PREAMBLE
Wow. What a dumpster fire of the season. Luckily heads have already rolled. The manager was fired mid-season. The front office has been sacked and the new brain-trust has promised that players will be held accountable and 2023 will NOT be more of the same! Just kidding. This is the White Sox. They’re gonna do the same old crap they've been doing and refuse to accept it's not working! Let’s pretend that's not true and allow me to take you to a magical reality where moves of substance are made in the offseason.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Lucas Giolito: $10.8M - TENDER
Crazy to think we actually have to think about this one. $10.8M isnt a crazy number to gamble on a major league starting pitcher so you gotta take it but… damn. Sad season for Gio last year.
- Dylan Cease: $5.3M - TENDER
Great year. $5.3M is an obvious bargain.
- Reynaldo López; $3.3M - TENDER
He’s been really good out of the pen the last two seasons. Hopefully that's here to stay.
- Adam Engel: $2.3M - NON-TENDER
I thought so much of this guy last offseason but he cant stay healthy and his 2020-2021 offensive surge appears to have been a mirage.
- Michael Kopech: $2.2M - TENDER
Obvious.
- Kyle Crick: $1.5M - NON-TENDER
Who? Yeah, beat it Kirk Cash or whatever your name is.
- José Ruiz: $1M - NON-TENDER
He’s terrible. Even for a bullpen innings eater. He always makes me uneasy. I seriously doubt he’ll get a major league contract elsewhere so maybe extend him a MLC later in the offseason.
- Danny Mendick: $1M - TENDER
A 1 million dollar lottery ticket that the Danny Mendick we saw last year is that Danny Mendick we’ll get next year. I’ll take it.
CLUB OPTIONS
- Tim Anderson: $12.5M ($1M buyout) - PICK UP
- Josh Harrison: $5.625M ($1.5M buyout - DECLINE
PLAYER OPTIONS
- AJ Pollock: $13M ($5 million buyout) — EXERCISED
Only the White Sox can turn an asset like the #4 overall pick in the draft into a liability 13 million dollar fourth outfielder! And it only took 4 years! Way to go Front Office!!!
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- José Abreu (Made $18M in 2021) - LET GO
It's time to move on. With a career low in home runs and RBIs his fall off may have already begun. Nobody deserves franchise loyalty more than Abreu but unfortunately this organization is run so poorly we can't afford to retain him.
- Johnny Cueto ($4.2M) - LET GO
He was great with us but I wouldn't be surprised if he got a 1 year 8-13 million dollar deal. I have doubts he can repeat his effectiveness and we can't afford that gamble, so I say we move on.
- Vince Velasquez ($3M) - LET GO
It would be SO White Sox to sign this guy to another 1 year 3 million dollar deal. Hopefully not but I wouldn't be surprised.
- Elvis Andrus ($14.25M) - LET GO
Andrus wasn’t too bad in Oakland and probably could have secured a major league job just based on that, but after playing out of his mind for a few weeks with the Sox he guaranteed himself a major league offer at SS with decent money. Sox shouldn't waste the resources trying to contend with that offer. Think James McCann.
MANAGER / FRONT OFFICE
While I was making this the Royals hired Matt Quatraro who I was going to pick… so back to the drawing board.
Ron Washington is my best guess. He has ‘recent’ World Series experience with the Rangers in both 2010 and 2011 so I guess that fits the bill. I won't pretend to know a ton about the guy but this seems like the kind of uninspired move the Sox will make and for all I know it could be the right one.
Also fire Kenny Williams. The grace period for the World Series expired more than a decade ago. Show him the door. While you’re at it, hand him some sunglasses so you don't have to see the shock in his eyes.
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: C Christian Vazquez - 3 years $29 million guaranteed. 4th year team option $8.5 million - $2.5 million buyout.
In my opinion we can't have Grandal back next year. He clogs up the bases even when he’s healthy and his 18.25 million needs to come off the books. I have a plan but first we need to get his replacement. We can't afford Willson Contreras but Christian Vazquez is a solid backup option. There will be competition for his services but a potential for 36 million should be able to get the conversation started. He’s not a star, he’s backing up Maldonado for the Astros RN, so I don't think he’ll get insane money. He’s not fast but he’s stolen a few bags so he won't clog up the bases like Grandal.
No. 2: P Jose Quintana - 2 years $23 million guaranteed. 3rd year vesting player option at 250 cumulative innings pitcher otherwise 3rd year team option for $9.66 million, $2.66 million buyout.
It seems like a million years since this guy was good but really that's not the case. He wasn't awful on the North Side but last year he found that magic that he had with us. I think he’ll get a multi year deal in free agency given how durable he has been prior to the last couple years. Giving him that vesting player option on the 3rd year would be huge and if he’s willing to bet on himself 3 years for 30 million is the best contract he’ll get. Conversely if Q is healthy but TERRIBLE through the first year and some change the Sox can DFA him before he reaches that 250 innings limit. Smart move all around.
