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The Odds are heavily favored ? Who is making odds on the White Sox 2nd base candidates MLB performance in 2023 ? Fangraphs uses 7 different projection systems and they have Andrus from 1.0 to 1.9 fWar next year. These same systems say Romy is projected for.1 - .9 fWar and Sosa .3 to 1.6 I'd say the chances are much higher that Andrus gets to 2 fWar since like, ya know, he did it last year in MLB rather than Sosa or Romy (lol) who have never ever been in the majors for any length of time. Common sense should tell you that instead of your own made up musings about the odds regarding the performance of 26 yr old Romy and the not ready yet Sosa.

C'mon now who is he blocking ? Romy, the guy who had one good season a couple of years ago in the minors but has been hyped up this spring ? Great if he's so good let him prove it in the minors. Sosa ? Again let him prove it in the minors. He only just turned 23 . He raked in Birmingham and has a history of being slow to adjust to the next level. He got almost as many PA in Charlotte as in did in Birmingham but his OPS was over.100 less in Charlotte. Anyone else is below Romy and Sosa in the pecking order. It's one year for heavens sake and $3M. It's not like the Sox are going to stand in the way of some superstar minor leaguer who needs to come up right away just so Andrus can play every single game of the season. We should have a good idea of how good this team is by the All STar break. If they suck, great, bring up the few young guys that might need to see MLB pitching and start the adjustment process. He went 11 for 11 in stolen bases last year and seems like a guy who knows how to take advantage of the new pickoff rules in the right situations. He's a heady guy and has a lot to offer.

If there is a White Sox player who can best verbalize the feelings inside the White Sox clubhouse, it's Lance Lynn. Chuck Garfien sits down with the veteran leader at spring training to discuss many hot-button topics: computers projecting the White Sox to have a losing record this year, how they need to come together as a team, the Guardians mocking the White Sox after they won the AL Central, what he'd say to White Sox fans who are skeptical about them having a comeback season and much more.

This podcast addresses some concerns many of us have a bout some of the comeback candidates like LG, Eloy and Robert and some good points are made in an optimistic manner about how the Grifol era is sending an information available and a bit more intense message about how to prepare and get from point A to point B as a player and a team. Nick Murawski has his own podcast, Locked on White Sox, but I like him better when he's paired with Pat Hester ( who is dryly humorous without laughing at his own jokes) ,in the Good Guys Talk back podcasts. Have a listen.

I'm sure they will give it a few more weeks to put him on the 60 day list since they have until opening day. I'm not going to predict if the Sox have any more moves up their sleeves but it seems unlikely unless the league makes a decision on Clevinger in the near future and even then it'll just be Davis Martin taking his place. Maybe then the Sox will see who's left among the starting pitcher FA. Bundy , Archer, Anibal Sanchez whoever is willing to sign a MILB deal maybe.

Which is why I made that long post about hoping the Sox had a real expert top trainer who knows all the things I talked about in that post. You need quite an education to plan a health strategy for every player. They are all different sizes , shapes, different injury history's and ages and need a program specifically designed for them as individuals.

If you listened to any of the Giolito remarks in the youtube posts I made in this thread you'll see he said in retrospect he didnt do the right thing last year which is why he lost the weight he gained. Pitchers have to be athletic too to field their position . Plus repeating your mechanics with 35 extra lbs. isn't exactly the easiest thing to do either plus throw in a bout with Covid last year. Sometimes thinking you need to be stronger and bigger isn't the right answer. Being smart and over thinking things can be just as detrimental as being stupid.

I think Liam ends up on the 60 day. Despite the reports he still has cancer and has to undergo Chemo. That is not easy to come back from even if he beats the cancer. He'll need to regain his strength and go through a rehab assignment. I think putting Liam on the 60 day is an easy call. He can't be rushed back if and when he beats the disease.

C : Grandal ,Zavala IF : Anderson , Andrus Moncada, Vaughn, Garcia 26th man was the hardest to pick but I'll go with Sheets although he doesn't provide much except a LH bat and backup1st base/OF which he should never play. Maybe Hamilton as a specialty PR and defensive replacement or Romy as an extra utility guy equal to or ahead of Leury but that contract might be the 1st option. Spring training may provide more answers to that last spot or Colas being held down to gain an extra year. OF : Benintendi, Jimenez, Robert, Colas, Marisnick P: Bummer , Cease, Giolito, Graveman, Kelly , Kopech, Lambert, Lopez, Lynn , Ruiz , Diekman, Clevinger/Martin , Foster

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/if-everybody-wants-elvis-andrus-why-isnt-anybody-calling/ Fangraphs article from January. What that article doesn't mention and is what Elvis said since the end of 2022 but what Feagan posted seems either significant or Andrus just trying to get a better payday. The article said Elvis needed to evolve defensively which he is clearly is willing to do so the writer clearly missed this from Fegan: At the end of 2022, Elvis Andrus said two things: He was willing to come back and play 2B, and had found something in his swing that had been missing since fracturing his elbow in 2018.

