PREAMBLE
The White Sox are coming off a year where Rick Hahn got extremely lucky. We also only won 81 games, this is due to several factors; TLR, lack of LH bat, injuries but whatever you want to point the finger this team last year was poorly built. I will now try and fix the White Sox to try and win a slowly improving AL central in a mostly rational and realistic offseason plan.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Write “tender,” “non-tender” or “rework/extend” after each player and their projected 2022 salaries. Feel free to offer explanation afterward if necessary.
- Lucas Giolito: $10.8M - Tender - See Below
- Dylan Cease: $5.3M - Tender
- Reynaldo López; $3.3M Tender - See Below
- Adam Engel: $2.3M Non-Tender
- Michael Kopech: $2.2M Tender
- Kyle Crick: $1.5M Non Tender
- José Ruiz: $1M Tender I actually prefer Crick but you gotta save 500k I guess.
- Danny Mendick: $1M Tender
CLUB OPTIONS
Write “pick up” or “decline” or “rework” after the option.
- Tim Anderson: $12.5M ($1M buyout) Let's get our boy a real life contract. (4yr/54m) (11/15/15/10)
- Josh Harrison: $5.625M ($1.5M buyout) Decline He was fun but we have guys that do his roles better at home.
BUYOUT
- Leury Garcia He's a good sport, i'm sure he’ll agree to a buyout let say (2/2/2/3/2)
Extend
Reylo (4/22) (4/6/6/6) Lets get our future closer in hand for a while before he’ll ask for a lot more.
PLAYER OPTIONS
Write “exercised” or “takes buyout.” The question here is whether you think Pollock could do better than one year and $8 million on the open market. I’m filling it in with “exercised” unless you can provide a compelling argument against it.
- AJ Pollock: $13M ($5 million buyout) — EXERCISED
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
Try to retain, extend qualifying offer, or let go?
- José Abreu (Made $18M in 2021) God this gonna hurt but Let Go
- Johnny Cueto ($4.2M) Resign 1/11 he’ll be a nice 4
- Vince Velasquez ($3M) Let GO
- Elvis Andrus ($14.25M) Resign 1/6 i'm sure he could be a depth piece and worst case scenario he sucks and you let him go in May.
MANAGER
Kevin Long
I think the FO wants Joe Espada, but Jerry wants Ozzie (I guess bridges are rebuilt or Jerry is lazy) . I think that Kevin Long is a decent middle ground. He is the Phillies hitting coach but he has some managing experience and I think they could do much worse. He has experience but is still relatively young at 55 and he won a WS with Washington in 2019 so I think he wouldn't be horrible.
Jason Camili - Hitting Coach - Don't know much about him but he is the assistant to Kevin Long in Philly so I bet he’ll bring in someone he is comfortable with.
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Mitch Hanigar 4/46 (10/10/15/11)
Brandon Nimmo is obviously their #1 target but with it coming out that almost half the teams in baseball will be fighting for his services and with the Rockies coming out publicly saying that they’ll offer him 6/120 I think that takes him off the list. So now Mitch Hanigar, a decent RH power bat who when healthy is good for 30 HR, 120 OPS+, and great defense out in RF. I think that even though he is RH he’ll fit in the lineup quite well as long as he can stay healthy (which is a big ask to be fair)
No. 2: Tyler Anderson 1/11
I’m not as high on Davis Martin as other Sox fans are but I think in general it wouldn't hurt if we brought in a lefty starter to give some protection to Cy Cease, and Kopech. Tyler Anderson is coming off an age 32 carrer year as he saw career lows in nearly every meaningful stat. Anderson throws low FF, Cutters, & sinkers making him one of the best ground ball pitchers in all of baseball. Bringing him at that price tag may arise some worries with him, as well as him being 33 and having only one elite season, but his advanced stats don't see any extreme fall off so i'm sure bringing him in as #3 wouldn't be horrible.
No. 3 David Robertson 1/7
Welcome back broski!!!!! With my moves below the sox will need another BP arm and why not bring in a guy who will be familiar with our manager. Robertson is coming off a year where he was truly an elite reliever with both Cubs, and Phillies sporting a 3.58 FIP & a 172 ERA+.
TRADES
White Sox Receive:
Ketel Marte, Landon Sims (Dbacks #7 prospect)
Dbacks Receive:
Lucas Giolito, Joe Kelly & Matthew Tompson (White Sox #14 prospect)
OKAY, OKAY! This may seem a bit unrealistic but just here me out! The diamondbacks are paying Ketel Marte 68 million dollars over the course of the next five years. Even though he’s coming off of a rough year, he still plays great defense at 2nd and in the outfield, and when he is on he's good for hitting 160 OPS+/15 HR’s. Giolito was fun but his 10 million is too little and I think his relationship with Jerry isn't the best and it's best for both parties if they part ways. Joe Kelly is just thrown in as a bounce back candidate and to even out salary a little bit. Also the teams will throw in hard pounding injury prone righties who are still a bit away.
White Sox Receive:
Bruce Zimmerman
Orioles Receive:
Jake Diekman & Jake Burger
The Jake Diekman trade was a disaster, Aaron Bummer was on an injury tour and they didnt know when he was coming back and the team wanted to trade one of the back ups with Grandal coming back, the idea was fine and all but they brought in Jake Diekman! JAKE DIEKMAN. Obviously he sucked and that would be fine if he was a rental but he's owed 4 million next year which makes a bad trade worse. The Orioles are an up and coming young ball club and bringing in a guy in Jake Diekman makes sense, he's a bounce back candidate, and he’ll bring vet leadership to a team that needs it. Bruce Zimmerman can chill AAA and be a double header callup if needed.
SUMMARY
SS Tim Anderson (11)
3B Yoan Moncada (17)
1B Andrew Vaughn
DH Eloy Jimenez (9)
CF Luis Robert (9)
RF Mitch Hanigar (10)
LF AJ Pollock (13)
C Yasmani Grandal (19)
2B Ketel Marte (11)
C Seby Zavala
INF Elvis Andrus (3)
INF Danny Mendick (1)
INF/OF Gavin Sheets
SP Dylan Cease (5)
SP Michael Kopech (2)
SP Tyler Anderson (11)
SP Lance Lynn (18)
SP Johnny Cueto (8)
CL Liam Hendriks (14)
SU Kendall Graveman (8)
SU David Robertson (7)
SU Aaron Bummer (3)
MR Jimmy Lambert
MR Garrett Crochet
MR Reynaldo Lopez (4)
LR Jose Ruiz (1)
FINAL PAYROLL: 190
Summary:
YEAH THE WHITE SOX 2023 team! This is a decent playoff team, obviously very right handed, and the injury concerns also a lack of outfield defense but maybe Colas, & Rodriguez (or Montgomery) could help improve defense. I think Kevin Long will be the guy and I think he’ll simply be a guy who won't make the team worse and also improve the hitting.
