This Day In Sox History...December 6

[Lip Man 1]

December 6, 1959 - In an effort to try to repeat as American League champs Bill Veeck and Hank Greenberg decided to make a series of moves to bring in hitters at the expense of some of the top young players in the Sox system.

Veeck originally tried to get young stars like future Sox coach Orlando Cepeda from the Giants and Bill White from the Cardinals but was turned down. So, he went in the only direction he felt he could.

The first deal brought the Sox back outfielder “Minnie” Minoso at the cost of future All-Star, power hitting first baseman Norm Cash and future All-Star, power hitting catcher John “Honey” Romano. Cleveland also got John “Bubba” Phillips.

Sox manager Al Lopez was quoted after the controversial deal as saying, “Some of us, like me, are not worried about next year because we might not be around then.”  Cash and Romano alone would combine for 506 home runs and six All-Star appearances in their careers. Minoso though would have an excellent season in 1960, hitting .311 with 20 home runs and 105 RBI’s to go along with 17 stolen bases and make the All-Star team.

 

December 6, 1984 – It was one of the most brilliant and gutsiest deals even completed by G.M. Roland Hemond. It was a deal that paid dividends immediately and 20 years down the line.

Hemond sent former Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt to the Padres in a package deal that netted the Sox a 20-year-old shortstop named Ozzie Guillen. The Sox also got valuable utility player Luis Salazar and two pitchers, Tim Lollar and Bill Long.

Guillen immediately went on to fill a gaping hole in the infield and was named Rookie of the Year. He’d win a Gold Glove and become a three-time All-Star before coming back as manager in 2004. He’d then win the World Series in 2005 and make the playoffs again in 2008. Hoyt would be out of baseball by 1987 after battling weight and drug addiction issues.

 

December 6, 2016 – It was one of the biggest winter meeting trades in memory as the White Sox sent Chris Sale, one of the top pitchers in the game to the Red Sox for a number of prospects. The deal included the number one ranked minor league player in the game, Yoan Moncada.

Sale was brilliant in his six plus years with the team winning 74 games with an ERA of three. He made the All-Star team five times, pitching five innings and winning the 2013 contest. He set White Sox records for most strike outs in a season with 274 and had four consecutive years with over 200.

After four straight losing seasons, the franchise decided it was time to rebuild and Sale was in demand so the painful decision was made to trade him and hope for a better future.