PREAMBLE
Since trying to roster a playable team with a GM and owner that inspire no confidence is depressing, I prefer to entertain myself with the thought experiment of what could happen if we basically burned this motherf*&@ down.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Dylan Cease: TRADE
- Andrew Vaughn: TRADE
- Michael Kopech: TRADE
- Touki Toussant: TENDER
- Trayce Thompson: NON TENDER
- Garrett Crochet: TENDER
- Clint Frazier: NON TENDER / minor league contract
- Matt Foster: NON TENDER / minor league contract
CLUB OPTIONS/MUTUAL OPTIONS
- Liam Hendriks: $15M ($1.5M over 10 yrs buyout) DECLINE
- Tim Anderson: $14M ($1M buyout) DECLINE
- Mike Clevinger: $12M mutual option ($4M buyout) DECLINE
Neither Liam nor Tim will be able to contribute to our next window, and neither are worth a sign and trade. Thanks for the memories.
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
Since Rick Hahn took care of most of the free agents already, I have less work to do.
- Yasmani Grandal No
- Jose Urena Nein
- Elvis Andrus Nie
- Bryan Shaw Non
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Sign Lucas Giolito for 2 yrs/$24M. Hopefully, Lucas gets the stink off of him next year and goes back to eating quality innings. But it’s a buy-low contract, and we need innings next year.
No. 2: Sign Kyle Gibson for 1 yr/$11M. We need to get someone out of the Orioles rotation so they can upgrade for next year (see trades below).
No. 3: Sign Reynoldo Lopez for 2 yrs/$10M. We will need more bullpen arms, and I’ve heard Chris Getz is improving the company Vision Plan.
No. 4: Sign Eddie Rosario for 2 yrs/$18M. He can do the job we signed Benitendi for and actually get the ball over the right field fence.
No. 5: Sign Jorge Soler for 2 yrs/$20M. Some reliable thump in the lineup, he’s cheaper than Eloy, and he even plays bad outfield better than Eloy. $10M beats his $9M player option.
TRADES
No. 1: Trade Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, and Andrew Vaughn to the Baltimore Orioles for Ryan Mountcastle, C/1B Samuel Basallo, RF Dylan Beavers, RHP Chayce McDermott, and LHP Cade Povich. With Kyle Gibson gone, the Orioles need more top-end pitching to stay on top of the AL East. The Sox get a left-handed hitting RF-of-the-future in Beavers, and a MLB-ready left-handed hitting C/1B/DH thumper in Basallo. Also includes two 2024-ready SP in McDermott (righty) and Povich (lefty), both of whom threw 100+ innings last year. Vaughn-for-Mountcastle is a “my 1st baseman for your 1st baseman”. Overall, the Sox get the Orioles 5/9/10/11th best prospects for 2 very reasonable years of Dylan Cease, a shorter 1st baseman, and a bullpen piece in Kopech. If they want Gavin Sheets, they can have him, too or drop him off at his dad’s house.
No. 2: Trade Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, and Andrew Benitendi to the Washington Nationals for OF Dylan Crews, OF James Wood, and LHP Jake Bennett. This one hurts, but the 2024 White Sox do not deserve nice things. The Nationals would like to bounce back quickly, and Robert would seriously upgrade CF. Moncada fills the hole that Jeimer Candelario left when he got traded to the Cubs. Benitendi might be bench depth. The Sox get a CF-of-the-future in Dylan Crews and a left-handed, power-hitting LF in James Wood. Both guys feature high OBPs and are MLB Top 10 prospects with ETAs in 2024. LHP Jake Bennett is the Nats 10th rated prospect with a 6’6” frame and a 60 grade changeup who could be a back-end starter as soon as 2025.
No. 3: Trade Eloy Jimenez to the Chicago Cubs for Nick Madrigal. To complete the burndown of this core, Eloy needs a change of scenery, and the Cubs need a DH. We need a 2nd baseman. 3 years ago I would have called this trade madness. Today, it’s called sadness. Go hit your 40 HR at Wrigley, Eloy.
SUMMARY
Dumping the entire core of the 2024 White Sox is nuts, but it’s a useless core for our next reasonable contention window (2026-29). Using our most tradeable pieces, I diversified primarily into near- or MLB-ready talent. The new hitters we receive are all high OBP players (and mostly left-handed hitting), and the pitching is ready for a team with lots of "upward mobility". The trades are designed to roster competent major leaguers without blocking any of our kids. The rest of the roster challenges kids we already have. “Until X is called up” is motivation to perform or step aside. This is Southside Fight Club.
On the pitching front, there’s a minimum of 3 replacement-level MLB starters 1-3. The bottom half of the rotation (and bottom half of the bullpen) are kids auditioning as full-time starters that can be settled in with an “opener” strategy until something solidifies. 3 additional starters/openers are stashed in the bullpen for recycling.
This team might be “fun-bad”, but I would renew my 2024 MLB TV subscription to watch this crazy team develop.
All my trades were checked with baseballtradevalues simulator.
Position Players (lineup): ($28.4M)
SS Lenyn Sosa (until Colson Montgomery is called up)
2B Nick Madrigal
CF Adam Haseley (until Dylan Crews is called up)
1B Ryan Mountcastle
3B Bryan Ramos
LF Eddie Rosario
DH Jorge Soler
RF Victor Reyes (until Dylan Beavers is called up)
C Carlos Perez (until Edgar Quero is called up)
Position Players (bench): ($3M)
C/1B/DH Samuel Basallo
OF Terrell Tatum (4th OF and pinch running role)
C Adam Hackenberg
INF Romy Gonzalez
Starting Pitching: ($26.2M)
RHP Lucas Giolito
RHP Kyle Gibson
RHP Touki Toussant
RHP Chayce McDermott
RHP Nick Nastrini/Cristian Mena/Davis Martin/Sean Burke
Bullpen: ($10.4M)
RHP Reynoldo Lopez
RHP Jimmy Lambert
RHP Gregory Santos
RHP Sean Burke
RHP Jordan Leasure
LHP Garrett Crochet
LHP Cade Povich
LHP Jake Eder
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
Our buyouts and prior obligations to players ($12M) will cost more than this bullpen ($10M).
