PREAMBLE
The White Sox are at a crossroads between being good and completely
bottoming out but with Jerry expecting a contender, it’s time to try and right the
ship moving forward
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
● Dylan Cease: $8.8M Tender at a minimum, the White Sox have shown
hesitancy to commit to Cease long term and may be linked to his walk
rates and inconsistency
● Andrew Vaughn: $3.7M Tender with a trade on the horizon to clear the 1B
logjam and get a player who can actually play defense in RF
● Michael Kopech: $3.6M Tender with possible team-friendly extension and
buy out the ARB years. Kopech’s value is at an all time low and does not
have much negotiation leverage.
● Touki Toussaint: $1.7M Tender, the White Sox need SP depth who can
eat innings and Touki showed a proficiency to do just that.
● Trayce Thompson: $1.7M Tender, Trayce provides a cheap source of OF
depth who can potentially get dealt to clear a path for prospects to
showcase their talent.
● Garrett Crochet: $900K Tender, potential extension here as the White Sox
have a potential lockdown closer who they SHOULDN’T stretch into a
Starter.
● Clint Frazier: $900K non-tender, there is no need for the depth he
provides with very little upside
● Matt Foster: $740K non-tender, Matt is not an MLB level reliever.
CLUB OPTIONS
Write “pick up” or “decline” or “rework” after the option.
● Tim Anderson: $14M ($1M buyout) Rework or buyout, TIm gave White
Sox fans some great moments but there is a chance that this is the end
and should be the end of “star” Tim Anderson and if he returns, should be
at a severe discount and a positional move.
● Liam Hendriks: $15M ($15M buyout, paid $1.5M annually over next 10
years) Pick up with potential rework to a team friendly stretch without
buying him out as it’s not worth losing a potential clubhouse leader and pay
him over the next 10 years to lead another team. Potential Trade Piece for
future prospects
MUTUAL OPTIONS
● Mike Clevinger: $12M mutual option ($4 million buyout) - Likely takes
buyout but if he stays with the White Sox could potentially be a solid
Starter and trade piece if he can keep out of the media spotlight
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
● Yasmani Grandal (Made $18.25M in 2023) Try to retain for a more
comparable salary to his positional value to serve as a mentor to other
Catchers on the roster but no more than a 2Yr $8 Million
● Elvis Andrus ($3M) Try to retain as a bridge SS and kick TA to 2B if TA
chooses to return to a team friendly deal. ~2Yr $10 Million
● Bryan Shaw ($720K) - Retain if under $1Million AAV
● José Ureña ($720K) - Retain as depth if under $1 Million AAV with
potential to let go if confident in team depth
FREE AGENTS
Top 5 Targets
1. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa - No it isn’t flashy, but it is a stable and foundational
example of what the white sox need, to get on base and play solid defense
and IKF offers both in spades
a. ( 4 Years $40 Million)
2. Martin Perez - A Face to lead the youth and showcase competent pitching
a. ( 3 Years $45 Million Team Option Year 3)
3. Lucas Giolito - Lucas has hit a rough patch the past few years but still has
the potential to showcase his talent in a city that loves him
a. ( 4 Years
4. Elvis Andrus - We need a strong presence and defensive example to set
the tone for what the up and coming White Sox should develop into
a. ( 2 Years $20 Million )
5. Garrett Cooper - Moving away from Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets needs
a pair to beat on lefties and Garrett Cooper is a great pair as he has a
tendency to beat lefties
Positional Breakdown
C - See what Korey Lee has and have a veteran FA Catcher/Grandal serve as a
mentor/backup to Lee and if it’s clear Lee isn’t what he should be focus on
development primarily on Edgar Quero and Carlos Perez
Possible Signings - Grandal, Roberto Perez, Zunino, Gary Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro
1B - Vaughn ISN’T the guy, trade Vaughn for prospects and let Sheets be the
primary 1B with a Righty Platoon bat to serve as a counter to the lefty bats that
Sheets CAN’T hit at all.
