Call to the Pen 6 hours ago
Chicago White Sox: The 2010s All-Decade team
From A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko to Tim Anderson, these are the Chicago White Sox best players at each position between 2010 and 2019. The second decade of the 21st Century was not a productive one for the Chicago White Sox. The South Siders won zero divisional titles and zero wild card berths, only twice […] Chicago White Sox: The 2010s All-Decade team - Call to the Pen - Call to the Pen - A Major League Baseball Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More
South Side Sox Nov 17, 2019
FanPulse: Yes, we can (contend for a title)!
(presumably, if we buy up a few players this winter) Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged-in fans from each team. Chicago White Sox fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse. Two questions this past week. The more entertaining of the two concerned each team’s fan base thinking about their chances to compete for the World Series in 2020. Here’s how the AL Central looked: The exact figures: Twins 100%Cleveland 77%White Sox 44%Royals 12%Tigers 0% Pretty funny that zero Tigers fans thought there was any chance of title...
Cubbies Crib Nov 15, 2019
Chicago Cubs can learn from Chicago White Sox with their first baseman
The Chicago White Sox have shown immense loyalty with Jose Abreu and the Chicago Cubs could follow suit in coming years with Anthony Rizzo. In this day and age, it’s increasingly rare to see a player – especially one of Jose Abreu‘s caliber – with such an intense loyalty to his team. The 33-year-old slugger […] Chicago Cubs can learn from Chicago White Sox with their first baseman - Cubbies Crib - Cubbies Crib - A Chicago Cubs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More
South Side Sox Nov 14, 2019
José Abreu is back
Back for more: Abreu accepted the qualifying offer on Thursday, locking him in for 2020 at $17.8 million. | Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports Accepts QO, setting up pressure for another free agency showcase season in 2020 Not a ton to say here, as extension talks prior to the 5 p.m. Eastern deadline on Thursday didn’t result in a deal, as José Abreu accepted the $17.8 qualifying offer from the White Sox. El Capítan will be back in pinstripes next season. There’s risk on both sides, with Abreu taking the one-year QO. Of course, on José’s end, any sort of injury-riddled season or...
South Side Sox Nov 13, 2019
Boras endorsement: VERY NICE!
Quick with a quip: Boras dominated the offseason for day, dispensing one-liners at the GM Meetings. | Photo by Michael Reaves/ Players look at the White Sox in a very different way, than they did two years ago, sez superagent Scott Boras, who once chewed out our managing editor over a supposed multi-year deal for Joe Crede that never materialized and set SSS aflame for a day, weighed in on a lot of stuff today, during his annual State of Scott Boras (and some of his players) Address. Encouragingly, his comments on the White Sox were not bitter and spiteful: A free-agent destination?...
South Side Sox Nov 13, 2019
Coolbaugh comes to Chicago
Wise choice: Though only a fair hitter in the majors, Coolbaugh has aided two terrific offensive clubs during his second career as a hitting coach. Veteran of clubbing Rangers and Orioles squads arrives on the South Side to support Frank Menechino The White Sox added another piece to their 2020 coaching staff, hiring former Texas Rangers legend (hey, I saw him play down at Arlington Stadium, he was the Next Big Thing there for a minute) Scott Coolbaugh as their assistant hitting coach. Coolbaugh played in four major league seasons for three different teams, and spent almost six years as...
South Side Sox Nov 12, 2019
‘Labor’ strife hits the Sox
Berth canal: Navigating to the playoffs? You’ve got to massage media and fan demands first, Rick. | Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via And, well, Houston might be having the worst 107-win season ever So it begins. White Sox GM playing things close to vest re free agents at GM meetings pic.twitter.com/dGnsjltVqc— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) November 12, 2019 No doubt that is some weird stuff from Rick, who runs neck-and-neck with Ken Williams as most quotable exec in the city — for better or worse. You can imagine as part of the run-up to every major...
South Side Sox Nov 8, 2019
How does 88 wins sound?
Celebrating on the South Side: Grandal would look to be part of many victory celebrations with our new sim team. | Photo by Rob Carr/ Funny how many more wins can pile up when you loosen the purse strings This year, representing the White Sox as their GM in the SB Nation offseason simulation, we made two trades and signed a whopping seven free agents. Last year, our post-sim roster projected to 83 wins ... but in reality (aka, actual WAR performance in 2019), the team would have nabbed 76. Still better than the actual White Sox, but not too shocking an upturn. This year, thanks to the...
