Report: Rangers making serious effort for Sale

The Texas Rangers are reportedly aiming high in their search for rotation help, as the floundering division leaders are making a serious effort to broker a deal for Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

Sale's name continues to be bandied about in trade rumors, and speculation should only intensify following White Sox general manager Rick Hahn's remarks about his club being "mired in mediocrity," but Sullivan reports there's no indication as to whether a deal will get done.

With his club scuffling, Hahn stressed the importance Thursday of staying "open-minded" as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches, especially with respect to potential offers for Sale and fellow left-hander Jose Quintana, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the White Sox had turned down a "king's ransom" for Sale in the previous 48 hours.

"We're not where we want to be," Hahn said. "We've spent a fair amount of time focusing on the (current season) for the last few years, and it hasn't paid off as handsomely as we hoped. At the same time ... the notion of, 'Let's sell off everything because it's not working,' might be a little extreme, especially if you expect to be able to put yourself in position to have a perennial quality product (within) the window of control for some of these guys."

Any deal between the Rangers and White Sox involving Sale, an All-Star for a fifth straight season in 2016, would likely see both Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo sent to Chicago, Sullivan speculates. Profar, 23, has been a revelation since rejoining the Rangers in May after missing the previous two seasons with shoulder issues, hitting .304/.351/.435 with four homers in 42 games. Gallo, the organization's top prospect, has spent most of the campaign in Triple-A, hitting .254/.394/.561 with 17 homers in 66 games with Round Rock.