How Much Longer Until the Fire Sale Begins for the Chicago White Sox?

What a difference a week makes for the Chicago White Sox.

After reaching the .500 mark following a sweep of the Miami Marlins, the White Sox (24-29) have lost six in a row and now trail the Detroit Tigers by 5.5 games.

Since losing streaks and bad baseball are more often than not the norm for the White Sox, the question looms: How much longer will general manager Rick Hahn keep the current group together?

If bets were to be placed, the smart money would be on a controlled fire sale taking place well in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Why would Hahn wait? 

Hahn has some players on the 25-man roster with real value, and while trade packages may become more talent-laden as the deadline approaches, being proactive may be the most prudent course of action.

Jake Peavy (6-3, 3.62 ERA), for example, would net the White Sox a healthy amount of major league-ready talent and moving him early would make quite a bit of sense.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Peavy is averaging more than one strikeout per inning for the first time since 2009 while he has only issued 15 walks all season. With the exception of his last outing against the Chicago Cubs (4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER), Peavy has been a horse for the Sox all season.

Why risk the inevitable drop in trade value that follows a series of poor outings? In addition, why would Hahn risk an injury to the single greatest trade chip on the roster when the team is not in a position to challenge for the AL Central title?

Alexei Ramirez is another player whose trade allure may be at its apex. He has hit .293 in 92 at-bats since being moved to the second spot in the order and, as usual, his defense has been exceptional.

Ramirez would fit nicely on a team like the Boston Red Sox. They are in need of a shortstop and have struggled to get consistent production from the two-hole all season

Don’t forget about Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton either. Both are veteran relief pitchers who happen to be in the last year of their contracts. Name a division leader and they would be more than happy to find an agreeable package to get either one away from the White Sox.

Of course, I could be writing a column in the next few weeks with an entirely different vibe.

The White Sox have a three-game set with the Seattle Mariners and then return home for a seven-game homestand against the Oakland A’s and Toronto Blue Jays.

Following their series at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox have the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals, who are a combined 68-97.

A nice run over the next three weeks could put the White Sox at, or above, the .500 mark. Given the way the Tigers have been scuffling and the inconsistency of the Cleveland Indians, that may be good enough for Hahn to consider acquiring talent instead of unloading it.

The Sox need to start winning now, though, which may be too much to expect. There just does not seem to be a sense of urgency.

“We've got to step up and bring more intensity,” Peavy told ESPN.com’s Jon Greenberg last week following another loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Yeah, Jake, you do.

A couple of home runs, gap-driven doubles and some fundamental defense wouldn’t hurt, either.

If not, the fire sale will begin in earnest on the South Side.

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