PREAMBLE
Here we go. This is an honest attempt from an honest man to fix the mess that was the 2022 White Sox. I really don't have absolute faith in the current core to run it back, so some wholesale change will be made.
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 (banking on some weight loss here, Lucas)
- Dylan Cease: $5.3M - Tender
- Reynaldo López; $3.3M - Tender
- Adam Engel: $2.3M - Non-tender
- Michael Kopech: $2.2M - Tender
- Kyle Crick: $1.5M - Non-tender
- José Ruiz: $1M - Non-tender. I understand the cheap mop-up man role, but I'm over the Jose Ruiz experience. Old friend, Alex Colome come on down!
- Danny Mendick: $1M - Tender
CLUB OPTIONS
Write “pick up” or “decline” or “rework” after the option.
- Tim Anderson: $12.5M ($1M buyout) - Pick up
- Josh Harrison: $5.625M ($1.5M buyout) - Decline/buyout
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) - Adios. Jose Abreu replica statue day is scheduled for a Saturday in July. First 20,000 fans presented by the M&M guy.
- Johnny Cueto ($4.2M) - Goodbye
- Vince Velasquez ($3M) - See ya
- Elvis Andrus ($14.25M) - Sayonara
MANAGER
Pedro Grifol has been named manager as I write this.
FREE AGENTS
List three free-agent targets you’d pursue during the offseason, with a reasonable contract. A good example of a bad idea:
1). Joc Pederson: 2yr/18.5m (club option for 2025, 10m w/ 1m buyout).
The White Sox finally get "their guy" for the past 4 offseasons! Pederson is your opening day left fielder, with Eloy Jimenez being inserted at permanent DH, and a Pollock/Colas platoon in right. Pederson brings much needed left handed power, and has a great baseball savant page, if you ignore the defense.
2) Matthew Boyd: 1yr/6.3m (mutual option for 2024, 12m)
Bargain bin shopping! Coming off only 13.1 innings in 2022, Boyd has always been a strikeout heavy left handed starter. Given some of the defensive woes of this team, it's best to keep the ball in the catchers mitt as much as possible. Boyd slots into the 5 spot in the rotation, with The Dart, Sean Burke, and Jonathan Stiever filling in throughout the year.
3) Alex Colome: 1yr/1m.
He's back! This one goes out to KenWo and Rick Hahn. The latter of whom couldn't stop himself from signing a reliever.
4) Jonathan Schoop: 1yr/5m.
Schoop finished 2022 with a ridiculous 27 OAA at 2B, and somehow didn't win a gold glove, (thanks DRS pedants). He forgot how to hit, but I like him holding down the middle infield defense while Jose Rodriguez and Lenyn Sosa get whatever seasoning they need in the minors.
TRADES
Propose trades that you think sound reasonable for both sides, and the rationale behind them. A good example of a bad idea:
- Liam Hendriks + Yolbert Sanchez to STL for Matthew Liberatore (LHP) and Michael McGreevey (RHP)
This opens up salary for the White Sox, gives us Liberatore, a former top prospect who got rocked in 2022, and can enter the Katz lab while starting at Charlotte, and McGreevey a 22 year old RHP prospect who can also start at Charlotte during 2023 and be ready for 2024. The STL bullpen is the reason they're sitting at home right now, and Hendriks helps them with that. Yolbert is in here because of the log jam of 20-25 year old low grade 2nd base prospects the Sox have. I have no faith in him to hit.
SUMMARY
Starting 9ish:
Catcher- Yaz/Seby platoon
1st Baseman - Andrew Vaughn
2nd Baseman - Jonathan Schoop / Lenyn Sosa trading playing time
Shortstop - Tim Anderson
3rd Baseman - Yoan Moncada
Leftfield - Joc Pederson
Centerfield- Luis Robert
Rightfield - Pollock/Colas platoon
Rotation:
Cease, Lynn, Giolito, Kopech, Boyd
Bullpen:
Kelly, Graveman, Deikman, Lambert, Foster, Colome, Banks, Bummer, Lasik ReyLo (Closer)
Leury Garcia.
Ending Payroll: $183.55 millionish (if I did my math right), which leaves some change to pick someone up at the deadline.
