Feb 23: The deal is official and Santana is present in the Sox clubhouse today, per the Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter).
Feb 22, 1:15pm: Santana’s contract comes with a $4.3MM base salary if he makes the roster, Heyman tweets. That’s an abnormally large base salary for a minor league pact and likely speaks to the interest that Santana had elsewhere. In essence, the White Sox gave Santana the opportunity to be guaranteed a rate that many would’ve expected him to command on a big league deal, but did so while delaying the need to make an immediate 40-man move.
10:52am: The White Sox and free-agent right-hander Ervin Santana have agreed to a minor league contract, Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reports (via Twitter). The contract is pending a physical. Santana will head to Major League camp and compete for a spot in a thin rotation mix.
Santana, 36, has been a longtime divisional foe for the ChiSox, having spent the past four seasons leading the Twins’ rotation. The final season of his four-year, $55MM pact with Minnesota was almost entirely wiped out by surgery to repair a tendon in his right hand, however. That injury limited him to five starts and just 24 2/3 innings and led the Twins to decline a $14MM option over the righty.
Prior to the 2018 season, however, Santana was both a durable and high-quality workhorse. From 2016-17, Santana ranked 11th in the game in total innings pitched and also ranked 11th among qualified starters with a 3.32 ERA. In all, while his four-year deal with the Twins was marred by last year’s injury and a PED suspension in 2015, he worked to a 3.68 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 525 1/3 innings with Minnesota. When he was healthy and on the field, Santana was generally a quality option on the mound, making him a logical pick for the Sox — especially at this price point.
So long as he is healthy, it seems quite likely that Santana will break camp in Chicago’s rotation. Currently, the Sox are looking at Carlos Rodon, Ivan Nova, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito as the top four in their rotation. Santana will compete with Manny Banuelos and Dylan Covey, among others, in trying to secure that final starting job. Given that slate of rotation options, it’d rank as a surprise if a healthy Santana didn’t secure a place on the roster this spring.
Santana becomes the latest but perhaps most surprising veteran player to settle for a non-guaranteed pact in a second consecutive winter that has been unkind to veterans in their 30s. While last season was obviously a nightmare for Santana, he’d averaged 182 innings of 3.52 ERA ball from 2013-17 with the Royals, Braves and Twins.
‘Bout time
Championship.
Pads fan here. Always loved the Sox and was bummed the Manny thing ended up between our two teams. Supporting the Sox in 19!
Would you support them had they signed Manny?
Dumpster diving Hahn
Holy hell, a minor league deal? Congrats to the White Sox on one of the biggest potential bargains of the offseason
They call him Flipper, Flipper …
…… faster than lightning
Def out on Harper
> Manny Machado
By the time COOP gets done with him he’ll be in the running for a CY YOUNG!!!!
Don Cooper –> I got a fever and the only prescription is more cutters.
Hahaha
His cuzn is mannys butler?
Not funny now that Manny signed
Johan!
Holy moly. Ervin Santana can’t get a major league guaranteed job. Just a year removed from throwing 211 good innings in 2017.
Great deal esp minor league at that…not being unrealistic but finally nice to see we’ll have some stability in the rotation to go along with a much improved bullpen…no more Dylan Covey or Fulmer experiments…if we are truly out on Harper I can still see us improving by 10 games simply on pitching help signed…we can always flip everyone at the deadline like Soria
that would require banuelps and Santana (if he is an upgrade) to both be in rotation instead of nova and gio/covey covey is as bad as gio.
trying to make it up to the fans since they whiffed on Machado
Minor league deal. Interesting. He was 49 on the MLBTR list, with a predicted salary of $6. Market was not kind.
Everyone is a joker telling the same joke. In all honesty, this could be a huge pickup for the White Sox. I was hoping my teams would pick him up. If he can regain any kind of previous form, you are looking at 200 plus innings and a solid 3 starter. Even if you get a 4 or 5 starter, this is a huge pickup. Congrats Sox — I hope it works out. As a Twins fan, he showed decent to good stuff with flashes of ace material. Even if you just get the decent stuff, you have a heck of a pickup.
Huge pickup my ###. Santana is garbage.
Lol garbage. I wish the cubs would have taken him out of the dumpster. Id love to hear your reasoning on him being “garbage”
If he was a left-hander the Cubs probably would have.
I would bet that the cubs would have welcomed him. He likely had his choice of minor league deals but chose the sox because they offered the clearest path to a starting role, which is very valuable to a pitcher of his age coming off of an injury. Not to mention the outside shot at contention and an exciting young ballclub. He’ll be traded if he pitches well and they’re out of it. A W from every angle for the sox
I feel some commenters just want to complain about every move that every team makes. It’s a low risk high reward move for a team that nobody is picking to do anything (myself excluded) No it’s not Machado or Harper but it’s still a move that could work well for them
petrie000: I would assume you are being sarcastic since the Cubs already have three southpaws in their rotation with a fourth option in Mike Montgomery in case Yu Darvish has another mental or physical breakdown.
Well, most it was a joke about how most the Cubs dumpster diving of late has been left-handed relievers, but it was not meant to be taken seriously, no.
ChiSox — That’s all you’ve got? That juvenile response? No argument? No case to make? Nothing but epithets? Alright, you win. You’ve convinced me.
What is the harm, ChiSoxCity? If he has nothing left he is cut and you lose nothing. If he can help, you got a cheap addition to your very weak starting staff.
minor…what a great dice roll.
This is a good signing…health only concern
Exactly.
Solid pickup for them. Other, better positioned teams should have gotten him but he’s a solid enough pitcher
RIP Manny Banny
If they don’t wind up with Harper, then they clearly had the biggest let down of an offseason. They focused all their attention on the two biggest free agents, one of which who had minimal interest if any in going there, and as a result dedicated little time in making their team better in other ways.
I don’t see how you can say it’s the biggest let down. The Sox were in on a guy who plays a premium defensive position and lines up with their window of contention. He chose to sign elsewhere, why would the Sox just throw that money at older vets who don’t fit their window? Harper never seemed like a realistic target, so missing him doesn’t seem far fetched. If anyone should be considered the biggest let down of the offseason if they don’t sign Harper, it should be the team that openly admitted they are willing to spend stupid money to improve their team. Not the team that clearly stated from the jump they weren’t going to spend $300 million
Philadelphia can only do so much to attract a player. We’ve even seen players take less money, to sign to a team they rather play for. Even though Philadelphia spent amble time in recruiting both Machado and Harper, they improved their team dramatically, even if they were to wind up not signing either player. You can’t say that team, which was already competitive, prior to this offseason is not already significantly better without Harper (or Machado before he signed).
Philly and the sox are in a very different place right now. The Phillies feel they have a team that can compete right now. The White Sox are in the mid-late stages of a rebuild and are likely 1-2 years away. They went after Machado because he’d still be in the early stages of his prime when they are ready to contend. Apples and oranges
I agree about both teams being in different positions to compete, but I don’t agree about both teams pursuing big time free agents. Despite that both Machado and Harper being unique free agents with how young they are, they still aren’t players a team that has yet to even build a core should be focusing on. They shouldn’t be draining their payroll on one player, when they have so many holes to fill, even with the addition of that player. Additionally, why would a big time free agent have any interest in going to a team that has yet to show any commitment towards winning?
So you agree with what the White Sox did then? They said they weren’t going to $300M on 1 guy for the EXACT reason you stated – they need to be able to put a team around that player. How can they be a giant letdown if you think they did the right thing by not putting all their money into 1 player when they have multiple holes to fill?
Anyone that thinks they should’ve made significant free agent additions outside of Manny/Bryce, clearly doesn’t understand where they are in their rebuild. The only reason those 2 made sense to splurge on was because they are 26 year old “star” players.
The let down lies within the fact that Chicago, focused all their attention, more attention than other teams on trying to lure these players. They were like a pathetic guy asking a the girl out who doesn’t want you with Machado, with the efforts they made. All while doing this, they neglected the other needs of the team. Now, they haven’t landed Machado, they aren’t like to land Harper and they’re resorting to minor leagu free agents. I think it’s good for them not to land either Machado or Harper, but that doesn’t mean you focus your entire attention towards them and don’t fix the other problems this team has. They are perennial losers for a reason.
Except the one thing you’re missing – outside of adding a 26 year old star player, they don’t really care about improving their record this year. Internal improvements are going to be SIGNIFICANTLY more important than anything they could’ve added from the outside this offseason (excluding Manny/Bryce, obviously). Most of their legitimate prospects are still in A+ and AA and need another year to mature, at the very least. The plan was never to compete this year; Manny/Bryce were just unique opportunities that happened to pop up this offseason.
