Dick Allen

.Unless they are getting a package where they can't say no, trading Gio would be a mistake. He's pitching for a big payday. He was great before he got Covid. I just had Covid a little over a month ago. Very mild, but ev3en now I get run down pretty easily. This guys upside is too high to sell low.

But they didn't get much for him. And his the lack of his edge might have hurt the 1995 White Sox. It, at the very least, cost Lamont is job, and put Bevington in the driver's seat. He actually might have been worse than 2022 LaRussa. But the point is, Sox union reps dissappear soon after labor strife.

Jack McDowell was the union reps in 1994. They got rid of him as quickly as possible.

JR has always had disdain for union reps. When Gio took a bigger role before and during the lockout, the chances the Sox would extend him ended. As much as JR can be loyal, he can go the other way too .

Gios White Sox days were numbered as soon as he was named player rep and took the role seriously.

All 3 of those were pretty great trades. You have to give Hahn his due for them. But other than those 3 has he even had one you would call a good trade? Maybe Colome depending how you look at it. It’s another thing that scares me about their supposedly using trades to finish off the team. He’s pretty much been horrible at it most of the time. Edit, Lynn was a good trade.

There are a couple of guys in the bullpen that would be addition by subtraction.

Hope his struggles were either fixable or because of his surgery. The Sox love ex Indians.

On the bright side, the Astros lost more than the Sox will last offseason in Correa, McCullers being out most of the season. Of course they gained Verlander but a year ago there is no way anyone would have thought a 39 year old coming off Tommy John would give them what he gave them. Obviously signing Clevinger is a turn back the clock hope to 2019. There still is no monster team in the ALC. Cleveland has better pitching, and defense. But the Sox are still right there. They were right there in the beginning of September this year. Then they lost the first game of the Cleveland series and waived the white flag. Players playing with some accountability is going to help. Losing Abreu will be interesting, but it had to happen. I think it will ultimately depend on how many games their best players can play. Cleveland had 5 guys play 146 games. The Sox had 1.

The schedule is going to be a little tougher. I still think they should win the division, but that starts with what they do this winter. The manager is an upgrade. I think it's a great start. Pedro is detail oriented. Tony let players cut corners and we all paid fot it. Hahn can't be worse than last off season, but he needs to shine. That may be a tall task. Only diehards were very upset with how the Rodon thing went last year with no QO. If the Sox fail and Abreu has a big season elsewhere, the rest of the fanbase is going to blow up. Rodon may be more valuable st this point, but Jose way more popular. I hope they realize they are playing with fire and actually upgrade the team, not just hope 5 or 6 guys can turn back the clock, and a few others do what they have never done.

JR might like it. TA and Donaldson fighting on the field as teammates would make Tony look like he was in control.

Think of all the BS we've been told. They had their spokesman, Nightengale, tweet out last year they were looking at players like Semien and Ray. The Sox get Vasquez and Big Energy. This offseason they might trim payroll 8 figures? Sorry they aren't even trying.

I didn't have a problem with the salary. The term was ridiculous for an over 30 bench player. What was funny is once Tony was out of the picture everyone figured out he shouldn't be playing. Hahn made the exact same mistake with Keppinger. If it was on Tony, if Joe Kelly was on Tony, if Vince Vasquez was on Tony, JR should give that money blown back to Hahn to use. If it was on Hahn, he should get a new GM

And that's when he was a really good player.

It's certainly not how teams in their supposed window, saying the goal is multiple championships usually operate. Hopefully it's some sort of smokescreen, because lowering the payroll and failing again will doom them. As shitty as this team was in so many ways, 2 million still showed up. They can't do the usual and blame the fans for not buying their shitty product.