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White Sox Affirm Plans To Retain Rick Renteria

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Despite a third-straight lackluster campaign, the White Sox will retain skipper Rick Renteria. GM Rick Hahn reaffirmed his support for Renteria in comments today to reporters including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.

It isn’t particularly surprising to hear of this decision, as all indications had been that the South Siders would keep Renteria in the dugout. But it’s notable nevertheless since plans could’ve changed after a second-half slide.

The White Sox have cracked seventy wins for the first time in Renteria’s tenure, but it would be tough to call this season a resounding success. But there have certainly been some bright spots — especially, the emergence of Lucas Giolito, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada — and the team feels it is still on the upswing.

When asked whether the team might be tempted to make a change once it sees the available slate of managerial candidates, Hahn stated plainly: “Ricky will be our manager.” The veteran executive went on to explain that the club continues to believe Renteria is capable not only of nurturing a developing team, but also of bringing it into contention. “[E]ven at the time we hired him,” says Hahn, “we felt he had the ability to not only set the right winning culture but to put guys in the best position to win.”

Renteria certainly will have a role to play if the White Sox are to finally make a significant move up the standings in 2020. But the front office will have the lion’s share of the work to do over the winter. With some shrewd acquisitions, and continued positive strides from a burgeoning young core, it’s possible — but by no means assured — that the club will be competitive as soon as next year.

Quick Hits: Pillar, Mets, White Sox

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Whether the Giants tender outfielder Kevin Pillar a contract during the offseason “will serve as a clear referendum on how married to the metrics Farhan Zaidi’s baseball operations group will be,” Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The Giants’ Zaidi-led front office acquired Pillar from Toronto in April, though the club could move on from him within the next couple months if it decides he’ll be too pricey to keep. Pillar’s making an affordable $5.8MM this year, but he’ll earn an appreciable raise over that sum during his last trip to arbitration because of his counting stats (631 plate appearances, 21 home runs, 86 runs batted in, 81 runs, 13 stolen bases). Those are aesthetically pleasing numbers, which can’t be said of the .257/.284/.430 batting line or the 83 wRC+ Pillar has posted. And while the soon-to-be 31-year-old Pillar has rightly been regarded as a marvelous defender throughout his career, advanced metrics haven’t been that bullish on him the past couple seasons (zero DRS, plus-1.2 UZR between center and right this year).

Pillar realizes the new-school turn that baseball’s front offices have taken could spell doom for his tenure as a Giant. He told Baggarly he wants to stay in San Francisco, but he acknowledged that “my future’s kind of up in the air.” Baggarly’s piece is worth a full read for more quotes from Pillar, a couple of his teammates and manager Bruce Bochy in regards to the high impact they believe he has made as a Giant.

Checking in on a pair of other MLB clubs…

  • Mets first baseman/corner outfielder Dominic Smith will attempt to add center field to his list of positions next year, Tim Healey of Newsday relays. Smith, who has already slimmed down since he debuted in the majors in 2017, will spend the offseason getting in even better shape in order to become a viable option at the outfield’s most challenging spot. Whether Smith will play another game for the Mets after this season is in question, though, with Healey noting the 24-year-old could be a trade chip over the winter. NL Rookie of the Year shoo-in Pete Alonso occupies Smith’s primary position, first base, while the Mets count Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis (not to mention the injured Yoenis Cespedes) among their other corner outfield-capable players.
  • White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease’s season came to an early end when the club made him a late scratch from his scheduled start Thursday. Cease is dealing with a hamstring issue, one that will require an MRI on Friday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com tweets. The touted 23-year-old wrapped up his debut campaign with a 5.79 ERA/5.19 FIP, 9.99 K/9 and 4.32 BB/9 in 73 innings.
  • Righty Michael Kopech, another of the White Sox’s coveted young arms, didn’t pitch at all this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last September. Now, though, the flamethrowing Kopech is anticipating what he hopes will be a normal spring training. “I am as ready I can be right now,” Kopech said (via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score). “I have done everything I can to prepare. It has been a long time coming. I am ready to go for next spring.” Kopech should have a shot to join the returning trio of Cease, breakout star Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in the White Sox’s season-opening rotation in 2020. 

Central Notes: White Sox, McCann, Yelich, Wong, Candelario

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White Sox catcher James McCann could represent an integral part of his team’s jump to contention, which might opt for a sort of veteran infusion to supplement a blossoming young core led by Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Tim Anderson, and Eloy Jimenez. As The Athletic’s James Fegan writes, McCann sees himself as one of the first veterans to steer the young club towards that next step. He compares his team to recent versions of the Indians and Royals, who rode young cores to World Series berths from 2014-2016 as McCann watched from Detroit. He’s enjoyed his best offensive season, riding a strong first half to an All-Star selection, though he prides himself in his game-calling and management of a pitching staff. His collaboration with breakout star Lucas Giolito, along with a strong showing at the plate, has earned him a spot in the Sox clubhouse for 2020 and beyond.

