White Sox notes: Dallas Keuchel, Lance Lynn, Craig Kimbrel, Liam Hendriks

Dallas Keuchel

The numbers were pretty ugly for White Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel in 2021. 

The 9-9 record wasn't so bad, but the 5.28 ERA -- including a 6.82 ERA in the second half -- the 1.531 WHIP and 1.61 strikeout-to-walk ratio, those weren't so good.

Keuchel pitched so poorly that his veteran presence and World Series experience were deemed unnecessary in the playoffs. He was left off the postseason roster.

But as a consolation prize, he collected the fifth Gold Glove Award of his career, as the best defensive pitcher in the American League. He totaled 41 assists and 12 defensive runs saved. He committed only one error, and thanks to his excellent pickoff move, opponents were only successful on two of six stolen base attempts all season.

That's saying something, because opposing teams generally had a lot of success running against the Sox.

Keuchel joins Mark Buehrle (three-time winner), Jim Kaat (three-time winner) and Jake Peavy as Sox pitchers to win an AL Gold Glove.

Lynn a finalist for Cy Young

Lance Lynn won't be winning any Gold Gloves, but he is one of three finalists for the AL Cy Young Award.

In 28 starts and 157 innings this season, Lynn went 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA. He struck out 176 while walking only 45. He pitched a complete-game shutout in the Sox's home opener against the Kansas City Royals on April 8. 

The other finalists for the award are Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Robbie Ray of the Toronto Blue Jays. In other words, expect Lynn to finish third in the balloting. However, being named a finalist is a nice accomplishment for Lynn, and it proves that the trade last offseason to acquire him from the Texas Rangers was a worthwhile one.

The AL Cy Young winner will be announced Nov. 17.

Sounds like Kimbrel's getting traded

Check out this story from Scott Merkin that includes this quote from general manager Rick Hahn on relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, who recently had his $16 million contract picked up.

“What we have to figure out is whether it makes the most sense to have Craig in a White Sox uniform going forward or is there a better use of that spot and him via trade,” Hahn said.

Hahn is famous for saying absolutely nothing, so when he says there's a possibility that a guy is getting traded, that guy is getting traded.

Here's to hoping Hahn knows there is a market for Kimbrel's services. If the Sox can't get anything of value in return, then they should have just declined the contract option. One thing you don't want to see is the Sox having to eat money to get rid of Kimbrel. We'll see what happens in the weeks ahead.

Hendriks honored

In a surprise to absolutely no one, Liam Hendriks was named the 2021 AL Reliever of the Year.

The Sox closer totaled a league-best 38 saves, while going 8-3 with a 2.54 ERA in 69 appearances. Hendriks struck out 113 batters in 71 innings. He allowed only 45 hits and just seven walks -- resulting in an incredible 16.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He posted a 0.73 WHIP, and opponents batted just .174 against him.

Carlos Rodon does not receive qualifying offer from White Sox

Carlos Rodon

Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon did not receive an $18.4 million qualifying offer from the White Sox on Sunday, meaning he will become a free agent.

Rodon, 28, had the best season of his career in 2021, going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA in 24 starts. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his seven-year career and pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on April 14.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said during his end-of-season press conference Friday that the team would like to find a way to bring Rodon back, but clearly, that $18.4 million price tag is too high for a pitcher with Rodon's injury history.

Even in this, his best season, shoulder problems limited Rodon to 132.2 innings -- and that was the most innings he's pitched since 2016. If he had been 100% healthy at the end of the season, he probably would have been the Sox's Game 1 starter in the ALDS. Alas, the balky shoulder kept him off the mound until Game 4, and he went only 2.2 innings in a season-ending 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros.

Educated guess here: Rodon will be elsewhere in 2022.

That's because Hahn also stated Friday that Michael Kopech will be moving into the starting rotation next season. Kopech would join Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease and Dallas Keuchel. Unless there's a trade in the works, there's no room for Rodon.

A few other notes and thoughts from Hahn's press conference:

What to do with Vaughn and Sheets?

