What Now?

[WBWSF]

This 2019 season is starting to look like one of  the worse seasons in White Sox history. I would like to think something will be done to try and change this.  Some people (including myself) would love to see new ownership. Others would like to see Hahn and Renteria gone. It doesn't look like any of that will happen. I would think that Dylan Cease will be called up soon. This starting pitching staff can't get anybody out. I don't see the harm of bringing up Cease. If he is called up and succeeds in getting people  out, you keep him up here. Nobody else can get anybody out, I say bring him up.

[ChiSox59]

1 minute ago, WBWSF said:

This 2019 season is starting to look like one of  the worse seasons in White Sox history. I would like to think something will be done to try and change this.  Some people (including myself) would love to see new ownership. Others would like to see Hahn and Renteria gone. It doesn't look like any of that will happen. I would think that Dylan Cease will be called up soon. This starting pitching staff can't get anybody out. I don't see the harm of bringing up Cease. If he is called up and succeeds in getting people  out, you keep him up here. Nobody else can get anybody out, I say bring him up.

Cease will not be in Chicago until July at the earliest, and that is how it should be. 

[Moan4Yoan]

Nothing will happen.  It’s a Reinsdorf-owned team.  Everyone involved has jobs for life.

[Lillian]

Whether some of us agree, or not, ownership and management are not going to over react to the first to weeks of the season, played in miserable weather. They will stay the course, and make minor adjustments. I'm sure that they are encouraged by what they see from their young core. They have to be happy with the starts for Anderson, Moncada and even Eloy. Minor Leaguers Collins and Robert also have to reassure them that the rebuild is progressing, and everyone has to love Cease's first start, last night. Rebuilds take time and require lots of patience. Let's see how Giolito and Lopez look, after a couple more starts, hopefully in some decent baseball weather.

Edited April 11, 2019 by Lillian

[Moan4Yoan]

The weather excuse is so lame.  It apparently isn’t affecting the Sox opponent.

[Wanne]

at least we have the draft to look forward to...

[EvilJester99]

23 minutes ago, Harper2Sox said:

The weather excuse is so lame.  It apparently isn’t affecting the Sox opponent.

Especially since days prior were nice and the Sox still sucked. 

[justBLAZE]

Now? Cordell just hit for the cycle but no worries we get to watch Palka.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

The team should be a revolving door of guys over 26 on the fringe. Palka stinks send him down for Cordell who has some ,some speed, and can field his position. Palka can do one thing and that's hit HR's. If he isn't doing that get you swing back together in AAA.

[fathom]

2 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

The team should be a revolving door of guys over 26 on the fringe. Palka stinks send him down for Cordell who has some ,some speed, and can field his position. Palka can do one thing and that's hit HR's. If he isn't doing that get you swing back together in AAA.

Yep especially since they will be seeing lefties this weekend.

[oldsox]

Would Palka make the Orioles roster?

[ron883]

We start a petition for you to become GM, @WBWSF

[soxfan49]

What now? You write another letter to Jerry

[wegner]

22 minutes ago, oldsox said:

Would Palka make the Orioles roster?

Palka was a nice little story last year but I see no reason to not give Cordell his at bats at this point.  I think I'd rather even see Tilson...Skinny Palka seems lost in the field and at the plate.

 

[poppysox]

Why not give Cordell the major league at bats over Palka?  Better hitter, better runner, better defensively & better arm.  I would think Cordell would have more trade value if he could show his wares.  Amazing how we give unlimited time  to some players while a Cordell actually does something and we send him down.  By the way...I actually like Palka and he seems like a nice guy...but he is lost at the plate.  Needs to find himself at AAA.

[Lillian]

The front office sees the same things that we do. They're likely already preparing to bring Cordell back up, after his quick start, both with the Sox and the Knights. Note that no one was clamoring for Cordell to be in the line up, before last nights 5 for 5, while hitting for the cycle and winning the game. Some of this criticism seems like "Monday morning quarterbacking". An organization which is filled with lots of good prospects is bound to have many instances where the right decisions will be difficult. Another case in point is that 3 of our top outfield prospects are all hitting around .100, at the top of the Baron's lineup. Time will sort out many of these kinds of anomalies. and issues.

However, it's also not prudent to hastily react to every game, or even series, in evaluating who should get playing time. The less of a track record a player has, the more difficult these decisions are. After last season, how many would have been so eager to send Palka back down to AAA? The guy had a good rookie year and came into camp 20 pounds lighter, and has worked hard on his defense, all of which could reasonably be expected to help him take another step forward. His slow start is disappointing. 

