Guaranteed Rates of Success
The White Sox have one of the most secretive front offices in the league. It has been like that for a while, probably because Kenny doesn’t want to showcase his idiocy to the White Sox fan base. At the trade deadline, everyone expected the team to stand pat, and they basically did. However, last week, Dave Kaplan and other multiple sources proclaimed that Rick Hahn wanted to clean house, but Williams wouldn’t allow that. Boy, what a shock! At least that gives us a little closure on what actually happened at the deadline. I’ve thought that all along if Rick Hahn had the reigns to control the direction of the organization, the White Sox would have a very similar result as the Cubs. Everyone has to be on the same page, though, and that hasn’t been the case for many years now. The old needs to go. Hahn drafted extremely well this season. His only blunder, which in my opinion is on scouting, was James Shields. I digress.
Let’s say Rick Hahn finally got it through to Jerry Reinsdorf that the current system isn’t working, and they do sell. What would it look like? Well for starters, the name of the field will be different because we all know you have to change the name of the stadium and fire the bench coach to succeed. Ya know, get rid of the dead weight? Well, in the next couple weeks, we will start seeing some of the players that could potentially be a part of a rebuild. I’m fine with it, as long as Robin’s contract doesn’t get renewed and Kenny Williams either shuts up or takes a hike. Who would stay? Who would go? My best guess will include the three big name players, who need to be rebuilt around.
Adam Eaton
He is everything you want in a leadoff man. Holy crap, I just noticed Ty Pennington is in the booth at the Sox game! Sick! ... Anyways, Eaton is about as close as you can get to a five-tool player on the Sox. The biggest lacking category is power for him. He still has 11 bombs this year. His OBP clears .350. He’s fast, and he has 22 assists. The guy has been magic in the outfield this year.
Jose Abreu
He has had a down year, but I think him being away from his son and being extorted out of million of dollars greatly affected his first half statistics. Since the All-Star break, his average has jumped from .270 to .285, and his OBP has jumped from .326 to .341. In the last 28 days, .326/.375/.584 with six homers. Don’t sell low on this guy. Plus some team is more likely to overpay for Chris Sale than Jose Abreu. You need to keep one staple name on the roster, or we won’t recognize anyone during this rebuild.
Todd Frazier
Once again, do now sell low! He has hit doubles in the past. This year is an anomaly, or is it just because he’s another guy from the Reds who underperforms? I don’t know.
Obviously, Tim Anderson, Carlos Rodon, and Carson Fulmer will stay. They will one day be cornerstones of this franchise. I know Chris Sale is one now, but if the team is going the rebuilding route, there is absolutely no point in selling off some assets and keeping bits and pieces. Kenny has ruined the franchised for 8 years. He and Robin need to be out of the picture. Either go all in on next season and open the checkbook, or cash it in and aim for a 2018-2019 playoff window. There’s no middle ground. You have the pieces to contend, but some positions, like catcher, centerfield, and the bullpen need to be reevaluated.
If you want a breath of fresh air, check out Jameson Fisher (OF), Alex Call (OF), Alec Hansen (SP), Zach Burdi (RP), and ZacK Collins (C), all picks from this year. They are all something special, and it’s nice to finally look forward to some youth.
Next time, I will be evaluating the free agents on the market if the Sox actually want to win right away and not be five games under .500, like the last half decade. However, it’s time to come to reality with this team, management, and front office. I cannot predict what the offseason will be like, but I guarantee the rate of frustration amongst fans will continue with Williams still in charge (see what I did there?).