According to an article from James Fegan in The Athletic, Hahn said, "We feel very bullish on the futures of Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets. We envision them playing significant roles on multiple White Sox clubs going forward. We will spend some time over the next few months figuring out what is the best fit for them in 2022. Could be DH possibilities, right-field possibilities. They’re both natural first basemen and we’ve seen how quickly Andrew acclimated to left field. They provided us with good options and flexibility.”

Let me say this: I don't mind Vaughn and Sheets rotating with Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez in some sort of time share at first base, designated hitter and in left field.  

Abreu is entering his age-35 season, and if we're being honest, he ran out of gas in 2021. He homered only twice after Sept. 1, and dealt with numerous nagging injuries. It would be beneficial for him to DH more. He should still play every day, but fewer games at first base are in order. Vaughn and Sheets can fill in.

Vaughn has shown me that he's better in left field than Jimenez. I have no problem whatsoever giving Vaughn some starts in left and using Jimenez as a DH.

BUT, I don't want to see a right field time share involving Vaughn and Sheets. I don't think either of them are good defenders at that position, and Sheets is downright poor. The Sox have ignored defense far too often over the course of my lifetime.

Sign an actual outfielder to play right field, please.

Coaches back, but Allen Thomas is not

Manager Tony La Russa will return in 2022, along with his entire coaching staff. However, the Sox have parted ways with director of conditioning Allen Thomas, who had been in that role for 18 years. Thomas worked for the Sox for a total of 27 years.

The Sox seemingly lead the world in hamstring injuries -- Tim Anderson and Adam Engel had multiple issues in 2021. And Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal suffered catastrophic leg injuries performing the simple act of running out a ground ball.

Hahn said the Sox would be "reimagining" the strength and conditioning department this offseason. I don't know what the hell that means, but in the abstract, I endorse taking a hard look at training techniques after long-term injuries to key players threw a wrench in the season for the Sox.

Catching situation

I wasn't happy with the backup catchers on the Sox roster this year. Seby Zavala can't hit, and while his pitch calling and framing are decent-to-good, his pitch blocking is terrible. Zack Collins is supposed to be a hitter, but he's yet to prove that to me. And I don't have anything nice to say about his defense, frankly.

The Sox really had some problems when Yasmani Grandal had to sit in July and August with a knee injury.

Here's what Hahn said, again in an article from Fegan on The Athletic:

“(Collins and Zavala) both grew from the experience and they both are viable options next year. Obviously with Yasmani as valuable as he is offensively, as well as when healthy, what we get out of him from a defensive standpoint behind the plate, you want to do what you can to protect him and to have him viable over the course of the entire six months, much less into October. So having a backup that we have confidence in and can be a suitable sub for Yasmani when the needed breaks arise, would be of good benefit to us. Certainly have the internal options, we think they’re going to continue to get better and we’ll see how the offseason unfolds.”

Not to be a jerk, but these "internal options" stink. Sign a backup catcher this offseason.

White Sox make flurry of roster moves

Craig Kimbrel

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn finally met the media Friday for his season-ending press conference, and I'll have some reactions and takeaways from that before the weekend is over.

But first, let's go over the roster moves that were announced:

Pitchers Evan Marshall, Jimmy Cordero and Jace Fry were outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. All three become free agents.

Marshall hasn't pitched since June 29 and will need Tommy John surgery in the offseason. There's some chance the Sox will bring him back on a one-year deal with a club option, if they think he can help them in 2023. The veteran right-hander faces an uncertain future.

Cordero missed all of 2021 after having Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing reliever was famously overused by former manager Rick Renteria during the 2020 season, and no one was surprised when he ended up injured. It wouldn't be a shock to see the Sox sign him to a minor league deal and take a look at him in spring training.

Fry has never been able to throw enough strikes to stick in the major leagues. I would not expect him back with the Sox in 2022 under any circumstance.

