27. Chicago White Sox
by Hayden Hughes
2/13/14
While not eating bats, Paul Konerko must be a nice guy. The difference in his 2013 salary of $13.5M is $11M dollars higher than what his 2014 salary will be. In an offseason where the Sox of the South Side signed 27-year old Cuban defector Jose Dariel Abreu to a 6-year/$68M contract, Konerko had to know his role would be diminished – if not vanished. Outsourcing, am I right? Just kidding.
Chicago is in an odd rebuilding mode. Instead of selling all their veteran parts for prospects and last-year-arbitration-eligible players, Chicago just took the Diamondbacks’ top tier prospects Matt Davidson and Adam Eaton for Addison Reed and Hector Santiago (a.k.a. close to nothing). With a young core of Eaton, Davidson, Abreu, Avisail Garcia, and Alejandro de Aza, Chicago’s “veteran parts” are slugger-and-nothing-more Adam Dunn, shortstop Alexei Ramirez, and baseball participant Gordon Beckham. For Dunn, there’s potential for a trade to an American league contender. For the other parts, well that’s why we briefly saw Ace starter Chris Sale’s name in the rumor mill in December. But then we didn’t. They haven’t parted with any tradable pieces because they won’t seem sexy until mid-July when other teams’ beer-goggles do their magic on Adam Dunn’s 285-pound frame.
With a mix of youth and experience, Chicago will have no problem winning every fifth day (when Sale starts). There is potential for this team to win 35 games, with Sale winning 30, but then again, a healthy Eaton and Abreu could be a fun combination. But as far as offensive output, the White Sox should expect big things from the 1-5 spots in the order. As far as 6-9, wearing batting gloves and a helmet will do. With the potential for a 6-9 of being Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, Conor Gillaspie, and Josh Phegley, fans will rue the day Konerko’s role became part-time hitting coach/full-time Robin Ventura-high fiver.
Chicago alphabetically is first in the AL Central, but last in our hearts. And the standings.
1. Last Season and Offseason
1. 63-99
2. Trades: Adam Eaton for
Hector Santiago and Brandon Jacobs; Matt Davidson for Addison Reed
3. Signed Jose Dariel Abreu – 6
yr/ $68M, Konerko, Scott Downs
2. Line up/ Rotation
Lineup:
1. Adam Eaton CF
2. Alejandro de Aza LF
3. Jose Dariel Abreu 1B
4. Adam Dunn DH
5. Avisail Garcia RF
6. Alexei Ramirez SS
7. Gordon Beckham 2B
8. Matt Davidson / Conor
Gillaspie 3B
9. Josh Phegley C
Rotation:
1. Chris Sale
2. Jose Quintana
3. John Danks
4. Felipe Paulino
5. Erik Johnson
3. Fav/Least Fav
1. H Fav- Stole AZ’s farm
system
2. N Fav – Didn’t trade Sale
3. H Least – Middle infield
4. N Least – Weak bullpen w/ no
Reed; No tradable assets
4. High Heat Impact Player
1. John Danks
i.
Gettin’ Paid!!!
ii.
Gotta live up to the deal.
iii.
Hasn’t thrown 200 innings since 2010.
iv.
Gives up longball
v.
But is still young.
5. Prospect to make impact
1. Matt Davidson
Matt Davidson takes the game of baseball seriously serious.
ii.
Has opportunity in Chicago he didn’t have in AZ
iii.
Good all-around power
iv.
Decent glove
v.
Potential to make team out of ST & should be a future
leader/cornerstone
6. Midseason Status
1. Struggling with age gap in
clubhouse (think mud wrestling between Adam Dunn and Avisail Garcia refereed by
5’8” Adam Eaton)
2. Holding on to 5th
place
3. Chris Sale earns the
nickname “Tasmanian Devil” for his spinning dance moves while singing
“September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire on karaoke nights on the road.
i.
Oh, and his pitching motion.
ii.
Attempts pitching righty for a game…just for fun.
7. Bold Predictions
1. 60-102
2. Definitely have a no-hitter
thrown against them…by Tyler Chatwood…first ever in Colorado.
i.
These White Sox makin’ history!
3. Trade Adam Dunn and $4-7.5M
to BAL for 2B Jemile Weeks
4. Trade Alexei Ramirez and
Matt Lindstrom or Ronald Belisario to NYY for Eduardo Nunez, Jose
Campos (RHP), some cash, and a yellow Skittle or two purple.
5. Long term thinking, and
that’s okay. But Chicago will be sad long term as well.
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