  • Brewers megastar Christian Yelich, who suffered a fractured kneecap after fouling a ball off his right knee, is showing signs of progress more than a week after the injury. Per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Yelich could be walking with crutches in about a week, with the possibility of running as early as the end of October. That’s not to say that he’ll be ready in time for a potential playoff return, however. While that doesn’t make the absence of the Brewers’ franchise player any more bearable, it’s encouraging that he’s making progress in his recovery.
  • The Cardinals are going to exercise caution with injured second baseman Kolten Wong, who tweaked his hamstring on Thursday while running. An MRI on Friday revealed that he didn’t suffer anything worse that a mild-to-moderate hamstring strain, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. That’s encouraging, especially after a situation last year in which Wong may have made the same injury worse by continuing to run despite the strain. For fear of aggravating the injury, he won’t be able to play until he demonstrates that he can swing and field without complication, though Wong, who’s been one of the stars of the second half for the Cards, says he is feeling better so far.
  • Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario may be playing himself out of the Tigers’ future plans, writes Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Thought to be the third baseman of the future when he was acquired from Chicago in 2017, Candelario has taken steps backward this season, with his wRC+ plummeting to just 67. The organization hasn’t completely given up hope yet, though the 25-year-old is running out of chances to rediscover his swing if he’s to stay on a Major League roster as a corner infielder. He hopes that playing winter ball after the season—something he wasn’t able to do last year because of a wrist injury—will help him get on the right track.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Falvey, A. Gordon, Yolmer

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Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey has done impressive work atop the team’s front office since his hiring in 2016. Considering his success with the Twins and his Boston roots, he could land on the Red Sox’s radar as they seek a replacement for fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. At this point, though, the Red Sox haven’t asked the Twins’ permission to interview Falvey, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic (subscription required). Falvey, for his part, is “very happy” with his current gig, Hayes hears. However, as Hayes writes, the excellence of the AL Central-leading Twins may be costly for the club in a sense. Other organizations could attempt to poach some members of their front office and coaching staff, with Hayes naming three of manager Rocco Baldelli’s top assistants – bench coach Derek Shelton, hitting coach James Rowson and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner – as well as farm director Jeremy Zoll as possible targets for rival teams. Falvey realizes it’s going to be difficult to bring the entire band back in 2020. “As much as I love everybody we’ve brought in, I’ve never been of a mind that you’re always going to retain people,” Falvey told Hayes, adding, “If we’re creating the right environment, we’re growing a lot of people in that room into roles that may not exist here.”

  • Back in May, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon considered himself “at about 60-40” to play again in 2020. Four months later, though, Gordon might not be quite as sure. The 35-year-old Kansas City icon told Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription) that he wants to distance himself from a trying 2019 campaign before mapping out his future. “Losing 100 games, you’re tired, obviously, there’s going to be days when you’re like, ‘I don’t want to play next year,’” said Gordon, who expressed a desire “to take the grind out of the season before I make that decision.” Gordon has already said he’ll either remain a Royal or retire, while general manager Dayton Moore seems more than willing to bring him back. But sticking around will require Gordon and the team to draw up a new contract, as KC will decline his $23MM mutual option in favor of a $4MM buyout.
  • 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.’’

Three Needs: Chicago White Sox

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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…

[White Sox Depth Chart]

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Infield Notes: Odor, Padres, Hayes, Moncada

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Rangers general manager Jon Daniels suggested last week the club could reduce beleaguered second baseman Rougned Odor’s playing time. Manager Chris Woodward was even more aggressive Thursday in saying the Rangers need better from Odor, telling TR Sullivan of MLB.com that he’s “obviously got to show some improvement.” Otherwise, the Rangers will “have to make some decisions,” Woodward said, adding: “We are willing to withstand some lack of production, but this is the big leagues. I hate to say it, but you’ve got to be good to play every day, and he knows.” Woodward believes the rest of the season will be critical for Odor, who has turned in abysmal production for the second time since 2017. Prospect Nick Solak has been eating into Odor’s playing time of late as a result. Contrary to the inexpensive Solak, Odor’s causing a sizable dent in the Texas payroll. He’ll earn a guaranteed $36MM from 2020-22, including a $3MM buyout for ’23. Finances notwithstanding, Woodward will be reluctant to continue penciling Odor into the lineup if he continues putting up bottom-of-the-barrel numbers.

  • The Padres are anticipating a heated second base competition next spring between Luis Urias and Ty France, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Urias is the more hyped player of the duo, as he’s not far removed from a run as an elite prospect, but San Diego doesn’t want to simply hand him a starting job. The 22-year-old has recorded weak offensive totals since he debuted in the majors last season, having logged a .191/.302/.289 line through 202 trips to the plate, though Urias has been much more productive this month. He also laid waste to Triple-A pitching earlier this season. France, 25, has been even better this season at that level, where he has performed like one of the premier hitters in the minors with a jaw-dropping .399/.477/.770 line and 27 home runs over 348 PA. However, like Urias, France hasn’t done much at the big league level to this point.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington is seemingly leaving the door open for the club to promote one of its top prospects, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, when rosters expand this Sunday. The 22-year-old hasn’t thrived overall this season in his first action at Triple-A, where he has batted .266/.334/.420 in 459 plate appearances, but he has caught fire since a slow start. Asked if the defensively adept Hayes’ recent success with the bat could lead to his first major league call-up, Huntington told Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic (subscription required), “It could in theory.” However, as you’d expect, Huntington went on to indicate the Pirates don’t want to rush him to the game’s highest level. With that in mind, Pittsburgh “probably” won’t summon Hayes to the majors this year, Biertempfel writes.
  • 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.
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