The White Sox traded outfielder Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon, one day after the Sox started their rebuilding project by parting with ace Chris Sale.
With the deal, the Sox gave up two of their most valuable players within two days at the winter meetings to bring in a bevy of top prospects, including three right-handers from the Nationals.
Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning come back in return, ranked the No. 1, 3 and 6 prospects in the Nationals system, respectively.
Giolito is ranked the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com. Giolito, 22, posted a 2.97 ERA with three minor-league teams in 2016, including his first stint in Triple A. He also made his major-league debut, posting a 6.75 ERA, 12 walks and 11 strikeouts over 21 1/3 innings in six appearances.
Lopez is ranked No. 38 nationally on MLB.com's list. Along with overall top prospect Yoan Moncada and No. 30 Michael Kopech, who arrived from the Red Sox in the Sale trade, the Sox have acquired four top 50 prospects in less than 48 hours.
Eaton hit .290 with 83 doubles, 28 triples, 29 home runs, 265 runs scored and a .783 OPS over three seasons with the Sox since being acquired from the Diamondbacks in a three-team trade.
