The White Sox rolled out a $128MM payroll on opening day this year, already the highest in franchise history, but don’t expect Chicago to curb their spending now. Team options for the newly acquired Cesar Hernandez and Craig Kimbrel would bring their payroll for next season up to $150MM — and that’s before arbitration raises – but owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Rick Hahn have prepared for this payroll spike and they’re ready for it, per The Athletic’s James Fegan. If Hernandez and/or Kimbrel aren’t part of the 2022 Sox, it won’t be because of their impact on the payroll. Elsewhere from the flyover states…
- On the other side of the Chicago, the Cubs are looking towards the future, and that means increased opportunities for young arms in the rotation, writes Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times. Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson, and Adbert Alzolay are key names to watch as they make starts between veterans Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills. For the Cubs to have a quick turnaround, they need some of these young hurlers to develop as rotation arms, despite their overall lack of prospect pedigree.
- Niko Goodrum could be back with the Tigers as early as Tuesday, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Goodrum has been out with both a finger tendon injury and a calf contusion dating back to mid-June. Daz Cameron, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his own rehab. He had to be sat down for a couple of days, so there’s no timetable at present for his return.
Jerry’s gonna spend more money? I’ll believe it when I see it.
After signing jordon to a 10/30 deal that at one point made him something like the 80th highest paid player Jerry said upon agreeing to pay 30M per year “this is probably the biggest must of my life”
Mistake
Well spending money is not what it seems. Not at all. Good for the organization being open to it but if they want to win for longer than a few years they’re going to need a lot more of a strategy than overpaying for free agents who routinely underperform.
Has Mookie Betts underperformed? No? Ok. You think Scherzer’s going to underperform?
It’s not the contracts, it’s the choice of players. Elite players get elite contracts. But as long as cheapskate midwestern teams like the White Sox and Cubs overpay marginal guys to come in and stink up the joint, this myth will always resonate with a majority of the fanbase.
Mookie Betts isn’t the best example to pose since he was never an available free agent. The Dodgers locked him up to a 12 yrs/$365M after acquiring him from the Red Sox in that blockbuster trade ahead of the 2020 season.
I’d venture to guess that the White Sox would have been all over Betts had he been a FA last offseason considering that RF has been their biggest hole since the good Adam Eaton played the position for them in 2016. I’m inclined to believe that JR would have authorized the front office to make a proposal to Betts well in excess of their failed offer to Manny Machado ahead of the 2019 season when they still weren’t ready to contend. Whether Betts would have even considered the White Sox as a destination is an entirely different conversation since he had already refused to negotiate a contract extension with a more ‘glamorous’ Sox franchise in Boston.
The MLB obviously has darling franchises that it actively supports with a pipeline of marquee players. Let’s face it, player movement is rigged in this league. If you’re not a NY, Boston, LA or (inexplicably) SF based team, you have little to no shot of signing an elite free agent.
No matter how much money a team like the White Sox offers to a top 10 or top 50 player, one of the coastal teams will inevitably win the bid.
I’m glad Hahn has somehow convinced Jerry to open the pocket book and spend like a large market team (for a change), but I don’t think the rest of the league will allow it.
What the hell is this?
Your examples are a guy in year one of a 12 year contract and a contact that hasn’t been signed yet (why wouldn’t you just use Max’s current contract?), if you’re trying to make the argument that large free agent signings do not routinely underperform, this is not a very good way to make that argument.
You should go back and look at the top payroll teams over the last 5 or so years, you might realize how poor of an argument you’re trying to make. I hope you thumbs upped your own post, I can’t believe someone would agree with it.
The MLB is not rigged but whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better. The truth iis that most players do not want to play for the White Sox.
Glamor didn’t have anything to do with Mookie not wanting to sign in Boston.
@ChiSoxCity
That’s an oversimplification unless you are also including the Nationals, Phillies, Padres and Astros among your “coastal teams”. The Cubs have also doled out plenty of mega-contracts as have the Cardinals, Rangers and Rockies. Remember when the Marlins extended Giancarlo Stanton? The Brewers extended Ryan Braun and more recently Christian Yelich! The Blue Jays have also been players that included landing one of the big free agent fishes last offseason in George Springer.
They need to go back to merit pay. Pay the according to how they produce
And yearly contracts.
I agree until you look at how each franchise operates and the negotiation between the union and the owners. How does the smallest market teams operate when they’re players start to perform great? Do they sit them…trade them away for nothing because the large market team can then negotiate like hey you can’t afford this many well performing players.
First there has to be a salary cap…and then this can work.
