Lip Man 1

The Sox announced agreements with players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba on Wednesday as part of the international signing period. They came to terms with 16 international players, including Cuban third baseman Alejandro Cruz and Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño, who are ranked by Baseball America as Nos. 17 and 81 prospects in the 2025 international class.

Actually the deal was completed and finalized yesterday: January 14, 2001 - The Sox acquired pitcher David Wells from Toronto basically for pitcher Mike Sirotka. Over the coming weeks and months, Sirotka and the Blue Jays claimed the Sox knew that Sirotka had a bad arm and couldn’t pitch. Sox G.M. Ken Williams defended himself by saying that he told the Jays he thought Sirotka might be hurt and offered pitcher Jim Parque instead. Commissioner Allan “Bud” Selig ruled in late March that the trade would stand. The whole episode became known as “Shouldergate.” Wells meanwhile had few good moments with the Sox. He’d beat the Indians opening day in Cleveland after he said fans got him angry by talking about his mother and how he was raised but after that, because of a bad back he barely pitched, winning only five games in total with only 16 starts on the year. He then caused a major controversy when he went on the radio and said that he didn’t think first baseman Frank Thomas was as badly hurt as he claimed. Thomas would only wind up playing 20 games that year after he tore a triceps muscle diving for a ground ball along the first base line. Sirotka later claimed the Sox misdiagnosed his injury and the resulting publicity caused Williams to hold a press conference where he defending the White Sox medical staff.

https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/john-schriffen-going-into-second-year-white-sox-broadcaster

https://soxmachine.com/2025/01/zips-has-zilch-to-say-about-the-2025-white-sox/

Spring training begins on Feb. 12 for the White Sox. The start of another lost season.

he fits right in doesn't he? 😆

Maybe because despite running it in to the ground everyone is still making money and that's the bottom line to JR and MLB in general.

https://awfulannouncing.com/local-networks/reds-reverse-course-ink-deal-with-fanduel-sports-network.html

Everything I've seen says the teams can do what they want with it, even put it in the bank as the Pirates and Marlins were doing.

Not saying he should have sold at that time, simply passing along what I was told that some of the minority owners thought the value would never be higher and it was time to get out.

Some of the minority owners were urging him to sell right after 2005. Get out while the going is good and JR said no.

And remember Andrew Berlin, who grew up a Sox fan and owned a small piece, twice made offers in 2008 to JR and was rebuffed.

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/mat-justin-ishbia-white-sox-stake-twins-1234823444/

"He also seems to harbor no illusions about ever relying on a top payroll. He said it’s in his interest to pay closer attention to what the Guardians, Twins, Tigers and Royals are doing to improve, versus fixating on the team that’s challenging the luxury tax threshold. That’s certainly a shift from the way Getz came into the job talking about the division. It’s also deeply disappointing, because Jerry Reinsdorf spent decades squandering every advantage the Chicago market could naturally foster, and now complains that the market — and the favorable stadium lease terms that come with it — isn’t enough." https://soxmachine.com/2025/01/white-soxs-slashed-payroll-reflects-harsh-new-reality/

The next labor impasse comes to a head in 2026 from what I've read.

Crochet is now talking about an extension with the Red Sox, that he sees a "lot of merit" in it.

https://www.mlb.com/news/garrett-crochet-introduced-to-fans-at-fenway-fest

In the business model you talk about more often than not the executive who's decision tanked the company gets his ass fired unceremoniously, not kept around or kicked upstairs which is what the Sox usually have done.

For what it's worth from my story in November 2022. I spoke with a half dozen people connected to the organization or covered them, sometimes for decades: “The problem with this team is there was no real leadership, nobody to hold guys accountable. No red-asses like the Sox had in the past… Carlton Fisk, Jack McDowell, A.J. Pierzynski. Paul Konerko was a quiet guy but when we weren’t doing well he’d get really pissed. Elvis Andrus tried to supply some leadership when he came and Lucas Giolito tried.” “I’d come into the locker room after a game and you couldn’t tell if they won or lost, just nothing.” “You’d go in the locker room and all the Latino guys would be in one place, the whites in another and the African-Americans someplace else.” “I had heard that groups were apart and not close but part of that could be human nature, language divisions for example. I know the Latin guys were always around Jose’s locker, Moncada was always there. The Sox locker room is a big square so guys aren’t close to start with, the Cubs locker room is circular. I don’t know if that was by design or what but that lends itself to guys getting together.” “The problem is some of these guys just don’t care, they want to win sure but they already have gotten their money with these contracts before they proved anything. Moncada would strike out and just walk back to the dugout like no big deal, he fouls a ball off and now he can’t play for three days? His contract makes him untradable but he needs to go.” “There was a lack of urgency the entire season. People would say the right things but they never translated.” “To me it was the May 9 game with Cleveland, (Author’s Note: The Sox blew an 8-2, 9th inning lead and lost in extra innings which snapped a six-game win streak.) That showed Cleveland that they could play with the Sox but what I noticed was the only person that game seemed to bother was Tony LaRussa. Another one was the Triple Play Game against the Twins. (Author’s Note: The Sox ran themselves into an 8-5 triple play on July 4. They wound up losing the game 6-3 in extra innings) Adam Engel faced the music afterwards, he made a mistake and owned up to it. Moncada who also made a mistake was nowhere, he was already gone. Then the next day he was saying that he didn’t know people wanted to talk with him.” “They were the most disappointing team in baseball. They were consistently redundant, by that I mean day after day they’d make errors, have dumb base running mistakes, take bad approaches at the plate and lack effort. They were the dumbest, laziest team in baseball, I don’t know if they were the most disappointing team ever in Chicago but I’ve used the phrase that the 2022 White Sox were “Trying Barely”… they reminded me of the 2004 Cubs.”

I agree. I never wrote that they should be doing it NOW, just that as long as JR is the owner it simply...will...not...happen regardless of Getz's comment about spending. The proof is in the pudding as the saying goes, they had chances a few years ago to really try to push the rebuild into a much better situation. What did they do? (crickets chirping) Exactly. Talk is cheap and historically under JR all that ever happens is the proverbial "seat at the table..." Then the excuses start being made public. "The money will be spent..."--Rick Hahn. 😆 Sure...wasted on stiffs, retreads, has-been's and injury prone guys.

Hope perez pitches well and they can trade him for someone who can actually help down the road when it actually matters.

LOL...one of which came in a 60-game season and found the team with only two starting pitchers for a three game opening round series.

Until JR is gone, the last part will never happen. It is simply against JR's "philosophy" since he feels players make to much money the way it is. That stance hasn't changed sine he realized the price of winning after the 1983 season. The Belle signing was an outlier simply because he wanted to "pay back" the other owners for agreeing to settle the 94-95 labor dispute without a salary cap (which as recently as the last lockout he was sounding off about needing one). They continue to waste millions of dollars on stiffs, retreads, has-been's and injury prone guys but simply refuse to pay the going rate for superstar talent.

Story today at CBS Sportsline says Crochet and the red Sox are talking extension.

JR approves of these numbers!