Since it's Halloween and all, we may as well indulge the part of us that likes to be scared.
On MLB.com, Will Leitch identified the biggest free agent regret for each franchise. In an appreciated welcome twist for something published on the house website, he didn't just hammer on the worst signings, but also opened it up to the players teams wished they retained.
The White Sox typically have to hold on to every player of use*, and they struggle to connect meaningfully with acquisitions, so you can guess what side of the ledger the Sox side is going to fall on. And I guessed who Leitch picked before reading, I then thought who it should've been, and they were not the same person.
White Sox: Adam Dunn, four years, $56 million, 2011
Dunn hit .201 in his time with Chicago, which was low even for him, and even his 41-home-run season came with 222 strikeouts.
There's no doubt Dunn was awful, and only some late-season sympathy from Ozzie Guillen prevented Dunn from having the worst offensive season in history by many official measures in 2011 (he came up six plate appearances short of qualifying). But he rebounded to have a couple seasons that fit within the realm of his warped expectations before serving out the remainder of his last year in Oakland.
I'd go with Adam LaRoche. Even though he only cost half the money over half the duration, he hit just as poorly as Dunn, and probably was the source of the greatest embarrassment to the White Sox since the Ligues. Moreover, modest as his contract was, the Sox were either unable or unwilling to spend past the second and final year of it, cementing the stunted first rebuild and setting the course for Tanktown. The White Sox had their last winning season with Dunn on the roster, so how bad could he have been?
And actually, Dunn wouldn't have been necessary if the Sox handled their DH duties sensibly before he arrived. Maybe the worst free agent decision they've ever made was letting Jim Thome go to the Twins. Not only did the decision directly affect the AL Central standings the following year, but it created the DH failure that led to the Dunn signing, which led to the void "solved" by LaRoche. Maybe it's weird to say that a 39-year-old DH was the biggest free agent regret the White Sox ever had, but the White Sox are a weird team.
Spare Parts
Speaking of weird, I don't think the editor who wrote the headline took Hawk Harrelson into account. Bob Nightengale only called the Mets' decision to hire CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen "one of the strangest and most perplexing hires in Major League Baseball history." He went from an agency representing seven Mets players to negotiating against them.
The Mets have a huge advantage at the negotiating table now. CAA represents seven Mets players on their 25-man roster, and Van Wagenen knows everything about his former clients. He knows whether they really want to stay in New York or not. He knows the intimate deals of their health issues. Most important, there can be no more bluffing, because he knows exactly what it’ll take for them to sign a long-term contract.
Jeff Berry is one of the CAA agents who is not leaving to take over baseball operations for a team, and he says Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto has no intention to stay in Miami, and thus Berry predicts Realmuto" will definitely be wearing a different uniform" by spring training. While Realmuto has been an ambitious target in the Offseason Plan Project, MLBTR lays out the competition:
Adding Realmuto would be a transformative move for a number of hopeful contenders. The Dodgers and Phillies are set to lose Yasmani Grandal and Wilson Ramos to free agency, while the Nationals have a clear vacancy behind the dish after a disappointing two-year deal with Matt Wieters has now reached its conclusion. The Astros, meanwhile, will bid adieu to Brian McCann, and the Rockies have had issues behind the plate for the past several seasons. Atlanta recently extended Tyler Flowers through 2019 but will see Kurt Suzuki reach free agency this weekend. The World Series champion Red Sox, meanwhile, received underwhelming production from the trio of Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez and seldom-used Blake Swihart. Milwaukee could surely look to upgrade over Manny Pina and already pulled off one blockbuster with the Marlins (Christian Yelich). The Angels and Athletics have little in the way of immediately ready catching options in the organizations, and the Twins could use an upgrade behind the dish as well.
With Rocco Baldelli replacing Paul Molitor as manager of the Twins, Baldelli is now getting to pick members of his staff. Pitching coach Alston isn't in the cards, and a number of Twins pitchers are sad to see him go.
Despite being a marquee matchup between teams with national fan bases on opposite coasts, the World Series drew lackluster ratings on par with the two Kansas City appearances. Going only five games hurt, but Craig Edwards identifies some other causes.
