The last time I put up an InstaGraphs post about a potential Jeff Samardzija trade, it turned out to actually be the Josh Donaldson trade. This time, though, it appears that the A’s really are dealing their ace, with multiple reporters confirming that a deal is close between the A’s and White Sox.

Sources: #WhiteSox close to acquiring Samardzija from #Athletics. @JonHeymanCBS and @JeffPassan were on it.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 9, 2014

The White Sox would be acquiring one year of Samardzija’s rights, plus an exclusive window to negotiate an extension. Failing that, they’d have the ability to make him a qualifying offer at the end of the year, or if they aren’t in the race in July, flip him for talent mid-season.

Samardzija would join Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, giving Chicago one of the better top-three rotations in the American League. More importantly, he would represent a significant upgrade over whichever #5 starter candidate would get pushed out of the picture; both both Chris Bassit and Erik Johnson project as essentially replacement level arms for 2015, and #4 starter Hector Noesi isn’t too far above that. This is a team that needed pitching depth, and Samardzija likely represents a larger upgrade for Chicago than nearly any other team in the league.

No word on the specific return that might go back to Oakland, but Susan Slusser has suggested that the team is interested in both major league infielder Marcus Semien and minor league infielder Tim Anderson. Kiley McDaniel just rated Anderson as the White Sox #2 prospect, concluding with these guesstimates of future value:

Upside: .280/.330/.450, 15-18 homers, solid average defense, plus baserunning value
FV/Risk: 60, High (4 on a 1-5 scale)
Projected Path: 2015: AA, 2016: AAA/MLB, 2017: MLB

Semien was rated as their #1 “big league growth asset” on the same list, and as Carson Cistulli has repeatedly noted, the statistical projections for him are often quite optimistic. In fact, Steamer sees Semien as an average big leaguer in 2015, as his minor league numbers suggest he’s a better player than he’s been in parts of 2013 and 2014 in the Majors.

We’ll have a full write up on the deal once it’s official and all the parts are known. For now, it looks like the A’s might be continuing to weaken their 2015 team to strengthen their future, while the White Sox are joining the very long list of AL teams going for the ring next year.