One Of The Worst Organizations In Baseball - The Chicago White Sox - Just Dealt Lucas Giolito In The Middle Of Their "Competitive Window"
Back around this time of year in 2016, Rick Hahn sat in front of the media and said the White Sox were "mired in mediocrity".
He nailed it. The White Sox were the very definition of mediocre. Not good enough to win anything of substance, but not bad enough to land top 5 picks year over year to replenish their barren farm. That's why the majority of White Sox fans were completely on board with tearing it down to the studs by trading Sale, Quintana, Eaton, etc. when they did.
Fast forward to last night, July 26th of 2023. The White Sox were supposed to be in year 4 of their "competitive window" and here they are, sitting in 4th place in a historically bad division. It's an embarrassment and everyone involved in the construction of this organization should be feel great amounts of shame.
It arouses every emotion in me; anger, sadness, apathy... all of them. They all come and go, too. Today I'm IRATE with them. Over the last 2 months? Apathy. When they finished 81-81 last year? Sadness.
Long story short, fuck them.
I waxed poetic PLENTY during the rebuild years and after the 2021 season when I really thought they were gonna go all in. I was at the forefront of backing the FO and the prospects. I believed Rick Hahn when he said money wouldn't be an issue anymore and that they were going to have waves of talent coming through the system to complement the core guys that'd be here long time.
EGG ON MY FUCKING FACE!!!
The organization let Rodon walk, and not for the $22MM or whatever he made in 2022 while putting up his 2nd straight top 5 Cy Young season, but because of the $18MM qualifying offer they were too afraid to offer him.
When I was told about the innards of what happened with Rodon from someone EXTREMELY close to the situation (hint hint), that's when my ears perked up and I started to think they were actually in the process of hoodwinking their fans. In hind sight, that realization didn't strike me when they half assed the Machado/Harper pursuit like it should have. It was when they were too afraid of paying a SP1 $18MM for a one year deal.
It was always about money for the club. ALWAYS. We were fucking hoodwinked, b beyond belief and the same owner and front office who constructed this roster with fucked up financial constraint are now tasked with starting over. Again. After they very publicly said they were going to act like a top tier franchise.
Instead the organizational health is the worst it's ever been, at least for the entirety of my adult life.
I'll say it again: the owner and everyone underneath him should feel great amounts of shame for lying directly to our faces.
Now was it the right move to trade Gio? At this juncture, yeah. The kid they got from Anaheim is a solid prospect per MLB Pipeline:
A 20 year old top 100 prospect for a 1/2 year of Gio before he bounces for a REAL organization in free agency next year? On paper I'd say this is a great return…
…but as we know with Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, Blake Rutherford, Andrew Vaughn, and most of the other prospects the White Sox traded for, signed or drafted, prospects will break your heart.
On that note, with as furious as I am with the owner and front office, the players have completely stunk for the most part. They played bad on the field and the lack of team chemistry and cohesion radiated through my goddamn TV every time they stepped foot on the field.
I'm sure this isn't the first of what will be many "sell" trades the Sox make in the next few days. Looking forward to another rebuild!!! Gimme ALL the prospects!!! OH WAIT! What's that??? The White Sox intend to compete next year!!!
I'm sure there will be someone in the White Sox front office reading this. I want to make it very clear: the White Sox will not compete next year. Yes, the division is dog shit. But the White Sox will have to figure out a way to make up ~15+ games in the standings from now through the end of spring training 2024.
If the front office thinks that's happening when Jerry is almost surely going to cut payroll AGAIN, they're smoking herb so strong Snoop D.O. double fucking G would choke on it. Let's see what holes the White Sox will have to fill this winter:
- SP 2 (Gio's gone), SP3 (once Lynn is dealt, SP5 (once Clev is dealt)
- 2B (they've tried this since Tadahito Iguchi and have failed)
- SS (once TA's dealt)
And so on and so forth. With Jerry undoubtedly cutting payroll AGAIN, I don't see how the White Sox can actually compete next year with how many holes they have. I mean… the rotation consists of Cease and Kopech right now. That's it. There's nobody on the horizon, even though I'm sure they'll try Garret Crochet as a SP next year. The same Garret Crochet that hasn't thrown 100 innings in checks notes
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EVER. He's got 70 or so total IP in his MLB career dating back to 2020. Yeah… that will work.
*** NOTE ***
People are bitching at me like I don't realize the Sox will have more than just the above-referenced holes to fill this winter. I obviously know they have a billion other personnel issues, I just listed the first few that came to mind. Obviously Moncada blows and Yaz is gone. They're holes. Eloy/Colas are unproven/injury risks. They're holes. Holes in the pen.
Holes on holes on holes on holes.
The point is is that they're going to cut payroll for sure, yet they're saying through their mouth piece Bob Nightengale that they're going to try to compete. Both things can't happen at the same time. It's more middling bullshit from the organization
I have never been so upset with an organization I love, and let me remind you I'm also a fucking DIE HARD Northwestern fan. Not even the bullshit they're dealing with right now has me seething like the White Sox currently do. I won't attend another game this season and hope every other fan follows suit.
I want that stadium EMPTY. This madness CANNOT CONTINUE.
Just sell the fucking team Jerry. Collect your hundreds of millions (or more) and ride off into the sunset. NOBODY WANTS YOU RUNNING OUR FAVORITE TEAM ANYMORE. Nobody does. NOBODY. The entire city of Chicago (don't forget, he owns the Bulls too!!!) wants your evil reign to END.
I truly don't think I can ever get excited about the White Sox again so long as he owns the organization. That's how little I trust him as the owner.
Buy a goddamn shirt and if you feel like enabling this madness in person, flaunt it as much as possible: