PREAMBLE
For starters, I'm not sure if "cut along the perforated line" means including the literal line with the scissor things...so obviously POV is from the White Sox GM: Chris-maybe-topher? Getz. Could be a Christian...So, I'm going off what Getz has said, how the team generally operates, the pace at which they seem to operate and the reality of how massive this project really is. Pardon my scumbaggery, but understand this is me trying as a White Sox fan, to be an employee making decisions.
MANAGER
Feel like I owe it to say, a lot of names coming up is nice to hear. Different backgrounds are a plus too. Doing this as Getz means finding a way to somehow not hire someone that was coaching in the post season while also spinning the past as a positive similarly to TLR and Grifol. So, Skip Schumaker is the choice for this OPP. Do I, the cynical fan believe they will hire the right manager this time around? Probably not but I'm a fair man when due diligence is displayed regardless of the little details the White Sox forget about.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Andrew Vaughn: $6.4M-non-tender: Enjoy hitting your ceiling elsewhere, but a hoard of Elko is coming in hot...and winter is close.
- Nicky Lopez: $5.1M-non-tender: Me as Getz "need to go in another direction" but really it comes down to my experience in Naperville. Nice enough but didn't care to stick around.
- Garrett Crochet: $2.9M-tender: Can't go full White Sox on this...right? RIGHT??
- Gavin Sheets: $2.6M-tender: mostly because L/R 1B rotation better than Vaughn...and calling them Tim Sheets feels easier to say when I can't remember the names.
- Enyel De Los Santos: $1.7M-non-tender: Sox got him waived off Yankees, Sox got him rostered on 121...sometimes dead is better.
- Jimmy Lambert: $1.2M-tender: Me as Getz: Gotta have someone to show my prowess as Farm Director. Jim Lambert rolls off better though.
- Justin Anderson: $1.1M-non-tender
- Steven Wilson: $1M-non-tender
- Matt Foster: $900K-tender: Matt Fosters may not seem likely, but also see first part of Jim Lambert note.
CLUB OPTIONS
- Yoán Moncada: $25M ($5M buyout)-Buyout: This is rebuild 2.0 finally coming to its slow death...as Luis lurks around corner
- Max Stassi: $7M ($500K buyout)-Buyout: Forgot he was on the squad
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Michael Soroka (Made $3M in 2023)-Try to retain: still young, might as well see what another offseason can do while the value is low. Offering $1.75 or the "Flexen deal"
- Mike Clevinger ($3M)-My offer is nothing.
- Chris Flexen ($1.75)-Let Walk: You're free now, go be free
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Roberto Perez C (1 year, $1 million). Think he's been injured, but once was decent enough with a rival team years ago.
No. 2: Kolby Allard LHP (1 year, $2 million). Probably could use an arm that was once ranked as high as 4th in the Atlanta Braves system circa 2017. But this time, Katz will fix him. Why mess with a classic?
No. 3: Ryan Borucki LHP R (1 year, $1 million). His Baseball Reference said he was from Highland Park. That's good enough I assume.
TRADES
No. 1: Garrett Crochet LHP to LAD for Alex Freeland SS/Diego Cartaya C/Cameron Decker 1B/Christian Zazueta RHP: Underwhelming but likely given teams proclivity for position player prospect hoarding.
SUMMARY
Skip Schumaker M/Don Mattingly B/Brant Brown H/Ethan Katz P/Sergio Santos BP/Andrew Moore Asst. P/Jason Bourgeios 1B/Justin Jirschele 3B
Drew Thorpe RHP
Jonathan Cannon RHP
Sean Burke RHP
Ky Bush LHP
Kolby Allard LHP $2M
Michael Soroka RHP $1.75M
Jared Shuster LHP
Prelander Berroa RHP
Jimmy Lambert RHP $1.2M
Matt Foster RHP $900k
Fraser Ellard LHP
Ryan Borucki LHP $1M
Adisyn Coffey RHP
Korey Lee C
Gavin Sheets 1B $2.6M
Brooks Baldwin 2B
Miguel Vargas 3B
Alex Freeland SS
Andrew Benintendi LF
Luis Robert Jr. CF
Dominic Fletcher RF
Roberto Perez C $1M
Tim Elko 1B
Lenyn Sosa INF
Bryan Ramos 3B/DH
Zach DeLoach OF
AAA-Grady Sizemore M/Colson Montgomery/Edgar Quero/Diego Cartaya/Jairo Iriarte/Mason Adams
Personal thoughts aside, this is about what I expect Chris Getz to do. While I think the roster isn't any better than the previous literal worst season ever, the expectation set is "internal growth" so my guess is a few deals here and there is max transaction activity. Staff wise, Schumaker is a name that was floated early in process. If the case, hoping he makes most of it. Don Mattingly coached him in LA, have no idea if that matters or not just wikipedia dot connecting to have something make sense for once. Brant Brown worked for dodgers and Marlins before getting fired somewhere else. Said somewhere else could be found in a basic google search but the edible kicked in during Buyouts. Andrew Moore is an assistant pitching coach for the Guardians AAA squad, think he was in Seattle system during the time Katz had up in Northwest. Stretch but could be decent enough to bring along. Katz stays because he was the one guy hired during 2020 that fans didn't absolutely hate, but kind of do now. Santos being bumped to bullpen is more of a strategic thing, basically asking him to literally manage the pitchers game to game. Katz handles whatever he does well, and Santos/Moore do baseball game things. Base coaches should be important but haven't been for a while with the White Sox.
I'm not sure how the finances work out with these, but I'm certain it won't be any higher than a season in which the franchise lost 121 games.
This OPP may very well age poorly, and I hope in fact it does. However, there are things that if done strategically could prove useful in time. Forcing the issue with players in system likely won't help short or long term, so bringing in players who can push the depth chart would be my priority. From there it is about finding the right coaches to lead and develop players throughout system. Prospects don't have to look like deer in headlights, but the White Sox seem to have that issue so perhaps doing things that prepare players to step up when called on is a good thing to implement. Would've been nice if the now GM former farm director could've done something about it during his 7 years running the joint, but alas Kenny wouldn't let him. Thankfully our franchise leader decided to not do anything about Kenny's reluctance and simply looked busy for 5 years. What a joy to have that level of job security. White Sox Culture. Damn this love. Enjoy the OPP Season friends, Go Sox.
