Jeff Sullivan, Special to ESPN.com 7y

Which teams are ready to rebuild?

MLB, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles

Some people call it rebuilding, and some people prefer to call it tanking. Either way, the process is familiar, and the Cubs just demonstrated how well it can work out. As counterintuitive as it might seem, there's something exciting, something appealing about the notion of tearing things down and starting almost from scratch.

Nobody wants to end up in a position where a team thinks about initiating a rebuild. From the perspective of a fan or an executive, the priority is always to win sooner than later, and for rebuilding teams the picture can be bleak. Giving up is never an easy thing to stomach, but reassurance comes from having a long-term plan. It can even feel better to track the development of promising youngsters even while a big league team takes loss after loss.

At this moment, there are a few teams in the midst of their own rebuilds. The Atlanta Braves clearly started a few years ago, and they feel like they've already been through the worst. The Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres are at various stages of their own reconstructions. What other rebuild candidates are there? What sort of rebuilding might they be able to do? I've identified four teams that might soon elect to blow it all up. One of them could even start at any minute.

The team that could start rebuilding the soonest is also the team that could have the most to gain. The Chicago White Sox have spent a few years trying to push forward with a quality core and a thin supporting cast. They could very well try that again, but it looks increasingly likely that the Sox could sell off their bigger pieces. How far they might go would be up to the front office, but if GM Rick Hahn wants to, he could be the center of the MLB offseason.

The White Sox wouldn't gain much if they just sold, say, Melky Cabrera, Todd Frazier and David Robertson. Cabrera's contract is underwater. Frazier is in his last year before free agency, and Robertson is due another $25 million over two years as a second-tier closer. Even Jose Abreu might fetch just a modest return; he's close to 30 years old, he's about to get expensive, and he's coming off his worst season. Moving them alone wouldn't significantly help Chicago stock up its farm system.

To get there, the White Sox would have to really commit. If they were to commit, just imagine: Chris Sale could go. Jose Quintana could go. Adam Eaton could go. Even Nate Jones could go. Sale is under club control through 2019, Quintana through 2020, Eaton through 2021 and Jones might be as well, depending on a contract technicality. The fact that they're all under affordable long-term control makes them appealing for Chicago, but it also makes them appealing to the whole baseball landscape. Every team could use those players. Sale is an ace, Quintana might as well be one, Eaton has turned into a star outfielder, and Jones is an underrated, dominant set-up man.

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