Mailbag: Who Will Win More Games In 2020, The White Sox or the Cubs?
Wrapping up winter break with a little mailbag. The offseason is already over 50% complete, which is amazing. Pitchers and catchers report in 40 days!!! That’s all we have to tough out, 40 days. We can make it, and we’re all in this together.
Needless to say, the White Sox are winning the offseason. That’s not me speaking with bias, that’s me speaking objectively, and they’re not done yet. No team in baseball has had the quantity of impact acquisitions as the Sox have. They’ll sign a pen arm next and then be ready to go into 2020 guns blazing. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000,000 times this offseason – this lineup is going to fuuuuckkkkk, and I cannot wait. It’s about goddamn time.
Let’s get into the mailbag. A lot of relevant, necessary questions that need to be answered.
Aloha, Anthony (I watched Fasttimes a few days ago)
The lineup is officially interchangeable top to bottom, though there are a few constants I would not fuck with whatsoever:
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1. Moncada should hit 2 (or MAYBE 3) 100% of the time he’s playing. He’s the best hitter on the team. Place him there and leave him there. I HATE him at leadoff because it makes him revert back to old tendencies of being overly patient and getting behind in counts.
2. Abreu should drop down in the lineup to at least to start 2020. Ricky has always had him at 3, but he was close to being platoon worthy last year, with a 99 wRC+ against RHP and 168 wRC+ against LHP. I’d have him at 5 or 6 personally, with Eloy at 3 and EE at cleanup.
3. Need a leadoff guy. Eventually I’d like it to be Robert or Madrigal, but think it’ll be Anderson to start 2020 by default. That’s fine, so long as he BABIPs the fuck out of baseballs again. That said, to start 2020 I’d have Grandal at leadoff. No he doesn’t fit the typical leadoff mold, but he’s the best OBP guy on the roster and with Moncada, Eloy, EE and Abreu behind him, he’d score a lot of runs. That’s probably not going to happen though.
As far as the pen – this is obviously an area for concern and where Renteria will make/break his future on the pen’s outcomes. It’ll be tough as their only true shut down pitcher will most likely be Bummer. That, and with the 3 batter minimum, he won’t be able to play handedness like usual. Renteria (and all managers) are going to win/lose games more often than in years past because of that rule. It’s definitely something to watch and something I’m not particularly confident in going into 2020.
Michael – nicotine is the shit and that is a fact. Proud of you for recognizing that heading into a new year. As for Jake Burger, I have no idea what’s going on with him. I do know he loves his video games, but so does just about every other kid his age. He’s just a public figure so you notice it more IMO, and he’s allowed to live his life, so long as he’s getting his shit done for work. It’s no different from him to other people.
That said, he does need to get healthy and if he does, he can still be an asset in some realm or another. I’ve spoken with Jake a decent amount and he’s as cerebral a baseball “brain” as anyone I’ve ever talked to, which is why I know he can still be successful. He didn’t hurt his brain, he hurt his leg. Wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back in 2020 ready to go. That said, yes, he’s gotta be extra careful with his frame. Take it from me, someone who can put on 30 pounds in a week if I’m not hammering the peloton. Some people just aren’t blessed with freaky natural frames, and Burger is one of them. Gotta pay extra attention to conditioning. Hopefully he is and he’s not being a lazy ass, but just because he plays video games doesn’t mean he’s not putting in rehab and weight room hours too.
I want to make this loud and clear – this is not an indictment on Lucas Giolito. Giolito is obviously the staff ace as we speak, but I truly think Kopech can and will be the best pitcher on the staff and one of the best pitchers in the game when it’s all said and done. He’s just that talented. 100MPH fastball, wipe out slider, and hellacious attitude that’s hellbent for nothing but stardom. I think he’ll hit the ground running come May 2020, get about 140 innings in, and hopefully he’s knocked off the rust by September for the stretch run of the regular season. Him and Rodon are the X factors of this season IMO. If both come back healthy, I think this staff is good enough to make a run not only at the division, but in the playoffs as well.
