The Chicago White Sox have been looking at deals for right fielder Carlos Quentin this winter, and Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that they recently held discussions with the Toronto Blue Jays about the outfielder. He notes that talks have since cooled, though, so the White Sox are back on the prowl seeking out possible suitors.
Quentin, 29, has been a key part of Chicago's lineup for the past four years. A powerful bat, he broke out in 2008 by hitting .288/.394/.571 with 36 homers in 130 games for Chicago, but has struggles with injuries, defense and low batting averages over the past three seasons. He's still been quite useful to the White Sox over the past three years, posting a .245/.336/.479 line while averaging 24 homers per year, but he's getting increasingly expensive and Chicago appears to be kickstarting a rebuilding effort.
The effort began during the Winter Meetings, when the White Sox completed a different deal with the Blue Jays to swap pitchers Sergio Santos and Nestor Molina. Other rumored trade candidates include pitchers John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Matt Thornton.
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