We suck… But let’s try to suck a little less…

Preamble:

The Chicago White Sox are a terrible baseball team. There are no if’s and’s or but’s about it. In this plan, I am going to try to build for the future, cut the fat, all while staying in Jerry’s penny pinching budget… Wish me luck.

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

• Dylan Cease: $8.8M – Tender
• Andrew Vaughn: $3.7M – Tender
• Michael Kopech: $3.6M – Tender/Trade
• Touki Toussaint: $1.7M – Tender
• Trayce Thompson: $1.7M – Non-Tender
• Garrett Crochet: $900K – Tender
• Clint Frazier: $900K – Non-Tender
• Matt Foster: $740K – Tender

CLUB OPTIONS

• Tim Anderson: $14M ($1M buyout) – Pick Up & trade
• Liam Hendriks: $15M ($15M buyout, paid $1.5M annually over next 10 years) – Decline- Sorry Liam

MUTUAL OPTIONS

• Mike Clevinger: $12M mutual option ($4 million buyout) – Extend before he opts out

OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS

• Yasmani Grandal (Made $18.25M in 2023) – Thanks for nothing, bye.
• Elvis Andrus ($3M) – Bye.
• Bryan Shaw ($720K) – $1 million resign
• José Ureña ($720K) – Bye.

Free Agents

1. Mike Clevinger- 2 years, 26 million. 3rd year mutual option. – Clev was the Sox best pitcher this year. I think he loves it here, and even if he falls to a #3/4 starter, the 13 million annually is a good deal. He gets a longer deal after his off field accusations, Sox solidify a piece of the rotation.
2. Trevor Bauer- 1 year, 12 million, 2nd year player option. – Bring him in to play with his good buddy Mike. Bauer hit his stride overseas, and is ready to recapture a spot as one of MLB’s top rotation arms.
3. Eduardo Rodriguez- 5 years, 90 million. -Sox get a reliable lefty arm that will bolster the rotation for years to come.
4. Austin Hedges- 2 years, 5 million.- Great clubhouse leader, great mentor for Edgar.
5. Adam Duvall- 1 year, 9 million- Power hitting OF moves to RF.
6. Jorge Soler- 2 year- 18 million- Aging DH who still hits nukes

TRADES

No. 1: Trade Tim Anderson & Colson Montgomery to LAD for 2B/SS Gavin Lux, RHP Nick Frasso, SS Joendry Vargas & UTIL Austin Gauthier

• Sox make a blockbuster with LAD. LA gets their shortstop for a year in TA, and their SS in waiting in Montgomery. Montgomery’s abysmal fielding effort is what lead to this trade and brought back a haul for CWS.

No. 2. Trade Eloy Jimenez to COL for Kris Bryant & Cash. 

• Bad contracts for injury ridden players. I’d be willing to take a flyer on KB, in exchange Eloy gets to go to a hitter’s friendly ballpark to get hurt. Colorado has a log jam that KB isn’t helping. Sox get him for 60% of his remaining salary.

No. 3. Trade Yoan Moncada to MIL for OF Jace Avina & SS/3B Juan Baez

• Yoan gets a refresh with an exciting team just north of the border and off the Sox payroll, Sox get a couple of young prospects.

SUMMARY

A lot gets done, the “Core” gets ripped apart, but the Sox shed salary and are able to piece together a team they can work with and a team that should exceed 81 wins. Adding only 69.5 million in free agency while losing the contracts of Moncada, Eloy, TA, and Hendriks leaves the Sox with room to add at the deadline.

Rotation:  Cease, Bauer, Rodriguez, Clevinger, Kopech

Bullpen: Banks, Shaw, Scholtens, Leasure, Touki, Santos, Foster

Closer: Crochet

Lineup
Benintendi LF
Robert       CF
Duvall       RF
Soler         DH
Bryant      3B
Lux           SS
Vaughn     1B
Sosa          2B
Hedges       C

Bench:

Remillard INF UTIL
Colas OF
Lee C
Sheets 1B

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