The plan is, and always has been, to start competing next year, and then hopefully fight for a playoff spot the following year. That plan is still intact, assuming some of their top prospects can actually stay healthy for a year. In theory, they’ll have a better idea of how their prospects stack up next offseason, and they can start adding then.
And despite you acting like Machado didn’t have any interest in joining the White Sox, it’s simply not true. He ended up taking the deal with $50M more guaranteed. The Sox made a very solid offer that could’ve been extremely lucrative for Manny in the long run, but he chose to take the guaranteed money instead. It is what it is. Time to move on.
Great signing on a minor league deal. He could end up being the 1 or 2 starter for the Sox by the end of the year.
If things go according to plan, he wont be in a Sox uniform at the end of the year. I am betting they hope he pitches well enough to be flipped prior to the July 31st deadline for a decent prospect.
And what’s that say about their current rotation?
The white Sox have a few solid pitchers coming up in Kopech, Cease & Dunning. if you are TRULY a tribe fan, then you know how acquiring under the radar prospects work. Where would the tribe be w/o trade acquisitions like C. Kluber, C. Carrasco, T. Bauer? Only Bauer was even a semi-known name since he was a 1st rd pick in 2010.
Difference is, they were acquired through trades, and the Tribe knew who they going after…and why.
I’m confused… Weren’t Kopech, Cease, Dunning, Lopez, and Giolito all acquired through trades too..?
Be stunned if he doesn’t make that rotation unless they just go all kids
This is a great signing. His last full season was in 2017 where he had 16 wins, 5 complete games, and was an all star. Last year he didn’t pitch much due to a finger issue.
He can pitch well and keep him longer, or hope he pitches well and trade him at the deadline. If he struggles, his signing didn’t break the bank. You really can’t lose out on this.
YES!!!!! At the outset, we didn’t need Machado or Harper; we got the right guy all along! Party like it’s 2005 baby! (blech, what a disaster franchise, sell and move to Las Vegas Jerry)
He missed his window, he shouldn’t have hesitated when he wanted to move them to TB. THEN he would have had a built in excuse for being irrelevant. “It’s not my team, it’s the market that makes us irrelevant”. Can’t use that excuse. ALTHOUGH, you might be on to something with Vegas. Then he could hire all of Bryce Harper’s family and friends, it worked so well when they were desperately trying to court Machado, hahahaha
The AL would not abandon the Chicago market and allow the White Sox to move to Las Vegas. If that were to happen it would involve either the Rays or A’s who still can’t seem to get their stadium issues settled. Las Vegas will more likely be one of the two new expansion cities once the Tampa and Oakland problems are resolved.
As for Jerry Reinsdorf, all indications are he will be selling the White Sox sooner rather than later with his son Michael retaining the Bulls. In the unlikely event that the White Sox did move to Las Vegas with JR still their owner they still wouldn’t be players for Bryce Harper even in the event he opted out of his next deal. JR won’t pony up the necessary dollars, least of all for any Scott Boras client. He just can’t move on from his eternal feud with MLB’s most impacting agent even if that player actually was the better fit for their batting order and marketing department this offseason. Pity.
Bryzzo, Vegas needs a team; might as well be the Sox. I hate to see them leave Chicago, but Chicago has the Cubs, Blackhawks, Bulls, and Bears. The White Sox fanbase left in 1994, never to return. The team might as well pack up and try another city, with a new owner who will put out a club worth watching.
Why does bryzzo always laugh at the end of every post? I think he has Tourette’s syndrome.
Do you really want a team with the White Sox’s gambling history in Vegas?
You mean something that happened literally a 100 years ago?
Yes, mostly because of a different cheap owner back then in Charles Comiskey who had a club with some of MLB’s best talent but helped penny-pinch them into the infamous Black Sox scandal. Many of those players still hold White Sox records and a few were certain HOF players until they were banned from baseball. It took the White Sox decades to recover, thanks in part to a cheap owner. Hopefully, history won’t repeat.
Bingo Aaron, love your take. Shoeless Joe and Eddie Cicotte absolutely should be in the HOF. And THIS cheap owner has p**sed away most of the good will of the Sox fan base. They used to draw really well, but thanks to “payvision”, the strike, being cheap and not building a consistent winner in a big market, the fan base departed in droves never to return.
