Chris Sale trade rumors: Red Sox ‘building momentum’ for deal with White Sox

UPDATE: The Red Sox have acquired Sale for four prospects, including Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Read our full story on the deal here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

ORIGINAL: NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Red Sox remain “strongly” in the mix to acquire left-hander Chris Sale from the White Sox and the sides are “building momentum” toward a deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

Sale is the obvious prize of this year’s Winter Meetings, and has drawn interest from many teams looking to make a big splash. As of last night, the Nationals were reportedly the strong front-runners to land the ace, with an offer including both Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles on the table.

Boston has always been seen as a potential fit due to Dave Dombrowski’s historic aggressiveness in trades, and appears to have regained the pole position in talks this morning. The Red Sox have outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. as potential trade chips that could interest Chicago.

The Nats should not be ruled out of the Sale race, as their offer was extremely strong and the team has been aggressive for weeks. The Braves are also involved, serving as a “dark horse” in the sweepstakes, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.