caulfield12

Look at the 2010 and 2012 seasons as prime examples, or early 2016. White Sox fans are VERY discriminating about knowing whether their team can realistically compete in the postseason. Other than 2003, 2005-06...the last two years were the first two post-seasons where Sox fans EXPECTED to win...although there was certainly a tremendous amount of concern about HFA and the regular season results against Houston was well as their four consecutive ALCS appearances. The White Sox fans are closer to the Tampa Bay Rays, A's, Tigers, Twins and Indians in terms of general/overall fan expectations. We definitely don't handle being a favorite well, with a few notable exceptions. That and one of the very best teams (1994) getting wiped out by the strike and the White Flag Trade have only served to add to this inferiority complex, as well as being buried by the Cubs this last decade. We still retain that small or mid-market/limited budget/never give out money to one superstar to mitigate risk mentality. This whole "blue collar/labor/diminishing union" vs. Northside Yuppies making money in high finance thing. That's simply never going to change with this ownership group, regardless of all the previous braggadocio from Kenny Williams while he was GM.

And one of the 2 best young outfielders in Acuna, Jr.

Interestingly, that very Braves' scenario from last year is noted and how much harder it will be to pull off the same neat trick in a seller's market with the Mets already so far ahead...without even adding deGrom to the mix.

Sounds just a bit like...Ricky Renteria.

When has he ever had two consistently healthy full seasons? He was like the pitching version of Eloy Jimenez until the first four months of 2021, when his career/future was really on the line...back to the wall.

That's the ONLY ray of hope at the moment.

If only there was a way to merge the Cuban/Latin American flair and exciting style of play with the Japanese/Korean attention to discipline, fundamentals, execution and team-oriented play. Then you would have close to the perfect position players.

Why would you trade Vaughn and Kopech? Who has a lot of value other teams would want? TA7, Giolito...maybe Lynn if he comes back healthy, Moncada far away from peak value and would only be a target for big payroll teams/playoff contenders. Jimenez we would have a hard time just dumping his remaining contract. Same with most of the remaining players other than Graveman.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-teams-off-to-slow-starts-2022 White Sox first team discussed at length, along with Red Sox, Mariners, Braves, Phillies. No Blue Jays...as current last WC team. Interesting they noted the farm system at the end. More well-informed than the average ESPN article at least.

As the Sox offense goes, so goes the server. Sit back, relax and strap it down!!!

But to answer the OP, they were never going to trade him last year...it wouldn't have made any sense for a playoff contender to sell off their best pitcher in-season. It would have been unprecedented. Not even the Rays have done something like that, they were trying to deal Glasnow but he was injured, that was a totally financial-based decision. And most could feel the second half decline already coming based on his previous workload. By July 31st, he was already a major question mark for the Sox and the rest of baseball.

Keuchel basically averages 10 MPH less on his FB and could only dream of having that slider (when he's ON), but okay, sure.

Consistently 97 in that inning where he was pulled, topped out at 98.2. Mostly problems with the slider and off speed stuff...as well as location in the zone.

Now 8 ER. Went back and looked through the velocity readings. Mostly 97 that inning, one 98.2. Doesn't seem like any kind of injury/fatigue. All the way up to a 3.49 ERA, which is probably about average for the NL and is going to be misread to say that he hasn't been an excellent pitcher his first 6 starts before hitting a wall and apparently not having his slider to get hitters off his FB and change.

When you think about it realistically, what players under than Grandal and Abreu are dramatically under-performing, which could just as easily be hitting the age ceiling? Pollock has had the dreaded NL to AL transition, injury/parental leave. Counting on him to put up another 3 fWAR while moving from LF to RF was pretty much a disaster waiting to happen. Now in LF again, we shall see what he has left. Jimenez and Moncada mostly hurt. Vaughn has made big/positive strides forward, as has Luis Robert. TA7, same (defense, not so much). Sheets was always going to be a case of a Tier B prospect finding success but being challenged by a league making adjustments back. Most knowledgeable Sox fans weren't realistically expecting him to replicate his 2021 performance. Then you have the general decline by 60-75 OPS points across the board or whatever that number now is...maybe down 50 OPS on average as the weather has improved? Burger held his own, more or less but was generally over matched...but that's a bit unfair considering where he came from 2-3 years ago. Most of us thought he would never see a big league diamond, EVER. He performed much better than some of the veterans, let's leave it at that. Harrison and Leury...they have always been "it is what it is" kind of a situation with both those guys. Fwiw, Zack Collins has come back down to earth after a hot start...so there's really only Luis Gonzalez (funny how much ink Adolfo got in retrospect) to account for in SF. Madrigal didn't exactly light up the Northside before his predictable injury. They can make cosmetic changes just to make a change, but anything short of TLR or Hahn going isn't going to change the trajectory of this team.

Rodon finally having a very poor start tonight against the Cardinals... 3 1/3, 8, 5 ER, 1, 3 through 59 pitches.

He would have had other baseball jobs because of largely (to that point) carrying off the rebuild pretty well through the disappointing loss to the A's in the post season. At least he got them back to the playoffs finally, after a seemingly endless 12 years of purgatory.

Veterans peaked before the young core could fully catch up and coalesce as a team together. Simplistic way of looking at it, but mostly accurate. This FEELS from a fan standpoint a lot like the 2016 Royals, to be honest. Injuries, too many players declining at the same time, too much talent not to hang in there. The only difference is the Indians had a great team that year. This year actually looks like it will have more of a 2008 ending to it due to how bad the Central is overall. Survival of the fittest.

I’m going to venture it’s a lot closer to 4-5 losses than just a couple. There’s no way Yost was nearly this bad in KC…there’s just not. And the proof was/is two World Series teams that weren’t among the most talented on the starting pitching side. Those teams executed by making consistent contact, played fundamentally sound baseball on both sides, stellar defense, lockdown bullpen and absolutely ran you out of games late with their speed. We don’t do any of those things well with a HoF manager.

6 starts. Theoretically 24-26 left. Pace right now is 24, fwiw. If he had pitched 4 more innings so far and also was to take the full 32 starts, he’d be right there on the doorstep.

Shhhhhhhhhh..…nobody will believe the Twins will be anywhere close to 8-10 games over .500 at that point. Before all the injuries, I said +14 games over .500. 10-6 the next 16 has them at +8. That’s conservative based on the competition. I actually think Buxton alone if he doesn’t hurt himself running into walls could outdo some of those entire teams offensively, especially the Tigers and A’s.

Yet Nestor Molina was the opposite of a diamond in the rough for the Sox…

Well, the turning allegiance to the Cubs lasted all of three weeks...

We will all know by the end of June/early July if he's toast or not...they're going to have to play Vaughn/Sheets at first and Eloy in left if that's still the case.

That one run luck by Minnesota and with Pagan clinging to leads by his fingernails likely won't hold up the entire season like it did for the Mariners last year. And/but I still think it's unlikely we make a major move in the division race until June.