spiderman

Jake Burger to Texas for 3 minor leaguers.

This guy was ok for the Cubs last year, but at 34 years old, he is unlikely to repeat that. I guess I just don't see the value in spending a dime on players like this. They should let Fletcher play, stop with the older end of the bench types

Are teams likely to give up top 100 offensive prospects this off-season? I don't think the White Sox should focus on specific positions as much as acquiring top talent so hopefully Getz won't settle for less talent because he wants a RF (as an example). I think they would want 2 top prospects but not sure if that will be doable

Obviously, injuries and performing less than expected could happen for any of the White Sox top prospects. We're seeing some concerns with Montgomery which is a huge concern given how thin the White Sox hitting prospects are, but, if they want to build around pitching, they need to develop all of these prospects and keep drafting them high to have more in the pipeline since they won't pay anyone who's good and we're only have any good young pitchers for 3-4 seasons before financial decisions are made. But....if they can develop pitching....big IF, but they do have talent AND they complement the offense with a mixture of young talent and veteran free agents (another big IF, AND probably won't add much this off-season), they can compete. Whether they win or stay competitive would depend on the health and success of their player development. There's no long-term strategy that is likely to be successful though if they aren't willing to spend on their own talent and impactful free agents. They are giving a false impression that they should only build through the minors...that's fine, and can be sustainable, but it's also near impossible to do for more than short stretches.

It's hard to have much confidence in the upside of several of these guys, but they have definitely improved the depth of available starting pitchers. Obviously, Schultz, Thorpe and Hagen (excluding Crochet because they are highly likely to trade him for an offensive player) are all projected to be top half of the rotation starters so this team is pretty loaded with options, but all of this is prospect humping for now. I do expect Cannon and Martin to be favorites for rotation spots to open next season along Thorpe. I am hoping that Hagen and Schultz are not part of the roster until at least May for contractual reasons (Hagen is not even a probability to pitch next season in the majors, there's just a chance he'll be here quick). I will give them credit though for rebuilding the young pitching on this roster although some of these guys will clearly not work out. It's just much better depth than they have had in recent memory.

White Sox rotation options for next season Missing anyone? Lots more depth, good overall potential, but probably 2 years away from being competitive with upside - Crochet (but likely to be traded)..maybe a player they receive in a trade for him. - Thorpe - Cannon - D.Martin - Sean Burke / Ky Bush / Nastrini/Eder - Schultz (after May) - Hagen Smith (maybe later in 2024) - Flexen (or some similar veteran)

Yep, play Vargas everyday also. He's probably going to be a starter next season at 3B (or moving him around some), but agree with your list.

Yeah, that's my concern for this upcoming off-season. More of these "veteran" type options to fill out a lineup and be leaders, etc. when, in reality, you're signing mediocre backup players and putting them in key roles. Again, I understand....to a point, why they wouldn't be signing players of any significance to big money deals next year IF they are expecting to lose 100 games....at the same time, I struggle with settling. I'm just asking that they (without knowing the actual free agent market) would consider adding players to begin to get the team moving in the right direction. You can do that without mortgaging the future.

I don't see the point of playing him with 20 games left. Just tell him to rest up and get ready for next season. Even if he plays DH and hits a HR or two, that doesn't change anything. He's been a bust and won't be here. They should prioritize playing time to Ramos and Baldwin...I guess I don't care if he plays over Sosa or Lopez, but I don't see any scenario where Moncada is back even if it's a minor league deal. I think they need to move on.

Has he said that? Technically, yes. They will probably sign a veteran starter or two that will be the equivalent of Flexen or Fedde. Guys that can't throw innings and/or who they think have a potential upside, but on team friendly 1 year deals preferably. I would think upgrading the offense with more than slap hitting fringe MLB options would be a priority, but they may sell us on guys like Quero and Montgomery being difference makers who will do that. I understand, to a point, that they don't want to spend big money on free agency in a year where they are still in full blown rebuilding mode, but things are so bad right now, if there's a player they can acquire who is not 30+, but is more in that 25-27 range who won't cost them upper end money (which eliminates them already), they should be looking to add players.

