PREAMBLE
The White Sox are firmly in the "build" phase of the rebuild. The tear down was completed in 2017, the blueprint was laid last year, and now we have the construction crew hired and ready to get to work. Here's how they do it. (please feel free to roast me)
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Jose Abreu, $16M - Tender
- Avisail Garcia, $8M - Tender
- Yolmer Sanchez, $4.7M - Tender
- Carlos Rodon, $3.7M - Tender
- Matt Davidson, $2.4M - Tender
- Leury Garcia, $1.9M - Tender
- Danny Farquhar, $1.4M - Non-Tender
CLUB OPTIONS
- Nate Jones, $4.65 million/$1.25M buyout - Pick up
- James Shields, $16 million/$2M buyout - Decline, but re-sign for 1 year at $4 million
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Miguel Gonzalez (made $4.75 million in 2018) - GOODBYE
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: Manny Machado (10 years, $350 million, opt-outs after years 4, 6, and 8)
The need here is two-fold: The White Sox have been in need of a good third-baseman for a long time, and Machado is among the best in the game at the position, and maybe even the best when he plays it full time. When Hahn talked about being opportunistic, I am hoping he means "doing whatever it takes to get a franchise player like Machado." With this contract I set up here, I have the Sox and Machado striking a balance, giving him three opt-outs in exchange for agreeing to play more third than short (which is actually his better position, anyway), and in turn getting him for maybe a little cheaper than he could get elsewhere. I think this also gives the Sox a lot of versatility with their infield. There's no such thing as too many middle infielders, but when Madrigal forces the issue, you can shift Machado to short, Moncada to third, and Anderson to center. Heck, you might even do that right away.
No. 2: Yasmani Grandal (3 years, $25 million)
As much flak as Grandal has caught for his behind the plate yips this postseason, he's a good catcher. It seems like his bad playoffs could hurt his stock, and that's where Hahn's "opportunistic" idea comes in. $8 million + isn't exactly cheap, but you could do worse for a solid framer/good OBP catcher like Grandal. It's not like signing one of those guys went horribly wrong last year, right?
No. 3: Andrew McCutchen (3 years, $54 million)
Okay, I have now committed a lot of money to free agents, but I think they're all fits, and it puts you in a much better spot both now and in the future. Cutch isn't a great defender, but offers good value with the bat, and I think if you get into a pinch he could still man center field at Guaranteed Rate, a relatively tame outfield. But the best usage is clearly the corner, and here he can play left.
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 Wellington Castillo and Spencer Adams to the Mets for SP Steven Matz
There might need to be one more piece that goes to the Mets in this one, but it'd be small. Matz was quietly pretty good for the Mets last year, with an ERA- of 105. The FIP- was a bit concerning at 116 (16% above average) but his xFIP was a half point better than his actual FIP, which is a big detail in my opinion. He has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons now but hasn't even accrued 3 years of service time, so he should still be relatively cheap in terms of salary. His 2.62 K/BB ratio would be welcomed to Chicago, as would his 8.88 K/9 rate. Matz is arbitration eligible, but MLB Rumors projects him at $3 million, and I think that works and I can fully live with that.
No. 2: Trade Nate Jones to the Brewers for Keon Broxton and Mario Feliciano
The Brewers are the most bullpen happy team in baseball, and while Jones is coming off an injury season and will be making a pretty clip, I think this is a deal that makes sense for them. Jones is a high level reliever with good velocity and could be useful in a lot of situations for them. The acquisition cost is relatively low, as Broxton played just 51 games for the outfield-heavy Brew Crew last year. Feliciano was a CBB pick in the 2016 draft, and according to MLB Pipleline is an athletic, bat-first catcher with a good arm. The Sox love those, and Feliciano's defensive grades are better than the Sox' top catching prospects, so they might have their catcher of the future here while adding a potential everyday CF for next year. Broxton is not yet Arbitration eligible, so he probably comes in at less than $1 million. I'm calling it $515,000.
SUMMARY
I am gonna include potential rotation options at positions where I think they could be likely, but with the primary guy listed first every time.
C- Grandal
1B- Abreu
2B- Moncada/Yolmer
SS- Anderson/Machado
3B- Machado/Moncada/Yolmer
LF- McCutchen/Broxton (Eloy soon)
CF- Broxton/Anderson(yes, really)/Engel
RF- A. Garcia/Palka
DH- Davidson/Palka
BN- Yolmer, L. Garcia, Palka, Narvaez, Engel
SP- Rodon
SP-Matz
SP-Lopez
SP- Shields
SP- Giolito
RP- Fry
RP- Burr
RP- Hamilton
RP- Minaya
RP- Fulmer
RP- Clarkin or Frare
BONUS RP - Davidson (for real, do this)
My total payroll, if I've done this math right, is about $111 million. I think these Sox can be competitive, and at the very least would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than they were last year. Thank you.
