgraded its roster with the addition of Andrew Miller, the White Sox have potentially begun to sell off key pieces in hopes of cashing in on a talented roster that has underperformed.
In exchange for Duke, the White Sox acquired outfielder Charlie Tilson, a speedy center fielder/contact hitter who is already rated the No. 5 prospect in the farm system. While the organization hopes Tilson can soon take over as its everyday center fielder, players and coaches are saddled with the realization that a season full of promise only two months ago has taken yet another harsh turn. Once 23-10 and 6 1/2 games up in the American League Central, the White Sox headed into Sunday six back of Boston for the second wild-card spot.
“The way we started and where we’re at right now, you are disappointed,” manager Robin Ventura said. “It goes back to when you see a guy like Zach going out of here. It makes you think about a lot more things.”
The White Sox have sent mixed signals over the past week and a half about which direction they intended to head.
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On July 21, general manager Rick Hahn said the club had ruled out the addition of short-term rental players and was open minded about listening to the offers of other clubs on its big-ticket items like Chris Sale and Jose Quintana after yet another disappointing season. Executive vice president Kenny Williams said Tuesday the team was day to day in determining how it wanted to proceed. Then on Wednesday, Ventura said he wasn’t sure if the White Sox planned to do anything significant even though rumors continued to fly about the availability of Sale and Quintana.
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On Saturday, outfielder Adam Eaton said players only have themselves to blame if the front office began to trade significant pieces.
With one move complete, it's only natural for players to wonder if the floodgate has been opened, Ventura said.
“It will affect guys,” Ventura said. “That’s normal when somebody of Zach’s stature goes out of here, it’s going to be a tough day for guys.
“Any time you get around the trade deadline and something like this happens, it affects guys differently. But they’re professional, they’ll go out there and continue to play. But definitely a tough day.”
Duke said he learned about the deal at 9 a.m. when Hahn called. Even though it’s the first time he has been traded before the deadline, Duke wasn’t overly surprised given he’s a left-handed reliever. He’s excited to be headed to St. Louis to help the Cardinals push for yet another postseason appearance. But Duke also said he’s disappointed to leave behind a tight-knit group in the bullpen.
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“The way we started out, we were all excited and all pumped up,” Duke said. “It’s unfortunate that the season has progressed the way it has. We all wanted to win more and felt like we were capable of winning more. So it’s unfortunate we are at this point. Really, this is a great group of guys in that clubhouse and we all really wanted to win and put in the effort. It just unfortunately hasn’t worked as well as we wanted to at this point.”
Just how the bullpen will operate without Duke -- who had a 2.63 ERA in a big league-high 53 games -- remains to be seen. Signed to be the left-handed specialist they missed for several seasons, Duke appeared in 124 games for the White Sox the past two seasons. He went 5-6 with two saves and a 3.11 ERA. But Duke was also admired by other relievers for his experience. A candid veteran who said he became a reliever only after he was fired as a starting pitcher, Duke was a critical member of the group.
“He’s been a vital part of the bullpen, not just in the games but being around all the time,” closer David Robertson said. “There’s going to be a hole there for a little bit, but we’ll figure it out and fill that hole. We’ll keep moving forward and trying to win ballgames.”
Ventura said it won’t be so easy for players to immediately turn the page. The loss of Duke may only account for 60 innings pitched out of 162 games. But the move itself potentially signals more difficult moves ahead.
“It’s a tough one any time you give up a good guy like him, a big presence inside our clubhouse and very effective pitcher,” Ventura said. “To see a guy like that go out the door, it’s tough on everyone. Don’t know necessarily what it all means beyond that, but we lost a good one today.”