- As noted on Thursday, the White Sox would be wise to seek an upgrade at second base during the offseason. Current starter Yolmer Sanchez hasn’t been the answer at the position, having batted .250/.320/.317 with almost no power (two home runs, .067 ISO) in 519 plate appearances. Consequently, Sanchez’s days with the team could indeed be numbered, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times observes. The 27-year-old’s slated to reach arbitration for the second-last time during the offseason, when he’ll seek a raise over his 2019 salary of $4.625MM, though the club may elect to move on from him instead. Sanchez doesn’t want that to happen, however, as the White Sox are the only organization he has known since he signed out of Venezuela in 2009. ‘‘When I was a little kid, I wanted to play baseball because I loved it,’’ Sanchez told Greenberg. ‘‘I still love it. I played for fun then, and I play for fun now. But I play for the Chicago White Sox. I’ve tried to enjoy every day I’ve spent here. I hope there are a lot more days.’’
White Sox Rumors
Three Needs: Chicago White Sox
We’re bringing back our “Three Needs” series, in which we take a look at the chief issues to be addressed for clubs that have fallen out of contention. We’ve already focused on the Mariners and the Tigers, and now we’ll turn our attention to a White Sox team that’s about to conclude its 11th straight season without a playoff berth. Led by general manager Rick Hahn, the Pale Hose figure to spend the offseason working toward putting a playoff team on the field in 2020. Here are a few things they need to address in order to make that a possibility…
1. Upgrade The Outfield
If we’re to believe fWAR, no team has been worse off in the grass than the White Sox, whose outfielders have combined for a league-low minus-0.3 in that category. Much-ballyhooed rookie left fielder Eloy Jimenez has been the lone bright spot, though he hasn’t been a defensive stalwart. Everyone else has been downright terrible at the plate. The good news is that the White Sox have yet another super prospect, 22-year-old Luis Robert, nearing the majors.
Even if Robert comes up from Triple-A Charlotte early next season and makes an immediate impact, the White Sox will still need at least one more solution in the outfield. The club knew the OF was an issue last offseason, when it made at least a perfunctory effort to sign Bryce Harper, and now that Chicago’s a year closer to ending its rebuild, it should again place significant emphasis on the area during the upcoming winter. While the White Sox went after Harper last offseason, they also reportedly pursued a trade for Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, who wound up staying put. He could again be a trade target in a couple months, though, with Marcell Ozuna, Corey Dickerson, Brett Gardner, Yasiel Puig and the defensively questionable Nicholas Castellanos serving as surefire upgrades who could be among the game’s free agents.
2. Improve The Starting Staff
Right-hander Lucas Giolito has turned into a bona fide front-line starter, which is arguably the best news the White Sox have received this season. Too bad they can’t clone him. Giolito aside, Chicago’s staff clearly needs more sure things heading into 2020. Reynaldo Lopez, although promising, has struggled for a large portion of this season. So has Ivan Nova, who paces the team in starts and innings, and is slated to become a free agent over the winter. Rookie Dylan Cease has a ton of potential, but he has endured a difficult start to his major league career. And both Carlos Rodon and Michael Kopech are recovering from recent Tommy John procedures. Rodon had surgery back in May, meaning he certainly won’t be back for the early portion of 2020. Kopech went under the knife a year ago, so the hyped prospect could be a factor toward the beginning of next season. However, Kopech’s resume includes a meager 14 1/3 major league innings.
Chicago’s not known for winning free-agent bidding wars, evidenced by the fact that Jose Abreu’s six-year, $68MM contract from October 2013 still stands as the richest deal in franchise history. Maybe it’s time for the big-market club to buck that trend, though. There’s no reason the White Sox shouldn’t aggressively pursue the sport’s No. 1 soon-to-be free agent, Astros ace and potential AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who could command more than $200MM on the open market. They should also be in on lesser (but still capable) free-agent arms such as Zack Wheeler and Jake Odorizzi, to name a couple.
3. Shore Up The Right Side Of The Infield
The left side of the White Sox’s infield looks to be in excellent shape. Third baseman Yoan Moncada has turned into the stud the team originally thought it was getting in its 2016 Chris Sale blockbuster with the Red Sox. Adjacent to Moncada, shortstop Tim Anderson may be on his way to a batting title.
Unfortunately for Chicago, the right side of its infield isn’t as well off. Primary second baseman Yolmer Sanchez hasn’t been the answer at his position, while Abreu is slated to hit free agency. In the case of the latter, it seems there’s a solid chance of a new deal coming together. The White Sox and Abreu have made their affinity for one another known on several occasions, and the 32-year-old’s late-season hot streak could further galvanize the team to re-sign him. If not, though, first (and probably designated hitter) will need to be on the White Sox’s to-do list via the free-agent and-or trade markets.
