At the time, the trade was maligned by the vast majority of White Sox fans, who saw it as a sign that owner Jerry Reinsdorf was giving up on the team, even while they were only 3+1⁄2 games behind the Cleveland Indians for the American League Central Division lead.
[4] With diminished fan attendance and multiple players eligible to enter free agency at the end of the season, general manager Ron Schueler decided to trade them for prospects.
Wilson Álvarez and Roberto Hernández would both join the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays as free agents in the offseason and spend several years with the team, while Danny Darwin would pitch one more season for the Giants before retiring in 1998.
[1][7] The trade widened the rift between supporters and ownership,[8] particularly when Reinsdorf told Chicago Sun-Times reporter Toni Ginnetti that "anyone who thinks we can catch Cleveland is crazy".
Howry viewed the trade as a positive force in his own career, as there was no pressure to perform when he arrived on the White Sox, and he felt that environment helped the young players on the team develop into eventual division champions.
"[10] Some baseball writers have pointed out that the trade showed Reinsdorf was simply ahead of his time, as it has become more common since 1997 for teams seemingly in contention to decide to build for the future, rather than gamble on a long-shot bid for a title.
[2] Chicago Tribune columnist Paul Sullivan wrote in 2020 that Reinsdorf and his GM avoided a prolonged outcry over the trade, partly due to the fact that social media was not omnipresent in 1997.