PREAMBLE
There's already a lot of great moves suggested in all these plans, so instead of just throwing out a greatest hits records, my plan is more of a prediction of what I think Hahn and company will do.
They're going to Sox it up.
They'll spend some money and upgrade the roster -- sure -- but they're not going to do it at the expense of blocking the paths of certain key prospects.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Alex Colomé, $10.3M tender
- Yolmer Sánchez, $6.2M non
- James McCann, $4.9M yes
- Carlos Rodon, $4.5M yes, Josh!
- Leury García, $4M yes, but
- Evan Marshall, $1.3M yes
- Josh Osich, $1M no
- Ryan Goins, $900K no
CLUB OPTIONS
- Welington Castillo: $8 million/$500,000 buyout
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Jose Abreu 2 years/$50 m (club option for year 3)
- Iván Nova (made $9,166,167 in 2019) No
- Jon Jay (made $4M in 2019) C'mon No
- Hector Santiago (made $2M in 2019 on split contract) No
- Nick Madrigal --- not sure where to put this, but he signs a big Tim Anderson like deal in Spring Training, to avert suppression of service time.
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Dallas Keuchel (3/$60).
The veteran they need, without a qualifying offer/draft pick to worry about.
No. 2: Alex Wood (2/$15)
Swingman who will swing out of the way when Kopech or Rodon returns.
No. 3: Yasmani Grandal (4/$80)
Vet catcher, good at walks, tendency to bat left-handed against righty ptichers. And a buddy of Zack Collins. They will share some of the catching/DH duties with McCann.
TRADES
Sox need lefty power and OBP; that's not so easily found on the FA market this year, so it will have to come from a trade.
No. 1: Trade Blake Rutherford and Gavin Sheets for Shin Soo Choo. Choo offers a combination of power and on-base ability. And the Rangers will kick in some salary so the Sox won't break the bank or have to give up any too-precious prospects to get him. They'll be primed for the possibly big RF market in 2020, with Joc Pederson, Mookie Betts, George Springer maybe available.
SUMMARY
This team will not have the typical holes all over the field we have come used to accepting from the White Sox. I didn't add up the salaries, but I think it comes in safely around $120. It's set up to allow prospects to bang their way on to the team without blatantly leaving holes. It's also set up to allow for more FA pursuits in 2020, especially in RF and relief.
It meets the typical Sox strategy of not committing too much money long-term to any FAs and of making sure there is a path for young players. But it does so without leaving any big holes.
If I had more time, I'd think about a stronger set of utility/part-time players, in place of Engel, Mendick, and even Leury. But if those guys are properly used, they shouldn't be the problem.
SP Giolito, Keuchel, Lopez, Cease, Wood (with Kopech in the wings)
RP Colome, Herrera, Marshall, Bummer, Fry, Cordero, Tyler Johnson, Burdi or Hamilton or another Spring Training stand-out
C Grandal, McCann, Collins*
1B Abreu
2B Madrigal
SS Anderson
3B Moncada
LF Jimenez
CF Engel (Robert, after Apr 20whatever)
RF Choo
DH (rotates among McCann, Collins, Grandal, Abreu)
Utility L. Garcia, Mendick, Basabe**
*Collins is nominally a catcher in this scheme
**Basabe or someone else will do enough to get 2 weeks of 26-man roster time until Robert is ready
