What Is Fair?

Remember how when the Winter Meetings started in December that there were rumblings of the Detroit Tigers burning everything to the ground?  There was talk about the possibility of moving just about every player on the roster to restock the farm system and prepare to be better in the future.  Remember those sleepless nights when you thought about Justin Verlander or Miguel Cabrera in another uniform?  I remember.  And Pepperidge Farm remembers too.  Obviously they did no such thing.  They were insufferably quiet during the Winter Meetings.  How would you feel if your team decided to do this?  Moreover, how would you feel if you were a player that was traded?

After the White Sox traded away Adam Eaton and Chris Sale, I started to think about this.  They've gone full rebuild.  They traded away excellent players to restock their farm system and build for the future.  It works out for both parties.  Eaton and Sale got traded away to teams that will be in contention for the next few years.  It's good for them and good for the Tigers for the next few years.  Eaton and Sale are perennial thorns in the side.  The prospects that got sent to Chicago are seen as the future of the organization, they can play along side each other in the minors and come up and, ideally, play at a top level for years to come.  That is how you rebuild a team.  Get four or five top prospects and fill in the rest with serviceable players.

But is this fair to the other players on the roster of the White Sox?  I know that you have to be somewhat competitive while you wait for the prospects to develop, but is it fair to the other MLB players?  It's like 'you guys aren't good enough to trade, so you're stuck with us for the time being.  Have fun losing ninety games a year for the next two to three years!  If these players are younger and at the start of their career, while it might be painful for them to endure, they'll be fine.  They'll be the leadership of the team when they become competitive again.  What if you're at the peak or just past it though?  Would you take some offense to that?  I know it's part of baseball and these types of things happen, but that would be tough to deal with.