Our first Sox Machine Podcast of 2019 was jampacked with the latest wrinkles in the Manny Machado/Bryce Harper pursuits, and this week's show figures to be no different with the Kelvin Herrera and Jon Jay signings.
We had plenty of good questions, but could only get to a couple of them on the show. There are no space and time restrictions here, so let's tackle them here. As always, thank you for
From James Gill:
It was nice to hear Rick Hahn discuss nutrition, but is there any sense that the team will change their approach to developing position players? I guess Eloy was partly developed by the Sox, but there's been so little success there for a long time. Is this "loyalty" thing something that goes in to the coaching at all levels?
The Sox made a big step in a new direction in this department this winter by hiring Matt Lisle as their new hitting analytics instructor. He's been a prominent figure in the analysis-based coaching arena for both baseball and softball, and Rick Hahn said they plan to deploy him in the minors to evaluate swings like they did with former Royals reliever Everett Teaford on the pitching side.
It remains to be seen whether this will make any notable difference, but a growing number of teams have been hiring away coaches from the college ranks over the last couple winters. Lisle, whom the White Sox pried away from my Missouri Tigers before he even coached a game, counts. It's a progressive move, and it's convenient to actually have something to point to this time when this question comes up.
From Louis Levin:
How much money would the Sox need to spend this off season to assure you that they didn't just throw their hat in the ring on free agents for media coverage and hype? It's exciting for fans if the team is "in the hunt", but if they miss on Harper/Machado, and don't sign a few guys to make up for it, would you be suspicious of their intention?
The completely unnecessary trade for Yonder Alonso should suggest that the White Sox' interest in Manny Machado is not a ruse. But if the most hardened White Sox cynic still thinks it's all a Renisdorf ploy, then that question can't be answered in one offseason. Their strategy -- go big or go home -- makes enough baseball sense at this time to be a viable strategy and not merely an excuse. It won't in a year, assuming the White Sox still have a significant hole or two in the depth chart. We know they'll have the money to pay for it.
Watching the markets of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper unfold tepidly -- the latest development has the Yankees supposedly lowballing him -- I think my suspicion is more about MLB ownership on the whole, rather than Jerry Reinsdorf. As Buster Olney noted before and Craig Calcaterra expounded upon at great length this week, as long as MLB teams make money hand over fist with side deals before attendance or TV ratings come into play, there's diminishing incentive for teams to add players and wins when it won't result in anything concrete. It seems like it's all about pumping up franchise values and hoping to get out from under it before it all goes south.
From Trooper Galactus:
If Hahn swings and misses on Harpchado, do you think he’ll still try to go for one of the big names remaining (Grandal, Keuchel, Pollock) or just get more rental players? Do you think a secondary option is just a Carlos Boozer in the making?
Along the same lines, I think the Sox have reasons for staying disciplined with this particular market. I like Pollock and Grandal, but their profiles -- center fielder with a major injury history, catcher with a heavy workload -- are such that the team acquiring them would have to benefit from the immediate help to offset their aging risks. I don't think Keuchel is subject to the same arguments, as he's a lefty with good command and defensive skills. Sox fans have seen that combination age well.
There needs to be caution with the stars-in-their-primes-or-bust path. Seattle didn't regret its Nelson Cruz signing, and the Brewers seem to be enjoying the hell out of Lorenzo Cain. Of course, that requires the Sox to be good at pro scouting, so I understand the local wariness of risk profiles
From Asinwreck:
Randall Delgado's signing kicks off 2019 with many veteran free agents still unsigned. Which available veterans who could be signed at or near the league minimum would you want in camp?
I was hoping the White Sox would get in on Clayton Richard when he was DFA'd from the Pirates, because I've been enamored with his weird brand of athleticism since I saw him pitchi in Charlotte, and he's managed to carve out a lengthy replacement-level career while managing all of his incongruities. Alas, the Blue Jays traded for him.
There isn't anybody on the MLB free agent list that jumps out to me except for Josh Harrison. I liked watching him be a glue guy for likeable Pirates teams, and if the White Sox swung and missed on Machado and had to settle for downmarket options, Harrison and Yolmer Sanchez would produce smiles one way or another.
Before the Jay signing, I might've suggested Curtis Granderson. It seems like he should play for one of the Chicago teams before he's done.
From orajestad9:
Do you think the White Sox are done with any kind of major upgrade to the rotation? Even with Nova in the fold it doesn’t seem significantly better than last year. Is there reason to believe that Giolito can improve and that Lopez’s peripherals won’t be the reality this upcoming season?
Josh tackled this in this morning's post, and I think there's one more starter coming. There's such a wide variety of players who could help, whether they're veterans looking for one more shot or veterans making too much money.
As for Giolito and Lopez, there aren't specific reasons to point to them beating projections. I take some solace in the idea that they're both weird pitchers, and it may take some time for them to discover their most dominant selves. Giolito could be the classic tall pitcher seeking mechanical consistency, while Lopez is the fastball-pumping short guy who hasn't been forced to rely on secondary pitches. Their profiles aren't a good reason to magically bank on them improving, though, so that's why these longer-term ideas like a Keuchel signing or Zack Greinke trade have some merit.
From Steven A. Reich:
How dependent is the White Sox rebuild on signing a major free agent(s)? Is patience with the development of internal talent just as or even more important?
For the White Sox, I think it's fairly dependent, and not just because I'm overreacting to what looks like a stunted year in 2018. It's fair to say the White Sox aren't great at generating players who come out of nowhere, and we can't assume this is something that evens out over time. Maybe Lisle can help change that, but for the time being, the Sox have holes in the depth chart right now, and others will likely emerge.
The thing about signing free agents -- -- especially a player like Machado who would block nobody -- is that it's a practice that works well in tandem with a developing farm system. Signing Machado doesn't cause any disruption to the farm system or its timetables, so the White Sox can continue matriculating prospects as their progression dictates. Free agents are also a good way to flex financial power, which the Tigers showed makes a difference in the AL Central.
The question about staying patient with prospects is a far more pressing when it comes to improving by trade. Eventually there'll come a time for the Sox to convert some of their prospects into MLB assets via trade, but ideally it's because the position at the top has already been settled, and not just because a problem needs to be solved, and depth is the only resource remaining. Kansas City had this problem, and while trades helped them win a World Series, it also burned up their resources for hanging around after the Eric Hosmer/Mike Moustakas generation aged out.
From Chef Eric:
This is more a what if since the whole Machado/Harper thing is not resolved. Suppose White Sox somehow are competing for the 2019 central division (not counting wild card), would they become buyers or would they stay the course?
The Phillies' failed run shows the value in a team pitching itself as close to contending, so I think the White Sox would take any reasonable shot seriously. I think they'd become buyers, although not the kind that sacrifices prospects for two months of a reliever. My guess is they'd be looking for veteran ballast rather than selling the farm for difference-makers, using up the players who won't fit on their 40-man roster the following year.
In such a scenario, they would be in a position to accept salary that no other team can take on in the middle of a season. I don't see another Justin Verlander on the horizon, but there's another Alex Rios.
