PREAMBLE
“If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.”
--Jackass
I’ve lost hope of the White Sox as an organization learning from their mistakes. When they signed Albert Belle to a record contract with an opt out, they were burned by underperformance followed by Belle using the opt out and then returning to form for a division rival. In response, when Manny Machado was available the organization seemed to be determined to be the ones who could leave, not the player. Unfortunately, when it comes to the top players available, the player wins that deal not the team. And so, this team cannot and will not play at that level.
So here we are, looking up at the Guardians, who took advantage of the White Sox’s trifecta of repeating organizational failure: Ownership meddling with a value of loyalty over competence (Tony LaRussa), reliance on cheap stopgaps to fill in roster holes (that theoretically should’ve been filled during the rebuild) and failure to sign elite free agents (who provide a consistent above grade performance).
And now after a year of record spending from ownership with the most bland of responses, all that’s left to do is scale back, stop talking about winning the World Series, and go back to the good old days of just trying to win the division. But they wont call it that, it’ll be “retooling”.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Lucas Giolito: $10.8M tender
Dylan Cease: $5.3M tender
Reynaldo López; $3.3M tender
Adam Engel: $2.3M
Michael Kopech: $2.2M tender
Kyle Crick: $1.5M
José Ruiz: $1M tender
Danny Mendick: $1M tender
CLUB OPTIONS
Tim Anderson: $12.5M ($1M buyout) pick up
Josh Harrison: $5.625M ($1.5M buyout pick up
PLAYER OPTIONS
AJ Pollock: $13M ($5 million buyout) — EXERCISED
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
José Abreu (Made $18M in 2021) Let go
Johnny Cueto ($4.2M) Extend
Vince Velasquez ($3M) Let go
Elvis Andrus ($14.25M) Let go
MANAGER
Ozzie Guillen
FREE AGENTS
Jackie Bradley JR: $1M
Joey Gallo: $10M with incentives to take it to $13M
Sean Manaea: 3 years, $45 M
TRADES
Tim Anderson to Atlanta Braves for Vaughn Grissom and RPH Freddy Tarnok and Cole Phillips
SUMMARY
On paper this team finds itself with outfield depth and the chance to move Sheets / Vaughn to play first base and Eloy in DH. Hot starts put the team in a position to buy in the infield or starting pitching (assuming anyone wants what they have), and a slow start with returns to form from Grandal or Giolito put them on the trading block early. In an ideal world, Yoan Moncada has a hot start and can be shipped off elsewhere. And then this team can sink back down into mediocrity and collect those checks.
Total Salary $180 million
