I think Carlos is ready to be number 3 in the rotation. Dallas should be 4 or 5. He worries me write now. Kopech looking better and better and needs to be stretched out and moved into the rotation. Hopefully Lynne only misses a couple of starts. If healthy he should be number 2. Cease still has some control problems but they can be corrected. I’m not sure what the procedure is to get Kopech into shape this 1st of the season to ready to throw 100 pitches. We may have to wait until after the AllStar break. Cancelling the Cleveland game and a day off today might be a blessing in disguise as they say instead of throwing a bullpen game. We may have lucked and the bullpen will be fresh for the weekend. 

Edited April 22, 20214 yr by AJ'S Cousin
Adding

In the regular season number 3 or 4 doesn't really matter, doesn't it? 

Now in the post season that is a huge question but then again it is some time until then and who knows what will happen until then both with performance and health. 

Right now I would give rodon the nod but a lot can happen especially since rodon has been hurt a lot. 

Hope he stays healthy and effective though, I would prefer keuchel who I think isn't as bad as he was this year but obviously not as good as last year (more of a 4.0 Era guy or so I think) to be the number 4 in the post season as that would mean the number 3 is better than that. 

Edited April 22, 20214 yr by Dominikk85

If Giolito, Lynn, rodon and keuchel are all doing well (and they make the playoffs obviously which I think they will) this is quite a good playoff rotation, (not dodgers or 2018 astros level but still one of the better ones) 

I would try to rework the rotation into Giolito-Rodon-Lynn-Cease-Keuchel because I am still unsure of Carlos being a guy who can get you into the 7th inning and Cease has definitely not proven he is that kind of guy either, even though Cease is developing and getting better.  I would rather have Carlos and Cease sandwiched in between the other SPs who can be expected to go longer.

I'll go ahead and make a prediction ... we'll change our minds 100 more times before we get to the end of the season. 

goals of this team should be to maintain and spread innings so that the upside arms of Rodon, Kopech, Crochet and others are still ready to fire in the most important innings of the season (September and hopefully beyond).

I also think we'll see us add another arm via trade to the mix. The playoffs (if we get there) will be a rag tag of innings from all guys on deck.

 

But yes, this isn't MLB The Show. #1 and #5 starters are the same. If you're healthy and throwing it's just once every five days. 

By playoffs it's even less important. You're playing specific matchups even more. 

I realize that its early but Rodon looks like the real deal. Rodon is also a free agent after this season. I wonder if Hahn is going to try and sign him.

7 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

I realize that its early but Rodon looks like the real deal. Rodon is also a free agent after this season. I wonder if Hahn is going to try and sign him.

I hold hope that the reason the payroll is still a meager 130mil is in anticipation of these eventualities.

If the White Sox rotation is healthy in September they are as good and deep as anyone this side of southern California and I am not including the Padres.

Kopech and Cease coming out of the pen for a playoff run is insane. 

Health is the key obviously. 

1 hour ago, WBWSF said:

I realize that its early but Rodon looks like the real deal. Rodon is also a free agent after this season. I wonder if Hahn is going to try and sign him.

With Boras as his agent and Reinsdorf as our owner, I wouldn’t count on it.   

Regarding extending him I would step on the breaks a little. Just a few months ago he was non tendered and he was hurt for about 2-3 seasons. 

Now he had 3 very good to good starts but this could still turn quickly, he could get hurt again tomorrow. 

Now of course this is true for any pitcher which means it is true for no pitcher (I. E you can't really consider it) but rodon's risk is certainly higher than other pitchers. 

 

Now if he dominates all season that might be different but I would wait and see a little 

32 minutes ago, Thad Bosley said:

With Boras as his agent and Reinsdorf as our owner, I wouldn’t count on it.   

They didn't have a problem four months ago.  Boras big ticket guys won't come to the Sox but they don't refuse to deal with each other, the Sox have multiple Boras clients iirc, Keuchel probably most prominent 

2 hours ago, WBWSF said:

I realize that its early but Rodon looks like the real deal. Rodon is also a free agent after this season. I wonder if Hahn is going to try and sign him.

I can't think of a riskier free agent pitcher that, if he pitches well the rest of this year, will cost as much as Rodon. I would have no interest in giving him big money. The injury history is far too glaring. I have no idea what TLR is doing having him throw 110+ pitches back to back starts in April. Incredibly reckless. He hasn't been able to stay healthy once in his MLB career.

Edited April 22, 20214 yr by Look at Ray Ray Run

It wouldn't surprise me at all if he keeps this up, and the Sox aren't playing really top notch baseball, that they looked to unload him at the deadline. It's a lose lose to keep him through the end of this year unless you truly think the Sox can win a championship, because there's no way Jerry is going to give him a market rate if he finishes this year with say a 3.00 era, solid peripherals, and healthy. 

