The Chicago White Sox have acquired infielder Yoan Moncada ("yoe-AHN mon-KAH-duh), the No. 1 ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech (KOE-peck), outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe (buh-SAH-bay) and right-hander Victor Diaz from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-hander Chris Sale.
 
"When you trade a pitcher of Chris Sale's ability, it can only be because we were motivated by an impactful return of young talent, and we have more than accomplished that with Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz," said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior vice president/general manager. "We believe each of these players can be part of a quality core of future championship caliber White Sox teams."
 
Moncada, a 21-year-old switch-hitter, was named by Baseball America as the 2016 Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .294/.407/.511 with 31 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs, 62 RBI, 72 walks, 94 runs scored and 45 stolen bases over 106 games between Class A Salem and Class AA Portland. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Moncada, who entered 2016 ranked by MLB.com as the top-rated prospect in baseball, tied for fifth in the minor leagues in steals and tied for 11th in runs scored last season.
 
Moncada made his major-league debut with the Red Sox in September, going 4-19 (.211) with one RBI in eight games. He also played for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .292 (7-24) with one homer, three RBI and six runs scored over six games before suffering a sprained left thumb that ended his campaign. Prior to the trade, Moncada was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 2 Prospect in the Red Sox organization entering 2017.
 
Moncada, a native of Abreus, Cuba, is a career .287 (204-711) hitter with 50 doubles, 23 home runs, 100 RBI, 155 runs scored and 94 stolen bases in 187 games over two seasons in the Red Sox minor-league system. He has added a .395 on-base and .480 slugging percentage while succeeding on 86.2 (94-109) percent of his stolen base attempts.
 
Moncada originally was signed by Boston as an international free agent on March 12, 2015 for a record $31.5 million. He played two seasons (2012-13) for Cienfuegos of Cuba's Serie Nacional, hitting .277 (84-303) over 101 games while teaming with current White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu.
 
Kopech, 20, who enters 2017 ranked by Baseball America as the No. 4 Prospect in the Red Sox organization, went 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA (13 ER/56.1 IP), 86 strikeouts and a .156 (29-186) opponents average over 12 starts between Advanced Rookie Lowell and Class A Salem in 2016. Kopech, who was limited to 12 starts due to a broken right hand suffered in spring training, struck out 10-plus batters over three straight starts from August 13-24. He owned a 1.23 ERA entering his final start with Salem before giving up six runs over 0.1 IP.
 
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Kopech went 3-0 with 2.01 ERA (5 ER/22.1 IP) and 26 strikeouts over six starts with Surprise in the 2016 Arizona Fall League. He led the AFL in ERA and ranked second in strikeouts per 9.0 IP (11.25) among starting pitchers and also worked 2.0 perfect IP with three strikeouts in the Fall Stars Game. Kopech was named a starting pitcher on the AFL Top Prospects team.
 
Kopech, a native of Longview, Texas, has gone 8-7 with a 2.61 ERA (39 ER/134.2 IP) and 172 strikeouts in 36 appearances (35 starts) over three minor-league seasons in the Red Sox minor-league system after being selected in the first round (33rd overall) of the 2014 draft out of Mount Pleasant (Texas) High School. He has held opponents to a .198 (93-470) average with a 11.47 strikeout-per-9.0-IP ratio during his minor-league career.
 
Basabe, 20, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 Prospect and the Best Defensive Outfielder in the Red Sox system. The 6-foot, 180-pound Basabe batted a combined .264 (112-425) with 26 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs, 53 RBI, 66 runs scored and 25 stolen bases over 110 games between Class A Greenville and Class A Salem last season.
 
Basabe, a switch-hitter, has recorded a .253 (281-1,109) average with 59 doubles, 25 triples, 21 home runs, 134 RBI, 204 runs scored and 73 steals in 298 career games over four minor-league seasons in the Boston organization. He has been successful on 81.1 percent (73-90) of his career stolen-base attempts. The El Vigia, Venezuela native originally was signed by the Red Sox, along with his twin brother Luis Alejandro, as an international free agent on August 26, 2012.
Diaz, 22, spent the entire 2016 season with Class A Greenville, going 2-5 with a 3.88 ERA (26 ER/60.1 IP), 10 saves and 63 strikeouts over 37 relief appearances. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Diaz limited right-handers to a .214 (30-140) average and ranked second among Red Sox farmhands in saves. He was named the Boston organization's Reliever of the Month for August/September after working 16.2 scoreless IP with 25 strikeouts over 10 relief appearances.
 
Diaz, a native of Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic, is 8-6 with a 3.00 ERA (31 ER/93.0 IP), 17 saves, 98 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed in 58 relief appearances over two seasons (2015-16) in the Red Sox system. He was signed as an international free agent on December 12, 2014.
 
Sale, 27, went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA (84 ER/226.2 IP), 233 strikeouts and six complete games over 32 starts in 2016. Over seven seasons with the Sox, he went 74-50 with a 3.00 ERA (370 ER/1,110.0 IP) and 1,244 strikeouts over 228 games (148 starts). Sale, a five-time American League All-Star, ranks sixth in White Sox history in strikeouts.
 
"We cannot thank Chris enough for all he has done and what he has meant for the White Sox organization since we drafted him in 2010," Hahn said. "We certainly wish he and his family all the best."