PREAMBLE
We need more action and comedy and less drama and tragedy.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Write “tender,” “non-tender” or “rework/extend” after each player and their projected 2024 salaries. Feel free to offer explanation afterward if necessary.
- Dylan Cease: $8.8M tender
- Andrew Vaughn: $3.7M tender
- Michael Kopech: $3.6M tender
- Touki Toussaint: $1.7M tender
- Trayce Thompson: $1.7M how did this happen?
- Garrett Crochet: $900K tender
- Clint Frazier: $900K gone
- Matt Foster: $740K gone
CLUB OPTIONS
Write “pick up” or “decline” or “rework” after the option.
- Tim Anderson: $14M ($1M buyout) DECLINE - drama gone
- Liam Hendriks: $15M ($15M buyout, paid $1.5M annually over next 10 years) Decline
MUTUAL OPTIONS
Write “exercised” or “takes buyout.”
- Mike Clevinger: $12M mutual option ($4 million buyout) Not gonna happen
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
Try to retain, extend qualifying offer, or let go?
- Yasmani Grandal (Made $18.25M in 2023) gone
- Elvis Andrus ($3M) maybe later
- Bryan Shaw ($720K) really like him, but gotta find someone younger first.
- José Ureña ($720K) pickup, we’ll need guys to eat innings.
FREE AGENTS
List three free-agent targets you’d pursue during the offseason, with a reasonable contract. A good example of a bad idea:
No. 1: Jorge Soler - 1 year, $14 mil. Maybe whisper to his agent that we’ll pay him more and to opt out, we need homers. Trade Eloy for him if he won’t budge.
#2 - Joc Pedersen - 1 yr, $13 mil. Not sure if that’s enough, but need him as part of the RF/DH mix
#3 - Joey Gallo - 1 yr, $7 mil. If guy number one can’t hit homers, then we got two more who could.
#4 - Gary Sanchez - 1 yr, $8 mil. Trying to get 20 homers per position, even AB’s gonna need to step it up.
#5, 6, 7 - Franky Montas, Noah Syndergaard, James Paxton - Shouldn’t cost much. Need to come to camp with plenty of options. Probably going to need Martin and two others to fill in when these guys start hitting the IL. Reinforcements are coming, just need these guys to buy us some time.
TRADES
Propose trades that you think sound reasonable for both sides, and the rationale behind them. A good example of a bad idea:
No. 1: Trade Eloy for anything you can get. I’m prepared to get nothing and eat $6mil just to move on. The Sox traded Carlos Lee after 2004 where he hit close to 40 homers, 100 rbi, 900 OPS for a guy who OPS’d less than 700 because that’s how bad a guy Lee was. It ended working out pretty good for the White Sox, not expecting those results this time. He needs to go.
SUMMARY
1B- Vaughan
2b - Sosa
3b - Yoan
SS - Elvis (we’ll need him at the start)
C - Sanchez
LF - AB
CF - Robert
RF - Gallo/ Soler/Joc
DH - Gallo/Soler/Joc
Bench - Rodriguez, Kory Lee, Romy Gonzalez.
Things get bleak quick after Cease, so they will need take a more aggregate look at pitching and figure out how to get through games/weeks. It’s going to be really important to squeeze 3 innings out of multiple bullpen arms and swing men. Winning 9-8 games should be the focus, especially us scoring 9 runs.
There’s no point in spending a lot of money until you know what you have in the minors. I’m not interested in bringing anyone up until these guys prove they can survive 162 while throwing up good OPS. I want Donal Fehr coming out of retirement to file a labor grievance against the Sox for holding their talent back. No prospect call ups until they’ve won player of the month for 3 straight months. Colas needs to win AAA player of the year two years in a row before I want to see him again.
2024 will be bad, but it doesn’t have to be boring.
