White Sox trade Garrett Crochet to Boston for 4 prospects

Stop me if you've heard this one before: The White Sox traded an ace left-handed starter to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects.

We all remember when Chris Sale was traded on Dec. 6, 2016, to kick off the last rebuild. That didn't work out so well, so we're all left to hope this latest move works a little better.

The Sox sent Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox on Wednesday, in exchange for Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez.

You won't get any excitement about prospects from me. Until I see some guys become productive players in Chicago, I'm going to cast a cynical eye toward this move. I've been burned before. That said, here's what we know about the four players acquired:

Teel: The left-handed-hitting catcher is a consensus top 30 prospect in baseball, and he was ranked the No. 4 prospect in the Boston system. A first-round selection in the 2023 draft, the 22-year-old started last season at Double-A Portland, where he batted .299/.390/.462 with 11 homers and 60 RBIs in 84 games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Worcester, where the numbers were more modest in a smaller sample: .255/.374/.343 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 28 games.

Teel is an athletic player with a strong arm, and he's described as a good enough receiver that he should be able to stay behind the plate, although he has played some games at corner outfield positions. Note the high on-base percentage at both levels last season. Teel isn't projected to have big power, but we know the Sox have a need for batters who can get on base.

Montgomery: A first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2024 draft, the 21-year-old outfielder has yet to make his professional debut because of a gruesome ankle injury suffered in the College World Series in June. He was the fifth-ranked prospect in the Boston system.

A switch-hitter, Montgomery is a power prospect who projects as a corner outfielder -- most likely right field, as he possesses enough arm strength to play there. He batted .322/.454/.733 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs for Texas A&M University last spring. Most of his power comes from the left side of the plate, so if you want to dream, we know left-handed power plays well at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The question, of course, is how Montgomery recovers from the ankle injury. He's expected to be ready for spring training. We'll see. Again, note the on-base percentage.

Meidroth: The 23-year-old infielder is likely the closest to major league ready of any player the Sox acquired in this deal. Meidroth spent 2024 at Triple-A Worcester, where he batted .293/.407/.401 with seven homers, 57 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He was the No. 11 player in the Boston system.

Again, note the on-base percentage. Meidroth drew 105 walks during the 2024 season, and he struck out in only 12.7% of his plate appearances. Expect a lot contact, but probably not a lot of hard contact. Meidroth has played second base, shortstop and third base, with his most likely long-term home being second base.

Hey, the Sox have a gaping hole at second base! Getting traded to Chicago might be this kid's lucky day.

Gonzalez: The right-handed pitcher was the No. 14 prospect in the Boston system. Gonzalez, 22, has a fastball that tops out at 98 mph, but to quote Lou Brown, somebody better teach this kid some control before he kills somebody. He walked 46 guys in 83.2 innings at Double-A Portland in 2024. 

Gonzalez went 4-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 24 games, 19 of them starts. The book on him is he throws fastball, slider, change. The slider is a relatively new pitch, and if he can harness it, maybe he sticks as a starter. If not, he's destined for the bullpen.

And he's Venezuelan, which means Ozzie Guillen will love him!

There you have it. That's the best I can do to put a positive spin on the trade. As they always say, it will be years before we can fully judge it. We can fully judge the Sale trade now. It stunk. Hope this one is better.

White Sox announce 2025 coaching staff

The White Sox announced their 2025 coaching staff on Monday at the Winter Meetings. 

Returning coaches are marked by asterisks, and there are several of those. Here it is:

• Manager: Will Venable 
• Bench coach: Walker McKinven
• Pitching Coach: Ethan Katz*
• Hitting coach: Marcus Thames*
• Offensive coordinator: Grady Sizemore*
• First base/outfield coach: Jason Bourgeois*
• Third base/infield coach: Justin Jirschele*
• Assistant pitching coach: Matt Wise*
• Assistant hitting coach: Joel McKeithan
• Catching coach: Drew Butera*

We've got 10 names on this list, and seven of them are back from last year's 121-loss campaign. Isn't it interesting that Venable, the new manager, didn't bring anyone with him from the Texas Rangers, where he previously served as bench coach? 

