South Side Hit Men

And they find another way. Please retire Yasmani.

Very nice inning there against the heart of the lineup by Kelly. Time for the Sox to add on here and Graveman to pick up his 7th save of the season.

Hopefully Grifol leaves Kelly in with Devers and Casas due up. Duval is having a terrible series (0 for 7 with 5 Ks).

A smart team would IL Tim until he is ready to play SS and hit.

Through Friday June 23rd, Above White Sox Average: Benintendi .341 Remillard .333 Vaughn .325 Robert Junior .321 Frazier .317 Grandal .315 Jimenez .314 Sheets .303 Below White Sox Average: Anderson .284 Haseley .282 Moncada .279 Burger .275 Andrus .275 Colas .265 Alberto .261 Perez .250 Gonzalez .208 Zavala .189 Sosa .145

Didn't get to putting the game on the radio to the Bottom of the 6th. Sox took a 3-2 deficit to a 4-3 lead after back to back home runs by Luis an Andrew.

The White Sox are James Paxton's Kryptonite. Meanwhile, the Sox take the lead after Andrew "So Underwhelming" Vaughn's HR.

Inspired by the discussion in the "This team will lose 90 games thread", and the pathetically low bar Rick Hahn hasn't come close to accomplishing entering his 11th season. The sad ass City of Chicago has three teams among the five leagues which have not advanced in the playoffs during the Rick Hahn era (Bears, Fire & White Sox), representing five of the nineteen teams. Detroit and Minnesota are the two other locations with multiple teams (Detroit Lions and Pistons & Minnesota Timberwolves & Twins). There are eight total teams with a longer playoff drought than the White Sox. Teams which have not advanced in the playoffs during the Rick Hahn Era (2013-2023): The MLB (5): Chicago White Sox (2005); Cincinnati (1995); Los Angeles A. L. (2009); Minnesota (2002); Texas (2011). The NFL (6): Chicago (2010); Detroit (1991); Las Vegas (2002); Miami (2000); New York AFC (2010); Washington (2005). The NBA (5): Charlotte (2002); Detroit (2008); Orlando (2010); Minnesota (2004); Sacramento (2004). The NHL (1): Buffalo (2007) The MLS (2): Chicago (2009); San Jose (2010)

I joined here in 2020 (was on WSI back in the day), but there were solid posters here skeptical of the process over the three years including Hahn's roster construction, players drafted, and overpays on players signing their last significant MLB contracts. A few of us took s%*# criticizing the Grandal deal, or laughing at Hahn's GM of the Year award after a bogus season mostly bad moves during the 2019-2020 off-season, including firing Ricky after giving him an extension 60 games earlier, and the holes that were and continue to be issues with the club this entire faux window. La Russa was the final nail in the coffin in terms of expecting anything good to come out of this several year process. Ultimately this is on Jerry, because he should have started with bringing in someone to build a new front office and organization organization after 2015 or 2016. He only upped payroll and made support staff additions in 2021 and 2022 because he was doing it for Tony.

It’s sad that Jerry Reinsdorf has destroyed the White Sox to the point that over 500,000 more fans, on pace for over 1,000,000 fans, have chosen the Cubs over the White Sox. This was a 50/50 town until the forever racist evil cabal of MLB owners rejected Italian-American Edward Debartolo Senior, in favor of these Brooklyn carpetbagging scumbags, who took only a few years before attempting to flee to Tampa Bay.

I think it will go down to the $100M-$120M range over the next few years, unless they admit to partaking in Tanking 2.0. They were $71M-$98M during Tanking 1.0, and while "trying" under Hahn, setting aside the Tony La Russa payroll bump, they have settled in the $110M-$120M range last decade. https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/american-league/chicago-white-sox/ Current future commitments in 2025 and beyond: Buyout or Contract club option Minimum 4 Seasons at $77.5M Maximum 9 Seasons $176M (Includes Hendriks buyout if cut before 2024) Benintendi 2025 & 2026 $16.5M, 2027 $14.5M Hendriks 2025-2033 $13.5M - If Jerry lets Liam walk to avoid paying $15M upfront in 2024. JImenez 2025-2026 $3M X 2 (Club Options $16.5M 2025 & $18.5M 2026) Moncada 2025 $5M / $25M Robert Junior 2025 $15M 2026-2027 $2M X 2 (Club Options $20M 2026 & $20M 2027) 2025 Final Arbitration Year: Cease; Frazier; Kopech 2026 Final Arbitration Year: Crochet; Foster; Toussaint; Vaughn 2027 Final Arbitration Year: Lambert; Sheets; Zavala

