The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The most recent edition of the 2024-25 Free Agent Power Rankings (1:30)
- The Royals claim Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, as well as trading for Yuli Gurriel (5:15)
- The Angels promote Caden Dana and Samuel Aldegheri (10:50)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- What’s the problem with the White Sox? Is it an owner not willing to spend? Is it inept senior management in getting taken in trades and a poor plan for success? What is it going to take to become competitive again? Are there other factors that keep top free agents from coming to the White Sox? Franchise culture? Moving a family to Chicago? Inability to develop talent? (20:35)
- Who should the Rangers be looking at this winter? A center fielder? A backup catcher and pitching? (30:50)
- As a big Braves fan, I am curious to see what they do about shortstop for 2025 and beyond. Whom do you think ends up starting there? It seems unlikely Nacho Alvarez Jr. seizes the position, right? Do we move on from Orlando Arcia? My preference would be to re-sign Whit Merrifield to play there. Could he handle shortstop? What do you guys say? (36:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- Scott Servais, Perry Minasian, The Orioles’ Rotation, And Joey Votto – listen here
- Who Could Get Waived, Potential Rule Changes, Austin Riley, And Hector Neris – listen here
- The White Sox Fire Their Manager, Víctor Robles Extended, And The Marlins’ Front Office – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
What’s the problem with the White Sox?
The answer is yes.
The White Sox still have a chance to lose 130 games
Prediction: White Sox take at least two from Boston this weekend.
The problem with the White Sox is the owner. He should fine the best possible person from a winning organization to run the team. Give that person a payroll number and get out of the way.
Why would he “fine’ them? For being competent?
That would be so … Jerry.
Weren’t the White Sox a good young team as recently as a few seasons ago? How have they been so ineptly mismanaged?
It’s just years of Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn, along with Jerry Reinsdorf not doing making decisions. There were flaws in the last rebuild but a combination of the three made that rebuild not work in the long term. Getz reloaded the farm, best we can do is give him at least three seasons if his moves panned out.
I would give him til 2029 at the latest. Getz will mostly likely be last GM in the JR Era. I believe that Getz is the scapegoat for the Wsox treadmously bad season. The best thing he’s done so far is the pitching depth/prospects.
Getz reloaded the farm– with a lot of mediocre prospects.
Getz is not the answer, unless the question is “Who is carrying on the continued downfall of the Woe Sox?”
You can rightfully blame management for a lot. They made a ton of mistakes. Even without the benefit of hindsight, some of the moves looked silly. The players deserve some blame too though.. lots of guys who underperformed or just fell off a cliff over the last few seasons.
This year for the Wsox is a year that everything went wrong and or a perform storm of consequences, similar to the 2003 Tigers and 1962 Mets.
Whit Merrifield turns 36 this 0ff season. He has never played an inning at shortstop in his big league career and now he can’t hit either. Yeah, sign him to be the starting shortstop. Good idea.
I thought the same thing. He might get a minors deal somewhere this winter, but it’s too late in the game for Merrifield to transition to SS. Arcia is not the answer and has basically been a stopgap for 2 years now. No clear solutions internally. AA will have to creatively trade for one.
AA doesn’t have to trade for a shortstop he can get Willy Adames in free agency.
Or Ha-Seong Kim
White Sox- Is it really Jerry afraid to spend- No- I think they have the highest payroll in their division. Just very poor people he has chose to run this organization from top to bottom. Watch them play and you will see them make mistakes Little Leaguers are taught not to do . Just hoping the young core can get them at least back to competitive.
He’s not afraid to spend, he spends but on the wrong players and or poorly. Also behind the scenes like analytics, scouting, etc. Bc he splits the funds with Wsox/Bulls, that may or may not be an excuse why the Wsox haven’t signed a guy to 100m yet.
He also hired Getz to keep pouring gasoline onto the fire.
Bad all around. Even the top players – benintedi & mocanda aren’t even having decent seasons. Don’t draft or trade well. One top mlb 20 Prospect in aaa
4 of the 5 AL Central teams have winning records
The AL Central as a whole is still 35 games below .500 (as of Sept 4)
The primary problem with the White Sox has been drafting and develop8ng young talent. Even when they did their rebuild a few years ago it was a lot of guys that’s came from other systems not their own.
Also a lot of the Cuban players have either been hurt or inconsistent. I say Cuban because obviously they made a conscious effort to sign a lot of Cuban guys. But Benintendi being terrible hasn’t helped either. Vaughn is another drafting and developing problem.
I think their future is bright. Schultz and Smith both have legit ace potential. That’s exciting that’s the best 1 2 combo of pitching prospects in the minors today. They got some good young talent for Bummer and Cease. They still have Robert and Crochet to trade and both guys should bring back a nice haul of talent. I think they are on the right track.
If JR wasn’t the owner yes I would agree with you.
He’s not a cheap owner. Heck he’s near death that’s usually a time when owners spend even more money. They just need more luck and some better decisions.
Here is a trade i was working on last night. 3 way deal with the Cardinals, White Sox and Rays
Cardinals get
Garret Crochet
Rays get
Ivan Herrera
White Sox get
Victor Scott
Tekoah Roby
Ian Bedell
Chandler Simpson
Tre Morgan
Cardinals get a stud pitcher for the top of the rotation. Rays get a much needed ready to play catcher. Sox get 2 outfield prospects both of which should at least be 4th outfielder types, a couple pitchers one with upside one more of a floor guy and a 1b to replace Vaughn in a couple years.
Scott gives speed & CF defense while Maybe being able to get to .300 OBP in the future (with a SLG not much higher), Roby is most likely to end up a middle reliever, Bedell wen’t undrafted in the Rule 5 so can’t be valued Too highly by an awful Sox team throwing out AAAA players nightly, Simpson is a 4th OFer, & Morgan’s absolute ceiling is still a poor man’s Hosmer
Herrera is actually the best prospect in the proposed deal and he’s not even going to the ChiSox (and still could’t be a headlining return in a Crochet trade)
Just another homer trade proposal. “My junk for your good stuff.”
Herrera is definitely the best prospect in the deal. Scott has skills he was rushed to the big leagues because of injuries to Edman and Siani. He’s not supposed to be ready yet his ETA is mid 2025. Only reason Cardinals would trade Scott is because of the emergence of Siani both guys are similar type of players and both lefties. Bedell was unprotected prior to 2024 but he’s had a good year and is up to AAA. He’s not worthless. Roby is more likely a high leverage reliever than anything. Simpson is at least a 4th outfielder his upside is certainly higher than that. Morgan I think is underrated but the Rays have Isaac is whatever his name is so they don’t need him both are lefty 1b.
No forth outfielders please, someone will do much better in offseason..
It seems the White Sox have been lackluster forever. I went to their stadium a couple of years after it opened. Also, lackluster. You walk around it’s concourses and encounter some nice bronze statues. Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio were the two I saw. Fine players but let’s face it as legends go, lackluster. Their uniforms, lackluster. I’m a Mariner fan so I know lackluster when I see it.
White Sox have never really had long term rebuilding strategy. 2001 kids can play was from the white flag trade of the late 90s. 2005 World Series was kinda a fluke. 2021 recent competitiveness didn’t last.
Until Artie Moreno sells the team or gets a competent GM the Angles are never going to contend, wasting the good years of Trout.