BMC13’s Championship Off-Season Plan

When the White Sox clinched a playoff spot on September 17th, it was actually mildly emotional for me. Not only was it the first time my 6-year old son could watch a White Sox playoff game, but to think of all the time and money spent over the last number of years watching guys like Mat Latos, Adam LaRoche, Dylan Covey, Cody Asche, etc. Now we have a squad that is not only has captivated Chicago White Sox fans, but the entire country. We have ‘embraced the rebuild’, we have ‘trusted the process’, and now we are beginning to see the rewards both as a team and a fan base.

This off-season is about making the final tweaks to a Championship roster, ensuring we have no holes in a lineup, an overwhelming bullpen and a fortified rotation fit for the regular & post-seasons.

Journey with me, into 2021 …

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS:

• Nomar Mazara: $5.6M | $5.9M | $5.7M = Non-Tender
  • • As much as I wasn’t “against” the trade last winter, what a disaster this turned out to be!

• Carlos Rodón: $4.5M | $4.5M | $4.5M = Non-Tender
  • • Just hasn’t been able to put it together. Way too much money for a guy who hasn’t been able to stay healthy. And, considering his wife told us that he wasn’t a bullpen guy, there just simply isn’t the fit.

• Lucas Giolito: $2.5M | $5.3M | $2.5M = Tender & Extend
  • • He’s been pretty okay! I’d say we keep him around for a bit! (See below)

• Reynaldo López: $1.7M | $2.2M | $1.7M = Tender
  • • Last shot! See if the new staff can “fix him”. Could compete for the SP5 spot in Spring Training, could be the swingman in the bullpen, could open the season in Charlotte.

• Evan Marshall: $1.3M | $1.9M | $1.4M = Tender
  • • Has become very reliable out of the bullpen.

• Adam Engel: $1M | $1.4M | $1M = Tender
  • • Considering two years ago, my O.P.P. labeled his roster presence as a sign we are still deeply in “rebuild” mode, this guy has locked himself into a spot on the squad due to not only his ability to run the bases and play defense, but now his offense as well! $1.4 is a no-brainer.

• Jace Fry: $800K | $1M | $800K = Tender
  • • I can take or leave Fry to be honest. We will give him a roster spot now, until we see how the Crochet project works out this Spring. Also, how the back of the rotation plays out could determine if he actually breaks camp with the White Sox.

• Yolmer Sánchez: Uncertain = Non-Tender (MiLB Contract & NRI)
  • • Eventually, he will find his way back! It just feels right!

CLUB OPTIONS:

• Edwin Encarnación: $12M = Decline
  • • Liked the move at the time. Father Time finally caught up to him, unlike how he was able to catch up to any ‘real’ fastball.

• Gio González: $7M ($500K buyout) = Buyout
  • • Wasn’t a bad move last winter. Again, age and injuries make it difficult to be overly successful. Way to expensive and way too many other arms in the system to go down this road again.

• Leury García: $3.5M ($250K buyout) = Buyout
  • • I can be talked either way into this one. However, at this moment, $3.5 seems like a lot. I’d be open to bringing him back for a cheaper cost, until then, Yolmer is in, Leury is out!

OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS:

• Alex Colomé (Made $10,532,500 in 2020) = Let Go
  • • Very underrated as a closer the last couple seasons. At the end of the day, in this Off-Season Plan, there is another option out there that we can snag for roughly the same amount of money, with nastier stuff.

• James McCann (Made $5.4M in 2020) = Let Go
  • • I hope I am wrong on this, and they find a way to make this work. However in this plan, I just don’t see it. I don’t think the phrase “let go” is the right one for this. I am not in favor of “letting him go”, rather I think he will simply choose to leave to be a starting catcher for someone, which he has absolutely earned. Due to the other holes in the roster, I can’t justify spending between $27-$30 million on the Catcher position.

• Jarrod Dyson (Made $2M in 2020) = Let Go
  • • We will trade for the 2021 version of Jarrod Dyson in July.

COACHING STAFF:

• Manager: A.J. Hinch
  • • If you believe in the phrase “there is no such thing as bad press”, this is a no-brainer. However, clearly this will be a polarizing hire. Media & fans, even White Sox fans, will criticize the hire due to the past digressions. At the end of the day, the fact that he wasn’t the mastermind behind the operation, so long as he can answer questions honestly in the interview/press conference, I can live with the fact that he served his penance, and can move on. Once we get past that point, Hinch meets all the criteria that Rick Hahn laid out. We are talking about one of, if not the smartest and best baseball person available for the job!

• Pitching Coach: Curt Hasler
  • • Promote from within. I’m good with all the other names thrown out there as well.

