Highland

Could Elvis be at second base in 2023?

I would like Abreu to stay, but Vaughn needs to be moved to first base. Normally Jose could stay as a DH, but the team is loaded with DHs. Either way, Jose would not stay with the Sox more than one season. Tough decision, but it has to be made. Do it now rather than later.

The image of Tony LaRussa announcing his own retirement has to be a kick in the teeth to Jerry Reinsdorf. He brought back LaRussa to make up for the 1986 firing, only to see LaRussa leave now in a more embarrassing way. As a result, the organization's credibility is at a real low, lower than after the 1994 strike, lower than after the 1997 White Flag Trade. So, what does JR do now?

Liam looking like this, Lynn limping all over the infield, Kopech getting knee surgery. So White Sox.

Kopech came up from the minors in August 2018. Since then, he has logged in a little of 200 innings. I don't know how much the Sox can count on him in 2023. I have never agreed with how his development has been handled.

Hahn needs to go, but the problems go beyond him. Since the Reinsdorf-Einhorn group bought the team, there has been a familiar pattern. The team is losing, they get a group of good young players, and add some veterans. They get good, maybe even win a division. Then things go sour. Some injuries, a bad trade or two, some players age. Back to losing. With the exception of 2005, no World Series. Except for 2005, no playoff series won. The franchise needs to do some real self-examination, but I doubt that will happen. Okay, so LaRussa leaves, then what? Right now, they have two pitchers with knee problems. Is it truly back to losing?

I'd put him in the spot where he almost destroyed a franchise. Screw the stadium deal. That stadium was not built for the average fan, and, when it opened, looked like a giant toilet bowl.

Lynn was having trouble with his knee late in the game. Could barely get over to cover first.

I only hope the White Sox do a professional search for a manager. I've seen some employers spend more time hiring a minimum wage worker than the Sox when hiring a manager for a major league baseball team.

Cease and Robert are the only untouchables. I'd consider any other offers, but I still don't think there is a short-term solution to the White Sox. At least get a right-fielder and go from there.

I'll believe it when I see it. But the FO can't go into the offseason taking it for granted.

Sullivan isn't telling us what we don't know already. But what I briefly read from this arrogant guy is true. This organization is lacking and hoping for everyone to come back healthy isn't a solution. And making changes won't be easy.

This latest streak has demonstrated a few things. Yes, injuries hurt this team. But I also think many of us over-estimated this team. The White Sox are average at best, and, if they keep playing the string out like this, they will be below average. A healthy 2023 team does not guarantee a winning season. FO needs to face up to that. The fans have.

Your analysis is interesting although KW made some weird acquisitions of his own. Yet, the period from 2000-2006 was highly successful. Three 90-plus win seasons with only one since then. I never fully understood why the team lost momentum after that. Williams has still been part of the organization during the last 10 bad years. I have no idea what his influence is, but he's been there. There is plenty of blame to go around the whole organization. Big changes have to come in this off-season, or the team will continue to lose credibility.

Losing isn't the worst thing a team can do. Quitting is, and there is no reason for a fan to go out to the ballpark or have any sense of pride regarding this team.

I can't believe they would do another rebuild, but this is the White Sox.

Something like this should have happened at the end of the 2011 season after the Ozzie fiasco. The memories of the 2005 Series were beginning to get hazy, and the franchise needed to head off in a new direction. Instead, they gave the manager's job to Robin Ventura in a truly dumb move. Otherwise, what you propose makes complete sense, but also like you said, it will never happen. Meanwhile, the franchise loses more credibility every day.

The fact that there is a debate about LaRussa is amazing. I can't imagine fans wanting to spend hard-earned money to go the ballpark knowing that LaRussa is the dugout. This just shows how bad things are in this organization. Do they want another year of weird decisions and slurred press conferences?

I'm not surprised at this. This season was an absolute joke. It is one thing to be a disappointment. It is another to embarrass yourselves and your fans with the nonsense of the 2022 season. This is a new low for the franchise. I wonder if anyone in the FO realizes it.

I don't know what to say about the future when the current power structure remains in control. They have to know that LaRussa was a mistake, but I don't know if they will admit that to themselves. Right now, the fan confidence is at a real low. You can't expect fans to keep buying into the rebuild if dramatic changes aren't made this off season. In a way, missing the playoffs isn't that big a deal. The Sox usually do not go the post season, so this isn't a new feeling. For me, it is the feeling this organization doesn't have the know-how to turn things around leaving a bleak future. As a Sox fan, I've been through a lot of bad stuff. The 106-loss 1970 season. Disco Demolition. The 1994 strike. 1997 White Flag Trade. Ozzie over-staying his visit. But I think this is the worst. There is something very, very wrong here. If the FO remains in denial, it will only worsen, and the idea of the post-season will only be a fantasy.

I have been a Sox fan for many years and have had many disappointments. 2022 is the absolute worst. This organization is brainless. Cease should have at least 4 more wins. This team is an utter disgrace. 0-6 homestand with playoffs on the line. Choke. 2023 doesn't look any better. Aah, there's nothing like a rebuild.

This is exactly what this announcement is: face saving. The hire was a disaster from the beginning. The Sox had no intention of bringing LaRussa back this season. The whole thing was a fiasco. And this is why so many have little faith in this FO turning this team around. Meanwhile, the team will still have Hahn, still have Williams, still have a dugout full of coaches who don't know what they're doing. Not looking forward to this off season.

I agree. This player should never have been on the field. This is just negligence and risking the future of a promising player. This organization is beyond bad, and there is no credibility whatsoever. Someone should tell JR he doesn't know everything.

I don't want to speculate because I have so little faith in the organization. So many things need to change that a simple hiring won't have much of an impact. Just so it isn't LaRussa or Cairo.

Yes, and this is just an indication of how this situation was botched. This team is so poorly run and needs a strong manager in the dugout badly. Preferably, a manager with experience and no ties to the White Sox.