#rickhahn

Another week in the books, and as usual, I'm disappointed. Let's move on. The White Sox were 1-7-1 after the All-Star break in series wins before the Marlins series this past weekend. That's just brutal, but they were able to improve to 2-7-1 after defeating the Marlins on Friday and Saturday. Adam Eaton crushed the ball all series, and since Abreu was able to see his son, he has continued to smack the ball, as well.

Last night, the game ended on an awkward play where Giancarlo Stanton hit a blooper to right field. He was toast at second because of Adam Eaton, but he pulled his groin and will be on the DL for the remainder of the season. Quick non-White Sox note: watch for the Marlins to acquire either A-Rod or Carlos Gomez. They will land one of them. I'm calling it. Anyways, Adam Conley, last night's Marlins starting pitcher landed on the DL with middle finger tendinitis, too, so those are huge blows to the Wild Card-contending Marlins. I like seeing Ichiro play more often anyways.

Today, the Southsiders were trailing the fish going into the top of the 9th. J.B. Shuck popped out as per usual, but Timmay Anderson ripped one into the bullpen to make it a 1-run ballgame. Omar Narvaez slapped a single to left, and Eaton followed suit. Sanchez pinch ran for Narvaez. Saladino hit a single to shallow left, and for some reason, Joe McEwing sent Carlos Sanchez home, instead of holding him at third for Melky. He was out by a mile. However, the catcher, Jeff Mathis, blocked the plate before the ball arrived. Technically, that's illegal. When Robin had the umpires review that, they called Sanchez out so quickly my head spun. They must have taken a whole four seconds to review it. The MLB really has to sort that play at the plate out because it is extremely arbitrary now. The Sox lost 5-4 on that garbage call.

MVP of the week: Omar Narvaez

He has been a sweet surprise. He's hitting a sultry 9-22 with 7 walks in 29 plate appearances. He's already passed Avila and Navarro on my preference for catcher. Keep this kid in.

Most Improved: Jose Abreu

He just needs to hit the ball over the fence. That's easy, right?

Needs to figure it out: Chris Sale

I don't know if it's late season fatigue or trying to be strategic, but Sale's velocity has been down as of late. In order to be the dominant Chris Sale everyone wants to see, he needs to be touching 94-95, not tossing batting practice fastballs at 91.

Notes: Zach Burdi, the White Sox 26th overall pick from this year, already has been promoted to AAA Charlotte. He continued his overpowering ways and tossed another scoreless appearance today. Word on the street is that he should be up in the next week or so. I'd like to see a 100+ MPH fastball from a Chicago pitcher that doesn't beat women, but that's just me. Hey, anything to win your first World Series in 108 year, am I right?

Last week, I discussed the four most likely trade pieces for the White Sox before this Monday’s trade deadline. I’m seeing it all over Twitter that this team needs to rebuild. Yes, they’ve had extremely underwhelming seasons since 2012, but do they really need to get rid of everyone? No, they shouldn’t. Here’s why:

The White Sox front office doesn’t know how to rebuild. I know Kenny Williams is notorious for poor drafting and trading away talent, but not once have I seen the reluctance of Jerry Reinsdorf swayed in my life. I may trust Rick Hahn the most, but he wasn’t given the permission to open the checkbook this past offseason a little more and had to settle for replacement level players in CF, SS, and as a 5th starter (the White Sox way). On top of that, because Kenny drained our farm system from his tenure as a GM, we’ve had to rush prospects, like Carlos Rodon, Carson Fulmer, and Chris Sale. Granted, Sale has definitely panned out, but obviously the other two have not yet. Rodon has been in the bigs for two years now but never had time to find his changeup. Fulmer had trouble finding the plate in the minors and has shown that his last two outings.

I get that it’s a seller’s market, and most contending teams would do anything to get their hands on the plethora of trade bait the Sox have in their back pocket. The biggest issue with this team is that they fold under pressure with different lineups every year too easily. It isn’t the players. It’s the coaches. McEwing is trash. Steverson is trash. Ventura is trash (You know this). Had the front office canned Robin at the end of last season and the team put up the same results as they have so far this year, I’d be running through the streets screaming SELL, SELL, SELL! They didn’t, though. We tend to think this team could be perpetually stuck in limbo, but I’d put my money on it that if they have a new manager without selling any of their core by next season, they would make the playoffs. As I write this, Tommy Kahnle’s up and warming in the bullpen!

They have too many good players to be this average. It’s true. Adam Eaton is the best right fielder in the American League. Todd Frazier is amongst the league leaders in home runs. Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are both Cy Young contenders…The list goes on. However, a good portion of this team plays at about 80% of their ability all at the same time. That’s a reflection of bad management. Something sour is going on. Give my recommendation a try.

