Nowhere to go but up: Do White Sox have any hope for future?
If it was easy to lose 121 games in a baseball season, everyone would be doing it, right?
Well, not really. The White Sox achieved one of the more mind-numbing records in modern history. Some of it can be blamed on bad luck, but mostly it was honest, old-fashioned ineptitude.
So where do the White Sox go from here? Teams like the Orioles, Astros and Tigers moved from 100-loss seasons to the World Series. Can the Sox do the same?
As this miserable year comes to a close, let's examine some of the positives and negatives as the White Sox try to move forward from infamy.
Plus: The Sox' collection of young pitching seems promising.
They have the two highest-ranked left-handed pitching prospects by MLB Pipeline in Oswego native Noah Schultz and 2024 first-round pick Hagen Smith. The Sox got decent results, between the minors and majors, from rookie starters like Jonathan Cannon, Drew Thorpe and Ky Bush.
Minus: The Sox' collection of young position players does not seem promising.
If there's a silver lining to the summer of scuffle, infielder Lenyn Sosa was the Sox' best hitter during the final month of the season (.892 OPS) and outfielder Zach DeLoach took a step forward late in the year.
Otherwise, the Sox are still waiting for results from Oscar Colas, Korey Lee, Brooks Baldwin, Corey Julks, Bryan Ramos, Miguel Vargas, etc. Their highest-ranked position prospect, shortstop Colson Montgomery, hit .214 with a 29% strikeout rate at Triple-A Charlotte.
General manager Chris Getz would not commit to pitcher Garrett Crochet being on the roster at the start of next season. He'd be a nice anchor on a young pitching staff. But it seems more likely the Sox try to trade him in hopes of landing some hitting prospects.
Plus: A veteran nucleus returns.
Minus: That group did not perform well this year.
The White Sox have just two players under contract for next season — Luis Robert and Andrew Benintendi. Neither is an inviting trade target, since the Sox would be selling really low on Robert after his miserable season and no team is likely to be interested in Benintendi's contract, which runs for three more years.
The same lack of trade value can be applied to Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets, who are both arbitration eligible. Sheets had his second straight dismal season at the plate. The Sox will surely opt out of Yoan Moncada's final year. Most everyone else on the roster is still under team control.
Plus: By hiring from within, at least general manager Chris Getz knows where this organization needs help. He's made revamping the international scouting department a priority, to give one example.
Minus: An argument can be made Getz should have gotten a better return while trading Dylan Cease, Erik Fedde, Michael Kopech and the rest.
One of the more promising acquisitions, catcher Edgar Quero, came from the Angels last year in the Lucas Giolito trade, which happened when Rick Hahn was still in charge, Quero was likely the best position player in the Sox' farm system this year.
Thorpe's 91 mph fastball doesn't necessarily scream “can't-miss prospect.” Outfielder Samuel Zavala, another player from the Cease trade, hit .187 in Winston-Salem. The Sox got Vargas and two teenage prospects from the Dodgers in the Kopech/Fedde deal.
Plus: With the payroll wide open, the Sox should be able to land some helpful veterans, even if they don't plan on withdrawing much cash from the ATM.
True, there's always decent value to be had. Just check Mike Tauchman with the Cubs or Rowdy Tellez, who had a nice year for the Pirates before getting waived this week. Maybe the Sox should give Nick Madrigal another chance.
Minus: They tried this already. Paul DeJong helped before being traded at the deadline. Nicky Lopez was a positive role model. But Kevin Pillar, Robbie Grossman and Nick Senzel made little impact.
Final word of advice: Don't lose Tommy Pham's number. Sunny skies are not in the immediate forecast on the South Side.