With Josh on a well-deserved vacation, the P.O. Sox mailbag is back for another week in text form. Let's proceed.
Andrew asks:
Assuming that McCann does leave via free agency, two questions: would you expect some kind of decline in Giolito as he shifts to Grandal? Would you find someone outside the organization to be the new backup instead of Collins?
I could see a small drop-off in Giolito's performance due to McCann's departure, because it did seem like McCann knew how to take Giolito's relatively limited range and get some incredible sounds out of it, the way famous guitarists would say that B.B. King could blow everybody off the stage with a single note.
I could also see a small drop-off in performance that's due to an unrelated development, but everybody pins on McCann's departure because this has major "self-fulfilling prophecy" written all over it. I'm anticipating this being an annoying thing to write about. The hope is that Grandal's reputation as an intense student of pitchers also carries over to studying how catchers called pitchers, and he can glean something from how and why McCann would do something like call nine consecutive changeups.
As for his backup, I don't mind giving Collins the backup job, but I would also want the White Sox to have a third catcher who wouldn't require Collins to be the default option for all the starts in event of a Grandal injury. I don't think Yermin Mercedes is that guy, but playable third catchers can be found on the waiver wire.
Kevin asks:
Assuming the White Sox don't spend at the top of the market for a starting pitcher, what is your level of interest in the following FA possibilities: Jose Quintana, James Paxton, Corey Kluber, Kevin Gausman, Jake Odorizzi
I think I'm fondest of Quintana, if only because he offers the potential of a White Sox roster including Quintana and the guys they traded him for, kinda like Freddy Garcia's second coming if the White Sox never traded Gio González for Nick Swisher. Like Garcia, it's possible that the White Sox know what makes him tick better than other teams, and of the guys who lost time to injuries, his was the freakiest of the bunch.
Gausman is also cool, if only because the White Sox aren't afraid of pitchers who heavily feature the splitter. He gives me slight Tyler Chatwood vibes as a pitcher who looks undervalued to the point that he's overvalued, but he has a better history of throwing strikes even while he struggled.
I like the idea of Paxton, but the White Sox are no longer a place where oft-injured pitchers stop getting hurt, and who knows if his forearm is on borrowed time. Kluber is coming off a shoulder injury, which doesn't invite a lot of confidence, and Odorizzi has a limited use case, which I don't think meshes with what the White Sox ask of their starting pitchers.
Lew asks:
I was mightily impressed with how Moncada seemed to will himself through his debilitating post Covid symptoms. What might happen with his recovery/rehab between now and next season?
Your guess is as good as mine, if only because new and frightening stories keep coming out about the long-term effects of COVID-19. The nature of the fatigue seemed to indicate that rest alone wouldn't have been guaranteed to solve his issues, which is why the White Sox never placed him on the injured list. The hope is that five-plus months is enough for him to shed the remaining symptoms and embark on normal offseason conditioning, but I'd be prepared for some of the effects to linger into 2021.
Kyle asks:
Two questions, one serious and one fun:
Serious: what does Ricky need to do to be fired next season and who would you replace him with? I'd love to see Fredi Gonzalez replace him.
Fun: With McDonald's doing celebrity meal deals, what celebrity meal would you want to see at Guarantee Rate Field and what would come in the Sox Machine meal at the ballpark.
Considering the last two managers were only let go because one quit trying to improve the product in an attempt to get his boss fired, and the other oversaw two nationally captivating clubhouse embarrassments, I don't think Renteria is going to commit any fireable offenses by White Sox standards anytime soon. It'd probably take another postseason wreck or some doghousing of a player the White Sox consider vital to move the needle, and both strike me as unlikely to take place in quick succession. It seems like Sandy Alomar Jr. deserves a shot somewhere, and he knows Don Cooper, so...
The Sox Machine Meal would be a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with coffee and a churro on day games.
Trooper Galactus asks:
The White Sox have hinted they will not be spending much this offseason, but given the (claimed) effects of COVID on the entire league, do you see free agents being forced to take less as teams close the purse strings, making it possible for the White Sox to land a big ticket player regardless?
I'm anticipating teams and players sticking with situations they like to guard against all the uncertainty elsewhere, with lots of posturing and bickering over unimpressive offers for non-elite players. I was wrong about the trade deadline, so I'm hoping I'm wrong here.
However, if that's the case, I'd hope the White Sox adopt the role the Brewers have played under such circumstances, when they signed guys like Grandal and Lorenzo Cain in consecutive Januaries because the opportunities presented themselves. The good news is that the White Sox should finally look like a fun place to play for veterans of that caliber.
Dr. Bo asks:
What are your thoughts on how Andrew Vaughn should be utilized next season? It seems wasteful to break him in primarily as a DH but we all know Abreu prefers to play first base. Have there been any trusted reports on whether the Sox are seriously considering Vaughn as a right fielder?
From what Jim Callis relayed from Chris Getz with regards to Vaughn's responsibilities at Schaumburg, it doesn't sound like the White Sox are counting on Vaughn playing anywhere but first base, but they're open to being surprised.
If Vaughn's plate approach and hitting skills are as rock-solid as we're led to believe, I wouldn't mind seeing the White Sox continue rotating him around some corners. It's kinda how the Oakland A's have gotten by this decade, cycling guys like Brandon Moss and Stephen Vogt and Ryon Healy and Mark Canha around the lower end of the defensive spectrum in order to get as many bats in the lineup as possible, which also has the benefit of not putting all the hopes for one position on the shoulders of one guy who may not be cut out for it.
The White Sox generally haven't been willing to experiment with positions -- e.g., Moncada is exclusively a second baseman one year, then exclusively a third baseman afterward -- but if Abreu maintains this MVP posture for longer than a shortened season, it should inspire the Sox to get creative. These are the kinds of opportunities depth affords.
Mark asks:
How concerning in regards to Sox pitching is it that the Cubs, who were already struggling offensively going into their series with the Sox scored 25 runs against the Sox and then proceeded to score one run in 2 games against the Marlins?
Not very, at least in and of itself. I think that series already highlighted issues the White Sox already had to contend with, namely the lack of steps forward for Dylan Cease and Reynaldo López, and Gio González's lack of durability. Dane Dunning also picked a bad weekend to start, but considering he had been making his way through an MLB season without a rehab stint, the quantity of his reps were more important than the quality of them.
Asinwreck asks:
With a number of long-time scouts such as Dave Yoakum being let go, are the Sox by necessity going to lean more into modern analytics to evaluate talent this offseason?
Site Swag Question: Does Dan Johnson know about the Dan Johnson Cup of Coffee mug?
Probably to some extent, although the White Sox seem to be cutting back staff in an across-the-board fashion, rather than using the pandemic as an excuse to overhaul their baseball operations department. The lack of in-person scouting for this season suggests that some newer names may be given credit for acquisitions over the winter.
As for the second question, a couple of Dans Johnson have purchased the mug, but not that one, at least to my knowledge.
Speaking of the mugs, I'm down to my last three available for general purchase. The others will be reserved for new Patreon supporters.