Katz, of course, will be working for his third managerial regime. Thames, Sizemore, Bourgeois, Wise and Butera were all hired by general manager Chris Getz before the 2024 season. Jirschele is an organizational guy who worked his way up the ranks as a minor league manager. He was promoted to third base coach in the middle of the season when Getz fired former manager Pedro Grifol and all of his henchmen.

Basically, this staff was assembled by the front office and not the manager. Is that a problem? Not necessarily, but it's something to keep an eye on.

The other thing that stands out: The Sox have an "offensive coordinator," in addition to a hitting coach and an assistant hitting coach. 

The Sox scored a league-worst 507 runs in 2024. The next lowest output in the American League came from the Tampa Bay Rays, who scored nearly 100 runs more (604). So, theoretically, the Sox could use all the offensive coaching they can get. 

However, there does come a point of *too much* information. Hopefully, this doesn't become a situation where the Sox have too many cooks in the kitchen. Again, it may be nothing. It's just something to keep an eye on.

Former White Sox slugger Dick Allen elected to Hall of Fame

My copy of "Chili Dog MVP"

If you've been following the present-day White Sox, can you even imagine a player posting a 1.023 OPS over the course of a full season?

Probably not, but that's what Dick Allen did when he won the 1972 American League MVP award as a member of the Sox.

That year, Allen led the league in WAR (8.6), home runs (37), RBIs (113), walks (99), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.603), OPS (1.023) and OPS+ (199).

An OPS+ of 199! That's 99% better than the league average.

Allen died almost four years ago to the day, and I used that occasion to call for him to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. You can read that blog here. 

On Sunday, Allen's family finally got the long-awaited news, learning that he has been elected (along with Dave Parker) to the Hall by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. 

To be elected, candidates must receive 75% of the vote, or 12 votes from the committee's 16 members. Parker received 14 votes. Allen got 13.

Allen played 15 years in the majors. In addition to the aforementioned 1972 AL MVP, he won NL Rookie of the Year in 1964 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a seven-time All-Star, and during his three years with the Sox (1972-74), he twice led the American League in home runs.

Some people have questioned whether Allen really belongs in the Hall. He didn't have 3,000 career hits, or 500 home runs, or a lifetime .300 average (although .292 is pretty damn close).

Here's what I say to those people: Sometimes a dominant peak is more important than counting stats. From 1964-74, there weren't many people who were better hitters than Dick Allen. 

Allen accumulated 68.3 offensive WAR during those 11 years of excellence. That's better than Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski and Joe Morgan. And those four men are all unquestioned Hall of Famers. It speaks to how good Allen was.

I'm too young to have seen Allen play with the Sox, but I'm a student of the organization's history, and I understand the impact he had during his relatively short time on the South Side. This vote is something that all Sox fans should celebrate.

Congratulations, Dick Allen!

Bill Melton, former White Sox 3B, dies at age 79

The White Sox family mourns the loss of former third baseman Bill Melton, who died Thursday in Phoenix after a short illness. He was 79.

Melton played with the Sox from 1968 to 1975, with his peak years being 1970 and 1971. He blasted 33 home runs in each of those seasons, with that total leading the league in 1971. That was also the year when Melton made his only All-Star appearance.

During his tenure on the South Side, he batted .258/.340/.432 with 154 home runs, 134 doubles and 535 RBIs. That total of 154 home runs ranks ninth in team history. 

In fact, Melton was the franchise's all-tiime home run leader when he left the team in 1975, and that record stood until Harold Baines passed him in 1987.

I never saw Melton play with the Sox, as I was born in 1976. But for my generation, we remember "Beltin' Bill" for his work as a TV commentator on pre- and postgame shows over a period of two decades. He worked for WGN, Comcast SportsNet and NBC Sports Chicago from 1998 until his retirement in 2020.

