PREAMBLE
Lets be honest, a 90 mil payroll helps nobody, it doesn't get you a play-off team and wastes money that could be saved in later years. This is the equivalent of Field Marshall Haig moving his liquor cabinet 6 inches closer to Berlin... this stolen joke is probably better suited to English Audiences but we move. It's a lot of sacrifice for very little long term gain.
In reality if I did have the power to make any move I wanted for our White Sox, I would do what I talked about in the Au Jus episode I was a guest on and I would Sign Cody Bellinger to a heavily front loaded contract. See here for details:
The above however breaks the task by Jim, who I respect enough to play along with here. But what I won't do is play for something in 2026... The aim yet again is to front load contracts, in order to create excess value (more detail on how to do this on above link.) This excess value creates deadline trades and that how we build for a championship
COACHING STAFF
- Hitting coach: I trust the extensive interview process, where the brain trust clearly have more information than I
- Pitching coach: I trust the extensive interview process, where the brain trust clearly have more information than I
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Mike Tauchman: Tender
- Steven Wilson: Tender
- Derek Hill: Tender
Tauchman was worth a lot more money than this. I would however cut bait if the medical reports say his hammy's are toast.
Wilson is cheap and is a 6th inning starter.
Hill ends up our 5th outfielder or gets cut before opening day... either way, he's either fine or doesn't cost us the full Mil if we quit early on him.
CLUB OPTIONS
- Luis Robert Jr.: Exercise $20 million contract
- Martín Perez: Buy out for $1.5 million
We were always going to bring back Robert, and the logic is clear.
We don't have another Centerfielder, he might ball out and be worth the money.. or god forbit even taking for 2027, he might recover some trade value and help the future championship team.... or he might be injured or bad... but it's not our money and I like watching him play.
Perez... front loading a deal for him doesn't help us, as 2027 Perez might not be worth trading for (natural age regression)
FREE AGENTS
Lets get weird time....
No 1: Harrison Bader (2 years, 25 million)
Spotrac has him at 20mi... we are intentionally overpaying... and £20 million of it is year one.
Contract split 20/5
Here is the deal... should he be a 2 win player after year one... he is worth a lot more than 5 mil and you trade him for a player who is on your next championship team.
No 2 Cody Ponce (2 years, 22 million)
Ponce is the new Fedde, except maybe even better. The contract is 16 million for year one and 6 million for year two. We are trying to create excess value people !!!
No 3 Devin Williams (2 years, 10 million)
8million in year one, 2 million in year two..
You probably get this by now, we are looking to create excess contract value, but having a good player, who is underpaid in year two and therefore valuable on the trade market... or if we are ready to compete in 2027, doesn't impact payroll for when we add. Williams is a fun target, he is clearly not the guy he used to be, but is young enough to get back to being a great reliever.
Why would any of these players do this you ask. Well money up front has more value than deferred or regular pay money due to both inflation and the ability for the players to invest the extra money outside of baseball.
Secondly we are slightly overpaying each person, as a tax for playing on a team that isn't going to be competing
TRADES
No 1: Trade Corey Lee to the Mariners for Trent Thornton and Cash (1.5 mil).
Sox reliever called Thornton.. That reminds me of my youth. Mariners eat some of the money after his down year and injuries.
Look, Lee is out of options and we can get other catchers on minor league deals to back up our two future catchers. Mariners need catching depth.
No 2: Lenyn Sosa for Anything... and I really mean that.
He had no defensive position and soon we will have our glut of second base prospects come (Antonacci, Perez, Bonemer, Lodise, Bergolla, Gonzalez, Mogollon... the list goes on). Simply he won't have higher trade value than now, as he hasn't hit arb and did hit some home runs. He won't be on a World Series Sox winning team.
SUMMARY
We've ended up coming in around the budget roughly.. or at least close enough to not brake the game. We have found ways to obtain excess value and we have cleared some people off of the team that are out of options. Job done for this winter, see you next winter when we will actually try and sneak into a wild card spot.
Starters
Smith
Ponce
Martin
Burke
Gomes
Arm Barn
Williams
Leasure
Taylor
Vasil
Wilson
Eisert
Thornton
Pallette
Line up (not in order)
Teel (catcher)
Quero (DH/Catching)
Vargas (first base)
Meidroth (Second Base)
Montgomery (Short)
Baldwin (Third base)
Tauchman (Left Field)
Robert (Centerfield)
Bader (Right field)
Bench
Benintendi
Hill
Mead
There is one space left over, for whomever we select in the Rule 5 draft. Baldwin gets a defined position so he can focus on his bat, but obviously will move around.
