Rozner: White Sox can see future in Cubs' recent past

The White Sox didn't need to look across the way Monday to see what might be possible.

It's likely they were conscious during the 2016 season and aware of what the Cubs accomplished after a painful rebuild that culminated in a dream season and a World Series title.

But there's also no reason to minimize the vision Sox fans have of what could be down the road, a path made easier for the front office by watching the Cubs succeed in the face of so much criticism and skepticism.

Look around the game and you see the teams which have waited a year or two or three too long to get started, allowing players to get old or injured, missing the opportunity to get a jump-start on a rebuild.

The Sox did not.

It's why they're ahead of schedule, having moved so many good pieces for so many young prospects, their farm system at least a year ahead of the Cubs at this point in the process, giving the Sox fair reason to think that this could happen in three or four years instead of four or five.

As the two teams met at Wrigley Field Monday for the first of four straight, the Sox could see the future in the other dugout, and a bit of their own past with Jose Quintana, who spent much of his pregame visiting with former teammates.

Otherwise, there was little significance to a supposed rivalry game beyond the Cubs looking to take advantage of another game in hand on the Brewers, who don't play again until Tuesday night, while the Sox can only hope to see development from Yoan Moncada and wonder what the future holds for Tim Anderson.

Quietly impressive has been the play of Adam Engel, as good a defensive center fielder as the Sox have had in the last couple decades, making play after play and breaking right on every ball hit in his direction, including a fine play on Anthony Rizzo in the seventh inning Monday with men on base and the game on the line.

Reliever Anthony Swarzak, who picked up his first save in the Sox' 3-1 victory Monday, has also been strong, making him another candidate to move this week if the Sox are so inclined.

But the pickings elsewhere are slim and will be for a while, with few of the current names expected to be around when the Sox are competitive again.

In the meantime, the Sox will be mere fodder for the rest of baseball and suffer through the dog days of a rebuild.

It didn't stop them from ending a nine-game losing streak Monday and knocking the Cubs from a first-place tie, handing the North Siders only their second loss in 10 games since the break.

Early Monday, Joe Maddon talked of this being a trap and preferring to face the '27 Yanks. He was right about the trap, but with Kyle Hendricks returning from the disabled list and uneven after a rehab stint, the vaunted Yanks might not have been the best matchup.

Still, there's no denying that the Cubs' plan - and triumph with it - has made it easier for the Sox to sell and for the fan base to buy, about as grand an irony as there is in Chicago baseball considering the animus directed from the top of the Sox organization toward the whole of the Cubs for the last decade or two.

As for this week, well, there have been years in which these games were relevant for both teams, but this is certainly not one of them.

Call it a rivalry, call it a big deal, call it whatever you want.

In reality, it's just an interleague series that matters for only one of the participants.

And it's going to be that way for some time.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.