WhiteSox2023

Might be worth a waiver claim… “Astros designated RHP Kaleb Ort for assignment.”

I just said I’d add another lefty outfielder on a cheap one year deal and suggested Verdugo.

Sox choose cheapness over that BS no matter what they say.

But you want to bring back Tauchman? Speaking of deterioration…

That almost makes it worse. He’s talking about it with a weirdass smirk on his face. And to bother to even mention how a player slumped at the plate after his infant died is even more out of touch with reality.

I was using Google AI to find a nice summary of why Kelenic is a dbag do SS2K5 but all of you guys already provided much better information. 🤣

Beat me to it. Seriously.

Sox are winning the division in 2026. Ron has decreed it. So shall it be.

Well yeah, cuz they get thrown in a bullpen which isn’t as vital a role as a good starting pitcher in your rotation.

Meanwhile, Getz just signed Jarred Kelenic and the Sox are considering giving him playing time according to James’ article. You just described Kelenic to a “T” — the ultimate teammate. An even better team player than Verdugo, right? Pretty funny that you would post this in this specific thread. The truth is that cheap beggar teams can’t be choosers. If you don’t want to spend the money, you have to accept the warts sometimes.

No, which is why this discussion is pointless. The Sox will sign the top pick in the draft, regardless of who it is.

I’m going to champion this for @Chicago White Sox’s sake. Verdugo is the perfect signing for this team. He hits righties, plays good defense in the corners, has a good arm, isn’t an absolute injury-prone relic like Tauchman, and will likely sign for not much more than the veteran minimum. Tauchman can go to Japan or Korea where he belongs.

It won’t happen. This is overthinking.

So true. From $150+ million dollar contract estimates to not being worth $21 million a year and $63 million total if he hits all incentives due to the opt-outs in his deal. Meanwhile, the Sox just gave $20 million plus a potential $2 million dollar buyout to a player no team will give up anything of value for. 🤣

How about Alex Verdugo on a cheap one-year deal coming off a bad year? He has usually hit righties fairly well in his career and I believe he is known for playing pretty good defense in the corners with a strong arm. He’s still only 29 and made $1.5 million with the Braves last year so I doubt he’s in line for a raise after last season. Seems like he would be a better stopgap than Tauchman that could actually stay healthy and may actually net a prospect if he has a good first half, until the eventual Braden Montgomery callup. What other team could potentially give Verdugo starting time in their corners, if Benintendi is truly going to spend most of his time at DH? He probably doesn’t have many options at this point. If Derek Hill can potentially get $900K, Verdugo has to be worth more than that guaranteed. Better than wasting it on another volatile reliever. I’m just done with the old man Tauchman experience. He will get injured again. It’s inevitable.

Let’s be honest. He signed with the team that made him the best offer.

Was going to mention his baserunning but wasn’t going to blame that all on his old age, considering he probably came back too early from that hamstring strain and also tore his meniscus. Either way, he isn’t going to be getting any faster.

Tauchman was limited to 93 games last season due to injuries. He just turned 35 and he is only going to decline further. If he wants to accept a minor league deal, fine.

That’s what I figured. It wouldn’t make much sense for a young team to acquire Pereira and even Kelenic to then give playing time to older players like Tauchman and Conforto that are already nearing retirement.

Having a Murakami Jersey for potentially only 2 years isn’t all that much longer.

Good article. Thanks for sharing. So you think the Sox want to give Kelenic a shot and would only add another cheap outfielder at the level of Tauchman/Conforto?

I wouldn’t be surprised if no team signs him. His strikeout rate is ridiculously low. He’d have to come cheap for a team to take a chance on him an also pay a posting fee.

Hagen Smith needs to learn how to not walk the world, but moving him to the bullpen this early would be a failure.

Just like with Murakami…

This is true to some extent. It is a very player friendly deal, but if you can still get one good year out of him if he truly does pan out and can still give him a qualifying offer and potentially get a draft pick, I don’t see the problem. Now if he sucks, it could be a waste of up to $63 million. My follow-up question would be, what free agent starters out there with the potential to be as good as Imai can be signed for similar money?