1 hour ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Burke feels like a lock for sure.

I think by law his arms has to fall off now, no?

1 hour ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

How does that work then if he signed a one year deal this offseason? The Sox can still retain him via arbitration for 2026 if they chose to?

Yes, I believe that is correct.  Or he could pitch poorly and the Sox could choose to non-tender him next offseason.

47 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Yes, I believe that is correct.  Or he could pitch poorly and the Sox could choose to non-tender him next offseason.

Good to know, thanks. Could definitely help his trade value in that case.

Somebody asked on Twitter, and Grok stepped in with the answer:

Quote

Determining the exact Major League Baseball team with the worst spring training record of all time is tricky because comprehensive historical spring training records aren’t as meticulously maintained or widely available as regular season stats. Spring training games are exhibition matches, and their outcomes don’t count toward official standings, so documentation is spotty, especially for older seasons.

That said, based on available data, one of the worst recorded spring training performances in recent history belongs to the 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates. They finished with a 3-18 record, giving them a .143 winning percentage. This comes from a discussion on Reddit’s r/mlb community, where a user compiled spring training records back to 1984 using MLB.com data. The 2020 season was shortened due to the pandemic, which might have impacted the number of games played, but this dismal winning percentage stands out as one of the lowest in modern times.

Historically, it’s harder to pinpoint a definitive "worst ever" because records before the 1980s are incomplete. Teams in the early 20th century didn’t always play as many spring training games, and results weren’t consistently tracked. Anecdotally, struggling teams like the 1899 Cleveland Spiders (who had a 20-134 regular season record) or the 1962 New York Mets (40-120 in the regular season) might have had awful spring trainings, but there’s no hard data to confirm this.

So, while the 2020 Pirates hold the title for the worst known spring training record in recent decades at 3-18 (.143), the true all-time worst could be buried in unrecorded history. Spring training’s informal nature means we may never know for sure.

 

Edited February 27, 20251 yr by WestEddy

On 2/25/2025 at 5:05 PM, Autumn Dreamin said:

Sounds like no subscription required if you're in area. Also free game of the day on MLBTV.

Looks like a tradeable asset.

Edited February 27, 20251 yr by Chick Mercedes

2 hours ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

If a tree falls in the forest……

https://www.mlb.com/news/jake-burger-hits-home-run-after-daughter-s-surgery

 

A slimmed-down Dominic Fletcher has been impressive early on in camp and is already on the 40-man roster. Among the many veteran non-roster invites, Brandon Drury has corner outfield experience and most recently put forth a successful season at the plate. But as a left-handed power threat who wouldn’t need to make a full-time return to the outfield to serve as a Benintendi replacement, Joey Gallo’s presence in camp only takes on greater prominence. Bobby Dalbec is athletic enough to play the outfield and willing to boot, as is Brooks Baldwin. Oscar Colás is definitively still here. Wilfred Veras Island is always open to new residents.

https://soxmachine.com/2025/02/andrew-benintendi-to-miss-4-6-weeks-with-broken-right-hand/

 

No mention of Zach DeLoach, Cal Mitchell, lol...

 

Edited February 28, 20251 yr by caulfield12

51 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://www.mlb.com/news/jake-burger-hits-home-run-after-daughter-s-surgery

 

A slimmed-down Dominic Fletcher has been impressive early on in camp and is already on the 40-man roster. Among the many veteran non-roster invites, Brandon Drury has corner outfield experience and most recently put forth a successful season at the plate. But as a left-handed power threat who wouldn’t need to make a full-time return to the outfield to serve as a Benintendi replacement, Joey Gallo’s presence in camp only takes on greater prominence. Bobby Dalbec is athletic enough to play the outfield and willing to boot, as is Brooks Baldwin. Oscar Colás is definitively still here. Wilfred Veras Island is always open to new residents.

https://soxmachine.com/2025/02/andrew-benintendi-to-miss-4-6-weeks-with-broken-right-hand/

 

No mention of Zach DeLoach, Cal Mitchell, lol...

 

Slimmed down? Was he considered big before?

1 hour ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Slimmed down? Was he considered big before?

Stocky?  Kind of like a fireplug...

8 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Slimmed down? Was he considered big before?

LOL, was about to say…  what is he now?  150?

"It’s just that losing follows the Sox wherever they go."

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/02/27/white-sox-will-try-to-prove-doubters-wrong-and-be-better-than-record-setting-2024-team

 

MLB Trade Rumors lists out each team's list of out of option players. The only one that even requires brain cells would be Jacob Amaya. Sosa and Vargas should make the team. Tauchman, Thaiss and Bryse Wilson were brought here to make the team. Tristan Gray looked viable, and he hits a bit better and has way more power than Amaya. Plus, Gray has 2 options left. 