They have every big piece of their team under control through 2017 and on team friendly contracts. Chris Sale is making $9.5 million this year, and Jose Quintana is making $3.8 million! Both salaries go up next year, but for that production, those salaries are obscene!

Total rebuilds do not work if you don’t have the right men for the job. Hahn has done better as GM, but the advance scouts haven’t shown all that much success and Williams will absolutely lose his mind. I honestly think a rebuild could cause more descent in the organization than there has been in recent years. Rick Hahn may be smart, but I don’t put him at Theo Epstein’s level. 2017 is the year to tear it all down if the same old result appears with new men at the helm.

My final point is prospects don’t always turn out to be stellar. Chris Sales, Jose Quintanas, and Adam Eatons don’t show up at your doorstep everyday. Look at Jacob Turner. He was a first round pick in 2009 and has bounced around multiple teams since, displaying average to subpar results. Look at Gordon Beckham. He’s a utility player and only a starter on Atlanta because they’re actively rebuilding this year. Anthony Ranaudo, the starter in last night’s Crosstown Cup game, pitched well last night, and he was drafted first in 2010 by Theo Epstein! He hasn’t had a good career thus far. Not every rebuilding team will win in a couple years, like the Cubs and Astros. You could turn out to be the Twins. The success rate is not 100%.

This line from Fever Pitch embodies my exact thoughts: 34 and 2/3 innings without scoring until today... I wish I had something good to say. I have no idea why Jacob Turner started today. I can only complain so much. He got flat out shelled. Albert Pujols homered off of him twice. The best take away from today was Carson Fulmer striking Pujols out in his first MLB appearance. He went two full innings, hitting one batter and yielding only one hit. Omar Narvaez, our last resort catcher, doubled in his first MLB at bat. The rookies were the only ones doing anything. Miguel Gonzalez and James Shields pitched extremely well on Friday and Saturday, but the team just can't score against a very poor opponent. Losing five out of the last six against terrible opponents is just plain sad.

My 2 cents: Let's move on. Standing pat is the worst thing the White Sox front office can do. Melky, Frazier, and Lawrie are only under contract through next season. Don't cough up Anderson or Fulmer for CarGo or Bruce. That would be way too typical Kenny. The only way I'd give those two up is if we got Mike Trout in return.

The White Sox have an eye out for CF replacements because no one knows when Austin Jackson is returning. However, even though they look like sellers currently, they will either remain where they are or buy. You can't have one foot in and one foot out. You need to determine if you're going for it or rebuilding. The following names have been tossed around for possible acquisitions: Jay Bruce, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick, Charlie Blackmon, or Melvin Upton Jr. I think Bruce, Reddick, or Beltran seem to be the most likely IF they're buyers. We shall see.

MVP of the week: James Shields

He only gave up three combined runs in two starts and somehow earned two losses. That shows you how poor the run support was for the guy.

Most Improved: Migoz

Three straight quality starts in my book

Needs to figure it out: the offense

Get some runs.

I said after the Red Sox series that if the White Sox were to come back and sweep the Twins this team was for real. Low and behold, that happened today. It was a nice present for all those Sox mothers out there. Last Wednesday, I went to a pretty horrendous game, and Thursday wasn’t too good either. Erik Johnson was given the nod to start in place of John Danks, after he was DFA’d. He did not have a very good start, and the southsiders kept leaving runners stranded. He was sent down right after the game to AAA Charlotte, and we probably won’t be seeing him for a while. Look for Miguel Gonzalez to get another chance tomorrow night against the Rangers, and if he doesn’t do well, then we could see Jacob Turner. Tim Lincecum had his showcase on Friday and touched 91 mph in cargo shorts. That’s vintage Lincecum. That’s Cy Young Lincecum at his finest. Kenny Williams attended his showcase. He could be pursuing him pretty strongly. Why not? That’s a stereotypical Kenny move, like I said before, and we need that gap in the back end of the rotation to be filled immediately.

Let’s switch up the topic. The Twinkies came to town, and the Sox handled them on Friday and Saturday. The bats woke up, driving in 17 runs in the first two games of the series. In addition to that, on Friday, it seemed that Robin woke up, too. Nate Jones hit Byung Ho Park with a 96 mph heater in the top of the 8th. In retaliation, Trevor May drilled Abreu in the rib cage with a 97 mph heater. The umpires issued warnings, and Abreu kept on jawing at May. In fact, both teams cleared the benches. Even though no fight occurred, Robin was livid. He got tossed, and it was awesome. Atta boy, Robbie!