South Side Sox Nov 7, 2019
White Sox affiliates lose 16
Caught a big ’un: The net snagged Cordell in September, but the tall right fielder was declared a minor league free agent after the World Series. | Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Reviewing a big batch of newly-minted minor league free agents The end of the playoffs doesn’t just mark the opening of major league free agency; hundreds of minor league players, often with lengthy service time to a club or actual cups of coffee in the bigs, are freed as well. The White Sox lost 16 players to free agency, which seems at first like quite a bit. But while some clubs lost far fewer...
South Side Sox Nov 7, 2019
The players who got away
Surprise sayonara: Money talked, and in the SBN sim our capítan left for Houston over just a few millions. | Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via We came close to Ryu and Smith, and made a strong pitch for Rendon ... have a look at these, and other, sim failures As in every offseason, there are players who get away. Just think about last year, it seems like there was a guy ... third baseman, shortstop maybe? Dunno. There was somebody who the White Sox ended up missing on, right? Hmm. It’ll come to me. Just because the SBN GM Offseason Simulation takes place in a manic sandwich of three...
South Side Sox Nov 6, 2019
Day 3: Finishing the job
Camelback familiar: Already having played exhibition games in Glendale, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo will transition easily into the White Sox locker room. | Photo by Masterpress/ Two more pickups, and a little bit of salary dumping, wind up a wildly successful sim Obviously, Day 2 of the SBN Offseason GM Simulation was the big one for the White Sox, signing five substantial free agents and lining up a couple more to complete the offseason kill on Day 3. Well, Day 3 came, and we did pretty well. It was touch-and-go all along, because at this point the White Sox were really having to peer ahead to...
South Side Sox Nov 5, 2019
Day 2: The money will be spent
Yas our man: Identified as the prize of the class for the White Sox, we went out and got him. | Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports Five new additions bolster the White Sox roster ... and there may be more coming Day 2 of the SBN Offseason GM Simulation was, in a word, exhilarating. That money you keep hearing will be spent? It got spent. First, let me explain that each year, the commissioner (Max Rieper of Royals Review) sends out a note from the owner to each team. Ours gave us the permission, with the contention window opening, to spend up to $150 million — and possibly more, for a...
South Side Sox Nov 5, 2019
Day 1: A slow start
Starting with a whimper: Yep the first White Sox trade was for two Houston minor leaguers. | Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via News on our arbitration declines, and a couple of minor trades So, Day 1 of the SBN Offseason GM Simulation was on Sunday, which is traditionally a time for minor deals and decisions on tendering contracts. First off, a quick review of our team decisions: The White Sox offered arbitration to all players except for Yolmer Sánchez and Ryan Goins. We declined the option on Welington Castillo’s contract (the simulation begins as of season’s...
South Side Sox Nov 3, 2019
2018 SBN Offseason GM Simulation: How’d we do?
Stealing a starting role: The most pleasant surprise among many acquisitions last sim offseason was catcher Carson Kelly. | Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports 76 victories aren’t overwhelming, but it’s a five-win bump on the real team A year ago, I represented the White Sox as their GM in the SB Nation offseason simulation and, with the assistance of a number of SSS member “co-GMs,” made 11 trades and signed six free agents. A review of the week: Simulation Day 1: a whole new outfield Simulation Day 2: objectively ridiculous Simulation Day 3: roster and rumors roundup Simulation...
South Side Sox Nov 2, 2019
The South Side Sox 2019 White Sox Offseason Plan Project
Back-to-back: Are J.D. and JMc destined to be the 2019 and 2020 top White Sox free agents? | Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports Steady with the rebuild, or depress the accelerator? Welcome to the six installment of the South Side Sox White Sox Offseason Plan Project. With a first snow already hitting the ground, hopefully your jingle bells already are jangling with ideas to improve the White Sox in 2019. It seems the one SSS tradition that migrated away from the site in the breakup was the offseason plan project. While many plans were forged, mostly all dreaming of big bucks being spent,...
