PREAMBLE
Last year, I entertained myself with the possibility of burning the entire core of the 2023 White Sox. Getz responded by trading only 3 of 8 players I suggested– and created an inferno worse than I could imagine. However, I felt danger ahead and canceled my MLB.TV subscription before Spring Training. With few temptations, I managed to avoid watching or listening to a single Sox game last year. If I can’t find a plan that makes me want to watch again, I’ll hunker down another season in the Sox Machine bunker.
MANAGER
A good example of a bad idea: Adam Laroche.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Andrew Vaughn: $6.4M tender
- Nicky Lopez: $5.1M non-tender
- Garrett Crochet: $2.9M tender
- Gavin Sheets: $2.6M non-tender
- Enyel De Los Santos: $1.7 non-tender
- Jimmy Lambert: $1.2M non-tender
- Justin Anderson: $1.1M non-tender
- Steven Wilson: $1M non-tender
- Matt Foster: $900K non-tender
CLUB OPTIONS/MUTUAL OPTIONS
- Yoán Moncada: $25M ($5M buyout) decline (shoulda traded last year)
- Max Stassi: $7M ($500K buyout) decline
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Michael Soroka (Made $3M in 2023) no
- Mike Clevinger ($3M) hell naw
- Chris Flexen ($1.75) retain the “Big Baby”
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Sign Anthony Santander for 3 yrs/$60M. It’s about time we quit mucking around with right field. And holy hell do we need home runs. This is the best RF this side of Juan Soto on the free agent market.
No. 2: Re-sign Chris Flexen for 1 yr/$2M. He ate innings alongside the worst eight position players ever assembled by a White Sox GM. One could do much worse for a #5 starter.
No. 3: Sign Carlos Santana for 1 yr/$5.75M. He’s old, but he’s what Andrew Vaughn is not– a respectable first baseman. And he’s another switch hitter. He gives us a year to see if Tim Elko is for real.
No. 4: Sign Amed Rosario for 1 yr/$2.5M. He’s similar to the Paul DeJong signing last year, but 3 years younger. This gives us an affordable shortstop to get through the season without rushing Colson Montgomery.
TRADES
Who is going to trade anything of value for the pile of manure Getz put on the field last year? I’m sorry, but I’m not trading Garrett Crochet or any of our young pitching. These kids (outside of the bullpen) were the only reason we didn’t lose 150 games last year. And our minor league system is untouchable until we have depth on our major league team. The best options for improvement right now are free agency, the draft, and the international market.
SUMMARY
Andrew Benintendi is untradeable. Luis Robert Jr needs to bounce back before he’s tradeable (for much). If we’re lucky, maybe both are tradeable at the All Star break. In the meantime, I put something respectable in RF and 1B. The kids- Sosa, Ramos, and Quero all get to play on Opening Day. I really wanted to dump Andrew Vaughn but found myself looking through the DH sale rack and realized he might be better off without a glove. If he doesn’t perk up by the All-Star break, he’s gone. Finally, Rikuu Nishida is 23 years old, and he is getting a shot as instant excitement in the big leagues as a utility man.
On the pitching front, there’s a possibility of a formidable, young rotation. Garrett Crochet is ours, and it’s easy to imagine how many more games we win next year by removing his innings limit. We have plenty of starters to go around, and I stuck two in the bullpen along with a few more of our young arms.
This team could improve itself from the inferno it was last year to “fun bad”. More than anything, I hope it gives me a reason to watch baseball again next year.
Position Players (lineup): ($68.75M)
SS Amed Rosario
2B Lenyn Sosa
CF Luis Robert, Jr.
1B Carlos Santana
3B Bryan Ramos
LF Andrew Benintendi
DH Andrew Vaughn
RF Anthony Santander
C Edgar Quero
Position Players (bench): ($3.2M)
OF Dominic Fletcher
C Korey Lee
INF Brooks Baldwin
INF/OF Rikuu Nishida
Starting Pitching: ($7.3M)
LHP Garrett Crochet
RHP Jonathan Cannon
RHP Drew Thorpe
RHP Davis Martin
RHP Chris Flexen
Bullpen: ($6.4M)
RHP Peyton Pallette
RHP Sean Burke
RHP Prelander Berroa
RHP Jordan Leasure
RHP Drew Thorpe
LHP Fraser Ellard
LHP Jake Eder
LHP Ky Bush
**Total payroll is around $85M, not including other obligations.