Yeah, I would be surprised if they spent this off-season. Without knowing who is available in trade or free agency, I think they should consider adding anyone who is younger and can contribute to the MLB roster. That may require them to spend money which would be a tall ask, but if there version of improvement is trading for more slap hitters with low upside who they hope can contribute, we're going to be in deep trouble again next off-season. I really struggle with this team telling us they need 3-5 years to rebuild. That shouldn't be acceptable.

My guess is that they will treat this off-season similar to this past one. Look for "value" signings on 1 year type deals and move any that produce at the trade deadline. Maybe the young pitching develops into a strength and we end the season feeling like the starting rotation will be ready to win in 2026, but unless they pivot to some degree, I really don't see them spending big (ever under current ownership), but next year even moreso.

Is there any reason to suspect that the White Sox will be an active player in free agency? Not signing cast-offs, but actual impact type players? Does a season this awful alter the outlook of the organization? Continue to build via the minor league system, but you can't have the worst major league team in history as a result. That doesn't seem like an unreasonable balance to strike.

The White Sox already eliminated him from candidacy since he's not currently in uniform. Obviously short-sighted. If Francona wants to return to managing, he'll have options. Even if the White Sox changed their minds, why would we expect the them to be more attractive than other options?

So he can't hit, doesn't know basic fundamentals.....everything is falling into place. I can see him sticking around awhile.

Given the lack of player development, it's still ridiculous that Getz got this job. It's just another example of how bad this organization is. I don't think it's a reach to suggest a team that is about to lose 120 games should clean house, including the GM, but in this organization, it's Getz's job until Reinsdorf sells the team.

Ah, thanks...I didn't realize that.

It's so bad...and it doesn't have to be, but ownership is worse than the current roster

72-90 would mean massive improvement over the current product. They need to be able to score 3-4 runs consistently, not the 0-2 runs they are doing way too often AND their young pitching would need to be reliable for them to make a significant jump. Assuming they rely primarily on rookie/young unproven MLB talent again next season, it's hard to see them not losing at least 100 games, even with some improvement. They would need to surprise us with something unexpected like keeping Crochet and Robert (while getting them performing at all-star levels), making an unexpected significant addition or their young players avoiding rookie development

Why wouldn't they just keep them both with the roster expanded? At this point...none of this matters I guess.

Yep, can't disagree. If they are going to sell us on being a small market team, they need to develop talent everywhere, not just left handed pitchers. Else they will be a continuous uncompetitive team. White Sox should be doing both though - spending and developing,

If their offense could score 3-4 runs (still not enough) vs. 0-3 most days next season, that is their best path towards being around 100 losses vs. 120 assuming their young pitching is able to keep them in most games. I do agree that I would guess another 2-3 1 year type deals for an OF, maybe a 3B type and another 1-2 starting pitchers to compete next season. That's probably it, but they should be spending. I'm not holding my breath on that happening though and, even when they do, it will be with handcuffs. I would not start the season with any of their young players and would manipulate service time.

Any ideas on who they would spend $$ on if they trade Crochet?

That's the flaw in this "rebuild". If Noah Schultz, Drew Thorpe or Hagan Smith work out, we'll be talking about trading them in 2-3 years as well. I'm not sure how sustainable building a team around pitching that will be traded if they are good will be.

Yeah, if their plan is to sign guys like DeJong, trade for borderline MLB backups like Lopez, Fletcher, etc., there's no reason to see this improving. If they trade their best offensive weapon in Robert, and then lean on guys like Montgomery/Quero, just seems like we are asking too much of them early on. Barfield says they need to address (improve) the offense. Just not sure I'm understanding how they plan on doing this without impacting their pitching and not spending money. It's hard to be a White Sox fan.