Chicago White Sox... The thread.

[Rogue219]

Kimbrel to the Dodgers for AJ Pollock.



2021: .297/.355/.536 with 21 HRs and a 137 wRC+ with a 3.0 FWAR in 117 games. Crushes righties: 140 wRC+ in 2021 against RHP, .902 OPS. 104 WRC+ in 2020 vs RHP but crushed lefties.

 

[Rogue219]

 

[NDFAN2008]

Love this move Pollock is a good defender with him in RF and Robert in Center their defense should be good. Now you don't really have a place for Sheets so they'll probally try and package him for Manea

 

[Rogue219]

Crochet done for the year with TJ surgery, Lance Lynn needs knee surgery, Manea to the Padres. This team had injuries last year too and still raked to a Division Championship. That rotation looks pretty thinned out now without Lynn and Rodon in it. Nobody has a clue what Kopech can do yet. Still, just a monster of a lineup they have. Moncada batting SIXTH? Have fun with that.

They got a good backup catcher over the weekend from Toronto who can pitch frame.

Theo Epstein is going to have a mess to clean up in San Diego next year.

 

[Southside Sully]

Crochet done for the year with TJ surgery, Lance Lynn needs knee surgery, Manea to the Padres. This team had injuries last year too and still raked to a Division Championship. That rotation looks pretty thinned out now without Lynn and Rodon in it. Nobody has a clue what Kopech can do yet. Still, just a monster of a lineup they have. Moncada batting SIXTH? Have fun with that.

They got a good backup catcher over the weekend from Toronto who can pitch frame.

Theo Epstein is going to have a mess to clean up in San Diego next year.

A good backup catcher who was caught diddling himself in a strip mall parking lot in 2020.

 

[Rogue219]

A good backup catcher who was caught diddling himself in a strip mall parking lot in 2020.

Dave Stewart's story is better.

 

[MacIrish75]

A good backup catcher who was caught diddling himself in a strip mall parking lot in 2020.

2020 was a weird year for all of us. If he can frame a pitch, I’m fine. He gets a free pass if he can help our hurlers avoid a free pass.

 

[Rogue219]

2020 was a weird year for all of us. If he can frame a pitch, I’m fine. He gets a free pass if he can help our hurlers avoid a free pass.

He can, and he's remarkably better at it than the catcher they traded in return to Toronto, who is terrible at it.

 

[Rogue219]

Reports that the CWS are talking to Johnny Cueto.

Not a bad idea at all.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Cueto would be a great pickup dude pitched 120 innings of 4.08 ERA if he gives us that I would be happy.

 

[Rogue219]

Cueto would be a great pickup dude pitched 120 innings of 4.08 ERA if he gives us that I would be happy.

Right. Plus Lynn will only be out for a month and could make his first start in mid to late May.

Giolito
Cease
Kopech
Keuchel
Lopez/Velasquez

As it stands right now. Pick up Cueto, get Lynn back and you have some depth there.

All that being said about the starting staff, my goodness is this lineup good, lads. What a club you have here. This is what I hope Ben brings to the Pirates soon.

 

[NDFAN2008]

I think you work the Keuchel starts around your bottom teams if you can skip him you do. I think we will survive with Keuchel pitching against Baltimore and Oakland

 

[chisea03]

White Sox Sign Johnny Cueto To Minor League Deal

The White Sox have signed veteran righty Johnny Cueto, according to Mike Rodriguez of Univision. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, …

www.mlbtraderumors.com

 

[Rogue219]

Cueto is not who he once was, but he's still got some tricks in the bag.

I'm guessing Oakland put Chicago over the coals for Manea and Chicago didn't flinch, so they gave him to San Diego for a pretty mediocre package. Chicago should have been able to beat or match what the Padres gave up for Manea.

I Don't understand how San Diego continues to make these trades without having to give up any of their top guys. Either way, that clubhouse culture isn't great and I don't know that it gets better. Chicago seems to have a good group of guys and LaRussa lets them be.

 

[Southside Sully]

Cueto is not who he once was, but he's still got some tricks in the bag.

I'm guessing Oakland put Chicago over the coals for Manea and Chicago didn't flinch, so they gave him to San Diego for a pretty mediocre package. Chicago should have been able to beat or match what the Padres gave up for Manea.

I Don't understand how San Diego continues to make these trades without having to give up any of their top guys. Either way, that clubhouse culture isn't great and I don't know that it gets better. Chicago seems to have a good group of guys and LaRussa lets them be.

Ya doesn't hurt to have a veteran who can at least eat innings for 6 starts or so and hopefully keep damage minimal in those games. Gonna have to outscore them a lot.

 

[Rogue219]

Ya doesn't hurt to have a veteran who can at least eat innings for 6 starts or so and hopefully keep damage minimal in those games. Gonna have to outscore them a lot.

You have the lineup to do it.

Your fans should stop freaking out about Moncada's spring OPS, too. It's spring training and a late start one at that due to the lockout.

 

[chisea03]

Ken Rosenthal Reveals Why The White Sox Missed Out On Manaea

Lance Lynn's recent injury shines a light on the White Sox's lack of rotational depth. Missing out on Sean Manaea adds insult to injury.

www.sportsmockery.com

 

[Rogue219]

Chicago's farm system has mostly graduated to the Majors, so it makes sense that just about everyone has more to offer outside of a few other clubs right now. Personally, I think it's a pile of crap that they could not have met or exceeded SD's package for Manea. I think Oakland knew they could beat up the WS for more and the WS passed. OAK moved on to SD and made them a taker.

