The weekly P.O. Sox mailbag can occasionally be delayed, but it can't be denied.
Unless, of course, you stop having questions. Fortunately, there are questions. Here are my attempts at answers.
Asinwreck asks: When will Rick Hahn have a media availability? What are your best theories for this year's delay?
By waiting out the entire postseason, the White Sox can now incorporate their first decisions of the offseason into a media conference. That would include pretty significant moves like mulling the options on Craig Kimbrel and César Hernández, and extending the qualifying offer to Carlos Rodón.
Then again, if they do give Rodón the offer, then there are up to 10 more days before we know whether he'll be back in the fold, at least for the one year and $18.4 million. Maybe the White Sox kick the can until they know whether he's back.
Once we passed into a third week where the White Sox had remained mum, I figured the team was working on at least one big change to the coaching staff, but with Tony La Russa saying that he expected everybody to be back, that doesn't appear as likely -- unless La Russa's insistence on keeping everybody aboard conflicts with a desire for front-office tweaks, and now there's some kind of stand-off.
Either that, or Rick Hahn and/or Kenny Williams is under consideration for the Mets job. Hahn was a theoretical candidate in Queens about 10 years ago after the Mets moved on from Omar Minaya. There is a precedent, albeit with different ownership.
Mark asks: What can the Sox learn from Atlanta in terms of playoff success with a team that wasn’t favored in any of their series?
The biggest lesson is one we already knew: The postseason is a crapshoot. Specific to this season, the Braves won the war of attrition, as the Dodgers finally looked worn down after all their long seasons, and they faced a Lance McCullers-less Astros rotation with a thoroughly derailed Alex Bregman. While health always plays a factor, one would hope that after a full and proper 162-game season, future Octobers won't be so dependent on whose bodies aren't simply broken.
In terms of lessons that might actually be applicable, the Braves won an equally unimpressive division in a less-than-impressive fashion, and had the worst record against teams .500 or better out of all the NL postseason clubs, so there's limited use in dwelling on the strength/weakness of the Central.
Above everything else, I'd note that the Braves remade their entire outfield, going from a Marcell Ozuna/Ronald Acuña Jr./Guillermo Heredia trio to one fashioned between Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario, none of whom started the year in the organization. While the White Sox were equally good at finding patches over the year, the difference is that all the guys the Braves picked up to fill outfield spots possess the capability of putting the ball over the fence with regularity, and they all hit three homers apiece during the postseason.
That's why I brought up the danger of having Leury García manning a corner spot for two postseasons in a row. Even though he came up with the White Sox's biggest hit of the four games, it just isn't a good sign that he's been seen as the best option in left or right field.
Wayne asks: Odds that TLR can get JR to open the pocket book this offseason and blow all of our Offseason Plans out of the water? The Bulls went "new look" this year after JR complained about losing so much money on 2 teams during pandemic. (I know all of the CBA stuff will delay and change everything as well)
It doesn't strike me as especially likely. I understand the sentiment, but I'd counter "Reinsdorf is going to step up for his friend" with "Maybe Jerry hired a Hall of Famer baseball person to do more with less, or at least more with the same." We just haven't seen reason to think that Reinsdorf will spend money to make money, at least in a way that runs the risk of clogging a balance sheet for more than a couple years.
If the Sox do spend well past the $170 million I projected for the Offseason Plan Project, I'd point to it more being about the White Sox reaching two consecutive posteasons for the first time in history and being in great position for a third. That's more novel than the relationship with the manager, because Reinsdorf seemed pretty fond of Ozzie Guillen and Robin Ventura.
Mohammed asks: Question that's been on my mind for a while: Who is Rob???
Rob is a reporter and anchor for Chicago radio's ratings leader. I would go so far to say as he's the reason WBBM dominates the charts. Also, I've managed to run into him at three different ballparks, so he may be following me.
Wayne also asks: The Current CBA "This Agreement shall terminate on December 1, 2021 at 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time" and the Non-Tender Deadline is"On or before 8 P.M. Eastern Time on December 2". Will teams tender those "definite keeps" prior to the deadline to get in under the current system? (GIolito for White Sox for Example?)
I can only think of a couple reasons why it wouldn't make sense to tender players ahead of a lockout:
- Players tendered a contract before the new CBA being grandfathered into a higher level of compensation than those who came after.
- A reduction of roster size from 40 that makes fringe cases like a Jimmy Cordero a lot tougher to call.
But neither seems likely, and given that teams don't have to agree to firm dollar figures by Dec. 2, I don't see a particular advantage in waiting. Of course, this is the White Sox we're talking about. Whether it comes to releasing Opening Day rosters, minor league assignments, postseason lineups or end-of-season conference calls, they often wait until the last possible moment to make things official.
