We’ve Got Work To Do
PREAMBLE
There are so many weaknesses where to start? There are no solutions in the farm system. There is little to trade. Almost nobody on a 101 loss team should be safe. Let’s get better pitchers, better defense, solve the long term 2B and RF problem, buy time for the catching prospects and the kids in A/A+ ball, get faster and get on base better.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Dylan Cease: Tender $8.8M
- Andrew Vaughn: Tender $3.7M
- Michael Kopech: Tender $3.6M
- Touki Toussaint: Tender $1.7M
- Trayce Thompson: Non-tender $1.7M
- Garrett Crochet: Tender $900K
- Clint Frazier: Non tender $900K
- Matt Foster: Non-tender $740K
CLUB OPTIONS
- Tim Anderson: Pick up $14M ($1M buyout)
- Liam Hendriks: Decline, thanks and best wishes $15M ($15M buyout, paid $1.5M annually over next 10 years)
MUTUAL OPTIONS
- Mike Clevinger: Exercises $12M mutual option ($4 million buyout)
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Yasmani Grandal (Made $18.25M in 2023) Go
- Elvis Andrus ($3M) Retain AAV $4.5M
- Bryan Shaw ($720K) Retain 1 yr. estimated AAV $1M
- José Ureña ($720K) Go
FREE AGENTS
Jordan Montgomery 4 years; AAV $18.4M LH #1 starter
Kyle Gibson 2 years; AAV $8.6M RH starter
Alex Wood 2 years; AAV $5.9M LH starter
Dylan Floro 2 years; AAV $3M relief
Matt Moore 2 years; AAV $ 3.4M relief
Travis Jankowski 2 years; $2M 4th outfielder
Justin Turner 2 years; $8.7M DH /backup 1B
TRADES
Trade Dylan Cease to Reds for 2B India, SS de la Cruz and C Stephenson. Reds need starters and have a surplus of infielders. India plays 2B, de la Cruz to backup SS and Stephenson is #1 catcher. De la Cruz adds a lot of speed. With Andrus, TA, India, de la Cruz Sox now have middle infield depth without relying on Sosa, Gonzalez, Remillard, etc. except as injury backups.
Trade Eloy Jimenez to the Angels for SP Chase Silseth. The Angels will need a DH. Silseth is a young starter with upside and is making MLB minimum. Call this a salary dump with the Sox getting better production at DH for less money with Turner.
Trade Clevinger and Crochet to the Rockies for RF Nolan Jones. The Rockies need pitching and have a lot of OF options. The Sox get a young talent (3.7WAR in 2023) with a lot of upside at MLB minimum salary and five years of control, and a LH bat.
Trade Colson Montgomery to Boston for SP Nick Pivetta and C Reese McGuire. Boston has Trevor Story who is underperforming at SS and could move to 2B. Boston has no strong SS options so they may be interested in #11 prospect Montgomery to fill the gap in 2025 or earlier. A #11 should get a back- end starter and a back- up catcher. With de la Cruz our Sox don’t need Montgomery. Sox are selling high before Montgomery gets exposed in AAA.
SUMMARY
The 26-man: Starters: Montgomery, Gibson, Pivetta, Silseth, Wood, Toussaint. Relief: Bummer, Floro, Moore, Kopech (too soon to give up on him), Santos, Patiño (talent to take a chance; Bannister can fix him?), Shaw. Catchers: Stephenson, McGuire. (Korey Lee and Perez AAA depth). Infielders: Moncada (too expensive to trade and so let’s hope for the 2023 late season Yoan in 2024), Anderson, India, Andrus, Vaughn, de la Cruz,. OFs: Robert, Jr., Benintendi, Jones, Jankowski. DH: Turner.
Net 10 players have to address to the 40-man, but that shouldn’t be a problem. DFA/release/non tender: Sheets, Frazier, Thompson, Haseley, Grandal, Ureña, Foster, Cronin, Ramsey, Ramirez.
Total annual value of this 26-man payroll plus Leury’s dead money salary, Liam’s payoff, Cot’s injured list amount and “40 man in minors” per Cot’s is $171.9M.
Projected WAR is 30.1 v. 2023’s 20.8. This roster has better speed, defense, will walk more and hit for more power than the 2023 team. Projected WAR is roughly equivalent to 2023 84-78 Miami Marlins. This could put the Sox in contention for the AL Central title in 2024, increases young controllable depth with better proven talent than anyone in the AAA/AA Sox farm system and doesn’t hamstring the Sox with long term contracts. J. Montgomery is only 30 years old, and a southpaw. (Snell would be an alternative to Montgomery but he is represented by Boras.)
The roster is also a good mix of young and veterans, and many of the latter have been on championship teams.
Author
So you are somehow convincing the Reds to give you Elly de la Cruz, and you plan on sitting him behind TA and Jonathan India? And you are willing to give away one of the top prospects in baseball for a back-end starter and the masturbating catcher? I’m confused.
Yeahhh. I’ve seen some…. wild? ideas in OPPs but those trades may win the gold and silver.
Out of curiosity I ran them through the trade simulator. Cease for Elly straight up was declined (unsurprisingly), as Elly alone is more than twice as valuable as Cease (which seems about right). And (also unsurprisingly) the Montgomery trade doesn’t go through since he’s about 600% more valuable than that duo according to BTV.
I’ve endured a lot of nonsense from this front office but I really think that Montgomery trade would send me over the edge. I’d be done with the White Sox if Getz made that deal.
I didn’t use trade simulator because I wasn’t aware of it. The trade I proposed is Cease for de la Cruz, India and Stephenson. Why? The Reds are trying to contend and need starters. They have a surplus of infielders and the White Sox don’t. For one starter the Sox solve 2B, C and a back up speedy infielder. As for Montgomery, there are real doubts about his defense and he’s not fast. So I say, sell high. The White Sox need MLB starters.
Strictly curious, not judgmental, do you honestly believe that Montgomery is an MLB bust?
The Sox have virtually nothing to trade except Montgomery and Cease unless you want to include Robert. The Sox need immediate starting pitching help and Montgomery is at least a year away. Making the jump from AA to MLB is not wise. He needs a year in AAA. Let the Red Sox take the chance whether Colson is a bust or not. Plus, the White Sox track record with high draft choices is not good.
This take or OPP is why the White Sox have gotten away with the moves that they’ve made for 30 years. Please tell me that you don’t watch baseball and you are a comedian thinking this is funny.
Instead of snark, tell me why you think this plan is bad.