When will the Sox be competitive again?

[thxfrthmmrs]

We now have plenty of exciting young players throughout the system, which is freshing given the state of the franchise as recent has 12 months ago. But the players aren't all on the same timeline, and by the time the lower level guys reach the majors, some of the young guys on the big league might be traded or leaves via FA. Given that, when do you think the Sox could be competitive again (and ideally making splash in FA to supplement our farm)?

 

I've broken down each year by not the prospects arriving, but the year that they would likely start making impact. I didn't research the FA crop for each upcoming year, but if we land a big fish like Machado in an offseason, it will definitely accelerate the rebuild.

 

Core young players currently on ML team: Rodon, Anderson, Avi?, and perhaps one of Davidson, Saladino, Sachez, and Leury

 

2018 - Moncada, Lopez, Delmonico

 

2019 - Kopech, Burdi, Giolito, and Fulmer, Guerrero, Stephens

 

2020 - Robert, Collins, Adams, Burger, Jimenez, Cease, Hansen, Dunning

 

2021 - Seth Beer, Adolfo, Flores, Nunez, others

[Jose Abreu]

Throughout the rebuild, I've always thought that we'll be competitive sooner than most think due to the current positions of our prospects.

 

My guess:

2017- 60 to 70 wins

2018- 75ish wins

2019- 80 to 87 wins, potential WC berth

2020- 90+ wins, beginning of true contending period

Edited July 13, 2017 by Jose Abreu

[joejoedairy]

I think we'll have a fun and competitive year next season as the young guys come up and start to contribute but fall short of the playoffs.

 

But I think we'll be in the playoffs in 2019

 

 

[WBWSF]

Maybe 2021. Hopefully we have a new owner by then.

[Panerista]

Maybe 2021. Hopefully we have a new owner by then.

That's ridiculous. These prospects put us in a position to be competitive by 2020 with signs in 2018, 2019.

[KnightsOnMintSt]

2018 we'll be fun to watch with Moncada, Lopez, Fulmer and Burdi most likely up. However, I don't see the playoffs at all next year.

 

I think in 2019 we can be competitive. All 4 of those guys will be up, as well as Kopech, Giolito and Stephens potentially.

 

2020 is when we should be competing for the division. All of our top guys should be up by then. However, it'll still be a really young group.

[thxfrthmmrs]

I think we'll have a fun and competitive year next season as the young guys come up and start to contribute but fall short of the playoffs.

 

But I think we'll be in the playoffs in 2019

 

I think we will be good (slightly better than the .500 mark) by 2019, but to be a playoff team then, we either need to sign a couple of high profile free agents, or a couple of the young guys develop into stars by then.

[ChiSox59]

2020. They should tank hard the rest of 17 and 18.

 

Try to be respectable by 2019. By 2020, we need to be good.

[southsider2k5]

I think 2020 is when we hit .500 again.

[southsider2k5]

Throughout the rebuild, I've always thought that we'll be competitive sooner than most think due to the current positions of our prospects.

 

My guess:

2017- 60 to 70 wins

2018- 75ish wins

2019- 80 to 87 wins, potential WC berth

2020- 90+ wins, beginning of true contending period

 

2018 may well be worse than 2017.

[Panerista]

I think 2020 is when we hit .500 again.

World Series if we hate .500 as a team

 

har har. I get what you're saying

[flavum]

2020- 88+ wins

 

2017- 67 wins

2018- 63 wins

2019- 77 wins, but 2nd half show they're going to be good

[Bob Sacamano]

2020 seems completely optimistic. Some of these guys will only be 22 at that point maybe making their MLB debuts. I'm thinking closer to 2022.

[he gone.]

I picked 2019. Unlike most posters you actually took the conservative route with these pitchers/batters. I feel like Giolito will be up in 2018 and probably even this year. Kopech as well.

 

The key to me will be a FA to bolster the team.

 

The downside thus far are the Basabe's, Collins, Call, etc. etc really haven't been lighting the world on fire. Hopefully some of them find stride but right now it's the pitching that has me most excited.

 

For some reason we really know how to churn out guys and I think that Cease can probably be added to that list. Hopefully in a few years we're in a situation like the Rays are now where they have excess pitching in De Leon, Faria, Snell and Honeywell sitting and waiting to be called up while they have Archer, Odorizzi, etc. etc. pitching in the majors. They are at a point where this offseason (probably not mid season since they're playing well), but this offseason they can trade Archer for some nice bats and be a real force. Hopefully that's us with Rodon in a few years.

 

 

 

 

[Lip Man 1]

I still feel 2020 is the target date.

[Dick Allen]

2020 is my guess. When they rebuilt in the late 80s, the goal was to be ready when the new park opened in 1991. They beat it by a year. With a few breaks, maybe they do it again.

[witesoxfan]

What they're also doing is positioning themselves to have players, in a best case scenario, to fill every spot on the diamond. The odds of a best case scenario are slim to none. They'll have an idea after 2018 where they can splurge in free agency. Jon Lester signed with the Cubs after a season in which they went 73-89. I think the Sox will be active in free agency following next season, so long as the right pieces are on the market.

[thxfrthmmrs]

What they're also doing is positioning themselves to have players, in a best case scenario, to fill every spot on the diamond. The odds of a best case scenario are slim to none. They'll have an idea after 2018 where they can splurge in free agency. Jon Lester signed with the Cubs after a season in which they went 73-89. I think the Sox will be active in free agency following next season, so long as the right pieces are on the market.

 

Agreed. In the 2017/18 class Hosmer may be the only player I would go near as a long term. I suspect we should make a couple of savvy buy low signings and flip by the deadline to continue building the farm.

 

But boy, the 2018/19 class... Harper and Kershaw are pipedreams but at the same time I wouldn't go after for various reasons. But we may have enough room to get both Machado and/or AJ Pollock. Adding two stars in their prime to an already deep group of young players, this team could be the favorite in this division for the 5 years after that.

[nickofypres]

Next year is probably going to be a tank year. So maybe by 2019 they start to add in more of the some of the younger guys, and then by 2020 try to go for a WC.

[southsider2k5]

Next year is probably going to be a tank year. So maybe by 2019 they start to add in more of the some of the younger guys, and then by 2020 try to go for a WC.

 

Next year will be the worst year in the rebuild, no doubt in my mind. There are still a number of decent vets who are filling positions who will not be here next year.

[Dam8610]

I'd say 2020, but I also think they're going to have to be players in the post 2018 free agency class to make that happen. Hopefully everything breaks right developmentally with the current crop of prospects as well as the 2018 and 2019 Top 5 selections. If that's the case, competitiveness in 2020 will become dominance by 2022 or 2023.

[Bigsoxhurt35]

Competitive-2019, Contenders -2020 if all things go right.

[TheTruth05]

Soxtober 2019 and beyond

[Boopa1219]

2021.

 

I think the Sox are really going to really take it on the chin the next ccouple of years. I think they'll for sure end up with a top three pick in the 2019 draft and a top ten pick in the 2020.