Melton was funny, relatable and candid, and his passion for the Sox and the game of baseball was always evident. I'll remember Melton for being a truth-teller on the air. He praised the Sox when they played well, and when the team was terrible, he would indicate that they were terrible.

That seems like an obvious thing to do, but we've seen plenty of people come through the White Sox universe who are full of it. Melton was not full of it. He was honest, and Sox fans appreciate that. 

Our sympathies go out to Melton's wife and his family and friends. He will be remembered fondly.

'Reimagined' SoxFest: We'll take a pass

Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Don Cooper and Steve Stone at SoxFest 2020.

We haven't had a legitimate SoxFest since 2020, and we won't have one in 2025 either.

Instead the White Sox will be hosting "SoxFest Live" on Jan. 24-25 at the Ramova Theater in Bridgeport. According to the team's website, the "reimagined" event "promises a unique blend of entertainment, interactive experiences with players and White Sox greats, and celebration of seasons’ past and those ahead."

I'm not sure what the hell that means. I can tell you the program is from 5 to 9 p.m. each day, and while they haven't specifically said so, it seems like it's the same show each night. It's $56, plus fees, for a single-day general admission, or $225, plus fees, for a single-day MVP Experience. 

The fact that they aren't offering two-day passes is telling. If you go one night, why go the next?

We'll be taking a pass on this, even though we've been frequent SoxFest attendees in the past. 

It used to be a three-day experience with a two-night stay in a downtown hotel. Now? It's four hours in a renovated theater that (generously) holds 1,500 people.

There have been no announcements about who will be there. Current players? Former players? Who knows? It's as if they want you to spend the money now, and then they'll tell you later what the experience will be. It makes no sense.

This is just another in a long line of cheapened White Sox experiences. They want you to support a team that has nothing but Triple-A players on it, but they'll charge you major league prices. The game day experience has been stagnant for years. They are out of fresh ideas, but hey, it's better at the ballpark!

They launched a new regional sports network that looks low-budget, and they don't have a deal with the largest cable provider in the Chicago area. So, we're all hanging antennas in the window to watch the games. Hope it doesn't storm.

And now this watered-down version of SoxFest is introduced. It's the latest absurdity.

White Sox baseball: Settle for our crap, or else. If you don't like it, too bad.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Baseball KId

 

Garrett Crochet wins AL Comeback Player of the Year

Here's a story we probably wouldn't have had on our Bingo card back in March: White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet has been named 2024 American League Comeback Player of the Year.

Crochet didn't pitch at all in 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He didn't return until late in 2023, making only 13 relief appearances. And if we're being honest, he wasn't impressive. He walked 13 batters in 12.2 innings pitched.

The idea of Crochet ever becoming a quality starting pitcher seemed far-fetched, but the Sox decided to give him a shot in spring training 2024. As a matter of fact, they made him their Opening Day starter, and the "experiment" worked far better than anyone could have imagined.

Despite the Sox being an absolutely terrible team, Crochet had a breakout season. His first half, in particular, was dominant. He made the All-Star team after striking out 150 batters in 107.1 innings over his first 20 starts.

The second half, well, Crochet was on a strict innings limit in his first full season back from surgery. He made all 32 of his starts, but after the All-Star break, he never pitched deep enough into a game to qualify for a win.

Final season totals: 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 146 innings pitched. He struck out 209 and walked only 33 batters. That strikeout-to-walk ratio never could have been foreseen given the way Crochet looked in his brief return in 2023.

There was a period of time during the season in which the only time the Sox were worth watching was the day Crochet pitched. His performance was a glimmer of hope in a sea of deep, dark misery.

Unfortunately, this is probably the last time we'll celebrate anything Crochet has done. He is likely to be traded for futures sometime this offseason, as the Sox try to dig out from the abyss of a 41-121 season.

The next time you read a blog about Crochet here, it will probably be because he was dealt to the Dodgers, Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles, Cubs or Mets.

It's too bad, really. I guess we'll wait and see what happens when the trade winds blow.