I believe the best realistic hope with Jerry alive to get a quality person willing to consider the position is Kim Ng taking a promotion from Miami to be President / EVP of Baseball Operations. She's doing a good job now that Jeter and Mattingly are out of the picture. She came up through the Sox organization and is far more qualified than anyone else in the organization. Not sure Miami will let her go, or that she would come to a worse team and not stay to play out the Marlins rebuild.

Do you trust the money saved "will be spent"? I'm thinking Jerry just pockets it like the $100M + from MLB. The one advantage is a new owner and their competent FO would have a clean slate in terms of committed payroll. If you are dumping the longer term contracts, shedding Benintendi and Moncada would be my two priorities, Eloy secondary as someone will take him with the DH in both leagues, really should try to trade him if he is still healthy 3-4 weeks from now. Teams will give something up for Tim for his option and potential away from this organization. I believe both Moncada and Tim will have solid seasons next year if healthy playing for their likely final payday.

The two problems with the deadline is Jerry will likely favor salary relief over talent acquisition, and even if he did value talent acquisition we currently have Hahn making the decisions. Guys the Sox are likely to sell (FAs in 2024 plus possibly Tim & Graveman): $19.5M Lynn $18.3M Grandal $16.0M Graveman (2 yrs) $12.5M Anderson $12.0M Clevinger (includes mutual option) $10.4M Giolito $9.0M Kelly Potential Salary savings $28.6M this year, $26 million next year ($4M Clevinger, $8M Graveman, $14M Anderson).

And they are playing with the bad defenders behind them. The primary problem is they do not have starting players beyond Robert Jr. at the key defensive positions. They have five DHs (Burger, Vaughn, Sheets, Grandal, Eloy) starting regularly. Yoan and Tim are good when healthy, though neither have been the past calendar year. Results will be very bad when both are gone, at least until Montgomery comes up and they can get a quality 3B.

Elvis' error led to two runs, cost them the game. Well that and scoring one run.

I hate the Red Cubs / Carmines more than the Cubs. Hate the Yankees and Dodgers more. Hate the Twins the most.

I agree, but that was what Hahn signed for 3 years / brought in this offseason, without any real back ups. Leury is likely a .500 OPS guy at this point, but he can at least field most positions. Not sure what the Alonso thing was all about. They should just sign a cut veteran who can still field baseballs to sit on the bench, let Rodriguez play everyday in the minors.

Jerry is happy drawing 27,015 simply because they are playing a .500 team enough people care about.

I disagree. Has nothing to do with what's best for the White Sox, has to do with what is best for Colas. He batted and fielded like s%*# because he played a handful of games at the AAA and is only 24. He needs a season to develop, he still isn't hitting for power down there. They need to do what is best for his development. Ditto rushing Sosa at age 23. Rodriguez shouldn't be here either, they are burning his development because Hahn can't come up with four middle infielders. The dumbass DFA'd two.

"What do you say there Bob? A guy like that make it, yes or no? Aha, aha, I have to tell you that's precisely what I saw. I mean sometimes I just look at a guy, and I know, this fellow's not gonna make it. There's no fucking way. "

Golden Sombrero for Duvall. As usually the past several weeks, the pitchers have done their job tonight (4 hits, 1 earned run).

In real baseball, the Reds beat Atlanta 11-10.

Sir, this is a Wendy's.

If Moncada is out the year, and Burger is the regular 3B he will end up with a near zero or negative fWAR, and be among if not the worst defensive 3B in MLB. Will likely impact his bat as well, finish around .750 or below. They protected him and batted him 7th/8th for a reason, he is being completely exposed once teams took notice that they actually had to pay attention to him. Last 14 games .542 OPS, .180 OBP Last 28 games .722 OPS, .247 OBP