Here's one question about the Andrew Benintendi signing that doesn't feel germane to the most important parts of the conversation about how much he helps the White Sox, but nods toward why there's an unimpressed undercurrent:
Shouldn't a franchise-record contact sell some jerseys? Is anybody going to rush out and buy the Benintendi City Connect, or quaintly modify the AJ Pollock jerseys they got the year before?
Meanwhile, the contract lasted less than a day in Chicago news cycles before news leaked that the Cubs were signing Dansby Swanson for a contract that guarantees him $104 million more.
The context of the Benintendi signing automatically saps some of the excitement, because the White Sox self-govern their budget down to moves that attempt to narrow the spectrum of outcomes. As I wrote Saturday morning, it's hard to imagine Benintendi's contract causing any plans to unravel, but he seems to lack the power to impact teams in the opposite direction. He's a complementary player on a team that is crossing its fingers for stars to solidify.
I tried to separate Benintendi from the local history when writing about the signing because White Sox fans have to live with it every day. It's suffocating, and when the team has opted for less in similar scenarios, it's a relief that they chose something.
But when you're writing for a national outlet and baseball fans who might not know why the White Sox came up short, that context can't be dodged. And when it's front-and-center of the analysis, the signing looks ... off. Not necessarily bad, not necessarily a disaster, but weird.
Here's Mike Petriello at MLB.com:
The early projections suggest that they just added their sixth-best bat, which isn't nothing, especially in a weak division, and $15 million per year is maybe just what the going rate is now for an average player who has a shot to be slightly more, at least at first. It's just surprising to see a player who has been worth 2+ WAR just twice get five years -- and one wonders if a shorter bet on a rebound year from a more powerful bat like Michael Conforto might have been better worth the risk.
And here's Keith Law at The Athletic:
I wrote in my free-agent rankings that I thought Andrew Benintendi would get the largest contract ever for a player who didn’t hit 10 homers or steal 10 bases in his walk year. I didn’t think it would be (*waves hands around frantically*) this large. The White Sox just gave Benintendi five years and $75 million off that platform season, and while there could still be some more offense here for a new team to unlock, this contract all but assumes Chicago is going to find it.
White Sox fans or true third parties, it seems like everybody just wanted the team to reach for more in order to revive the idea of contending. For the time being, the White Sox pivoted to reaching back in time.
Spare Parts
Here’s James Fegan with a great story on Christian Mena, filling in a lot of gaps about the person after a season that forced us to become acquainted with the player. This part jumped out to me, partially because of the bonus of Remembering a Guy.
Mena is listed at 6-foot-2 and gets the “projectable” label plenty, but he’s already started to fill out. And with their belief that rehab pitching coach Donnie Veal ironed out the spin efficiency issues with Mena’s fastball, the Sox would be perfectly happy if it sat 92-93 mph with consistent carry, above-average extension and the ability to reach back for 95 mph when he needs it. He is young, he has not had many long outings and just cleared 100 innings in a season for the first time, but for the most part has done all of this in spurts already.
The selling point on Mena is a curveball — that he knows how to use it, and what it means for him to have a handle on these facets of pitching at such a young age.
Bennett Karoll set up a fundraiser for a billboard near Guaranteed Rate Field, and he’s raised more than twice the requested amount.
Lucas Giolito’s going for two Best Shape of His Life spring training stories in a row, with this one focusing less on bulk and more on movement. He's also doing other stuff -- participating in clean-ups, joining the MLBPA board -- that inspires lunkheads to auto-respond "MAYBE HE SHOULD WORK ON HIS PITCHING INSTEAD."
- JAWS and the 2023 Hall of Fame Ballot: Mark Buehrle – FanGraphs
- Haugh: Mark Buehrle's Hall of Fame case gets stronger -- 670 The Score
Jay Jaffe offers a fair-but-unhelpful assessment on Mark Buehrle, but he’s gaining votes this time around regardless, as David Haugh was the latest member of the Chicago media to change his mind.
With the Twins striking out on the shortstop market, Derek Falvey has to take the scenic route toward improving Minnesota's roster. It looks like it's starting with Joey Gallo replacing Max Kepler, who might be used to solve another position of need.
One of the reasons for the unprecedented length of the winter’s biggest contracts is that the lower average annual value lowers the luxury-tax hit. The major markets are doing a good job of keeping it reasonable – Carlos Correa’s contract ends at 40, but it’s not entirely unreasonable that he might still be playing – but it’s the kind of thing that might form a wedge issue among owners, especially if contracts start advancing into the 40s.
The good news is that the lockout didn’t have much of an effect on injury numbers, at least relative to the disruption of COVID-19 related stoppages and shortages the previous two seasons. The bad news is that nobody told the White Sox.
