Snobs vs. Slobs

Godspeed. Reinsdorf is doing you a great disservice. You deserve far, far better.

First, a note:

As any read can imagine, the site has been mostly dark for the past two years. On some level, this is due to Taft’s passing, as he was the driving force for the site. On another level, I’ve been busy with other stuff. Nevertheless, I felt it necessary to continue in the tradition from four and a half years ago, wherein I talk shit about the team (the Philadelphia Flyers) opposing our team (the Chicago Blackhawks) in the championship series. I realize I did not do this for the Bears Super Bowl. Sorry.

As I wrote before the Sox took on the Astros: in lieu of writing about matchups, strategy, toughness or coaching, I’d decided to give you 10 reasons to hate the Flyers.

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The Sox cleared up some roster issues today, trading Chris Getz and Josh Fields to the Kansas City Royals for Mark Teahen. None of the players are of a huge amount of consequence, talent-wise, but it does bring up some interesting roster questions. (more…)

With the Sox losing a fourth straight game last night, the Sox made most veterans available to any bidder. DH Jim Thome went to the Dodgers for a minor league infielder of no consequence and Jose Contreras was traded to Colorado for a minor league pitcher of no consequence and some money. Full terms have not been disclosed. Jermaine Dye, Scott Podsednik and Scott Linebrink were also on the trading block.

Though it’s not come through on this site much, I’ve been trying to pin down the Sox place in the success cycle for the past four years. Since the World Series win, the team has made the playoffs once and averaged 84 wins. This is, essentially, a .500 team.

It is also not a really young team. Ken Williams has made his share of good trades since taking over the helm, notable getting Carlos Quentin for a bunch of nothing, sending Aaron Rowand to Philly for Thome and Gavin Floyd and trading site favorite Brandon McCarthy (who has since turned into a pumpkin) for staff co-ace John Danks. He turned Aaron Miles into Juan Uribe’s best year. He turned Jeremy Reed and Miguel Olivo into two good years of Freddy Garcia. He acquired Jake Peavy for a bunch of B- and C-level prospects. Overall, I’ve found Williams to be a pretty good GM.

He has not drafted well. Only top ten pick Gordon Beckham has looked good as a Sox player.

Whether it’s Williams’ sense of urgency or the pressure to remain relevant in a competitive baseball city (Hi, Cub fans!), he has never looked at the team as one in need of a rebuild. It’s been four years and the Sox are four games below .500 and out of the playoff hunt. Williams did a lot of good things for this team at the normal (non-waiver) trading deadline, acquiring the ace of the future and a decent outfield piece in Peavy and Alex Rios, but that was a win-now move.

The Sox aren’t winning now.
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In 2007, two years after the Sox won the WS, I wrote about the team’s place on the success cycle and Williams not getting it:

Jose Contreras, a pitcher who’ll surely not be a part of the next great White Sox team, is still there. Jermaine Dye, a 33-year-old outfielder with a history of injury problems and a World Series MVP (read: He’s not going to make the minimum), is still here. Williams is talking about an extension!

I know it’s sacrilege, but Paul Konerko or Jim Thome should’ve both been on the table in order to get some serious talent back in this organization. I love Juan Uribe, but he should be a chip, too.

It’s two years after I wrote that and Williams is finally getting around to trading Thome and Contreras. Dye’s still here. Uribe left as a free agent. Konerko’ll be here until he needs a walker to get to first.

In 2007, the Sox won 72 game. I know the team’ll win more than 72 games this year, but not many. If the 2009 White Sox make it to .500, I’ll be suprised.

Still, I can assure you that Williams sees this team and doesn’t think “this team is poopy.” He thinks it is one player or a few good breaks away from making the playoffs and winning it all. Last year, the team fell back asswards into the playoffs—an off year from Detroit and injury troubles from Cleveland—and Williams saw it as encouragement. So, he stood pat and here we are.

I imagine that Williams now sees this team and says “Why can’t we compete next year? We’ve got as good a team as Detroit or Minnesota.”

He’s wrong.
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Within the confines of the success cycle, it’s important to identify the core of a team. With the trades, that leaves the question: Who will be on the 2010 White Sox? What will this team look like?

So, as is the way of the blogs, I’ve tried to figure out a 25-man roster for the team next year. It’s not my ideal roster, but rather what I think Williams will put out on the field next year (some is wishful thinking, as my 12-man staff shows). It assumes health (probably not a great assumption). It’s, obviously, a crapshoot.

1. Scott Podsednik – CF
2. Gordon Beckham – 3B
3. Jermaine Dye – RF
4. Carlos Quentin – DH
5. Paul Konerko – 1B
6. A.J. Pierzysnki – C
7. Alexei Ramirez – SS
8. Alex Rios – LF
9. Jayson Nix/Brent Lillibridge winner – 2B

Bench:
1. Mark Kotsay – OF/1B
2. Jayson Nix/Brent Lillibridge loser
3. Chris Getz – IF
4. Ramon Castro – C

Starting pitchers
1. Mark Buehrle
2. Jake Peavy
3. John Danks
4. Gavin Floyd
5. Insert crappy free agent here

Bullpen
1. Bobby Jenks
2. Matt Thornton
3. Jhonny Nunez
4. Tony Pena
5. Randy Williams
6. Carlos Torres
7. DJ Carrasco

That team isn’t great. It’s not young. It has a shortstop playing third base and a defensive liability at short. It has a free talent retread/PR wet dream playing center field, despite his shortcomings. It assumes Carlos Quentin will be healthy, which is like assuming I’ll fall for a girl who won’t jerk me around. As in, it’s not going to happen.

I’m actually pretty satisfied with the pitching staff. Buehrle has sucked since his perfect game ERA over 6.00), but you can pencil him in for 200(ish) IP with an above average ERA. Danks is still developing and Floyd is a fine 3-4 starter. Peavy is coming to a smaller ballpark in a harder league and was injured this year. So, he’s kind of a wildcard, but he’s still Jake Peavy, a man with a career 3:1 K:BB ratio.

In short, it’s not a championship team. It’s an 85-win team in a good year, with just as much potential to win 75 as 90. A lot can go wrong.

Because Williams has tried to keep the team at the top of success cycle for too long, the Sox are stuck in the same place they were in the mid-late 1990s. A consistent second-place team.

This’ll be fun.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams was ticketed yesterday for jaywalking while crossing a street near Safeco Field. He was on his way to the park, talking on his cell phone.

Apparently, he told the cop that people in Chicago cross streets wherever they please—I can attest to this, having jaywalked every time I’ve been back to Chicago. The officer, apparently, told him that Seattle isn’t like that. (more…)

Well, the Sox have taken two of three from the Angels (and, from the looks of it, will lose today) and took three of four from Tampa last week. As of this writing, the team is a single game behind the Tigers for the AL Central lead. Gordon Beckham won rookie of the month honors. (more…)

I know that no one comes here for breaking news, but, hey…

Jake Peavy is the newest member of the Chicago White Sox. Here’s an pro/con list as to the impact of the trade on the team: (more…)

Perfecto!

It’s Buehrle’s second no-no, his first being April 27, 2007 against the Texas Rangers. The Devil Rays are a pretty solid team, so facing the minimum against said Rays is quite impressive. (more…)

The Sun-Times and the Tribune both have written stories about the Sox’ rotation today, looking at the notion that the Sox’ rotation is going to be a team strength. (more…)

Being a White Sox fan in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area isn’t exactly great times—despite the first fan. The Sox are 700 miles away and everyone—and I mean everyone—assumes I root for the Cubs because I grew up in Cook County.

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