 

[MacIrish75]

Chicago's farm system has mostly graduated to the Majors, so it makes sense that just about everyone has more to offer outside of a few other clubs right now. Personally, I think it's a pile of crap that they could not have met or exceeded SD's package for Manea. I think Oakland knew they could beat up the WS for more and the WS passed. OAK moved on to SD and made them a taker.

That’s the consensus. The asking price for CHW was higher than the eventual return they got from the Friars.

 

[Rogue219]

That’s the consensus. The asking price for CHW was higher than the eventual return they got from the Friars.

I believe it.

Still, I would have thought this front office would be all in this winter to get this team to a World Series. They are close. You have the RF, 2B and backup catcher covered. Got a couple of nice bullpen arms. They needed a starter even before Lance Lynn went down. Now I think they're going to need to consider it further.

All this said, for as much as the Twins and Tigers have made themselves better, this team should win the Central again. It was brought to my attention the White Sox have never gone back to back as Division champions. Shocking.

 

[MacIrish75]

I believe it.

Still, I would have thought this front office would be all in this winter to get this team to a World Series. They are close. You have the RF, 2B and backup catcher covered. Got a couple of nice bullpen arms. They needed a starter even before Lance Lynn went down. Now I think they're going to need to consider it further.

All this said, for as much as the Twins and Tigers have made themselves better, this team should win the Central again. It was brought to my attention the White Sox have never gone back to back as Division champions. Shocking.

The AL Central went from a division with two teams that will win 80+ to potentially four. The Sox starting pitching situation still worries me, but the bats should be fine. Minnesota is perplexing, as their bats should be decent and the top half of their rotation is solid—but their pen is atrocious. Detroit and Cleveland will win some games, but have glaring enough holes that I’m not sure they’ll contend. KC could play spoiler and has some great young pitchers. My take is:

Sox 90 wins
Minnesota 80-85
Detroit 80-85
Cleveland 75
KC 70

Sox win the division by somewhere around 5-7 games.

 

[Rogue219]

The AL Central went from a division with two teams that will win 80+ to potentially four. The Sox starting pitching situation still worries me, but the bats should be fine. Minnesota is perplexing, as their bats should be decent and the top half of their rotation is solid—but their pen is atrocious. Detroit and Cleveland will win some games, but have glaring enough holes that I’m not sure they’ll contend. KC could play spoiler and has some great young pitchers. My take is:

Sox 90 wins
Minnesota 80-85
Detroit 80-85
Cleveland 75
KC 70

Sox win the division by somewhere around 5-7 games.

I don't think there is any way Detroit can be that good unless multiple pitchers overperform and come out far ahead of their projections. That's a team that wins 70-80 games this year max. They got better, but I don't think I could project them that high.

Minnesota should give the Sox a run and I believe your cushion of 5-7 games is spot on. Agreed.

 

[MacIrish75]

I’m super high on Mize, Manning, and Skubal. Their pen won’t be great, although Chafin adds a nice wrinkle for them. I think they’re still 1-2 years away. They’ve done a nice job with their rebuild.

I don't think there is any way Detroit can be that good unless multiple pitchers overperform and come out far ahead of their projections. That's a team that wins 70-80 games this year max. They got better, but I don't think I could project them that high.

Minnesota should give the Sox a run and I believe your cushion of 5-7 games is spot on. Agreed.

 

[Rogue219]

Hendricks has been shaky so far. First game slipped away but he held it down yesterday.

They seem far better defensively too. Executed a couple of nice outs via the shift and the back up catcher is better than anything they've had in recent memory.

I could watch Luis Robert paint a fence and he'd probably be excellent at it. What a ball player. 24 years of age!

 

[MacIrish75]

I’m pretty pleased with the start overall, especially considering Lynn’s injury and everyone that’s gone on the 10-day IL so far.

Not signing Rodon is going to end up being a huge regret if he can continue the trend he’s set from his first couple starts.

That said, Dylan Cease looks like he’s really going to develop into a top of the rotation guy. He’s got filthy stuff, but location has been an issue. So far this year he’s really hit his spots.

Liam will find his groove, although he’ll definitely keep things interesting at times and once Kelly gets back, the bullpen should be deep. Burger has been a really pleasant surprise while YoYo is out. I wouldn’t mind seeing YoYo at second and Burger staying at third even once Moncada is back.

So far, so good.

 

[Rogue219]

Cuban INF Yolbert Sanchez was promoted to Triple-A, Charlotte.

 

[BobbyMac]

Thank goodness for 162 game schedules.

Woof as of 4-25.

 

[Rogue219]

They had a similar start last year, yes? Injuries galore, too?

They have an elite rotation from the looks of things. Get them healthy and keep them healthy, you're all good.

No idea why they play so badly in Cleveland every year. Weird.

 

[MacIrish75]

I’m pretty pleased with the start overall, especially considering Lynn’s injury and everyone that’s gone on the 10-day IL so far.

Not signing Rodon is going to end up being a huge regret if he can continue the trend he’s set from his first couple starts.

That said, Dylan Cease looks like he’s really going to develop into a top of the rotation guy. He’s got filthy stuff, but location has been an issue. So far this year he’s really hit his spots.

Liam will find his groove, although he’ll definitely keep things interesting at times and once Kelly gets back, the bullpen should be deep. Burger has been a really pleasant surprise while YoYo is out. I wouldn’t mind seeing YoYo at second and Burger staying at third even once Moncada is back.

So far, so good.

Did not age well.

 

[chisea03]

Cuban INF Yolbert Sanchez was promoted to Triple-A, Charlotte.

Sanchez may be called up this year especially due to the OF injuries