Elephants and apparently some humans never forget.
Time to rewrite history for the next century worth of memories.
Good Vegas joke nonetheless!
That may be what gets written in the history books. But if you’re interested in the truth: like many restaurants and bars all over the country, sales and attendance has dropped significantly due to the banning of smoking on premises. They used to have designated smoking areas. Now they don’t. And not everyone is vaping. It’s an epidemic last I heard.
You expect working class, hard hat wearing folks to sit for four hours and not light a smoke? This is why those beer gardens took off. And of course the huge-*** TVs in various man caves where you can drop a twelver without paying $200.
Good points, Rally.
I’ve seen nurses standing outside in the freezing cold, smoking across the street from their hospitals.
I get the rights of people to breathe clean air, and appreciate being able to do so as a non-smoker. Smokers have rights too, one would be inclined to think. We need to consider the rights of all people, not just those in the majority or those with the most pull.
May I suggest the provision of enclosed, filter-ventilated smoking rooms? One wall could have windows so parents can keep their kids in sight. Another wall could have shatter-proof windows for viewing the game. Seems like pennies on the dollar compared to the otherwise lost revenues resulting from an outright ban.
Think of the additional marketing possibilities. Cigarettes, cigars and lighters. Breath mints. Teeth-whitening agents. Etc, etc.
#Rallyshirt, Uh, total number of smokers in the population has plummeted, and like it or not, the baseball demographic is not nearly as “working class” as it used to be. A winning team would fill the stadium, and btw you can get cheap ($6) beer at the park if that is what you want. Better yet, pints of local micros on tap for $10 which is like $2 to $3 more than you would pay in bars. The South Side is becoming more if a hipster hangout and a more competitive team will draw people since Sox games are still way cheaper than a game at Wrigley which is mostly filled with tourists these days.
Mark my words, in 2020 this will be the hip place to be, if even a third of the prospects pan out.
So I think you underestimate the potential fan base for the type of team they are building, young, baserunning,
Good pick up he’s a far superior pitcher than a wash out like Banelous is
Sounds like a low cost move the Angels should have made given their rotational uncertainties.
Meh, if he went to Anaheim he’d get injured for sure.
Dumpster divin
Both Chicago teams love average talent. If they have a history of health problems, hey! Even better.
CWS prospects have needed triage for the last few years
Hahaha, “dumpster divin”… where is chitown? He seems to have disappeared after all his guarantees that Machado was signing on the south side.
Who cares? He added nothing anyway.
I mean, he’s probably got more ‘veteran leadership’ cred than Machado, right?
Right! Just like James Shields but far less costly in terms of salary and prospects.
Minor league deal? Basically every team in baseball should have been willing to sign him for that, I wonder why the White Sox.
multiple openings in the rotation
Multiple?
He’s 36 and he’s not good at baseball. That could be why… also, he knows he’ll get a legit chance. The White Sox easily have the worst rotation in baseball. I’m sure both he and the team are hoping he has a decent enough 1st half to be get flipped at the deadline.
Not good at baseball? If you ignore last years weird blip. He has a 3.52 ERA since 2013. Even if you include last year he still has a 3.64 ERA. That sounds like a pretty good pitcher to me.
Haha, instantly and easily the best SP on that team.
I’d say Nova but just watch the young kids. They’re gonna break out
Wow minor league deal. Wonder how his finger is?? He said he was gonna play winter ball and never did. Bet that had teams wondering about that finger. Good signing. No real investment if it tanks. If it works he can be dealt at the break for a low A prospect! Win win.
The White Sox are a joke
Explain
Just look at their last 100 years.
They have still one more World Series than about 6-7 teams that exist. Grant it they aren’t the Yankees or Cardinals but they still have a rich history
*won
Little green imps in trees are imaginary, as are their intellects.
Imagine being a White Sox fan lmao
I am. What’s your point? Who exactly do you root for?
I’ll admit, it’s tough sometimes. Like a scrapper, it ain’t easy. Need some scrappy guys to get in here and get their scrap on.
White Sox fans get to look forward to Eloy Jimenez.
The next Jorge Soler.
Is that supposed to be a bad thing? He was a future Hall of Famer before the Cubs traded him…
Yes. Jorge Soler also put up his best MLB numbers in his brief rookie debut for then Cubs manager Rick Renteria back in 2014 when he posted a .903 OPS in 24 games and 97 PA’s. Under Joe Maddon and with the help of some unfortunate injuries Soler regressed over the next two years until he was dealt to the Royals for Wade Davis in the 2016/2017 offseason.