Maybe but Giolito also did the wrong thing in adding all the extra weight. These guys are much younger than you and I and sometimes they listen to the wrong people. It's the Sox job to prevent that and guide them to at least a consultation with the right person who hopefully they employ that person to protect their multi million dollar investments from their youth.

His production level minus 2022 and his defense. So I wouldn't exactly say it's his whole production level but more like a piece of it . Plus you have to take into consideration all of that because he plays a decent SS if Tim gets injured. A $3M depth piece isn't a bad move. The Sox defense sucked last year and he provided stability at SS when Tim was out along with the hot bat. Look at what the Cubs paid Bellinger and look at his last 3 years. I know he's younger and provides (surprise !) good defense and base running but much of what they paid him is looking for his bat again despite the bum shoulder that has prevented him for hitting well in those last 3 years. AT least Andrus had a 3.5 fWar year last year whereas Bellinger has a combined 2.1 fWar over his last 3 years.

The Sox cannot afford to play Sheets in the OF. The OF was slow and couldn't throw anyone out. Colas alone had 11 assists in the minors last year and 7 in Birmingham in only 32 games in RF ! With the shift gone a lot more hits are going to get through to RF and you need Colas out there with his strong and accurate arm. Last year teams ran wild on the Sox OF especially the Guardians.

I don't think Menechino had a lot to do with the amount of HR's he hit with the Sox or the 2.0 fWar he produced in less than 2 months. Of course that 3.5 fWar from last year means he's still capable of doing it even at his age. They needed the depth regardless. Let's just hope our home park was more suited to his abilities.

To me it's simple. They need multiple guys to have career years or at least play the most games they ever have and stay healthy.If that happens you will get career years just based on health and the talent involved. Did you know Eloy and Robert haven't stayed on the field long enough to actually be good together for any real length of time ? Imagine how good the offense could be with both of them playing well together for a long stretch of the season combined with Moncada being much better and Colas having a strong rookie season and Vaughn having a breakout year also. They were so poor against RHP last year but if Moncada, Colas and Benintendi all hit well and Eloy and Robert stay healthy all of a sudden they are strong against RHP. You really wouldn't even need Grandal to bounce back all that much then since he is the oldest and playing the most physically demanding position . But the rest of those guys all can do soooo much better than they have with the exception of Colas and Benintendi who are the newcomers. Hell Anderson too might be the most likely to bounce back to his accustomed levels. But we really do need the guys who bat LH to produce .

Athletic training is such a minefield. Somewhere some trainer has to step up and say "do not weight train to the point that you're adding 20+ pounds. If you are a pitcher you can maybe experiment with adding close to 10 lbs to your legs or lower body to improve your drive off the mound. A real baseball trainer can't just be about the proper way to lift weights. They have to understand whats best for each position on the field , each players physiology and health history and the after effects of Covid and tailor the needs of the player accordingly. The really need to be experts in quite a few fields along with acute knowledge of baseball. If you are a hitter perhaps a 5-10 lbs to your upper body but wrists are so important you don't really have to add much weight because how much weight can you really put on your forearms and keeping your wrists strong ? Now I'm not an expert in these things by any stretch of the imagination. But when you finish growing and are in your physical prime generally from 18 to mid to late 20's years old , the weight you are in those years is generally the weight you should maintain where you are at your most athletic self generally .Obviously the maturation of your body may add some pounds but it's up to you to distribute it where you need it as well as where your genetics put it. Strength and weight gain without maintaining flexibility, quickness, speed and athleticism and putting it where it should be can be more of a detriment than a help. Diet and stamina training, expanding your lungs by running or lower impact stamina training like life cycles will help too. But this thing about just gaining muscle all over is not for baseball players which is a finesse sport. Legs and core most important. Flexibility in your legs and back and a strong stomach should prevent a lot of pulled leg muscles but again if you have any unnatural curvature of your spine like scoliosis it's even more important to keep your core strong. A trainer should know all of these things about a player he is training. One size does not fit all. Even a smart guy like Giolito who is always looking for ways to get better somehow was misinformed about gaining so much extra weight. These players are young and impressionable. They may make decisions about their own bodies without fully understanding what they need to understand . They may have a buddy from their country who can tell them how to add muscle but without all the proper knowledge they truly need to actually help them become a better baseball player. I don't know if the Sox have one person who is the kind of guy I am talking about but if they do they need to direct the players to that guy about how they can become a better player through training specifically geared to them. I'm not even sure if the Sox management is fully informed enough to hire the right guy(s) for the job.

Not really but as Katz said not opening day per se because he isn't the Opening Day starter but in the 2nd series of the season he'll be ready for his 1st start.