Few of these early performances, by various players, both good and bad, are not necessarily indicative of what we should expect, going forward. Robert and Collins are not going to hit 100 home runs each and Palka is not going to go 0 for 500. The point is simply that it's too early to conclude anything. I enjoy following all of these dynamic elements of the organization's roster, but I try not to over react to any of them. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Lillian

[hogan873]

I don't know if anything will happen due to this atrocious start.  I believe something needs to happen, but I have my doubts.  My biggest concern is that the starting pitching has been so bad.  The team is essentially out of it after the 3rd inning, and the bullpen is getting worn out.  I know all of these players are professionals, but this has to be affecting them.  Guys like Moncada, Anderson, and Jimenez that we have high hopes for, and why we watch the games, can be affected by the way the team is playing.  Just like good baseball, bad baseball is contagious.  And that's what we're seeing now.

Palka has no business being on this team.  Rebuild or not, he needs to go down to AAA.  I'd say Cordell has earned some more playing time.  Hell, Engel would be a better option right now.  Sanchez looks like a shadow of himself compared to last season.  I'd rather see Rondon getting more time in the field.

Someone probably needs to be fired.  Maybe it's too early, but if this continues most other teams would be making changes.  I just have a bad feeling that nothing will change.  The team will continue to struggle (a lot), and nothing will be done about it.  At the rate they're going, they will end up losing more than 100 games this year.

[Balta1701]

23 minutes ago, hogan873 said:

I don't know if anything will happen due to this atrocious start.  I believe something needs to happen, but I have my doubts.  My biggest concern is that the starting pitching has been so bad.  The team is essentially out of it after the 3rd inning, and the bullpen is getting worn out.  I know all of these players are professionals, but this has to be affecting them.  Guys like Moncada, Anderson, and Jimenez that we have high hopes for, and why we watch the games, can be affected by the way the team is playing.  Just like good baseball, bad baseball is contagious.  And that's what we're seeing now.

Palka has no business being on this team.  Rebuild or not, he needs to go down to AAA.  I'd say Cordell has earned some more playing time.  Hell, Engel would be a better option right now.  Sanchez looks like a shadow of himself compared to last season.  I'd rather see Rondon getting more time in the field.

Someone probably needs to be fired.  Maybe it's too early, but if this continues most other teams would be making changes.  I just have a bad feeling that nothing will change.  The team will continue to struggle (a lot), and nothing will be done about it.  At the rate they're going, they will end up losing more than 100 games this year.

I would say that it still seems too early to fire anyone for the poor start to this season, but a 10 game stretch is enough where you might want to start making changes around the periphery to give more playing time to people who are performing and to give guys who are struggling an opportunity to fix things. Palka in AAA and a shot for Cordell doesn't seem unreasonable right now, but as you note that does only a little bit to help the pitching staff. 

Right now with the pitching staff, all that is really practical is to improve the defense a little bit and hope, and then reevaluate once we've seen them for a few months. There are no real better options than that, we have to give the guys we acquired so far every possible chance to turn into something of value.

[Dick Allen]

The pitching is bad, but they aren't going to continue to give up 7 runs a game. So there will be some movement toward the mean. Guys like Palka, it should be short leash time. Give him the weekend. If he still doesn't have a hit, sorry Danny Boy it's Charlotte time. 

I get being patient, and being in a rebuild, but it would be nice if even if it was a token move at this point, the Sox did something to show what is going on is not acceptable. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Dick Allen

[Lillian]

"What now?" The one short term fix, which I'd like to see is signing Dallas Keuchel, to a one year deal. He is said to be open to a "pillow contract," in hopes of entering free agency again next year. That would be a reasonable move, even though it would cost the Sox a 2ND round draft pick. They have the salary room to sign him to a one year deal, at approximately $20 million. He could help shore up the rotation, and be a guy that could bring back a decent prospect, at the trade deadline. In fact, I suspect that if Keuchel pitched up to his recent historical level, that he would likely bring back a better prospect, at the trade deadline, than anyone, whom they might draft, in the second round. There are usually contending teams who become pretty desperate for some reliable starting pitching, late in the season, especially a left hander.

If he were added to the rotation, whom would he replace? Well, I'd say that there are at least 2 candidates, who are both also short term, expendable players, who do not figure into the long term plan. Why not let him have either Nova's, or Santana's spot? Either one could be sent to the pen, which could also use some help. At the moment, Santana looks like he may not even be good enough for that role, but it's early, and he hasn't pitched much, in a long time. There is still hope. In any case, it's not likely that all 3 of those veterans would pitch well enough to create a "log jam". 

[RTC]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

The pitching is bad, but they aren't going to continue to give up 7 runs a game. So there will be some movement toward the mean. Guys like Palka, it should be short leash time. Give him the weekend. If he still doesn't have a hit, sorry Danny Boy it's Charlotte time. 

I get being patient, and being in a rebuild, but it would be nice if even if it was a token move at this point, the Sox did something to show what is going on is not acceptable. 