EXTENSIONS:

• SP – Lucas Giolito – 7 Years, $113 Million
  • Much like the rest of the young core (Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert), it is time we lock up Lucas Giolito. This deal follows the similar path as many of the other extensions mentioned in the O.P.P.
    • 2021: $4.5
    • 2022: $9.0
    • 2023: $13.5
    • 2024: $19.5
    • 2025: $20.5
    • 2026: $22.0 (Club Option)
    • 2027: $24.0 (Club Option)

• 1B/DH – Andrew Vaughn – 8 Years, $64 Million
  • Maybe this is a bit heavy for a guy who hasn’t hit above the A-Ball level in his career, but I am very high on Vaughn. This avoids all the service time garbage and gets him in the lineup in Los Angeles on April 1st.
    • 2021: $1.0
    • 2022: $1.5
    • 2023: $3.0
    • 2024: $5.5
    • 2025: $9.0
    • 2026: $12.0
    • 2027: $15.0 (Club Option)
    • 2028: $17.0 (Club Option)

FREE AGENTS:

• Sign SP Marcus Stroman (5 Years, $92 Million)
  • First and foremost, I want Trevor Bauer to be a member of the White Sox. However, I am struggling to see a reality where that happens for a variety of reasons. Stroman fits perfectly in the “1A” category for me. Still only 29 years old on the Opening Day roster, with a career ERA of 3.76 in just shy of 850 innings pitched. While he does not have the overpowering fastball, he spins the ball well, he induces a lot of soft contact and excels in throwing ground balls, which is paramount pitching at GRF. The deal mirrors the Dallas Kuechel deal from last winter, if he wants that number up to $100, I could do that by adding a second option year and/or beefing it up to $19/per if it came down to it. I know there had been previous history with Tim Anderson, but after both guys realized they are a living Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme, they have seemed to bury that and now stand together. His personality and passion would fit right in with the team.
    • 2021-2024: $18
    • 2025: $20 (Club Option)

• Sign CP Liam Hendriks (3 Years, $35 Million)
  • We could potentially re-sign Colome from a touch cheaper than $11.6, but for that additional money, we are paying for the velocity, tenacity and grit of Hendriks. 2019 and 2020 has been absolutely dominant (13.1 K/9, WHIP well under 1.00, 0.45 HR/9).

• Sign SP Jose Quintana (2 Years, $16 Million)
  • This year’s version of the Gio Gonzalez signing, except younger, and quite frankly better. We can be flexible with his role, potentially being the 5th starter to start the season, then transitioning to the bullpen with Michael Kopech is ready. Bolsters the pitching depth and gives us another experienced, veteran arm, for a relatively small amount of money. Toss in an option year to entice him to pull the trigger, because at the end of the day, who likes moving out of a house/condo?
    • 2021: 0
    • 2022: 0 (Club Option)

• Sign C Kurt Suzuki (1 Year, $2.5 Million)
  • When figuring out who would be the new backup catcher, I was stunned at how consistent Suzuki has been even at his growing age (37). Since turning 30, he has hit .267 with a .328 OBP, and driven in 50 runs each season. Still solid behind the plate. Great veteran guy with plenty of post-season experience.

TRADES:

• Trade Dylan Cease, Zack Collins & Jonathan Stiever to New York (NL) for Michael Conforto
  • Conforto checks a lot of boxes for us. Left-handed, good pop, high on-base percentage, not a liability in the outfield. The Mets can add a young controlled arm in the immediate future that potentially replaces Syndergaard in the rotation next season. Obviously the elephant in this room is the fact that Conforto is in his final year of arbitration. In these conversations prior to the trade if we learn he is adamant on testing free agency, then we walk away and sign Springer, Pederson, etc. The only way I am going into this deal is with the mindset that the Dodgers had with Mookie Betts. Get him to Chicago, get him around the guys in Spring, and apply the full-court press on the extension. I do not look at this as a “rental” when making this move. Rather, signing a player to lock up our outfield for the duration of the “Championship Window”.

SUMMARY:

There are a number of players that I went back and forth on when constructing this plan. Trevor Bauer would be the pinnacle of the off-season. I love George Springer. Michael Brantley may be a more ‘safe’ option at DH than Andrew Vaughn with no experience. However, based on the resources we are told the White Sox have to work with, I think we found a way to get a lot better for not only 2021, but for the next number of seasons.

Here are your 2021 American League Central Champion Chicago White Sox:

C – Yasmani Grandal

1B – Jose Abreu

2B – Nick Madrigal

SS – Tim Anderson

3B – Yoan Moncada

LF – Eloy Jimenez

CF – Luis Robert

RF – Michael Conforto

DH – Andrew Vaughn

Bench – Kurt Suzuki

Bench – Adam Engel

Bench – Yolmer Sanchez

Bench – Danny Mendick

SP1 – Lucas Giolito

SP2 – Dallas Kuechel

SP3 – Marcus Stroman

SP4 – Dane Dunning

SP5 – Jose Quintana/Reynaldo Lopez

RP – Jace Fry/Jose Quintana/Reynaldo Lopez

RP – Matt Foster

RP – Jimmy Cordero

RP – Evan Marshall

RP – Codi Heuer

RP – Garrett Crochet

RP – Aaron Bummer

RP – Liam Hendriks

If my math is correct (which is absolutely might not be), we check in with a payroll of $144.3 million. That said, you don’t fire a Manager that just led a team to its first playoff appearance in 12 seasons if you aren’t transitioning to win at all costs. In this plan, that “cost” is $9.3 million. If television ratings are any indication, Uncle Jerry will start getting his pockets re-lined in 2021 when fans come back in droves to watch this team. When the dust settles, we will have a true professional baseball player at every spot on the 26-man roster.

Now we endure what will feel like an even longer off-season, as for the first time in a very long time, we have something truly special to look forward to. Brace yourselves; we will be the trendy pick by many to go to the World Series against the San Diego Padres.

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