Even more concerns are in the offing at second, though the White Sox will struggle to find a long-term solution there in free agency. Thirty-somethings Howie Kendrick (who has been fantastic this year), Brian Dozier, Starlin Castro, Ben Zobrist, Brock Holt and Jason Kipnis could be short-term targets there. Maybe even Mike Moustakas, a longtime third baseman who has gotten his first MLB experience at the keystone this year. The fact that any of those players would just be a Band-Aid for the White Sox might not be the worst thing in the world, as 22-year-old Nick Madrigal (another of their enviable prospects) progressed to the Triple-A level this season and shouldn’t be far from a big league promotion.
Of course, if the White Sox really want to think outside the box, they could go after a third baseman – be it Anthony Rendon, the premier position player nearing free agency, Josh Donaldson or Moustakas – and move Moncada back to second. Moncada spent the first couple years of his career at the keystone before shifting to third this season.
Lucas Giolito Done For Season
White Sox ace Lucas Giolito was diagnosed with a mild lat strain after going for an MRI on Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic tweets. That type of injury normally takes three to four weeks to recover from, Fegan notes, so the right-handed Giolito’s year is over.
Season-ending injury aside, 2019 will go down as an enormous step forward for Giolito, who finally began to live up to the immense hype he garnered as a prospect. Giolito, whom the White Sox acquired from the Nationals in December 2016 as part of the teams’ Adam Eaton blockbuster, found himself among the majors’ worst starters as recently as a year ago. The 25-year-old turned the tables this season, though, as he fired 176 2/3 innings of 3.41 ERA/3.44 FIP ball with 11.62 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 5.1 fWAR to reestablish himself as one of the league’s most coveted arms.
While Chicago’s way out of contention yet again as the playoffs near, its hope is Giolito will help lead it back to relevance a year from now. Giolito’s among a few highly talented starters who could help the White Sox accomplish that goal. Michael Kopech should be back from Tommy John surgery by then, and Carlos Rodon figures to return from his own TJ procedure. Meanwhile, the promising tandem of Dylan Cease and Reynaldo Lopez will be a year older and maybe a year wiser when it comes to retiring opposing hitters.
White Sox Promote Mike Shirley To Director Of Amateur Scouting
The Chicago White Sox promoted Mike Shirley to be their new Director of Amateur Scouting, per Tom Musick of the Chicago Sun Times. The move continues a bit of organizational reshuffling, as Shirley assumes the post vacated by Nick Hostetler, who himself took a new position as special assistant to GM Rich Hahn.
Shirley becomes the point man for June’s annual draft. It’s a tough assignment in some ways, as expectations will be high after the tremendous job the White Sox have done in recent years in building the #3 ranked farm system, per Baseball America. Optics should be good for a couple of years while these recent picks graduate to the majors, guys like Nick Madrigal, Zack Collins, and Andrew Vaughn, high draft picks who are either in the majors now or on their way.
In an article from The Athletic’s James Fegan, Chicago’s new Director of Amateur Scouting spoke about their prospects for the upcoming 2020 draft.“There are a lot of good players out there,” Shirley said. “The game has changed. The younger players have a lot more impact today for a reason. The kids are more advanced at younger ages. We know that and I think that’s an exciting part of what baseball is becoming.”
That jives with the direction the franchise has taken in recent drafts, as they’ve begun to take more chances on high school players. Shirley will be tasked with maintaining a high degree of success, but he’s likely running out of ultra-high draft choices with which to work. With a record of 62-79, the White Sox are in line for a late top-10 pick in next June’s draft, but if all goes according to plan, this could be the last time picking in the top-10 for quite some time.
White Sox Select Contract Of Danny Mendick
The White Sox announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder Danny Mendick. He’ll be joined on the active roster by a trio of other September call-ups: righty Dylan Covey, catcher Zack Collins, and outfielder Daniel Palka.
Mendick is a 25-year-old who is capable of playing short, second, or third base. He just wrapped up his first full season at the Triple-A level, where he slashed .279/.368/.444 with 17 home runs. That’s not quite the big season it might appear to be at first glance, but it does equate to a sturdy 109 wRC+.
Jon Jay To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
White Sox outfielder Jon Jay will undergo surgery on his hip, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times was among those to report on Twitter. Jay will not be able to return this year.
This news wraps up a less-than-productive tenure on the South Side for Jay. He had inked a $4MM, one-year pact over the winter. At the time, the Sox were adding affordable veterans while pursuing young star Manny Machado, whose personal ties to both Jay and also-acquired veteran Yonder Alonso didn’t lead to a signing.
Of course, the White Sox also hoped that Jay would represent a stabilizing force in an outfield mix that was short on sure things. That simply hasn’t come to pass. Jay has been sidelined for lengthy stretches and has not performed when available. In 182 plate appearances on the year, he has slashed just .267/.311/.315 with nary a home run.