Spot on.  It's a rebuild, I get it.  But when it comes to talent allocation in the front office, dugout, or on the field this organization acts like they either don't care or are just totally Incompetent.  And I'm beginning to worry that it's actually both.

[Balta1701]

32 minutes ago, Lillian said:

"What now?" The one short term fix, which I'd like to see is signing Dallas Keuchel, to a one year deal. He is said to be open to a "pillow contract," in hopes of entering free agency again next year. That would be a reasonable move, even though it would cost the Sox a 2ND round draft pick. They have the salary room to sign him to a one year deal, at approximately $20 million. He could help shore up the rotation, and be a guy that could bring back a decent prospect, at the trade deadline. In fact, I suspect that if Keuchel pitched up to his recent historical level, that he would likely bring back a better prospect, at the trade deadline, than anyone, whom they might draft, in the second round. There are usually contending teams who become pretty desperate for some reliable starting pitching, late in the season, especially a left hander.

If he were added to the rotation, whom would he replace? Well, I'd say that there are at least 2 candidates, who are both also short term, expendable players, who do not figure into the long term plan. Why not let him have either Nova's, or Santana's spot? Either one could be sent to the pen, which could also use some help. At the moment, Santana looks like he may not even be good enough for that role, but it's early, and he hasn't pitched much, in a long time. There is still hope. In any case, it's not likely that all 3 of those veterans would pitch well enough to create a "log jam". 

I think the clearest deals from last year that would be comparable to a Keuchel deal are either the Hamels deal to the Cubs or the Happ deal to the Yankees. The Cubs basically didn't give up anyone from their top 20 in their move, although Hamels was admittedly struggling. The Yankees gave up their #12 overall prospect in one ranking list that I found and a 25 year old who might be comparable to Rondon. At the time of the deal, Happ had an ERA around 4, which you'd hope that Keuchel might outpitch, but your salary price listed for Keuchel would also be almost 2x as high, so I think those moves are pretty comparable. If Keuchel is his normal self, you get a guy who is somewhere around 15-25 in our next rankings. If he struggles a little bit, you get guys who are outside our top 30. The price is a 2nd round pick plus at least $10 million, but it does make us feel a little better.

Strategically it's not awful, and it's not like the chairman can't  afford it, but if I had confidence that our front office was competent I'd call it a poor move because in that case I'd say you'd be better off with the 2nd round pick and the extra $10 million to spend. 

[WBWSF]

12 hours ago, soxfan49 said:

What now? You write another letter to Jerry

JR always responded to my letters over the years. He didn't respond to the letter I wrote him requesting to be interviewed for the White Sox GM job. He made a mistake in not interviewing me. The White Sox would be a better team today if I was the GM. I thought that I was the perfect fit for the job. I like to think I know more about baseball than Hahn and I wouldn't  have to be paid to much. I don't need the money.  Everybody would have been better off if I was the GM.

[Balta1701]

Just now, WBWSF said:

JR always responded to my letters over the years. He didn't respond to the letter I wrote him requesting to be interviewed for the White Sox GM job. He made a mistake in not interviewing me. The White Sox would be a better team today if I was the GM. I thought that I was the perfect fit for the job. I like to think I know more about baseball than Hahn and I wouldn't  have to be paid to much. I don't need the money.  Everybody would have been better off if I was the GM.

We're 30th out of 30 franchises in wins since Hahn took over, so literally you couldn't do worse. 

[OneDog847]

2 hours ago, hogan873 said:

I don't know if anything will happen due to this atrocious start.  I believe something needs to happen, but I have my doubts.  My biggest concern is that the starting pitching has been so bad.  The team is essentially out of it after the 3rd inning, and the bullpen is getting worn out.  I know all of these players are professionals, but this has to be affecting them.  Guys like Moncada, Anderson, and Jimenez that we have high hopes for, and why we watch the games, can be affected by the way the team is playing.  Just like good baseball, bad baseball is contagious.  And that's what we're seeing now.

Palka has no business being on this team.  Rebuild or not, he needs to go down to AAA.  I'd say Cordell has earned some more playing time.  Hell, Engel would be a better option right now.  Sanchez looks like a shadow of himself compared to last season.  I'd rather see Rondon getting more time in the field.

Someone probably needs to be fired.  Maybe it's too early, but if this continues most other teams would be making changes.  I just have a bad feeling that nothing will change.  The team will continue to struggle (a lot), and nothing will be done about it.  At the rate they're going, they will end up losing more than 100 games this year.

They are tanking this year! Losing 100 plus games and drafting in the top 3 again is preferable to losing 90 games and drafting 8th or 9th. They will probably lose 95 plus games again next year unless they spend big bucks in FA this offseason. 

What can be done? Continue to tank and stockpile top draft picks. This team needs to continue to stockpile elite young talent if they aren't going to pony up for any big time free agents.