With Josh on vacation this week, we didn't record close enough to Monday to include a relevant P.O. Sox, so we're running one here. We may also do the same thing next week if Josh isn't back from his cruise in time.
At least we had nothing urgent to talk about.
John asks:
Are you OK, Jim?
On a personal level, I'm great! As somebody who is trying to run a site that attracts and retains White Sox fans, it's not great.
For what I can control, the key is to know when to stop writing with acid (as opposed to on acid). At the moment, it's what the effort deserves. But if I spent too much time kicking at the burnt-out shell of the White Sox' offer, then I risk becoming the guy who still hasn't let it go. But I still have at least one more day of straight bile, so bear with me.
In the end, I've been the "Watching the White Sox So You Don't Have To" guy before, and I can do it again. At least until Eloy Jimenez gets hurt.
JT asks:
Probably unanswerable, but umm sign Bryce for $325? What’s your next step after missing out/lowballing on Machado?
If you want to get rid of the stink of pulling up short on Machado, yeah, make Harper a real offer. Then it's "We really valued Harper highly, Machado's market happened to emerge first, and we did what we could without compromising Plan A." That wouldn't be the case at all, but it's more believable than what Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn ran out on Tuesday.
If the Sox were going to spend that money in a way that makes the Sox more competitive without compromising the rebuild, that window has already closed -- something like Moustakas/Pollock/a starter. At this point, you probably just save it for Nolan Arenado/Anthony Rendon/what have you and hope that the Sox learned something from this disaster.
John asks:
JDM, Rendon, Arenado, Goldschmidt….which big name FA will the Sox chase but not ultimately sign next offseason?
Or you don't hope.
orajestad9 asks:
After getting some closure in the Manny Machado hunt, how do you feel about this offseason as a whole? What objectives do you think the White Sox were trying to accomplish based on the moves they made and what would you like to have seen them do different? Does this offseason give you any hope that they will be big plays next winter?
Patrick will be grading it, but I imagine he'll give Rick Hahn an F, and it'll be hard to disagree. The bullpen is more shock-proof, at least on paper, and it could be deep and devastating if guys like Ian Hamilton, Jose Ruiz, Zack Burdi also flip a switch. With Alex Colome and Kelvin Herrera, I at least understood the point. If the Sox are going to spring a surprise on the world, a fantastic record in one-run games is going to drive it.
It seems like the Sox are still a move short on the pitching side, although I'm sufficiently intrigued by Manny Banuelos: Fifth Starter. It's more that there isn't anybody immediately interesting behind Banuelos should somebody get hurt.
But when it comes to the position side, there's nothing to like. Yonder Alonso and Jon Jay would've been justified had Machado signed. Without Machado, they raise the floor, but they're basically sentient Chicago 2016 Summer Olympics t-shirts. They're competent, but they do nothing to the ceiling, which seems like a better use of what is now another true rebuilding year. James McCann was the catcher I least wanted the Sox to sign due to the combination of sketchy-at-best receiving and a disappearing bat. The Mariners are trying to build Omar Narvaez into a framer, so keep an eye on that. They're also interested in Martin Maldonado, who is a nice complement to Narvaez.
Michael Wagner asks:
I know it’s hard to exactly tell the impact a manager has on the game, but are there any improvements you want to see from Rick Renteria this season that would make you feel more confident that he’s the long-term guy for this team?
Well, he probably is the White Sox' long-term guy for the team because of their trust issues with changing non-playing personnel. I'm mostly resigned to that.
With Renteria, he and the Sox (or their marketing department) have to shift out of this mode where he's the teacher that wins over the hearts and minds of unruly but promising students. It was understandable the first year, but it's year three, and we're still hearing about hustle when it should be about talent.
There's talent in the bullpen to assist some of Renteria's overworking. He can make fewer trips to the mound in order to an avoid a rookie's unraveling. The bunting and benchings go along with that -- if the Sox need such a stern hand on game management in year three of this thing, it's not going well.
Doug Rokosz asks:
Outside of the obvious candidates (current/former top prospects), which player in the Sox system do you see surprising current projections and carving out a starting, or at least significant, role on the next contender?
Was ranking Bryce Bush as my No. 9 prospect not spicy enough for you? My rankings basically address that question, in that if I had more of a sense of an impending jump, I probably would've named him so I could celebrate my bold declaration years from now.
But if I had to go off that board, I'm open-minded about Steele Walker. If I went by draft status, he should be the 10th-best prospect or thereabouts. The way he started his pro career, he should be off the board. He was dealing with oblique issues last year, so he gets a pass. I'm trying not to form any real opinion on him whatsoever, and I mostly feel like I've succeeded.