Left-hander Anderson Severino, 27, was added to the 40-man roster before he became a minor league free agent. Severino split his 2021 season between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He struck out 53 batters over 45.2 innings combined at the two levels. In effect, he replaces Fry as the left-handed reliever who could get called up from Charlotte in the event of a bullpen injury.

Outfielder Brian Goodwin was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. He is a free agent. He batted .221/.319/.374 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 72 games for the 2021 Sox. Goodwin's production dried up the second half of the season, and a back injury kept him off the playoff roster. He likely does not figure in the 2022 plans.

In an expected move, the Sox declined the $6 million contract option on second baseman Cesar Hernandez. After being acquired in a midseason trade with the Cleveland Indians, Hernandez struggled both with the bat and with the glove. In 53 games with the Sox, he batted .232/.309/.299 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Hernandez fell out of favor with manager Tony La Russa to the point that he did not start either of the first two games of the playoffs. That was a clear indicator that he would not be asked back for 2022.

Finally, the first part of the Craig Kimbrel debate is over. His $16 million contract option has been exercised for 2022. The veteran reliever, who was acquired midseason in a deal with the crosstown Cubs, was a huge disappointment with the Sox.

He had a 5.09 ERA in 24 regular-season games on the South Side, and a 9.00 ERA in his three playoff appearances. The poor performance came after Kimbrel posted a dominant first half of the season on the North Side, where he had a 0.49 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 39 games and 36.2 innings.

Does that mean Kimbrel is part of the 2022 Sox bullpen? Don't count on it. He's likely to be shopped in the offseason, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels among the teams who could be interested.

This series of moves leaves the Sox's 40-man roster at 33 players.

Thursday notes: Nick Castellanos, Tucker Barnhart, Buster Posey

Nick Castellanos

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos is now a free agent after exercising the opt-out clause of his contract on Thursday.

Castellanos, 30, batted .309/.362/.576 with a career-high 34 home runs, 38 doubles and 100 RBIs in 2021. He had two years and $34 million remaining on the four-year, $64 million contract he signed with Cincinnati before the 2020 season.

The contract had two opt-out clauses in it, but Castellanos decided to stay put after the 2020 season. This offseason, coming off his first All-Star appearance and perhaps the best year of his career, he's deciding to test the market.

Castellanos will be the best available right fielder in free agency this offseason. The White Sox, of course, have a well-documented hole at that position.

Will they bid? They should, but don't hold your breath. The Sox have yet to show a willingness to shop at the top of the market for anything other than relief pitching, so we'll see if they can do anything to quiet that criticism this winter.

Tigers acquire Barnhart

The Detroit Tigers on Wednesday acquired catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Reds in exchange for infield prospect Nick Quintana.

Barnhart, 30, appeared in 97 games for the Reds in 2021, batting .247/.317/.368 with seven home runs and 48 RBIs. However, the veteran catcher is being acquired for his defensive reputation -- Barnhart is a two-time Gold Glove winner (2017, 2020).

Detroit is building its team around a trio of promising young pitchers -- Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning -- and there's really no question the Tigers needed an upgrade behind the plate. Barnhart's experience should help these pitchers in their development.

Are the Tigers, who finished 77-85 and 16 games behind the Sox in 2021, ready to take a step into contention in 2022? It depends on how active they are in free agency. I'm not prepared to call them a threat in the AL Central yet, but it's reasonable to assume they will improve.

Posey retires

Citing a desire to spend more time with family, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey announced his retirement on Thursday.

The decision comes as a bit of a surprise, as the 34-year-old Posey was still playing good baseball, and the Giants were holding a $22 million contract option on him for 2022.

San Francisco won 107 games in 2021, and Posey was an important part of that success. He had his best offensive season in several years, batting .304/.390/.499 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs in 113 games.

There's been some debate over whether Posey will eventually be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I would argue in favor of his induction. 

In 12 seasons, he made the All-Star team seven times and won three World Series with the Giants (2010, 2012, 2014). He was the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and the 2012 NL MVP. He won a batting title, four Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove award. I think that's enough to qualify him.