TRADES
No. 1: Trade C Yasmani Grandal to San Francisco Giants for 2B Tommy La Stella
I may as well have just written 18.25 million for 11.5 million. This is a salary swap. Joey Bart hasn't exactly lit the world on fire as the heir apparent to Buster Posey behind the plate in San Fran. Maybe he needs a good teacher? The Giants also played Yermin Mercedes at DH and batted him #3 quite a bit last year so they could use Grandal at both C and DH. It's not IMPOSSIBLE that Grandal bounces back so it's a gamble. La Stella has had trouble staying healthy but he can play all around the infield so when Anderson and Moncada inevitably get injured you can plug La Stella in there.
No. 2: Trade 3B Jake Burger and P Matthew Thompson to Miami Marlins for 2B Jon Berti
Berti is a good defender and he stole 41 bases last year. He can play all around the infield so I’ll start him at 2B but I’m sure he’ll get AB’s all around the diamond. The Marlins have Jazz Chisholm and Joey Wendle at 2B and with Berdi being 31 he doesn't likely fit into their future plans. They get a guy who can already hit at the major league level in Burger. Can he stay healthy? Who knows. They also get Thompson. Maybe he’ll turn into something working with their pitching development team. Who knows.
No. 3: Trade CP Liam Hendricks to the Seattle Mariners for P Matt Brash, OF Taylor Trammell and RP Prelander Berroa
Gotta clear more salary. The Mariners nearly blew 2 games in their first playoff appearance in 20 years because they didn't have a lock down option. When they don't get Edwin Diaz in free agency I’d go to them with this option. Brash looked great against the Sox in May and I really like his stuff. If the Mariners are REALLY desperate to get a lock down closer I'd see if I could get RP Andres Munoz from them instead but I doubt that will happen. Taylor Trammell has gotten off to a rough start but I cut Engel so we need a good fielding AAAA type guy as insurance. Prelander Berroa might be the biggest get in the trade though. I really like his stuff and I think if he moved to the bullpen he could be a Jhoan Duran type of guy next year for the Sox. I wouldn't bet on it but I could see it.
No. 4: Trade SS Romy Gonzalez to the Oakland Athletics for OF Seth Brown
Left handed power. That's it. You may think he’s just another Gavin Sheets but he was actually league average fielding LF and RF last year. The A’s ran him out in CF a lot because of injuries and lack of roster depth but I plan on using him in LF and feel his offense is more reliable than Sheets.
No. 5: Trade OF Oscar Colas, SS Colson Montgomery and 3B Bryan Ramos to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Bryan Reynolds
Reynolds is everything I thought Moncada would be. Solid on both offense and defense he’s become the consistent all star level player every team would love to add. He’ll cost a lot and I can sympathize with those not wanting to trade Colas, Montgomery and Ramos for three years of Reynolds but championship windows don't stay open forever. Next year one of the main guys we got during the 2016 tear down, Giolito, is headed to free agency. It's the harbinger the window will close. If we can get this deal done only dealing minor league talent I think it's a move we have to make.
SUMMARY
After my flurry of moves the Sox are faster. Better defensively. Better at working the count. Better at putting the ball in the air. Better at everything that made them the massive disappointment they were in 2022. Will any of this happen? Of course not. The White Sox will sign David Peralta and Matt Moore. But a man can dream. And when you're a White Sox fan dreaming is the best you can do.
My final numbers have the Sox around $175 million in payroll obligations.
STARTERS: (2023 Salary in millions)
C - Christian Vazquez - $7.831
B - Andrew Vaughn - MIN
2B - Jon Berti - $2.4
3B - Yoan Moncada - $17.83
SS - Tim Anderson - $12.5
LF - Seth Brown - MIN
CF - Luis Robert - $9.5
RF - Bryan Reynolds - $6.75
DH - Eloy Jimenez - $10.33
LINEUP:
SS - Anderson R
RF Reynolds S
DH Jimenez R
LF Brown L
CF Robert R
1B Vaughn R
3B Moncada S
C Vazquez R
2B Berti R
BENCH:
UT - Leury Garcia - $5.5
OF - AJ Pollock - $13
IF - Tommy La Stella - $11.5
C - Seby Zavala - MIN
MINORS:
ML - Gavin Sheets
ML - Taylor Trammell
ML - Danny Mendick
ROTATION:
SP - Dylan Cease - $5.3
SP - Lance Lynn - $18.5
SP - Lucas Giolito - $10.8
SP - Jose Quintana - $9.67
SP - Matt Brash - MIN
BULLPEN:
CP - Michael Kopech - $2.2
- Let me address this. Kopech has elite stuff, but I think his destiny is in the bullpen. In 2021 he pitched 69.33 innings out of the pen. His FIP was 2.97 and he struck out 103 batters. In 2022 in the rotation he pitched 119.33 innings. His FIP was 4.50 and he struck out 105. I know it was his first year as a starter in the majors but CLEARLY he was better out of the pen when he could unleash his best stuff in short spurts. He’s clearly an emotional guy as evidence by his minor league injury history (look it up) get him to embrace that passion and he could be an ELITE closer.
RH - Kendall Graveman - $8
RH - Reynaldo Lopez - $3.3
RH - Joe Kelly - $8.5
RH - Jimmy Lambert - MIN
LH - Aaron Bummer - $3.75
LH - Jake Diekman - $3.5
LH - Tanner Banks - MIN
DL - Garrett Crochet - MIN