I wonder what the Cubs are going to do with Jake Arrieta. He’s horrible now, a shell of himself. No reason for him to take up space in that rotation anymore, but I can’t see him moving to the bullpen. The logical thing would be a most undignified DFA…
Should just DFA him and cut ties. Plus they’d owe him another $2M for buying out next year. SMH. Who negotiated that deal.
DFA. If they want to get better faster they need to start seeing who can be plugged into the rotation and counted on.
It’s a shame the Cubs chose to sign Arrieta instead of Carlos Rodon when Carlos was available for cheap!!!
Sorry Cubs fans, it is back to business as usual. They will still beat up on the Cardinals, it is like an unwritten rule. No matter how good or bad either team is, the Cubs usually prevail.
Cubs have 60 more wins than loses to the cards but that’s in over 1400 games head to head. 1251 to 1191.
The bulk of those came like 50 years ago though. Cards have owned them for decades.
Since 1970 the Cardinals have won six more games than the Cubs head to head in the regular season.
It has been a great rivalry, lots of fun. Looking forward to many more games for the two.
When was the last time The Cardinals make the playoffs?? As of late the Cubs actually have dominated that series before 2020.. STL just went thru a change of management but realistictly havnt been relevant since Matheny.. Even tho he is a mediocre manager the first 4 yrs he made the playoffs lost in the World Series. Alot of Cardinal fans hated Matheny.. And Shildt i honestly think they shouldve just went thru the whole hiring proccess hire a new manager with no ties to the current team back when they hired Shildt.. They just havnt been relevant since The La Russa days
Sportsfantatic – I agree. But this rivalry goes back to the 1920s. Cardinals vs Cubs is almost on the same level as the Dodgers and Giants, at least in the Midwest. It goes beyond numbers. The beginning probably has something to do with the two being the most westward teams in the USA until the late 1950s. Midwest fans do not cheer for both, only one, Cards or Cubs. It is like a tradition. They are loyal to a fault. This rivalry is more about loyalty and emotion the fans have for the two teams. Wins and losses from any random period of time does not matter. Numbers do not define everything in baseball guys, sorry. If you are not from the Midwest, you probably will never understand. The only time I cheer for the Cubs is when it helps the Cardinals, no other time. It is ingrained in my baseball soul.
And we all know what happened in the 2015 NLDS
Mindless banter. Who really GAF!
@jerrybird. Who cares about the Cubs Cards series. Cards are far removed from the days when the franchise would be used as a ‘measuring stick’.
@dogbone. Not a fan of the rivalry? Of course it doesn’t matter to you. The Cards\Cubs rivalry is like a World Series to their true fans. It goes back decades. Doesn’t matter if they both are far removed and losing 90 games a year. The measuring stick is only between the Cardinals and Cubs. Their real fans get it, we are the ones who care.
No rivalry, in our lifetime its been a massacre. The Cardinals have dominated this so called rivalry the last 50+ years.
Goodrum should be DFA
Goodrum = W. Castro = H. Castro = Zack Short
At least H. Castro gets on first base and plays competent defense. Goodrum’s D has taken a dump along with his offense. Maybe it was the injuries. W. Castro looked so good at the plate last year, but chases way too many pitches this year. Short gets a lot of power for a little guy and plays great D, but you can’t carry a .157 hitter!
Can’t keep ’em all, but except for Isaac Paredes (injured) and possibly Kody Clemens, no one is pushing for their spots. Anyone out of options on the above list might not be offered a contract this offseason. If they can be optioned, let ’em duke it out in the Spring with the loser(s) riding a bus in Toledo!
Too many zeros on the Tigers. Clean them out as the newer guys make their way up—how many chances will they continue to get?
I hope that is their “strategy.” Harold Castro might be an MLB-quality player as a decent Swiss Army knife, maybe. At this point, the rest are AAAA players at best. Either perform or lose your spot
All of those 4 players will be offered contracts. Are they worthy of a starting job? They have not shown that, as yet. Are they useful depth? Absolutely! Niko has the most upside and tools, but needs to make more contact. Harold lacks power, but can play anywhere, and knows how to bunt. Until they fill the hole at SS, Zack is the best defensive option. Willie will get more chances because he did put it together in 2020, and they are hoping he will again. And all are affordable. They may get traded, but the Tigers will not be non-tendering any of these assets.
At least these flyover states won’t be under water in 50 years.
Yes that’s what Chicago is known for, being a fly over state.
Well, Chicago is a city, so…
Lol “flyover state”. Such an ignorant statement usually comes from someone who has never dared touch down in such territory. I’ll take the people, living conditions, and cost of living in the midwest over the crowded, expensive cities any time. Oh, and we understand the difference between states and cities (and can actually find them on a map, too!).
Lol Thats what I was joking about, the article didn’t mention any states to begin with.