Now Eloy Jimenez will have a chance to debut under Renteria with the White Sox in 2019. Health withstanding, he also figures to better Soler’s production and then some. One thing is for certain. Renteria will not be messing with Jimenez’ role in the White Sox batting order like the “Genius” on the North Side has done with other power hitters such as Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber. I don’t anticipate that Jimenez will be misused batting first or second anytime soon with the White Sox, not in 2019 or when Nick Madrigal and Luis Robert debut in 2020 or 2021.
The correct comparison here is Santana >>> Shields, to which my response is HALLELUJAH!
A White Sox fans worst nightmare.
The Padres sign Bryce Harper along with Manny Machado.
They bring back San Diego native James Shields on their own minor league deal. Shields puts up another 200+ innings for the Padres like he did with the White Sox last season but has far better results pitching in a less HR friendly Petco Park and with far more offensive support.
To make matters worse, the Padres promote former White Sox prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. who begins his long MLB career as their SS alongside Machado at 3B, bumping another great young talent in Luis Urias to 2B. The Padres begin their new era with one of MLB great infields and start a long run of postseason appearances that commence with a wild card in 2019 and ultimately result in multiple World Series titles in the next decade.
This signing could have been more impacting and made more sense in the short term with one of Manny Machado or Bryce Harper on board. At this point I’d just assume the White Sox just give Manny Banuelos or former first round pick Carson Fulmer a full shot at that 5th rotation spot.
I suppose since the Ervin Santana signing is a non-guaranteed minor league deal both Banuelos and the new (actually old!) look Fulmer could still prevail as White Sox starters or as long relief bullpen options. If successful, Santana might also be yet another mid-summer flip candidate joining Ivan Nova and both of Manny Machado’s amigos in Jon Jay and Yonder Alonso.
If White Sox fans are lucky and the front office is not stubborn over MLB service time issues perhaps Dylan Cease will see his MLB debut this summer provided he continues to dominate at AAA Charlotte like he did at A+ and AA last season.
You realize it’s a minor league deal? There is no guaruntee he is in the rotation so if Manny Banuelos or Carson Fulmer earns the spot, they will probably give it to them. If not, they have a reliable arm. No need to put all your eggs in one completely unproven basket.
Reading, or at least comprehension is a skill you may lack. Go back and re-read my comment to see if might agree. Then again….
Why is anyone asking for Carson Fulmer to get another shot? He can’t throw more than a 40% strike rate…cease will stay in AAA this year for service time and be called up next May along with Kopech…this is the final year for giolito to prove himself and Lopez will be a solid 4.
In a nutshell, because of Carson Fulmer’s offseason work at Driveline Baseball in Seattle and returning to the delivery that made him the ace pitcher on a Vanderbilt staff that also include Walker Buehler. link to mlb.com
Most likely Fulmer will return to AAA before earning a promotion with the White Sox but he has impressed the coaching staff thus far in spring camp with his improved physical conditioning, increased stuff and his ability to throw strikes.
No way in hell I’d give Fulmer a shot at the 5th spot. Put him in the bullpen, and if he looks good, MAYBE give him another shot in the rotation. As of right now though, he’s not even on my radar as a starter.
Matt Harvey and Cahill each get 1 yr deals around the 10mil mark and Santana only gets a minor league deal? What a bargain for the ChiSox. I would have loved to see Ervin make a return to Anaheim on that deal.
Really nice pickup! Surprised he couldn’t get a Major League deal. Had a great 2017 before injuring his finger. Tough market for sure.
Probably had a few major league offers but not at 4+. I am sure clubs with fewer opportunities for major league starts, at least checked on things. And on plus side probably finishes the year on a contentender.
Steal
He had a full year off to get back on the PEDs. I am sure that he’s fine now.
I’m surprised that the San Diego Padres didn’t take a flyer on Ervin Santana in the wake of the Manny Machado signing and with so many question marks regarding their starting rotation. Afterall, he is of Dominican heritage and we all know how that might impact Machado’s demeanor.
I suppose the Padres brass have more important things to discuss today as they ponder signing the other big FA fish that the White Sox decided to fold on after losing the Machado sweepstakes. At least the White Sox came away with a great consolation prize!!!
