Imrem: White Sox can't do it the Cubs' way
The White Sox aren't the Cubs and couldn't conduct business like the Cubs even if they wanted to.
Yet the clamor has been for the Sox - who fell to 1 game over .500 with Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Tigers - to adopt the Cubs Plan.
Sounds great, and the Sox indeed could break it down like the Cubs did. The problem is they couldn't build it back up in a mere four years like the Cubs did.
It's all about money: The Sox don't have the resources the Cubs have, and won't unless Jerry Reinsdorf finds wads of million-dollar bills under the couch cushions.
The Sox's latest acquisition, pitcher James Shields from the Padres, symbolizes the difference in Chicago's teams.
When the Cubs needed a No. 3 starting pitcher last offseason, they signed free agent John Lackey for $32 million.
When the Sox needed a No. 3 starter during the season, they traded two prospects for Shields and cash considerations on Saturday.
The Sox owe Shields $27 million for the rest of this season and the next two seasons, with the Padres picking up the rest of the $58 million he has coming.
The Cubs will pay $16 million for each of the 37-year-old Lackey's two seasons; the Sox will pay $11 million for each of the 34-year-old Shields' the next two seasons.
Who knows? Maybe the Sox will get more from Shields than the Cubs get from Lackey.
Regardless, the Sox still have to search the bargain bin, sometimes with a trade partner paying part of a player's salary.
The Cubs can shop for luxury items from the high-end rack at Tiffany's.
The Sox are more like the Pirates than the Cubs. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle was quoted as saying last year in reference to the Cubs' $155-million deal with Jon Lester, "In the free agent market, I don't think we will be shopping in the same stores."
Pirates general manger Neil Huntington added that "smaller markets need more of their own players, they need to hit more consistently on trades and even more consistently on the few free-agent acquisitions they make."
That's the Sox, too, who are in a bigger market than the Pirates but with no better than a mid-market payroll.
The Pirates can win a championship like the small-market Royals did last year. The Sox won a World Series in 2005 after a flurry of trades.
But all three of those teams' margins of error are narrow compared to what the Cubs' is now.
The Cubs have done a phenomenal job of scouting, drafting and developing young players that already are contributing to the major leagues' best record.
But where would the Cubs be if they couldn't add free-agent signees like Lester, Lackey, Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist? A guaranteed $285 million was committed to the last four of those last offseason alone.
You think the Sox could do that even if they had a gaggle of talented young players to build upon?
The Cubs started this season sixth in major-league payrolls at $170 million while the Sox were 16th at $115 million, about where each belongs.
Money can't buy a championship, but it sure can make a nice down payment.
The best the Sox can do is improve their farm system while rummaging for veterans to help on the big-league level.
It's a whole different plan than the Cubs' Plan.
mimrem@dailyherald.com