Chris Sale Changes Sox: Chicago Sends All-Star Pitcher to Boston for Prospects

The Chicago White Sox have traded All-Star pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for a group of prospects, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Two of the four players Chicago will receive include infielder Yoan Moncada, MLB.com's No. 1 prospect, and pitcher Michael Kopech, Boston's fifth-best prospect, the report stated.

Sale is a five-time All-Star over seven seasons, with a career 3.00 ERA and 1,244 strikeouts. Last season he was 17-10 with 233 strikeouts.

The left-handed starter's performance on the mound, however, was undermined last season by his contentious behavior in the clubhouse. He was suspended for five games in July after cutting up his 1976-era White Sox throwback uniform because it was too uncomfortable to pitch in.

RELATED: Sox Ace Chris Sale Suspended 5 Games for Clubhouse Cut-Up Incident

That tantrum had some criticizing Sale for his behavior, and one fan even burned his Chris Sale jersey in protest.

The White Sox also received Class A right-handed pitcher Victor Diaz and Class A outfielder Luis Basabe — Boston's eighth-ranked prospect — in the trade, the Sun-Times reports.

Trading Sale is part of Chicago's effort to rebuild its farm system and become a competitive American League team again. A switch hitter who can play multiple infield positions, Moncada had 19 at-bats with Boston in 2016, and he hit 15 home runs and stole 45 bases in the minors this past season, according to the Sun-Times. Kopech has speed that can just reach 100 mph, and he was 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in Class A ball in 2016.

Patch will continue to update this story.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Chris Sale in 2011 (photo by Keith Allison | Wikimedia Commons)

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