3 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I can't think of a riskier free agent pitcher that, if he pitches well the rest of this year, will cost as much as Rodon. I would have no interest in giving him big money. The injury history is far too glaring. I have no idea what TLR is doing having him throw 110+ pitches back to back starts in April. Incredibly reckless. He hasn't been able to stay healthy once in his MLB career.

As much as I loved seeing Carlos battle in that followup to the no-no, that was a real head-scratcher. IMO they need to be almost as careful with him as with Kopech. This guy is not Lance Lynn and if we try to ride him like a 200 inning starter we're going to be sorry.

7 minutes ago, Rusty_Kuntz said:

It wouldn't surprise me at all if he keeps this up, and the Sox aren't playing really top notch baseball, that they looked to unload him at the deadline. It's a lose lose to keep him through the end of this year unless you truly think the Sox can win a championship, because there's no way Jerry is going to give him a market rate if he finishes this year with say a 3.00 era, solid peripherals, and healthy. 

I can't see them dealing him when they are in a race for the playoffs and rodon is doing well. 

Now it might Actually make sense but teams just don't do that. 

Is he eligible for a comp pick if he leaves? 

1 minute ago, Dominikk85 said:

I can't see them dealing him when they are in a race for the playoffs and rodon is doing well. 

Now it might Actually make sense but teams just don't do that. 

Is he eligible for a comp pick if he leaves? 

Not sure about the comp pick, and I agree in principle they probably won't do this for optics. The last thing they want is the perception of another white flag trade. So I guess it would surprise me if they did, but from a long term perspective it makes sense. 

 

9 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

I can't see them dealing him when they are in a race for the playoffs and rodon is doing well. 

Now it might Actually make sense but teams just don't do that. 

Is he eligible for a comp pick if he leaves? 

Depends on the next CBA. 

21 minutes ago, Rusty_Kuntz said:

Not sure about the comp pick, and I agree in principle they probably won't do this for optics. The last thing they want is the perception of another white flag trade. So I guess it would surprise me if they did, but from a long term perspective it makes sense. 

 

I agree it could make sense. But just for the optics that is something that only teams like the Rays do, traditional franchises, even the more progressive ones Usually don't do that because of optics, especially not a franchise with as strong of an owner influence as the sox have. 

38 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

I can't see them dealing him when they are in a race for the playoffs and rodon is doing well. 

Now it might Actually make sense but teams just don't do that. 

Is he eligible for a comp pick if he leaves? 

He'd sign any QO immediately. So we wouldn't get a pick.

Worry about this if they make the playoffs.  Until then order doesn't really matter.  I don't think Kopech is going to be throwing 100 pitches (or even 90) anytime before August, that just seems like the program they have for him and that's fine given that the rotation looks like a solid unit even without him right now.

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

They didn't have a problem four months ago.  Boras big ticket guys won't come to the Sox but they don't refuse to deal with each other, the Sox have multiple Boras clients iirc, Keuchel probably most prominent 

Kinda hilarious that the White Sox refusal to give out large contracts is Scott Boras’s fault. 

4 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I can't think of a riskier free agent pitcher that, if he pitches well the rest of this year, will cost as much as Rodon. I would have no interest in giving him big money. The injury history is far too glaring. I have no idea what TLR is doing having him throw 110+ pitches back to back starts in April. Incredibly reckless. He hasn't been able to stay healthy once in his MLB career.

I think the reason they had Rodon pitch back to back games like that comes down to a few reasons.

1. Ride him while he's pitching well. Based in history it won't last long.

2. He won't be back next season. He will either flame out or not worth the risk to re-sign him if he pitches well.

3. They expect Kopech to take his spot by the end of the year.

26 minutes ago, ptatc said:

I think the reason they had Rodon pitch back to back games like that comes down to a few reasons.

1. Ride him while he's pitching well. Based in history it won't last long.

2. He won't be back next season. He will either flame out or not worth the risk to re-sign him if he pitches well.

3. They expect Kopech to take his spot by the end of the year.

If Kopech can get stretched out to 5 innings and actually start by the end of the year.......... watch out for this rotation. Though if I were a betting man, I'd say if he takes anyones spot it's gunna be Cease.

38 minutes ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

If Kopech can get stretched out to 5 innings and actually start by the end of the year.......... watch out for this rotation. Though if I were a betting man, I'd say if he takes anyones spot it's gunna be Cease.

I'm guessing that's the plan.

It will depend on how Cease is pitching but with Rodon most likely being gone next year, they will lean towards Cease.

8 minutes ago, ptatc said:

I'm guessing that's the plan.

It will depend on how Cease is pitching but with Rodon most likely being gone next year, they will lean towards Cease.

I disagree, if Rodon is clearly better.  With Larussa, and our serious deep playoff aspirations, we will go with the better pitcher.  Cease moves to Bullpen and you can use him next year as a SP again when Rodon leaves.