On most days, the question posed by the official Twitter account of Major League Baseball would have been innocuous.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
— MLB (@MLB) December 2, 2020
The employee just happened to pose the day before the least romantic day on baseball's calendar: the non-tender deadline.
Teams have to decide which arbitration-eligible players it intends to offer contracts to by 7 p.m. tonight, and this year is supposed to be a bloodbath. The league had already signaled tighter budgets when the Indians waived Brad Hand and his $10 million option, and the rest of the league didn't feel the urge to claim an All-Star closer at that price. The Twins added evidence Wednesday by placing Eddie Rosario on outright waivers, rather than risk being on the hook for $13 million for his final season. If expectations hold -- The Athletic is the latest to offer an update on what's supposed to be a record day -- many of the other 28 teams will put on a clinic in unromantic decision-making.
The White Sox should be one of them, although if they meet expectations, they wouldn't be shedding productive players whose price happens to be slightly too high. Nomar Mazara is projected to receive a raise to $6 million after slugging .294. Carlos Rodón would basically be paid his 2020 salary ($4.45 million) under 2021's projection ($4.5 million), but he's thrown 41 innings over the last two seasons combined, and his ERA has risen every season he's returned to the big leagues.
- 2015: 3.75
- 2016: 4.04
- 2017: 4.15
- 2018: 4.18
- 2019: 5.19
- 2020: 8.22
The White Sox wouldn't be signaling a scary kind of austerity if they cut both loose. They'd only prove that if they'd failed to acquire better replacements. Reynaldo López would be a stronger indicator of a cold winter since he's only projected to earn $2 million, but perhaps the White Sox haven't seen much to like there, either. They've all performed poorly, unlike a Hand or Rosario, so it's about doing better with the roster spot, rather than simply doing cheaper and crossing fingers.
I'll be watching Rodón more closely than anybody, just because my previous estimation of his future -- he'd thrown his last pitch for the White Sox during Game 3 against Oakland -- had a lot to do with Rick Renteria's complete absence of conviction in using and watching Rodón. Two of his last three appearances with the White Sox were disasters, and while you can pin the bases-loaded disaster against the Indians on Sept. 24 on Renteria, Rodón's inability to end the fourth inning of Game 3 despite inheriting the bases clear with two outs is on him.
The White Sox can be loath to part with a first-round pick, but they found a way to bid Carson Fulmer farewell before they absolutely had to, and there's a similar amount of writing on the wall with Rodón. It just wouldn't shock me if the new administration thinks it sees a way to make Rodón's mid-90s fastball/slider combo work in a commitment to a relief role, and the White Sox can't resist taking one more shot at writing a better ending.
(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)
