WestEddy

I can't imagine the howling that would follow a White Sox pitcher dropping dead from asphyxiation after a fentanyl/oxycodone cocktail provided by team sources. The White Sox had a bad clubhouse with coach/spies throughout the org. Not saying the Sox are squeaky clean, but I don't think they've reached those depths.

Here's an "article" fleshing out the news of the Sanner hire. Nothing more than a little background on his resume - which could get us all through the rest of today. White Sox hire JC Scanner to coaching position in organization | Sox On 35th

If a player doesn't remain active on a team's 26-man roster for at least 90 days, their Rule 5 status rolls into the next year, and the same rules apply - they can rehab on the IL, but must be on the active 26-man for 90 days of the 2026 season. I don't know if this rolls over for years and years, though, or if a team would even entertain more than two seasons of the restriction. I don't know about being "eligible" for the next season. If they remain on the selecting team's 40-man roster for the next off-season, they're protected from the next year's Rule 5 draft. During the off-season, there is no 26-man active roster for a player to be on. Everything is about the 40-man. So, the Rays selected Lavender. He sat on the 60-day IL all season. At the end of the World Series (I think), the 60-day IL disappears, and players are put back on their team's 40-man roster. The White Sox will have this crunch with Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush and Prelander Berroa. If the Rays keep Lavender, because he didn't spend 90 days on the Rays' 26-man roster, they will have the same restrictions for him. He needs to be on their 2026 26-man roster at least 90 days. They can't option him to the minors without putting him through waivers, then if he clears, offering him back to his original team for $50k (i think). If the original team refuses, Rule 5 restrictions go away, and he belongs to the Rays.

The Blue Jays took Angel Bastardo from the Red Sox and stowed him on the IL all of 2025, and the Rays took Nate Lavender from the Mets' system and stowed him all season. Both were recovering from TJS, albeit both had more compelling strikeout stuff, Adams had good command and control and was going to get a shot at the Sox' rotation in 2025.

Kieboom was a 1st rounder (28th) and was a top 25 prospect.

I'm guessing the Angels wanted Pujols' $1M a year services contract to be rolled into his managerial pay.

Run into many at the Scottsdale Starbucks?

And seriously, it sounds like the right people survived the jungle atmosphere. The remark about Shirley, if somebody played baseball, they probably made the traveling park All-Stars at 10, and their entire family participated in the game since. Somebody doesn't need to have played 20 years in the bigs to have been in the game their whole lives. I don't think anyone here would begrudge Dave Dombrowski saying he's been in baseball his entire professional life.

Does every single penny earned from a baseball village go towards the team's bottom line? Like, when people go ice skating at Wrigley in the winter, then stop off at the Budweiser Brickhouse for beers, do the players want their 60% of that money?

Again, these are all appreciated. I would think that most people holding a job in America are trying to get ahead. You ever go have a few drinks after work on a Thursday evening? Everybody's smarter than their boss.

You didn't indicate it was from somebody within the org. In that context, it seems like your source should have been fired, too, as all he does is criticize the org he works for. I found it very interesting. The Thames blurb was moreso than Katz. I always appreciate the insider info.

Just talking about the coaching situations, and you snapped. As usual.

If they sign a higher profile OF who will expect to start, they're going to block Baldwin, maybe even possible innings for Ramos as a backup. If they sign Josh Naylor (they won't, but pretend), he pushes Sosa to 2B, and Meidroth to the bench. I can only see them signing another Martin Perez, and MAYBE a closer. They probably have another couple of Penn Murfees and Tyler Gilberts in them.

You have a weird way of just shutting down a conversation.

But that's kind of where media is right now, isn't it? I mean, large scale political coverage sucks right now for the same reasons. Everybody wants access, and small players like FutureSox or SoxMachine can't just go full metal grump on the White Sox if they still want credentials, but some rumors creep out in the podcasts. I think the writing's all there. It's easy for a pitching coach to be a wonder boy with Lucas Gioloto and Dylan Cease, but turning a Jon Cannon into something useful is something else altogether. The Thames move looks pretty clear cut on the surface. He had his own victories, but that ASB outburst from Venable, along with Tauchman's "team meeting" to reinforce it looked like the viral moment. Bannister seemed to have a pretty clear idea of what should have worked with the Penn Murfee, Eisert, Gilbert and Booser acquisitions, and all of that was a struggle. So was that Katz? Is the problem that everybody sucked (Because Getz sux, haw-haw-haw!! And nothing will change until everybody dies!!), or was there a difference in philosophy that Banny couldn't get Katz to implement? Inquiring minds want to know.

The conspiracy part is that MLB pushed him to find a buyer.

As per FutureSox podcast last night, Blake Hickman and Donovan Clark out of the Sox org.

The Yankees sure didn't know Tim Hill sucked.

Which do you want? If concrete examples seep out, you'd criticize the org for spitting on these guys as they leave. When the nebulous (it was time to let Venable pick his staff) reasons are reported, you claim no reasons are ever given. I mean, Liptak posted some vague, unsourced blurb about how somebody in SF called Katz "High School Harry", and you couldn't say enough bad things about the White Sox org for allowing some nameless, independent reporter to quote somebody anonymously from San Francisco about an inconsequential nickname.

And therein lies the problem with Capitalism. When a great idea appeals to "both sides", they both try to figure out which would benefit slightly more from that, and they dig in on both sides of that idea. MLB will not agree to a salary floor (even though many owners are disgusted by the likes of Pittsburgh and Sacramento), because it's the bargaining chip for a hard cap.

Conspiracy theory alert!!: We don't know that MLB didn't nudge Reinsdorf along, either overtly, or through writing on the wall. The weird blurriness (which is so uniquely Reinsdorfian) buys him time to save face and get his affairs in order.

Brebbia had a very effective season with the Giants in 2023, and Hill had immediate success with the Yankees in 2024 and 2025. People here are deliriously happy to point this out when taking shots at Getz, but it suddenly becomes controversial in other context? LOL.

Santos was working towards a major league job, and he most probably wasn't in the Sox' immediate plans. As far as some others, that period coming out of the ASB was pretty telling for Thames. Venable went to the press to announce how hitters had to start getting more aggressive, and they exploded out of the break, scoring 7+ in 6 of their first 7 games. That seemed like an open rift between Venable and Thames. As far as Katz, the bullpen really stumbled in 2024 and 2025. No, he wasn't given an all Star crew to work with, but seemingly normal relievers who had past success were dropping like flies. Hill, Brebbia, Booser - Cannon and Burke took clear steps backwards. Not blaming Katz for those non-successes, but that all looked like a clear cut-off point for Venable to get his own support guys in the dugout.

I think Jairo Iriarte and Bryan Hudson are probably hanging by a thread. I'd try to sneak Elko through during some heavy waiver wire week activity. But keeping a guy on the 40 man during the off-season is free, so they're not cutting anyone until they have to.

I think the philosophy is to not protect guys who are simply exposed, but guys who could seriously get taken. Mason Adams can be a major league starter. He can be stowed on the 60-day IL, then get his 90 days in the bullpen, and the selecting team has a starting prospect. Coffey ties up a 26-man slot with a pitcher who was walking about 6 per 9 IP at AAA. Most organizations have their own versions of that.