WestEddy

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.

Reinsdorf has spent in the past. He's just not invested wisely, then stopped short when that one big signing could have put them over the top for a period. I'll agree with that. And I'd also agree that they're in a self-induced cash crisis that severely limits their ability to play with the big boys right now. I don't think Getz is boy wonder, or anything. He's delivered two pretty pedestrian bullpens. Maybe Katz played a part in some of that. But letting Mike Shirley do his job, letting Bannister, Fuller and Venable do theirs, I think they start this offseason as a 70 win team, and the choices they make determine where in the 70's they wind up. I still say it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of things went right, and they won 82, or something like that. Just shoring up the bullpen could give them a couple of wins. Antonacci outplaying Meidroth/Mead and becoming a regular, B. Monty pushing Benny out of the OF mix, Schultz could pull a Colson and start looking like the pitcher he's supposed to be in the majors - pushing Cannon out of the rotation. I'm not guaranteeing it, just saying I wouldn't think I was living in an alternate reality if a handful of things went right for a change, and they were a .500 team.

Sure, if this team never hits .500 after 6 seasons of Getz, he didn't do his job. I think that's the extreme end of "worst that can happen". That would probably mean that all of Schultz, Hagen Smith, Grant Taylor, and others never develop into front line starters. That would probably also mean that the two Montys don't become first division starters, as well as Billy Carlson and 2026's first rounder. That also means that Teel, Vargas, Baldwin, Quero, Antonacci, none of them get significantly beyond league average hitters. That's, like, everything going wrong. In order for Getz to have 6 losing seasons.

Not good enough for what? Liptak said that if "everything went right", they'd be a worse team in 2026 than they were in the 2nd half of 2025. If they just tread water, get the same production from the likes of Benintendi, Robert, Tauchman and their pitching staff, that's a 70-win team. Nobody thinks they're going to sign Kyle Tucker or Schwarber, but they could do better around the edges in the bullpen and rotation. And they probably aren't in the position where adding big money free agents even puts them over the top at this point. Add Tucker, Cease and a closer, and they're maybe pushing for .500? They're most likely one season away from that type of push gets them far enough along the win curve to assure the playoffs.

I think it's silly to expect a multi-billionaire to set himself back 5 years, clearing out an entire front office that just completely upgraded the organization - out of spite. The Sox farm system just pumped 4 offensive starters and a handful of starting pitchers onto the 26-man roster. Sorry if I don't take the people seriously who thought the Sox would have trouble clearing 41 wins again this year, and whose answer to everything is "nothing changes until Getz is fired". That's most likely not happening before 2029, so I guess we'll see you back here then, huh?

Well, they played at a .430 clip after the All-Star Break, while they played .329 ball before. So, they went from a 53 to a 69 win pace. Adrian Houser made two starts after the ASB, so it's not like he was responsible for half a dozen wins. Teel, Vargas, Sosa, Baldwin and C. Monty all hit better in the 2nd half of the season. I would think that 5+ key players delivering at the same production rate as where they left off in 2025 would be "everything going right for them".

2026 Chicago White Sox Depth Chart | RosterResource | FanGraphs Baseball

In the "bold predictions" thread, I said 60 wins. I down graded that to 54 in the "pick the win total" thread, as I thought their offense was going to be as bad as 2024. I didn't see them fixing C. Monty, or the others (Teel, Vargas, Meidroth, Sosa) producing as they did. I do believe what I write here. I've said that I think this team, as constructed this moment, is a 70 win team. If they continue to develop, a couple of hot prospects replace lesser players on the 26-man, they could bump that to the mid 70's. Add a real starting pitcher, a couple good bullpen arms and an OF, and they could be high 70's, maybe even at .500, 81-82 wins.

I mean, really. Katrina happened. My father-in-law died. The things that happened around Katrina will be discussed in historical takes of this time. My wife's family watched the TV in the hotel outside of Baltimore as they dealt with their father's demise. We got a stray cat at that time. We called him Mr. October.

Probably zero. Getz is good at his job. It wouldn't surprise me if the 2026 team won 82.

I really try to shut up about the Cubs 2016 Championship. We all have family members and friends whose Parents lived for that moment, so we shut up. It's sacred. 2005/2016. b**** about other s%*#. Seriously, those years are sacred for baseball fans in Chicago.

Thanks. And sorry. That World Series was truly special. My nephews, and my Dad and I were calling back and forth every inning. This was a special thing.

Homer is a good thing. People who bend themselves into a pretzel to prove they're not "homers" are pathetic. Go find another fanbase, and maybe they'll let you "fluff" them. Good luck. Get a dental dam.

They're a baseball team. Compete. They get the extra draft choices, the extra international draft pool. Billionaires are billionaires. They have the entire tax code handed to them on a silver platter. We scream about how cheap Reinsdorf is, then the Brewers should be throwing the $600M contracts at everyone. They have all of Wisconsin as a fan base.

In that you're no longer a Sox fan. Good riddance to bad garbage. Good luck rooting for the Marlins. LOL.