Quintana started today and continued his campaign for a Cy Young. Chris Sale isn’t the only one eyeing that award on the southside this year. Q is still extremely underrated, and people are beginning to recognize it since the team is actually good this year. Austin Jackson played well, robbing a double in the right center gap in the 9th. He also doubled in a run. Dioner Navarro did the same. Avila’s injury might give Navarro a shot at more starts, even when he returns from the DL. Nate Jones and David Robertson did their jobs, and the Sox rounded off a sweep, leading their record to 22-10 and a five game lead over the Indians in the AL Central.

MVP of the Week: David Robertson

Robertson now sits at a 0.68 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched with a WHIP of 0.83, which is unbelievable. He also has 10 saves, trailing only Jeanmar Gomez of the Phillies and Kenley Janson of the Dodgers. Well done, D-Rob.

Most Improved: Avisail Garcia, once again

Avi is now batting an astounding .435 with an OBP of .519 in his last seven games. I am telling you, if he can be a halfway decent hitter, the Sox front office can focus on rounding off the rotation to make it even better than it already is.

Needs to figure it out: Whoever our 5th starter is

I will make this simple for you. Erik Johnson got shelled last Thursday. Miguel Gonzalez got shelled the last time he threw against the Jays, but luckily clutch hitting backed him up. Gonzalez gets another start tomorrow against the Rangers. If it doesn’t fare well for him, I think Kenny and Rick might expedite the process of acquiring another starting arm.

My 2 cents:

The Sox are good. They were 2nd to just the Cubs in reaching 20 wins. They have the best record in the AL. Yet, they can still be better. Frazier hasn’t quite hit his stride with the stick. Abreu has been coming around only recently and so have some other guys in the lineup. Lawrie could limit some of his K’s, but he has also been walking a lot in the past week or so. I think one tweak that Robin needs to try is batting Jackson or Melky second. I’ve said this a lot. I know he is extremely formulaic in that he believes that the two-hitter in the lineup should be fast. Rollins is sort of fast. He used to be much faster. He also now has an OBP of .299, and hasn’t been swinging a very good stick the last week. I know he’s a veteran and maybe will reach the Hall one day, but batting him last might be the move for a little while. I don’t agree with Robin all the time, but in his defense, I think he finally has a team he believes can make a playoff run. If he messes up at the end of the season, though, we can go back to blaming him for everything like the terrible people we are.

This week in preview:

It’s official. Rick Hahn is a genius. I love you, man. No, you are not hallucinating. John Danks has officially been designated for assignment and will be a free agent within the next week. However, the Sox still owe him $14.5 million. They do have $13 million left from the Adam LaRoche forfeited contract, but per Jon Heyman, the Sox are actively pursuing a left-handed bat to add to the lineup along with another starting pitcher. Whether that pitcher is a lefty or a righty is yet to be seen. I would think they are leaning toward a right-hander, seeing as they already have Sale, Quintana, and Rodon, who are all lefties. I’m here to discuss speculation because that’s fun.

Here we go. Amongst the most speculated free agent pitchers is Tim Lincecum or Slater from Dazed and Confused. As I stated in my last post, he is coming off an offseason hip surgery. He also has a showcase on Friday in which a plethora of MLB clubs are attending, including the White Sox and the Cubs. A move for Lincecum would make sense because just about anything would be an upgrade from Danks. The argument against a move like this would be that it is very typical of the White Sox front office to take an aging player who doesn’t seem to have it anymore. This is a little bit of a different story with Rick Hahn leading the charge. In Lincecum’s last four seasons (before the surgery), he had an ERA of 4.68. This is not ideal, but you also have to take a look at the fact that he is 32 years old, who might still have a little something left in the tank. You also need to remember how dominant he was before 2012. He has won two Cy Young Awards. Let’s hope that if he lands on the south side he can perform like “The Freak” we all know.

A couple other notable pitching names out there that could supplement the back end of the Sox rotation are Rich Hill or Jhoulys Chacin. I think Rich Hill may be a little more of a stretch because I do not believe the Sox need another lefty in the rotation. That being said, he has put up some very impressive numbers through six starts so far with a 2.53 ERA. I do not believe the A’s will be contending come September, but they could prove me wrong.

Chacin is a different story. The Braves will not contend, unless they pull off a dramatic upset, like the Indians did in Major League. He has a 3.27 ERA through four starts. Even though the Sox would be buying high on him, he has thrown pretty well the last two seasons. He hasn’t pitched all that much, so if they went after him they would be venturing into unchartered waters. He is a righty, so I would rank him above Hill in likelihood of a transaction.

Now, let’s look at available bats. In the offseason, the Sox were rumored to possibly obtain either Jay Bruce or Carlos Gonzalez. That obviously didn’t happen, but it could now that the team is starting to look more and more like a legitimate playoff contender. Bruce started off this season hot, as did the Reds, but he has cooled off since, hitting at a very average .256 with four homers and 18 RBIs. Although those 18 RBIs put him in the top 13 in the NL, I wouldn’t place too much stock in that. RBIs are way too dependent on where you bat in the order. I do think he could be a solid addition, though, if Avi cannot continue hit hot-hitting week for the rest of the year. There is something about trying to make a position player be a DH occasionally that doesn’t see to work, so I don’t think this would necessarily be the best idea.

Carlos Gonzalez would be a dream come true. The only problem with this happening would be that the Sox would most likely have to cough up either Tim Anderson or Carson Fulmer, the top two prospects in the Sox minor league system. Rick Hahn isn’t too keen on letting either of these young studs go. Plus, the Rockies may ask for much more than just one of those two. It may not be worth it to deplete the minor league system for an outfielder that is injury prone.

One last name I will throw into the ring is Michael Saunders. The Blue Jays are currently in 4th place in the AL East. Granted, it is still mighty early in the season, but their bullpen currently has a 4.01 ERA. I don’t see that improving much. They have a great lineup, but they do not seem to be the 2015 Jays at this moment. That could change. Saunders could satisfy that need for a left-handed bat in the Sox lineup. He is slumping a little bit the last week, but he is still hitting .304 with four homers. This could be a riskier move for the Sox front office because he hasn’t shown must consistency in his career, and the Sox would definitely be buying high on him. I do think that the Sox wouldn’t have to give up too much to sign him for the rest of the season. This move could also save a little money for another starting pitcher, which I think is a bigger need now.

So the White Sox signed former NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins to a minor league deal that should be around $2 million for the year if he makes the opening day roster. I know what you are thinking. This move couldn’t be more White Sox. The only thing that would beat it would be if Ryan Howard, Ike Davis, and David Ortiz decided to come to the south side in two years. Yes, Rollins will be turning 38 this season and played the role of the lame duck until Corey Seager was ready for the Dodgers in 2015. I know Hahn and Ventura are saying that the shortstop role is up for grabs at the beginning of the season, but I think that a move like this could provide a little fire in Tyler Saladino to prove he is the man for the job (Rollins, Saladino, & Carlos Sanchez will all have a shot). This means that for all you Ian Desmond hopefuls out there, it looks like that dream is dead. I am ok with the Sox not acquiring a big name shortstop, but only if they are able to get an outfielder to hedge the risk in right field that is Avisail Garcia. They cannot just cope with the fact that they are completely helpless at two positions, but they can live with one.

White Sox acquire Mat Latos for 1 year, $3 million and sign Travis Ishikawa to a minor league contract. This is the type of news that means more to me than the New Hampshire Primary. You may remember Ishikawa for his 2014 NLCS Game 5 walk-off dinger for the Giants against Michael Wacha of the Cardinals. Other than that he has been irrelevant, but he could provide a nice backup option if the Sox do get rid of LaRoche by the trade deadline. This was a solid move. The bigger news is the White Sox finally moved on to what I thought to be a greater need and grabbed a 5th starter. As mentioned in previous blog posts, I was not very comfortable with Erik Johnson or Jacob Turner shoring up the back end of the MAJOR league rotation. Yes, the White Sox have amongst the best top 3 starters in the majors in Sale, Quintana, and Rodon, especially if Rodon continues to progress the way he did at the end of the 2015 season. However, I wasn’t the only Sox fan saying they needed something other than an iffy John Danks and a questionable 5th man. Although Johnson pitched well when the Sox called him up from Charlotte late in the season (3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 35 innings of work), he is not an established Major League vet in which fans and managers can confide. The Latos acquisition could mean Johnson could be trade bait. Jacob Turner, on the other hand, has been a let down for every club he has stepped on the mound for, since being drafted 9th overall in the amateur draft in 2009 by the Tigers. He has room to go and is still young (23). So when the Sox signed him in December, I liked the high reward move. He has a long way to go, but if he can turn into a supplemental long reliever, the Sox won on this. I didn’t talk too much about that acquisition earlier because the blockbuster that included Todd Frazier overshadowed it.

Back to Latos, I am sure every Sox fan can agree that this is a fantastic move. He has a high upside potential, disregarding 2015, and he is still only 28 years old. Pitchers of this caliber were going for twice the price (i.e. Doug Fister for $7 million). At a solid career 3.51 ERA and average WAR of 3.2 over six years, he can prove to be a good pitching option. Latos can also add to the White Sox tattoo game. He will join Brett Lawrie as another acquisition with much visible ink, so Hahn is just increasing their street cred tenfold at this point. If Allen Iverson is looking for a job, maybe he can take over that one lingering issue that is right field for the Southsiders.