Jay has typically been more useful than that at the plate. He’s an accomplished pure hitter, with a .285 lifetime average, and has done enough in the on-base and slugging departments to carry a 101 wRC+ through more than four thousand career plate appearances. With the ability to line up anywhere in the outfield, Jay was a solid semi-regular player at his peak.
Now, with a diminished recent history at the plate and increasingly worrisome slate of maladies, it’s quite likely that Jay will be looking at a minor-league deal when he reenters the market this fall.
Yoan Moncada "Open To" Another Position Change
- White Sox star Yoan Moncada has already changed positions once during his short career. After playing second base from 2017-18, he has lined up at third for the entirety of this season. While Moncada told Scott Merkin of MLB.com he expects to continue at the hot corner “for a very, very long time,” he’d be willing to move elsewhere if it helps the team. That’s unlikely to happen, per Merkin, though he notes the White Sox could do a 180 if they’re able to land, say, third baseman Anthony Rendon in free agency. In that case, Moncada could shift back to second or even the outfield – two areas that have been weak points for Chicago in 2019.
White Sox Release Paulo Orlando
- The White Sox have released outfielder Paulo Orlando, who had been with the organization since it acquired him from the Dodgers on May 10. The 33-year-old Orlando didn’t produce much with the White Sox’s Triple-A team in Charlotte, as he hit just .242/.299/.426 with 10 home runs in 284 plate appearances. Orlando’s best known for his 2015-18 stint as a member of the Royals, with whom he batted .263/.289/.384 and totaled 14 HRs across 918 trips to the plate.
Dane Dunning Aiming For June 2020 Return
White Sox righty Dane Dunning recently discussed his Tommy John rehab work with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The 24-year-old has begun light throwing, but that’s just the start of a lengthy rebuilding process. He’s hoping to be ready for game action by early June, which would be about 15 months after his procedure. It is certainly possible that the highly regarded hurler could have an impact in the majors as soon as 2020, though odds are that he’ll spend more time regaining his footing in the upper minors. Dunning’s sterling 2018 showing was cut short by forearm issues that ultimately ended in the operating room. But he has already shown he can thrive at the Double-A level. When he is able to make it back, Dunning says he hopes to have an even “stronger foundation” to work from. He says he’s stronger, more aware of how to care for his body, and better prepared “to maintain a healthier balance through the season.”
AL Notes: Rangers, Montero, Kiermaier, Alberto, White Sox
Amidst a pitching staff that has continually shuffled through under-the-radar options, the Rangers have been impressed by Rafael Montero, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. A reclamation project who didn’t pitch in 2018 thanks to Tommy John srugery, Montero made a name for himself as a promising prospect in the Mets’ farm system. However, the New York organization relinquished the righty when he opted for free agency in lieu of an outright assignment. After cutting his teeth as a starting pitcher for years, the 28-year-old has transitioned to a bullpen role in Texas, where he has excelled for a team that has constructed a bullpen out of dozens of cast-offs and scrap parts. Appearing in 10 games since coming up in late July, Montero has compiled a 1.08 ERA while striking out 19 batters in 16 2/3 innings of work. He, along with the likes of Emmanuel Clase and Jonathan Hernandez, has been a second-half revelation for a team that employs an increasingly youthful bullpen after dealing Chris Martin and losing Jesse Chavez to injury. Factor in Jose Leclerc, and the Rangers may indeed have discovered some foundational bullpen pieces.
Here are all the latest updates from around the American League…
- Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier exited Sunday’s game prematurely after crashing into the outfield wall while attempting to catch a DJ Stewart fly ball. After the game, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times offered an encouraging update on the defensive virtuoso, Tweeting that X-rays indicated no broken bones, and that Kiermaier sustained a left ribcage contusion in the collision. It seems to be a minor injury for the Rays and their center fielder, who expects to be back in the lineup after an off day tomorrow. For the time being, it appears that Kiermaier has avoided a stint on the injured list, which would have been his second this season after a thumb sprain in July.
- In the same game, the Orioles’ Hanser Alberto sustained a knee to the head while attempting to take second base on a ball in the dirt. Manager Brandon Hyde did deliver some promising news, telling reporters (including Joe Trezza of MLB.com) that there was no evidence that the Orioles’ leading hitter suffered a concussion. Rather, it looks to be a head contusion and a cervical neck strain for Alberto. While it looks that the worst-case scenario has been avoided, it’s yet unclear what the diagnosis means for Alberto, with a recovery timeline unknown.
- More injury news coming from Chicago, where White Sox utilityman Leury Garcia also underwent X-rays after leaving today’s game following a hit by pitch. He was struck in the lower left leg while trying to bunt against the Rangers’ Emmanuel Clase. After the game, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reported that X-rays came back negative and that Garcia’s injuries did not extend beyond a left shin contusion. He’ll be day-to-day for the South Siders, who will have an off day tomorrow before hosting the Twins for a three-game set.