I also think it's telling that when Colson Montgomery was scratched, yesterday, Gray got the call to replace him, not Baldwin, even when Baldwin was on hand to replace Benintendi when he was pulled for x-rays. 

article: Out Of Options 2025 - MLB Trade Rumors

White Sox

• Jacob Amaya, IF
• Lenyn Sosa, IF
• Mike Tauchman, OF
• Matt Thaiss, C
• Miguel Vargas, IF
• Bryse Wilson, SP/RP

Edited February 28, 20251 yr by WestEddy

Nice, I was hoping they'd get another appearance before heading to the MiLB side.

7 hours ago, WestEddy said:

MLB Trade Rumors lists out each team's list of out of option players. The only one that even requires brain cells would be Jacob Amaya. Sosa and Vargas should make the team. Tauchman, Thaiss and Bryse Wilson were brought here to make the team. Tristan Gray looked viable, and he hits a bit better and has way more power than Amaya. Plus, Gray has 2 options left. 

I also think it's telling that when Colson Montgomery was scratched, yesterday, Gray got the call to replace him, not Baldwin, even when Baldwin was on hand to replace Benintendi when he was pulled for x-rays. 

article: Out Of Options 2025 - MLB Trade Rumors

White Sox

• Jacob Amaya, IF
• Lenyn Sosa, IF
• Mike Tauchman, OF
• Matt Thaiss, C
• Miguel Vargas, IF
• Bryse Wilson, SP/RP

Baldwin can play pretty much any spot on the field except catcher.

Think you're reading way too much into a singular decision.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/tristan-gray/19877/stats?position=1B

Gray is actually still listed at 1B 3B.

Then he moved to the middle infield more recently...if they wanted to roster him, there was zero reason to sign Rojas.

The only logical argument is that Josh Rojas will somehow lead to more wins...and avoiding 121 losses again.

Edited March 1, 20251 yr by caulfield12

9 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Baldwin can play pretty much any spot on the field except catcher.

Think you're reading way too much into a singular decision.

I think you're reading too much into a single comment. 

7 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I think you're reading too much into a single comment. 

Gray is not a great SS.

He's a utility guy.  Look at his Rays' background.

Amaya is the defender who will help out contact pitchers the most.

6 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Gray is not a great SS.

He's a utility guy.  Look at his Rays' background.

Amaya is the defender who will help out contact pitchers the most.

You don't need a "great" shortstop. Gray has more power. 

Not sure what you're really responding to. My original comment was more about Gray seeming to get more early action than Baldwin. The other part was that Amaya was the only one on that list who wasn't exactly a lock. 

https://www.southsidesox.com/2025/2/28/24375021/chicago-white-sox-do-spring-training-losses-really-not-matter-chis-getz-folly-of-a-ragtag-rebuild

5 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Gray is not a great SS.

He's a utility guy.  Look at his Rays' background.

Amaya is the defender who will help out contact pitchers the most.

 

4 hours ago, WestEddy said:

You don't need a "great" shortstop. Gray has more power. 

Not sure what you're really responding to. My original comment was more about Gray seeming to get more early action than Baldwin. The other part was that Amaya was the only one on that list who wasn't exactly a lock. 

Gray is also a NRI... his options don't get used if he gets sent to Charlotte. No reason to add him unless he straight up wows in camp.

11 minutes ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

 

Gray is also a NRI... his options don't get used if he gets sent to Charlotte. No reason to add him unless he straight up wows in camp.

https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/187997/

Gray is already 28 and has less than 30 minor league homers in seven years.

Career .764 minor league hitter.

.622 lifetime in the majors.

Would rather watch Amaya/Gonzalez/Bergolla than someone at 28 with limited trade value.

That said all of those guys would probably hit .175 and their defensive advantages would be eradicated.

So just play Baldwin at SS.

Really quite simple.

Him becoming a 2-2.5 fWAR player would a great development coup.

Edited March 1, 20251 yr by caulfield12

15 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/187997/

Gray is already 28 and has less than 30 minor league homers in seven years.

Career .764 minor league hitter.

WTF are you talking about? Get out of the opium dens. Gray has 127 minor league homers. 

Tristan Gray College, Amateur, Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com

Edited March 1, 20251 yr by WestEddy

He’s a 28 year old career minor leaguer.  Good god, this offense is going to be as bad as last year.

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

He’s a 28 year old career minor leaguer.  Good god, this offense is going to be as bad as last year.

I actually think it'll be worse... especially once Robert gets moved.