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My question, as usual with the Sox: Was Paul Janish even in the conversation for any other MLB team to take any sort of development role, let alone the head of player development for an entire organization?

The bar is low enough that seeing no Royals connection or promotion from within has me open minded.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38793943/way-too-early-2024-mlb-power-rankings Spoiler alert -- scroll to 30th

Ctrl - C Ctrl - V Will save you some time this off season.

They just need 3 or 4 starters, 3 or 4 bullpen arms, a few defensive upgrades (at LF, RF, SS, 1B, and C), and like 7 upgrades on offense (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, RF). Plus a good coaching staff and medical staff. Other than that, they're right there.

The '05 Sox and the '99 Yankees are tied for all-time playoff win percentage. So if we look at their losses as the deciding factor. Both in the ALCS. Sox lost 3-2 to the Angels. Yankees lost 13-1 against the Red Sox. Yes, the Yankees were up against prime Pedro. But the Yankees had Clemens coming off back-to-back Cy Youngs (he had an average year, but w/e). Therefore,, logically the '05 White Sox are the greatest playoff team of all-time.

I don't have time to read this ESPN article but does it mention that the only American League teams to not win a World Series are The Rays, Mariners, and White Sox?

Some talk among some of the talking heads this may be a guy the Sox should look to. Not happening. Resigned with the Dodgers today, two years, 24 million. I just have a feeling the Sox free agent possibilities are going to be very slim pickings. This is just an awful situation, just brutal across the board in all areas. How quickly everything went downhill and completely fell apart. Truly remarkable.

I have no issue with this. Analytical type from outside the org. Player development directors rarely have experience because they get promoted to other jobs generally He also has a connection with Walt Jocketty who hangs out with Jerry Reinsdorf and Tony La Russa….

Oh, so it isn't Hugh's brother.

They had to try very hard to make the hire sound legitimate. It was a step above saying, “he has 30+ years of professional baseball experience, and now we’re going to break down his time playing going back to t-ball.”

But he probably works cheap! ?

Par for the course………..cheap uninspiring hire with no real experience for job hired.

According to some national "specialists" they would say this team is a sleeping giant. Lmao.

We don't need rankings to tell us this team won't be seriously contending for anything in 2024. Too many things would have to go right, and that hasn't happened much lately.

This Rangers team had a lot of the same guys on offense last year and they were nowhere near this good. Bochy and his staff definitely played a role in them improving. Now imagine if we could have taken that and put it towards the 2021 White Sox... I don't think I can ever forgive JR for hiring La Russa.

shame on anyone who spends money on this organization next year, this is insulting

https://x.com/VinnieDuber/status/1720202799181357348?s=20

Better than KW Jr I guess

Sox did make 4 roster moves today ? 11/02/23 RHP José Ureña elected free agency. 11/02/23 SS Elvis Andrus elected free agency. 11/02/23 RHP Bryan Shaw elected free agency. 11/02/23 C Yasmani Grandal elected free agency.

He had an option for $14M so was unlikely to be a free agent anyway. Good move lower the AAV for luxury tax purposes.

Like you and like most seasons since 1993 I didn’t watch a second of it. TV Ratings matter to indicate how much interest general fans have. Forty years ago, like the Kentucky Derby or the Super Bowl, many everyday wouldn’t follow MLB games every day (or horse racing or NFL), but would generally flip on the WS (and KD and SB). Now nobody gives a rats ass except for the SB. I don’t believe analytics played a role, but do believe less people watching games locally (minor leagues contraction) and playing games (pick up games, organized leagues) has played a role. Much of our recent immigration is from Latin America which has a baseball tradition. Growing numbers of people each can’t access games anymore (games all on cable) and after years of this you shrink collective interest. Out of sight, out of mind. The NFL could make a lot more money short term like the MLB and other leagues did and start putting all games on cable or pay per view, but they are smart enough to know having 95% of your games available for everyone is the best way to sustain and grow your business. Teams from the NBA and NHL have started to shift some or most games to over the air broadcasts with much success. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have more than doubled their TV viewership over last year shifting to a VHF station. https://www.ktnv.com/news/golden-knights/vegas-golden-knights-tv-ratings-more-than-double-from-last-season-with-scripps-sports-new-data-reveals The Sox were greedy and stupid shifting all games off of WGN. In a generation, they will be lucky to draw over 1 million fans if they continue down this path, and they will blame everyone on Earth except themselves for what they had wrought.

Yes and no

Greg...news bulletin: the pronounced shift defensive alignment is out.

White Sox are too high

Based solely on the info provided in the post, I am gruntled.

November 2, 1993 - Sox pitcher “Black” Jack McDowell easily captured the American League Cy Young Award. He beat out Randy Johnson. McDowell went 22-10 with a 3.37 ERA. He led the league in wins and shutouts. He was second in innings pitched and third in complete games. Jack got 124 points to Johnson’s 75. From 1990 through 1994 Jack won more games than any pitcher in the American League, 73 to be exact.

I always wished my second World Series parade would be in Chicago again... But taking my youngest son to his first parade (my oldest got to go in 2005) will be special.

The Sox were ranked #2 in the 2022 version of these power rankings. So in conclusion: these lists are fucking stupid. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32515195/way-too-early-2022-mlb-power-rankings

There were a ton of misses with the rebuild, but la Russa over bochy really sent things downhill. He's the best manager of the past 50 years and it's not close.

Good teams can lose their best RH hitter and barely skip a beat. Congrats to the Rangers for doing a rebuild the right way and convincing a HOF manager to join them in their journey. Reinsdorf should be ashamed of how he operates things. Every year he is proven again to be a farce of an owner.

RF: Michael Conforto (0.7) / Gavin Sheets (-1.4) + 2.1 2B: Whit Merrifield (0.8) / Elvis Andrus (0.6) + 0.2 C : Austin Hedges (-0.1) / Yasmani Grandal (-0.7) + 0.6 SP: Lucas Giolito (-1.2) / Lucas Giolito (2.8) - 1.6 SP: Jack Flaherty (-0.5) / Mike Clevinger (2.2) -1.7 So basically, we would be LOSING 0.4 WAR with these 5 signings depending on how you hash it out.

You are such a lame idiot. Can't stand your posts

Im not diving into the Kim Ng good or not debate, all I am saying is if you're a fan of the Chicago White Sox you really shouldn't be scoffing at someone else's playoff appearance count.

The White Sox have been around since 1901, that's 122 years. We have made the playoffs 11 times in that 122 year span. While playoffs have slowly expanded over that time frame, there is no Sox fan that should be calling making the playoffs unimpressive.

If the White Sox signed all 5 of those players, they would be adding a whopping 1.1 bWAR to their 100 loss team. Aint no way they improve by 15 games with those guys, none.

They improve 15 games, they win 76. That;s a good year for Rick Hahn, but really no one else.

Just like Alyssa with the Giants might be a fine major league manager one day, but the comfort level with a veteran guy like Bochy or Melvin is almost always going to trump taking a bigger risk with a female. We're overcorrecting for Ng, and undervaluing those who have no track record (yet) at the highest level because they've never had the opportunity to prove they can't get the job done just as well or better, largely because of inherent and long lasting biases prevalent within the industry. Same reason 90%+ of new age GMs have quite similarly elite academic backgrounds, for example.

They had 20% of the list last year and he’s worse now than when he was with the Sox. Does Garfein think shortstop and third base don’t need fixing? Left field is solid? There are too many holes on this team. They are not getting filled.

If they could have landed Harper and Wheeler I think it changes the fortunes of this franchise massively. Harper especially.

As much as I want to s%*# on the White Sox, there is just no way they take on all that money and give up meaningful prospects. If the White Sox acquire Salvador Perez, it will be with KC picking up at least half that tab and the White Sox sending some middling prospect. Anything more than that and its braindead management. I can stomach $10 million a year for 2 years of Perez even though its completely unnecessary for the state of this franchise.

The dumpster diving world which what the Sox generally do.

This team had a .329 winning percentage once they ditched Lynn, Giolito, Lopez, Graveman, and Kelly. We don't have the spend available to replace all of them. They went 18-37 from the trade deadline to the end of the season. Its a dire situation.

Ill wait to see what happens with the pitching staff, but as of now there is no way they don't lose 100 games again. The rotation is Cease and then your choice of four other 5+ ERA guys or rookies who weren't even performing well. There are no difference makers in the lineup outside of Luis Robert. This 26 man roster is Cease and Robert, and 24 replacement or worse level players. There is not enough money to fix every issue with this team, and they are bringing back to same manager who lead this disaster last season. If they sign a few competent starting pitchers, there is probably enough there to keep it in the 90-94 range. If the rotation is filled out with Kopech, Toussaint, Scholtens, etc. 100 losses is as close to a lock as it will get.

This is so hilariously spot on. The season was a disaster Pedro, what are you going to do? Well, I need to replace all these bums I hired. lol. Im sorry, but there is no justification what so ever to bring back a manager that lost 100 games in a season where the organization expected to contend. It just can't happen. Especially when they are about to go out and lose 90-100 again next season, and Pedro will almost surely be fired when that happens. Its a waste of time.

Oh man, if you think this is rock bottom wait until next season. They have so many holes to fill and wont be spending the money to do it. They are not going to be able to improve a 100 loss roster. We haven't seen rock bottom yet.

I don't want to put in the effort to find this answer, so maybe someone else wants to, but when is the last time a team expected to contend for a World Series lost 100 games and didn't replace their manager? Has this EVER happened?

They already said they’re bringing back Grifol sadly

lol yeah ok Len, Snell is going to skip a start against the White Sox to try and preserve his league leading ERA.

Even with Moncada, his last 28 days of .337 / .382 / .972 gives me some hope that maybe he can be good again and if so, hes a very trade-able asset at the deadline next season. But it would be so fitting to trade Moncada to KC for Perez while Moncada puts up a 5 WAR season and KC moves him for some high level prospect(s) at the deadline while we have Perez doing his best Grandal impression and on the books for 22 million in 2025.