Balta1701

What is the most combined strikeouts in a game this year?

Josh Harrison did have an .850 OPS in June.

Although they didn't nail everyone, that #1 ranked system led to a world series win 5 years later and one of the top 5 franchise win totals of that decade. They turned out pretty accurate. The #1 ranked system in 2017 for the White Sox turned into playoff appearances in 20/21 and a division title.

Did you just include Sean Manaea in the list of Padres long term contracts? Who is signed to a 1 year $9 million deal? Or Pomeranz who has $15 million remaining through this and next year combined - basically Kelly money except he’s not terrible?

I think all of us would understand that if he was still hitting the ball very hard, but the drop offs in exit velocity don’t work with a guy who swings and misses a lot.

I don’t know who is teaching what, but there’s definitely a “hit the ball on the ground and bloop it the other way” result that is permeating this organization, and the organization has been at the bottom of the league in launch angle since that stat was first tracked. They may not be teaching it deliberately but the result is coming through with basically all their players, that isn’t a coincidence.

All right here goes. Assume there's no huge run in the next month, what does this retool look like? Guys who would need to be traded this year: Gravemann, Lopez, Cueto. All 3 are overplaying their contract. All 3 should bring legitimate returns. Graveman will be one of the top reliever options on the market. Cueto should be an extremely interesting option for teams that need pitching but who don't have money to spend, frankly he seems like a really interesting fit for the Rays. Guys who could be moved but it's more Controversial: Abreu, Anderson. In both cases it might be up to them - does Abreu want to play for a contender for the rest of the year? The Cubs got a guy who is currently in their top 10 prospects for Rizzo in a comparable deal, several years away but talented. There are several teams who could legitimately use Abreu right now - Houston, Boston, Minnesota could use 1b help, San Francisco, Atlanta, Cleveland, the Mets, Brewers, even the Dodgers could use DH help. Unless Anderson asks out, he's not likely to go anywhere, but he would have serious trade interest. Guys you might be able to move to clear minor contracts: Engel, Pollock - if healthy. Might have to send along some money to move Pollock, but you could probably save a few million on his contract if you did. Reese McGuire: He's far pre-arbitration and on pace for a 1 WAR backup season thanks to his defense. Someone will need a backup catcher if you want to move him, but the White Sox could continue using him as well. Guys who have substantial trade value, but who are under control for years, and who you hope will be even better or more valuable next year: Kopech, Cease, Robert, Vaughn, Burger. There is little reason to move any of these guys as you're not likely to make the team better or cheaper by doing so, at least not this year. The big pile of guys, guys who don't have much trade value because of either poor performance, injury, or pretty big contracts, who you might be able to move some of them, but all of them might play themselves into more value if you hold onto them: Moncada, Eloy, Giolito, Lynn, Hendriks, Sheets, Bummer. Guys who are currently unmovable and who are unlikely to be any time soon: Leury, Harrison, Grandal, Kelly. Space fillers: Haseley, Foster, Ruiz, Lambert, Banks, Zavala. If they still aren't close, then moving the main 3 pitchers, asking Abreu what he wants, and seeing if you can save some money on Pollock or Engel are the tasks for this year. Hopefully that helps restock some and maybe finds a useful piece for next year. The issue is all the guys you really don't want to move or can't move. Right now, the White Sox have 2 choices next year. They have a whole lot of money on the books next year, and the same basic needs as this year, bullpen, LH bat, pitching help, bench. They could very well spend another $180 million next year and be in a comparable situation if some people struggle or get hurt. Alternatively, they could well be under orders to cut salary, in which case moving someone out of the expensive group (Moncada, Lynn, Hendriks) could be required. The time to decide that would be the offseason. Every position that could be filled internally would be helpful. Get some useful pieces in the trades you have to make. Try to see what catching options you have by making sure to play Zavala some. Then, bring up Yolbert, see if he has any shot at being a utility guy for next year. If Sosa is plausibly ready, get him back up too. Give Martin a chance to replace Cueto, give Lambert a chance to see if he can be a rosterable reliever. Harrison can readily be cut in this situation, and if the manager refuses to play the youth, start cutting people. Then in the offseason, you have a choice between trying to continue selling guys, especially if you need to cut payroll, and running it back and hoping some staff changes make a difference. Some guys are likely to play themselves into more value in the 2nd half, this will be part of the story, but it's one we can't predict right now.

Well there’s plenty of reason for impatience. First of all, this is Moncada’s 6th big league season not counting his Boston time. 4th for Eloy, 3rd for Robert. Kopech made his big league debut 4 years ago. Many guys hit their athletic and performance peaks at 26 these days. These guys aren’t babies, Vaughn excluded. Coming into the year, the White Sox had a roster that was in the top 10 of oldest in the league. This roster is old enough that it was easy to project then being hurt a lot this year. But there are also other key issues. Giolito is a free agent next season. Abreu this season. Kopech and Cease both hit arbitration next year so their salaries go up. With the sheer number of holes - they either can’t afford many busts or they need a steadier supply of guys from the minors taking roles and contributing, and they aren’t getting it.

Indiana might actually play in the Rose Bowl!

I could not help but notice the contrast between Kopech's use yesterday and this description of how Gonsolin has turned into one of the best pitchers in the NL: https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/insider/story/_/id/34168683/real-not-midseason-verdict-mlb-biggest-surprise-stars-2022

I would like to point out the double standard given to a few at bats from Sosa and a half season of at bats with Leury. Has there been any string of a few at bats this year where Leury has rolled over a few balls?

This is nuts enough that I'm happy to be wrong, but I think it's actually worse than that. As far as I can tell, the text in MLB's CBA says that the luxury tax is always "Guaranteed dollars on a person's deal divided by years remaining, calculated each year". In that case, right now, Hendriks's contract has an $18 million luxury tax hit this year and an $18 million luxury tax hit next year, while his salary is $13.3 million this year and $14.3 million next year. This is the case because the White Sox guaranteed him $54 million total over 3 years, with some weird option work that keeps the same guaranteed dollars but could spread the last year out. If an acquiring team picks up his option, they would do so after 2023. That means the 2023 luxury tax will already have been calculated with his tax value at $18 million. But, 2024 is independent of the 2023 calculation, so what I think actually happens is he gets paid $15 million in 2024 and his luxury tax is still $15 million. In other words, I think Rick Hahn signed a contract that had a $54 million total valuation, but because of the screwy contract structure, I think he managed to create a contract that has a $54 million valuation and a $69 million luxury tax value. The one place where I think this does show up in text is if you go to Spotrac and look at the White Sox for 2024 - Hendriks is listed as an option, but his luxury tax of $15 million still shows up! https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/chicago-white-sox/payroll/2024/

There are currently no qualifying offers but they might come back if the union doesn’t give the owners an international draft next year. But, Abreu already had a qualifying offer given to him and you can do that with a guy once per career if they do come back.