While Rick Hahn's critique of a sector of the fan base on the White Sox Talk Podcast was just that, there was also a little bit of self-admonishment baked into it. He was the one who said toward the onset of the rebuild -- quite reasonably -- that by trading so many core players on outstanding contracts, the talent he received in return would allow the Sox to accelerate the rebuilding process.
That hasn't really happened, so Hahn seems to have chosen to underpromise with hopes that he can overdeliver. He met with reporters before the start of the homestand and did what he could to not commit to anything.
Will the White Sox compete in 2020?
“Let’s talk in Glendale, let’s see what we wind up doing this offseason,” Hahn said, pledging to discuss the offseason vision a bit more at the end of the season. “There’s a lot to be excited about. In terms of putting ourselves in a position to contend, let’s get to the offseason and then set some priorities and see how good we are being able to convert on hitting those priorities before we assess it.”
Will Luis Robert come up before then?
"We have made no decisions on the call-up list (for September) or the ultimate call-up list. We will have to make a list soon about who we decide to call up." […]
"With Luis, he has already exceeded what we would have considered an outstanding season for him," Hahn said. "Whether we decide to add a fourth level for him this year, that wasn't really on the table when we left Glendale in March. A successful season reaching Double-A would have been considered a success. Sometimes the really good ones force your hands a little bit. At the start of the season, that was a slim chance to think he would be where he is at."
The decision regarding the latter seems to inform the front office's overall ambition level. If the White Sox are counting on Robert being a part of the 2020 surge, then it makes sense to learn some lessons from MLB pitching in 2019 and understand his weaknesses heading into the offseason. Everybody's counting on Eloy Jiménez to absorb his rookie year struggles over the winter the way Yoan Moncada did, and they're watching Zack Collins go about a similar process with his demotion to Triple-A. There's a strong argument for letting Robert benefit from a more immediate reflection period, especially to maximize the remainder of Moncada's team control.
Alas, Hahn looks like he's carrying his lack of urgency all the way to the finish, and framing the response of those watching as "impatience," rather than "baseline expectations for a professional sports franchise."
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Players' Weekend is here, and Lucas Giolito will have the same custom nameplate on his jersey -- "Big Foot"-- as he did last year when all said and done.
But there's a reason why Giolito wasn't on the initial, official list of player monikers -- he's among a number of players who will be paying tribute to late Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
For one game this weekend, Yelich, Braun, Moustakas, Fried, Flaherty, Giolito and Heineman will wear “LOVE YOU TY” on the backs of their jerseys, while Chavez and Corbin will be wearing “FORTY FIVE” (Skaggs’ jersey number) for a nickname with their own jersey number underneath.
Giolito's already been processing the death of his friend by dancing more, which he said Skaggs did all the time in the weight room. James Fegan observed that Giolito is still adhering to that message:
