South Side Hit Men

Baines has a 38.7 rWAR, played until he was 42 and still was far removed from 3,000 hits yet he is in. If Altuve retires today, he is still a better HOF candidate than Harold Baines, with a 35.7 JAWS and 41st all time among 2B vs. Harold Baines' 30.1 JAWS, 74th among RFs. Shin-Soo Choo and Brian Jordan are better qualified and nobody thinks of them as Hall of Fame players either.

2020 White Sox Manager Rick Renteria stood with Tim Anderson 2021 White Sox Manager Tony LaRussa kneels on Tim Anderson's neck. Yesterday Today Tony LaRussa Yesterday, Today and Forever

Tony LaRussa demands his cheaters are inducted, Jerry will make it happen. In fact, LaRussa himself was a cheater from his first job until his last, will sully the 2021 White Sox if he's alive and manager by the time the team takes the field.

The one factor both Grandal and McCann fans/Stans fail to acknowledge is the fact that for a mid level payroll team like the White Sox ($120M-$140M), a high priced offense producing catcher is a luxury the team cannot afford. Even if Grandal gives you similar production in his final three seasons as to when he was in his prime, he is taking up $18M or around 15% of the payroll, with 25 others on the roster. On a $200M team, it's a more reasonable 9% payroll committment. The Sox would be far better off having say Pederson/Bradley Jr. in RF, Schwarber in LF and Jimenez at DH (or Pederson/Bradley Jr., Jimenez and Vaughn if he's ready) and a solid defensive catching team ($4-5M each). The team wasted $18M last year on two much easier positions to fill (Parrot and Mazara), and Eaton will likely produce the same as Mazara next year. This is why I opposed the Grandal signing last year (Keuchel was the only signing I liked), and why I am glad the Sox never came close to signing Machado or Harper. I also support passing on Springer or Bauer, unless they plan on significantly and permanently increasing their annual payroll by the equivalent amount. There is no evidence that is their intention.

Wirtz just wants another year of interest free use of your money. I’d say the chance of indoor stadiums reopening to fans in Chicago in February are close to nil. In terms of baseball, the owners would prefer little to no regular season, since they pay the players relatively nothing in the playoffs and make increased revenue simultaneously. I hope the players walk out in August or September in preparation for the CBA negotiations, and the WS is cancelled if the owners pull the same shit as last year and cancel a majority of the regular season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next WS is in 2023 between COVID and the CBA.

Thanks for your post and welcome to Soxtalk. Sorry to read about your friend’s tragic death. Some claim here boycotts are fake, and people saying they are boycotting had no plans to go to White Sox games. My most recent Sox game was in early March 2020 in Arizona, two weeks before the lockdown. I planned to go to many games here last year until COVID restrictions killed that possibility. Planned on returning to AZ and Comiskey Park II next year, until this hire as news of the Sox owner’s disregard over his arrest. I’ll listen to games with Len Kasper and Chris Singleton, and watch the free game summary videos on mlb.com until LaRussa is gone. Since I live in Chicago, I want the team to address how Tony LaRussa will travel within in the city, to allow residents here to take necessary precautions when LaRussa is in town.

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/free-agent-tracker According to fangraphs, the White Sox are paying Lance Lynn $2.82M per projected 2021 fWAR ($9.333M / 3.3), and Adam Eaton $5.0M ($8.0M (includes buyout) / 1.6). For the three remaining positions the White Sox may consider adding (OF/DH; SP & RP), below are the best value picks in terms of $s per fWAR at each (Minimum 1.0 fWAR for OF/SP & 0.5 fWAR for RP). Outfielders / Designated Hitters (1.2 + Projected fWAR) ranked by $ per 2021 projected fWAR $3.5M Kyle Schwarber (LF/DH - No projected contract, $7M AAV my estimate) $4.2M Joc Pederson (RF) $4.7M Jurickson Profar (2B/LF) $5.0M Eddie Rosario (LF - No projected contract, $7M AAV my estimate)) $5.5M George Springer (CF) $6.0M Marcell Ozuna (DH/LF) $7.1M Jackie Bradley Jr. (CF/RF) $7.9M Michael Brantley (DH/LF) Starting Pitchers (1.2 + Projected fWAR) ranked by $ per projected fWAR $3.3M Matt Shoemaker $3.8M Brett Anderson $4.2M Chris Archer $4.6M Corey Kluber $5.3M Garrett Richards $5.4M Adam Wainwright $5.8M Rick Porcello $5.9M Jose Quintana $6.0M Masahiro Tanaka $6.3M James Paxton $7.2M Jake Ordorizzi $7.5M Taijuan Walker $7.6M Trevor Bauer $9.3M J. A. Happ Relief Pitchers (Ranked by projected fWAR - projected contract value included if presented) 1.1 Liam Hendricks ($12M) 0.6 Kirby Yates ($7M) 0.5 Blake Treinen ($8M) 0.5 Trevor Rosenthal ($6.5M) 0.4 David Robertson 0.4 Brad Hand ($9M) 0.4 Andrew Chafin 0.4 Justin Wilson ($5.3M) 0.4 Colin McHugh 0.4 Joakim Soria ($7M) 0.3 Keone Kela 0.3 Jake McGee ($5M) Alex Colome has a 0.1 projected fWAR and $16M/2yr ($8M AAV) projected contract.

Las Vegas Westgate odds from last week: 2021 American League Pennant (teams under 10/1) New York Yankees+275 Tampa Bay Rays+575 Chicago White Sox+650 Minnesota Twins+700 Oakland Athletics+825 Houston Astros+900 2021 World Series (teams under 20/1) Los Angeles Dodgers+425 New York Yankees+550 Atlanta Braves+1000 Tampa Bay Rays+1200 San Diego Padres+1300 Chicago White Sox+1500 Minnesota Twins+1500 Houston Astros+1800 New York Mets+1800 Oakland Athletics+1800

Theo Epstein President Managing Partner, backed by billionaires who aren't pinching pennies and clipping coupons at age 86. There is a lot of money out there willing to back this.

I’m ok with an average of one inductee per year average. A majority of veterans committee inductees were mistakes/reaches, diluting the quality over the years. Many were crony picks, through Baines. The BBHOF should be reserved for the best players in each generation, 12-15 at each position (100), 60 starters and maybe 5-10 relievers over the first 150 years of professional baseball. The other three sports HOFs are even more diluted, don’t want to continue trending in that direction.

I’m with you, Engel is more than capable of starting vs. LHP and a few dozen vs. RHP. I’m also fine with Garcia rotating between OF and IF and playing a significant number of games. I fear our manager will play Eaton regardless of performance and/or regularly against LHP. I hope Eaton performs well in a platoon role, may help keep him healthy as well, but he’ll pressure Tony to play him every day since he is playing for his next contract. Based on limited reporting / data from 2020, only the White Sox FO truly knows what their plans for Vaughn are in terms of a promotion and expected number of games in the ML. If Vaughn is truly ready and can be expected to be promoted within the first few weeks, the roster configuration is what it is, though not ideal defensively or for Eloy’s health. Overall the offense should again perform well, outside of considering a defense first backup catcher to help Grandal’s load, every available dollar should be spent on RP and or perhaps 1 more SP.

Current needs: Closer Legitimate Starting RF Legitimate Starting LF (Eloy to DH) Legitimate Backup Catcher Legitimate 21st Century Manager New Owner Current wants: 1 or 2 more starters

Karen, Please!

The Atlanta Baseball Team and their racist ritual enacted under Ted Turner and Jane Fonda’s ownership reign needs to be axed next. The Chicago Hockey team must also change its team name and racist merchandising. Teams will continue to fight this because they make millions merchandising these racist caricatures, and fear their Karen fan base would pitch a hissy fit, and dare I say it, take a knee in protest.

2. My point covers fans reactions, not whether he is an addict or not. Nobody beyond perhaps his wife knows whether he is an alcoholic or just an arrogant person who doesn't give a shit if he drinks and drives and any consequences, he knows enablers like Jerry will always bail him out. He could quite possibly be both. 3. Explain this quote:

Tony does have a serious problem, and he should spend his time and efforts working full time on it instead of managing a baseball team a decade removed from the role at the age of 76. If he would have sincerely changed his behavior after his first arrest, and did what he claimed he would do which was to ensure this would never happen again, he would not be facing the same level of criticism. Ironic how Tony's defenders are pulling out the victim card. Explain how Tony's dumb ass is screwed for life if he is out of baseball? He really needs to work for a living at 76 after taking tens of millions over the years? If so, he is a bigger idiot than the comments he has spewed over the decades.

Not to mention the alcohol / drunk driving culture of Tony LaRussa participated in, condoned and inspired in Saint Louis, resulting in the death of Josh Hancock. With Tony's second DUI arrest coming when he was with Anaheim in yet another crony job, the club dealing with the recent substance death with criminal charges against a club employee the previous season. Tony called Jerry from his jail cell to ask for Jerry to give him a job, knowing his would be finished in Anaheim, which Jerry immediately did. How many times did cops let Tony off because he is "a legit hall of famer"? How many times did Tony drive drunk without getting caught? Any hit and run accidents with damage to property and or people?

This or the Prince Symbol. And when the White Sox club home runs off their pitching, I want the last minute of this clip on the Jumbotron.

Again, if you are unwilling to understand and/or acknowledge statistics in context, then there isn't anything else to say to you on this subject other than to close with this: Thank you Juiced Ball!: 2019 Nomar Mazara 116 G; 19 HR, .786 OPS 2019 Adam Eaton 151 G, 15 HR, .792 OPS

Let's try this again. This is not even remotely accurate. Eaton had a 6.6 bWAR (5.9fWAR), and averaged a 5.2 bWAR (4.4 fWAR) with the White Sox. That is the type of production which caused Mike Rizzo to overreach in this trade. 2019 Adam Eaton is 1.5 bWAR / 2.3 fWAR player. No team is giving up those prospects for him. In fact, no team was willing to give anything beyond a $8.0M deal. Adam Eaton's 2019 was barely above league average (104 OPS+), with the White Sox it averaged +120. The 2019 counting stats were heavily influenced by the crazy juiced ball which crazily inflated most player's stats. When the ball returned to normal last season, Eaton did as well. Dick Allen (.292 / .378 / .534) would be a below average BA hitter with power if you compared his stats to the average 1930 ballplayer (.296 / .356 / .434). However, putting stats into the proiper context, and accounting for the severely depressed offensive output in the 1960s results in Allen's 156 OPS+, 62 points higher than the average 1930 hitter w/ OPS + of 94.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/white-sox/report-white-sox-manager-tony-la-russa-enters-plea-deal-dui-charges According to the report, La Russa will have to pay a $1,383 fine, all incarceration costs, and will have to complete 20 hours of community service. La Russa will have a change of plea hearing on Dec. 21, The Athletic says. On that date it will also be determined whether or not La Russa has to serve any jail time. La Russa has not spoken publicly since news of his arrest first broke in November. So in Bob Nightengale speak, if jail time for a DUI conviction equates to missing time at work due to the flu, does no jail time mean Tony's criminal conviction equate to a case of the hiccups or acid reflux? Anxiously awaiting Steve Stone's tweets on the subject. Still holding out hope his arrest video and police reports will be fully posted in the near future. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/tony-larussa-dui-arrest

More pizza for Kunta.

Millionaire / Billionaire Justice. I hope Canada bans Tony's ass anyway, if baseball is ever played there again while he is manager. Law and order for thee, not for me.

This is all tracked online, updated regularly. The White Sox' payroll in 2020 was $128.2M, of which Jerry only paid out $50.2M. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QdJEFEHa6YbLrnNhI7Z3DCZwOEycKPNVVMnkI_eN8zU/edit#gid=1520401900 Currently, the White Sox payroll including projected arbitration cases and transactions this week is at $113.6M, $14.6M less than last year's projected payroll, $60.4M more than what Jerry actually paid out last year. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C4dU46AiC_pt1GtzakmASUg9UD_UnpG32kdRZ3clOnk/edit#gid=1520401900 The open question is what the hell did that idiot mean (Bruce Levine) when he said the Sox had $30M to spend. The more intelligent way to report this is approximately how much more do the White Sox have to spend at this juncture of the off-season, after Lynn and the Adam "Drake LaRoche is my leader" Eaton were brought in this week.