TC Zencka insults most of the country by calling them fly over states, if TC was anyone of importance I may care what TC thinks. With that out of the way, the White Sox pitching staff both starters and relievers could take them a long way. Two areas of concern are they are only 14-21 versus teams with a winning record and can 106 year old manager Tony LaRussa stay awake if a game goes extra innings?
Ask a coastie about the midwest–they are clueless. They don’t know most of the states, and cannot find them on a map.
My favorite is that many in the East think we are all farmers! A fellow student at Drew once asked my wife if she rode a horse to school!!! Lol.
Pitching can take you a long way in the REGULAR season. However, everyone in the playoffs has pitching.
You need to be able to hit and score RUNS to win a playoff series, something our Sox struggle with against good pitching.
The Sox have been sub .500 since the AS break as well. I love the bullpen, but I don’t think the rotation and lineup is deep enough to win a championship this year. I hope I am wrong, but I am usually right about these things (strong intuition and 40+ years of objectively following both clubs in Chicago).
Real hard when 90% of the teams that make the playoffs don’t win the World Series.
What is real hard?
If Kody Clemens at age 25 has not yet gotten a Tiger chance, he needs to assess his future. He’s not stuck behind Tram and Lou.
Goodrum is a Swiss Army Knife. Every team can use that.
He however is a very bad one. Rusted, dull, some of the tools are broken or can’t be opened. The Tiger love affair with him is mystifying. No one can explain it, including them.
Zack Short is Olive Oyl swinging for moonshots while flubbing the easiest of plays with some regularity. He’s challenging Ray Oyler’s legendary .135.
Harold Castro. Next.
Willie Castro is only better at defense than Christin Stewart, one of the worst ever. Add to that he has lost his eye and swing.
Amazing that no one else is worthy of a roster spot, or even a look. The rebuild is not over, Al Avila. Looking at this crew and those behind them, it arguably hasn’t started.
The Tigers’ rebuild “arguably hasn’t started?” What hyperbole! Not everyone can have the unlimited payroll of the Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox! Of course there are holes, but I would argue only SS is a hole with no obvious answer currently in the system. That will take a free agency signing or a big trade. Clemens, Paredes, or even Candelario might end up at 2B (if they re-sign Schoop and call up Torkelson next year at 3B).
I would argue that not everyone can have the payroll of the LAD, NYY & BoSox and remain profitable. Every ownership group in MLB has the means to make a lengthy push, but most markets can’t offer a big enough return on investment, so their ownership groups make minimal investments & pocket big returns
Goodrum. Much better than Badtequila.
The problem isn’t spending. The real problem is the constant drain of talent gifted to coastal teams, perpetuated by the MLB.
Stop making teams in the midwest Quadruple-A pipeline teams for NY, Bos, SF and LA for a change. Fans in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Minnesota like elite players too.
Imagine how it could be if teams in Chi, Pitt, Cincy & Minne had players like Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Abreu, TAnderson, GCole, Votto, Castellanos, Cruz, Buxton and JDonaldson! Wow! That would be awesome if we could see that one day…
“Flyover states”???
Hey TC, go eff yourself. You POS.
overreaction much?
Because a “journalist’s” job in this forum is to insult people. Move on DumbSide.
Too harsh. He quickly and accurately identified the region. His intent wasn’t to insult.
Cool. Thanks for your opinion, but you have no clue of the intent. It was completely uncalled for and quite purposeful.
Anyone wanna bet that met22 is waiting until at least tomorrow to comment..:
He’s probably in shock that the Phillies caught him
Still can’t believe how LaRussa has disrespected Kimbrel, relegating the best closer in the game with HOF pedigree to the 8th inning. Where’s Dusty Baker when you need him.
Huh?
Hope that’s a joke. Kimbrel is their third best reliever behind Kopech and Hendriks. TLR also far better manager than Dusty with the resume to back him up.
FlYoVeR sTaTeS
TC, whatever the intent was with the phrase “flyer states,” please never use that phrase again. Many of your readers – including myself – are put off by it.
Are you people serious? I live in a flyover state, how is that something you get this offended by? I guess recreational outrage is popular among MLBTR commenters.
It’s not a major deal, but it feels dismissive and elitist.
Uh, it’s ignorant, arrogant and dismissive, for starters.
I guess you have to be semi-intelligent to be offended by the “flyover state” comment.
Ah yes, you have to be intelligent to be a snow flake. Whatever you need to tell yourself. However, judging by the posts you make, by your own criteria, you certainly shouldn’t be offended.
Ah yes, the snowflake gambit. A popular tool for tools.
The money for players went from excessive to ridiculous to now stratospheric