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January 15, 2003 – It was another bold stab by G.M. Kenny Williams as he acquired starter Bartolo Colon as part of a three-way deal with Montreal and the Yankees. Colon had a good season for the Sox… 15 wins, 242 innings pitched and 173 strikeouts before inking a large deal with Anaheim where he’d win the Cy Young Award that season. Williams brought him back in 2009 hoping for the same but got little for his troubles. In fact, Colon got hurt, was overweight and when assigned to a minor league rehab stint never reported! It was rumored that Colon was distraught over the death of entertainer Michael Jackson, and when manager Ozzie Guillen heard such, he emptied out Colon’s locker and dumped the possessions in the hallway outside of the White Sox clubhouse! January 15, 2021 – The White Sox continued to make strong moves to get back into serious contention for a championship. On this date they announced the signing to a free agent contract of Liam Hendriks, one of the top relief pitchers in baseball to a multi-year deal. The contract would net the Australian right hander 54 million dollars over three, possibly four years. Since taking over as the A’s closer on June 21, 2019, Hendriks had recorded a 1.99 ERA over 68 innings pitched, with 39 saves, 111 strikeouts in 65 appearances. His contract had an unusual twist, perhaps the first of its kind in baseball. The fourth year of the deal had an option year, worth 15 million but included a 15-million-dollar buyout. If the White Sox declined the option, the buyout would be paid in 10 equal installments between 2024 and 2033. Hendriks wouldn’t disappoint posting 38 saves, a 2.54 ERA and 113 strikeouts against only seven walks in his first year on the South Side winning A.L. Relief Pitcher of the Year honors. He followed it up in 2022 with 37 saves an ERA of 2.81 and 85 strikeouts vs. 18 walks. At the end of that season however it was discovered that he had lymphoma which fortunately he was able to beat after cancer treatments. Then he had Tommy John surgery after making a remarkable comeback. Between the two events he missed most of the 2023 season. The Sox then declined the fourth-year option and Hendriks signed with the Red Sox missing the 2024 campaign, returning in 2025.

Capped at 3% of value. Welcome to the 1/2/3 laws. My primary residence can't be taxed anymore than 1% of NAV. For businesses and 2nd homes it is 3%. If they value the site at $1 billion in NAV, the Bears would be capped at $30 million per year in property taxes.

Yup, theoretically when you payroll bandwidth you got to take advantage of when really good players hit free agency because they may not be later. Unfortunately that won’t be us, but conceptually I’d seriously consider if I were the owner of the White Sox.

I read where property taxes in Arlington Heights are $210 million dollars a year at the stadium site. I would think the property taxes will be much less in Indiana.

I would put them and Ricketts in the same category as owners that have the ability to spend with the top markets in the sport. If Ricketts cannot he should not have bought. Reinsdorf at this point should have figured out how to leverage the team but he doesn't care. It is a passive interest that breaks even. Nothing more nothing less, until he is dead we are stuck in this abyss of suck...maybe 2029 will be something but I won't hold my breath. My guess, and I could be fully incorrect is that Bears need the NFL cashflow to manage their operation and personal livelihood. An exception to the current NFL model and certainly one where they cannot afford to find $2M in debt servicing.

Paddy? Def. Sox have spent entire pool basically.

Is that more than Marco Paddy's last years?

I have the White Sox right at $6.6 million spent so far.

Good SoxMachine article on Kelenic's set-up change: Jarred Kelenic comes to the White Sox with a swing adjustment already in the works - Sox Machine

OBP is still a thing. So is Tucker’s usual SLG.

Are the White Sox working directly with Pro Day? It's a company founded by 2014 15th round Sox draftee, Ben Brewster. Interesting. Here's How Tread Athletics Became a Leader in Baseball Training

Just to up the stakes a little, Tucker is the best available FA hitter for the next couple of years. The list of hitters that will be free agents the next two years is pretty ugly.

Oh well, I will nitpick Tucker. If you go by FanGraphs, he’s never had a 5-war season. And his defense is a negative, at least per the war factory. . last year, he had the same number of homers as our very own Lenyn Sosa.

[cough] Collusion [cough]

Yeah, he isn't getting as much love as he should. He will still get a massive contract though.

I would think the Wirtz family is a little more cash rich being the liquor magnates that they are. No Restaurant or liquor store in our area gets their liquor from anyone but the Wirtz

For those that want to follow along as the signings come in

Wirtz/Ricketts Reinsdorf - I would think he has wealth access not as much as above but more than McCaskey The McCaskeys are a mom and pop operation and they are spending a lot more on the operation then they have in the past. Dennis Allen is making $5M. Not certain the stadium is generating the revenue to pay for a minimum of $2B in Debt servicing. There needs to be other businesses to shift funds around and I am not certain they have this.

Sounds like he may decide on a team today.

Castellanos’s postseason stats in 2025? He was good in the postseason in 2023 and 2024, but not last year. https://www.mlb.com/player/nick-castellanos-592206?stats=career-p-hitting-mlb&year=2025 4 games 15 at bats 1 run 2 hits (both doubles) 0 HR 3 RBI 0 BB 3 SO .133 AVG / .133 OBP / .267 SLG / .400 OPS

This Tucker market seems ridiculously below expectations. I really Ishbia was in charge right now because we should be all over this guy at the price points and length being discussed.

I don't have stats in front of me, but the played in playoffs.

Now that the Bears have a good coach and some good young players and are good again ... don't discount that in negotiations. Pritzker will soften. Bears will stay in Chicago. I still say Arlington Heights would be nirvana for them just like the Cowboys' complex, etc.