Possible Signings - Garrett Cooper, Ji Man Choi, Brandon Belt, C.J. Cron
2B - If Tim comes back on a cheap deal let him play here as defensively he is not
a league average SS but should be able to perform at 2B, if TIm does sadly
leave the organization then look to Romy Gonzalez, Jose Rodriguez, or Bryan
Ramos to fill the void or incumbent FA
Possible Signings - Elvis Andrus, Tony Kemp, Jonathan Schopp
3B - Yoan’s Health should be the priority as he showed flashes of being back to
his peak form showcased earlier in his career, if he plays all 162 he should
project as a top 15 3B with top 10 upside, If he does miss time expect to see a lot
of Zach Remillard with the possible rise of Colson Montgomery, Bryan Ramos,
and Wes Kath.
Unlikely to fill with FA
SS - Is this the year for Colson Montgomery? After missing most of last year and
playing injured it remains to be seen whether or not the Sox want to rush their #1
prospect but should have a strong showing in Spring Training. Otherwise; Romy
Gonzalez, Maybe Tim Anderson/Andrus, or Jose Rodriguez should fill this role.
Possible Signings - Tim Anderson/Elvis Andrus, Amed Rosario, IKF
LF - Benintendi is pretty locked in here but may see some play from Colas,
Engel, or god forbid Eloy Jimenez.
Possible Signings - Kike Hernandez, Robbie Grossman, Kole Calhoun
CF - It’s Roberts position by far and should only see rest backups Trayce
Thompson, Adam Engel, or Benintendi fill his spot.
Possible Signings - Rafael Ortega, Harrison Bader
RF - Now that Sheets is the primary 1B, the hole at RF surfaces again, hopefully
to be filled by Colas’ improvement but could see Trayce Thompson start a lot
over here.
Possible Signings - Kole Calhoun, Robbie Grossman, Tyler Naquin
DH - A Healthy Eloy is a happy White Sox team, and if he misses time should fill
as a rest role for other members of the team.
Unlikely to add FA but could be home to potential 1B FA’s/Sheets
SP - Cease needs to throw more strikes and make hitters think instead of just
heading to 1B after 4 pitches, potentially traded for prospects as he will be in his
last ARB year and could not be the best bridge player for the next generation.
SP - Jesse Scholtens but hopefully filled by FA (Martin Perez)
SP - Tanner Banks but hopefully filled by FA (Lucas Giolito)
SP - Ky Bush, a valuable SP prospect who projects to have a solid Spring
Training and potentially make the active roster.
SP - Touki Toussaint, sometimes you just need an innings eater when you are a
bad team but could see action from Cristian Mena, Jake Eder, Nick Nastrini,
Sean Burke, or maybe Matthew Thompson will finally show some flashes.
Possible Signings - Lucas Giolito homecoming, Martin Perez, Jake Odrizzi,
Kenta Maeda
RP - Lets Make Kopech the electric Long Reliever/Spot Starter he was meant to
be, he should not be stretched to fully start games as it detriments his pitching
severely.
RP - Aaron Bummer, (Meh)
RP - Gregory Santos, (Meh)
CP - Garret Crochet, it’s time for the reliever we drafted so highly to showcase
his talent for a full season and should be an easy lock for the closing role despite
rumors the White Sox want to stretch him into a starter (we saw how that went
with Kopech).
Liam Hendricks probably stays with the White Sox as he seems to enjoy being
there but is expected to miss the start of the season (Potential Retirement)
Possible Signigns - Reynaldo Lopez, otherwise the White Sox should not sign
relievers and let the depth available handle the bullpen.
SUMMARY
This plan to serve as a bridge year with a focus on getting great culture in
the locker room for the youth to model after whilst not trying to force open the
championship window that mismanagement slammed shut. The future White Sox
need to know of the past failures whilst not becoming those failures for a true
chance at success, Jerry Reinsdorf permitted.