So you’re saying Santana was holding out for a …guaranteed rate, ey?
I’ll show myself out.
This years version of Wade Miley.
Except that Ervin Santana has had a much better career than Wade Miley.
But both got minors deals with an invite, and Miley was good w/ the Brewers. Santana May have the better record but also worse injury history, plus losing velo
Good luck to Ervin, and thanks.
Should he have paid Santana himself?
That was not supposed to be here. I don’t know what happened
Seriously! Minor league w/ an invite! For Ervin Santana!Tony Clark your job is in jeopardy. Someone get me Donald Fehr on the phone…
Thought you died in ‘98, Jack (Lord).
Santana’s results weren’t the reason his option wasn’t picked up and he’s had to sign a MiLB offer for only $4M.
The major reason is Santana lost 4mph off his pitches and he hasn’t demonstrated he’s regained the velocity as he didn’t pitch in the Dominican Winter League after saying he would.
If Santana is throwing 89-90mph again in Spring Training, he won’t make the roster.
And then he won’t cost any money. No risk move for the Sox here.
Yep. It’s a good move for the White Sox. They’ll know early on whether or not Santana is worth a roster spot based solely on his velocity.
Worst case, no money or roster spots lost.
Best case, the velocity returns and the White Sox sign a pitcher worth at least 2.5x his contract price to a one year deal and fill a short term gap.
As teams turn to younger players, expect more MiL contracts for older players, if they wait till spring training to sign. No one wants to waive a young cheap player, before seeing them in ST, to sign an older player on perhaps their last legs.
MiLB pacts might just be a new norm for midtier players. it might be more likely to see some estsblished players end up splitting season after season between the majors and minors. while it may not pay as well, it helps teams deal with the 25 man roster crunch better, and perhaps allows teams to better use the best talent that is available while also allowing for younger players to get time up.
I wish the sox would sign Kimbrel. They have the money and they’d easily have a top 3 back end bullpen with Herrera, Colome, and Craig. Would look nice behind Kopech, Cease, Rodon, Lopez, Giolito in 2020
If his price drops down as much as it looks like it could, I wouldn’t be opposed. That being said, I’m more interested in seeing Burdi, Hamilton, Fry, Frare, etc.
OYE COMO VA?!
Glad you signed with CWS Ervin, instead of going to EUROPA. Now all you need is a BLACK MAGIC WOMAN, but SHE’S NOT THERE.
Once you toe the rubber, there’ll be NO ONE TO DEPEND ON. So you’ll have to CHANGE YOUR EVIL WAYS, or else make a SOUL SACRIFICE.
— HOPE YOU’RE FEELING BETTER Sox fans, and HOLD ON for the ride. Should be fun!
SAntana is a good pickup. Cheap and he either finds his old self (well before the PED suspension anyway) or he does not, it sounds silly but 4 mil for that is peanuts. I would also like to see the Sox go for Adam Jones for a 2-3yr deal now.
Im not sure why all this hate on the Sox because they did not get Machado. Sure, the guy is great skill wise, but is a punk on the field and his hustle comments did not help him. He’ll be great for the Padres over paying him to have Hosmer type numbers for the season and then he’ll get pissy, take a cheap shot at another player and be suspended.
I would much rather see Arenado playing third for the Sox (hopefully) in a year. Plus it is like some of these ‘fans’ actually thought that Manny would magically turn the Sox into a WS contender. There is still work to be done.
if there was any ‘beef’ I had with Hahn and co was making a big deal about trying to get Manny in the first place.
Declining his 14 million dollar option must have been the easiest decision the Twins made all offseason
2nd best move of the offseason behind Colome. Santana may end up being the most productive SP the Sox have by season’s end. Think Reynaldo will have his coming out party & be great in 2019. Giolito will not be part of Sox starting rotation by mid-season. Why the Sox weren’t all-in on Marwin Gonzalez or Nelson Cruz is baffling. Until Sox land a major FA like Arenado, Rendon, Trout or trade for multiple star players i am forced to believe they aren’t committed to fielding a perennial force & Jerry R. makes it increasingly difficult for me to be hopeful on Sox future. Jerry was not all-in on Machado.
‘All-in’ and ‘spending stupid’ are different concepts. Jerry was all-in on Machado, just too wise to spend ‘stupid money’ to get him.