JotCast | White Sox Offseason Chat

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Guest

9:45

Had there been any buzz about a Dylan Cease extension? They

Tim Dierkes

9:47

For whatever reason, in MLB 3+ service guys haven't really gotten huge extensions. I think Freddie Freeman's $135MM deal might be the record, and that was nine years ago.

9:48

I haven't seen any buzz on Cease. He is a Boras guy, so to lock him up you'd probably have to go way over the top.

BigB

9:48

The narrative that Reinsdorf is cheap is not true. A payroll of $190 million is top 10. You can argue the money has not been spent wisely is fair.

TeacherAD

9:48

What can you expect from Moncada? Does he ever come close to being the star the Red Sox envisioned or has age/injuries made it impossible?

Tim Dierkes

9:50

I don't think he's going to be a star. But he's not yet 28 and he's still a guy who can draw 60+ walks and hit 15-20 HR. Last year he dealt with tons of injuries. I think he's kind of interesting as an overlooked 3B.

Ditto

9:50

Sheets/Colas who are you taking?

Tim Dierkes

9:50

Colas

9:51

Who ya got

Gavin Sheets (19.8% | 21 votes)

Oscar Colas (80.2% | 85 votes)

Total Votes: 106

Rick Hahn

9:51

How will our better defense help our team?

Tim Dierkes

9:51

I'm not quite sure what you're asking here...hopefully they'll turn more batted balls into outs, particularly in the OF.

Unclemike

9:52

If the Sox want to maximize return for TA and traded him this year, What kind of return would they expect to get? Decent haul or what does the rest of the league think of him?

Tim Dierkes

9:52

I think if TA was healthy and playing well in July, the Sox would get a decent haul for him, possibly a back-end top 100 prospect type. Some sort of regular they could plug into the lineup or rotation in 2024.

John

9:52

If the Sox trade Anderson, the face of the franchise and a guy who's openly said he wants to stay here, Sox fans will be even more fired up than they are now. What direction does this franchise go? They don't want to commit to big contracts and they can develop talent like the Rays.

Tim Dierkes

9:54

I think there's a lot of "what have you done for me lately" with most fanbases. If TA disappoints in 2023, most Sox fans would likely be OK with a trade. If he wins a batting title, plays 130+ games, puts up a 5 WAR season, then yeah, fans will be pissed to see him traded.

Especially if Colson Montgomery stumbles in any way this year.

9:55

It's not too hard to see Luis Robert taking the mantle of face of the franchise. Arguably they just let the face of the franchise leave this winter in Jose Abreu, and I haven't seen much uproar about it.

Guest

9:55

Why does it seem everyone is so quick to write off a team that won 81 games with a roster where only 3 regulars played more that 120 games? Is it wrong to assume a bounce back season for just a handful of those guys can lead to back to 90 wins?

Tim Dierkes

9:55

If that's wrong, I don't wanna be right! But yeah, I generally agree with you.

Rich

9:55

Are you sure Pollack didn’t leave on his own volition. Thanks to a pretty awful clubhouse

Tim Dierkes

9:56

I'm sure that Pollock did leave of his own volition - he had a player option. He didn't really relayed why he left. He seemed like he liked his teammates.

Brushback Scott

9:56

Which player do you see as most likely to take their game to the next level this year and be a positive surprise for the White Sox?

Tim Dierkes

9:57

In fitting with what I had said thus far, I'll go with Moncada, maybe Kopech.

Since1858

9:57

What does the White Sox catching look like to you as a whole? Any bounce back from Grandal?

Tim Dierkes

9:58

It looks really shaky, they are putting faith in 34-year-old Grandal. I assume you'll see a lot of Seby Zavala and his offensive success from last year will not carry over.

The Ghost of Bobby Thigpen

9:58

How long is the leash for Moncada, at this point? At least Burger provides some pop...Moncada has been hurt/ineffective for the past 3 seasons...

Tim Dierkes

10:00

Assuming Moncada is healthy, I'd say he gets most of the first half. Moncada doesn't really have platoon splits, when he's going good he hits LHP. Nor is there a reason to think Vaughn or Jimenez won't hit LHP, so it's tough to fit Burger in if Yoan is doing decently.

Jim

10:00

Starting pitching depth and outfield depth....huge concerns

Tim Dierkes

10:01

This is correct. This is a team that could come out with guns blazing in April/May but fall off big-time if guys hit the IL for extended stretches.

Unclemike

10:01

I think Hahn made a mistake giving Benni the money they gave him for 5 years. You?

Tim Dierkes

10:03

I'm not a fan of the five-year commitment, but that was the cost of doing business. It's kind of a "meh" season in that upside seems to be limited despite his age, and he seems good for several 2-WAR type seasons.

Matt

10:03

White Sox fan here, definitely was not a fan of the Clevinger signing at the time.

Newbie

10:03

As someone new to Chicago who is wanting to get behind this team, what is the sales pitch for why this team is more compelling to watch over the cubs right now?

Tim Dierkes

10:04

Haha, that's an interesting one. Hmmm.

I think I'd say the White Sox have more potential star power.

10:06

Both teams could end up with similar records, but in my opinion the Cubs don't have the potential star players on the big league team like Robert, Eloy, Vaughn, Cease, and Giolito. Plus, aside from Gio, these players are under control for 3+ years, so you have some continuity.

Doug

10:06

Any chance the Sox (can) move Grandal & go w/Zavala & Carlos Perez?

Tim Dierkes

10:07

I think I mentioned in my October Sox chat that given the scarcity of catching I thought someone might take $5-6 mil of Grandal's contract off the White Sox's hands if they really wanted to unload him. Seems like the club would rather just see if he can bounce back with a healthy offseason further removed from knee surgery.

10:08

I mean, a healthy Grandal could still potentially rake, even if it's just for 90 games or so. And if Jimenez gets hurt you could put Grandal at DH more.

Noam

10:08

Hi Tim, thanks for the free insight as always. What are the expectations for Grandal this year? And why is his contract being universally panned after one bad year?

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