I’m going on a call with the Sox next week. I’m going to bring this up to them. I was drunk on NYE and the girl I was with (totally to brag) said we should get Will Smith – Men in Black as the song they take the field to every home game. A lot of people want them to play Thunderstruck and Pirates of the Caribbean, but I think this is a new era and needs a new song. Listen to the very first line:
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The good guys dress in black, remember that
Obviously that’s a play on their early 2000s tagline, but I think it plays for the new era as well. I’m going to shove this down everyone’s throats this year. You’ve been warned.
Tom – congratulations on having the worst New Years resolution of all time. Nobody likes a physically fit person. Fuck you.
I’ll bullet point your questions:
1. Robert will hit 7-8 to start 2020, but eventually 1, 3 or 5 IMO
2. He very well could, but I’d LOVE to see him in an Andrew Miller like swing man role. Someone who can shut the fucking door for 1-2 innings in a close game. He might not like that and neither would Boras, but with his injury history and lack of a 3rd dominant pitch, I think he’s tailor made for this role.
3. They’ll get someone. Maybe a Ryan Buchter or Steve Cisheck. Can trade from prospect capital during the season if they all stink. I don’t think they will though, I think they’ll just be average. Need to ride the offense to a lot of wins.
Jordan – you should try to avoid 290 instead. I fucking hate that slab of concrete. To answer your question: I’m not married, have never been close, and don’t know in the ins/outs of a healthy marriage. But I do know this – if she can’t handle you screaming at the top of your lungs because the White Sox walked off a game this September, she’s not the one for you. If she can’t handle you being miserable and wanting to sleep on the couch because they blew a 9th inning lead, she’s not the one for you. If she can? You’ll die in your sleep together like the old couple in the flooding room in Titanic. That is what I like to call LOVE.
But don’t forget – while wives come and go, the White Sox will remain constant. Can always find a new wife and one that understands that sports are the only truly important things in life. 
At first I hated the deal. HATED it. But now I’m not so salty with it. Kid’s only 24, has absurd raw power and mashes RHP. If he’s deployed correctly, he can be a great asset in the bottom 3rd of the order. I’m giving Engel one last shot, much to the dismay of Sox fans, because I truly think he’s made great mechanical adjustments with his swing. Platoon those two and you have a good bottom 3rd OF in theory. Mazara had a 110 wRC+ against RHP in 2019 and Engel had a 125 wRC+ against LHP in 2019. That’s an affective platoon. That, and Engel is a grade A defender and the White Sox don’t have the best OF defense, not by a long shot. He’s a fine 24-26th man on the roster and like Mazara, if deployed correctly, can be a good asset for the Sox. If not, they can reassess via the trade market a la relief pitching. 
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1. Mookie Betts (not kidding)
2. Mookie Betts (not kidding)
The White Sox have the majority of their core locked up through 2024 and beyond. Moncada and Giolito should be next on the “Rick Hahn long term Pre Arb extension plan” hopefully, but with their success they are better suited to gamble on themselves for a big payday. That said… the Sox payroll is still below league average. That will change, but the Sox can still afford that $30MM+ AAV contract should they want to. Why not Betts? Give him 8/$300MM or whatever next offseason and go win a World Series with him as the anchor.
This is a great question. The Cubs have done zero, zilch, nada, zip to improve on their 84 win team, unless you think David Ross is the next coming of Tito Francona. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but until we know for sure let’s assume he’s the same as every other manager in baseball. Should they trade Bryant? White Sox will win more games. Should they not? It’ll be close, but still gotta give the nod to the Cubs. The White Sox are about an 85ish win team as currently constructed with room to add wins, and the Cubs are probably a 90ish win team with Bryant. Lester is aging, they still have bad contracts on their books, their owner refuses to spend until they get under the CBA tax, and their pen is still not very good at all. For the first time in what, 8 years? one could say the Sox will end the season with more wins than the Cubs and it wouldn’t be a bat shit crazy statement. That said, the pendulum is 100% starting to swing in the south side’s direction, even if they don’t have more wins than the Cubs at the conclusion of 2020. But…. just think if we get a Red Line World Series in the next 2-3 years. Chicago would burn to the fucking ground.
Happy New Years everyone, and go White Sox. Cannot wait to shove this team down everyone’s throats this season.