Futility marks in sight as White Sox hit halfway mark

The White Sox hit the halfway point of this miserable season Tuesday with a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The loss leaves the Sox at 21-60. The great thing about the halfway point of the season is it becomes easy math to figure out what pace teams and players are on -- simply multiply by two.

That means the Sox are on pace to go 42-120 this season.

Old-timers will recall that the 1970 White Sox hold the franchise record for losses in a season. That team went 56-106.

That means the Sox would need to go 35-46 in the second half of the season just to equal the worst club in the 124-year history of the franchise.

Do you see that happening? Nope, me neither.

The worst team in modern baseball history was the 1962 New York Mets. They were an expansion team that went 40-120. 

The worst team in my lifetime, which dates back to 1976, was the 2003 Detroit Tigers. They went 43-119.

Basically, the Sox are a mortal lock to become the worst team in franchise history, and they are right on pace to finish in the same ballpark with the 1962 Mets and the 2003 Tigers -- the two worst clubs that anyone alive has seen.

I've heard some Sox fans say they want the team to set these futility records, so that this level of losing becomes part of owner Jerry Reinsdorf's legacy.

I understand that perspective, but here's the thing: Reinsdorf doesn't care, and he'll be dead pretty soon. This isn't going to stick to him.

But if you're a Sox fan, if indeed this team loses 120 games or more, you'll be hearing about this for the rest of your life. 

I think it's going to happen, but I'd rather not see it. There's no particular benefit to setting a record for most losses. Would it humiliate Reinsdorf into running the franchise better? I don't believe so.

So, Justin Verlander is better than Touki Toussaint? No kidding ...

Touki Toussaint vs. Justin Verlander.

I've talked before about how some days I check the pitching matchup in the morning, and I'm 100% sure the White Sox are going to lose. Wednesday was one of those days.

During the rebuilding years of 2017 to 2019, you could live with the Sox being at a severe disadvantage in the pitching matchup on some days. But this is 2023. The team is supposed to be contending, but it isn't. And it's especially annoying when you see games like Wednesday's, which ended as a 5-1 victory for the New York Mets.

The Sox had no answers for Verlander, the future Hall of Famer. The 40-year-old right-hander needed only 59 pitches to breeze through the first six innings, during which he allowed no runs on only one hit. 

Luis Robert Jr. finally got the Sox on the board with his 28th homer in the seventh inning, but that was the sum total of the Chicago offense. Verlander (4-5) threw 100 pitches over eight innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out seven and walked one.

Toussaint? Well, he is a reclamation project who was picked off the waiver wire on June 20. Now he's starting games because Mike Clevinger is hurt, and the Sox have nobody else.

At least give Toussaint (0-3) credit for eating innings. He allowed five earned runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked four. He was relieved by 29-year-old rookie Jesse Scholtens, who kept the Mets off the board for two innings. 

Toussaint and Scholtens ... don't you think they would have fit in nicely on the 2017 White Sox rebuilding roster? I'm sure they're nice guys and all, and they are survivors in professional baseball. 

But the fact that they are pitching for the Sox is proof positive that the "contention window" is shut and locked. These guys are no match for Verlander, even in the twilight of his career.

Lucas Giolito struggles through poor start against Mets

Lucas Giolito

On Tuesday afternoon, I saw a Twitter poll asking whether Lucas Giolito's start against the New York Mets would be his last as a member of the White Sox.

It's a reasonable question. After all, the Sox entered Tuesday's action 15 games below .500 and eight games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins in the American League Central Division. Giolito is in the last year of his contract, and he would have value for a contending team.

I voted "no" in the poll. My opinion was the minority one. At the time I voted, 64% of respondents said "yes."

But here's why I think Giolito will hang around for one more start and perhaps two: The Sox play at Minnesota this weekend, and the team very clearly set their post All-Star break rotation with that series in mind. Lance Lynn will pitch Friday. Dylan Cease is scheduled to work Saturday, and Giolito's next turn is Sunday. 

These three games against the Twins represent the last gasp of the season. If the Sox were to somehow sweep that series and get within, say, five games of the division lead, management would probably delay their sell-off for another week -- at least until the four-game set against the Cleveland Guardians from July 27-30 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Guardians are another team the Sox need to catch, and Giolito would be scheduled to work the third game of that four-game set -- if there are no changes to the rotation.

You might be saying this is all pie in the sky. You might be saying that the Sox suck, and they are out of it. And I agree with you 100%. But you have to think along with team brass here. They still believe they assembled a "talented" roster, and I expect them to fight to the death.

By the time that Cleveland series is over, the Sox still have time to trade key players before the deadline, if they indeed are buried in the division race. And let's be honest: Not much gets done in MLB until right before the deadline. Teams are trying to broker the best deal possible, and they often don't move until the last possible minute.

Back to Tuesday's start ... Giolito was awful. He had his worst start in a long time, allowing eight earned runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. He struck out five, walked five and allowed three home runs in a 11-10 loss.

Those same Sox fans on Twitter are having a meltdown in the wake of this poor performance, believing Giolito has "cratered" his trade value.

With all due respect, that is pure idiocy.

Giolito had allowed two earned runs or less in six of his previous seven starts. He's had a good season overall. 

Not to mention, he's been in the American League for six-plus seasons. He's a veteran pitcher, with a huge career sample size and a well-established track record. GMs and scouts know exactly what Giolito can do -- and what he cannot do. 

Fans allow their emotions to get involved when they see a poor result, but that's not the way to look at the situation. Those who work in baseball are not going to change their assessment of a player based upon one game. They are going to take a bigger-picture view of that player's performance.

Giolito is almost certainly going to be dealt by the end of the month. A contender will want him. And the Sox should get a respectable return, at least as far as rental players go.

OK, now Carlos Correa is going back to the Twins (pending a physical)

Carlos Correa

Is the never-ending saga of the 2022-23 offseason finally ending? Carlos Correa is not going to the San Francisco Giants on a 13-year, $350 million deal, nor is he going to the New York Mets on a 12-year, $315 million agreement.

Both those contracts fell apart, because both clubs had concerns about Correa's right leg, which was surgically repaired after an injury he suffered when he was 19 years old.

Now, apparently, Correa is going back to where he was last season -- the Minnesota Twins. The deal is worth six years and $200 million. The contract can max out at $270 million, with vesting options for four additional years.

Physical pending. Of course.

For White Sox fans, it's not great news to have Correa staying in the AL Central. After Correa reached his previous agreements, I was pleased to see the Twins left out in the cold in the derby for premium free agent shortstops. Now, by a stroke of good luck, they have their guy, and they are a better team than they were yesterday.

Physical pending. Of course.

All that said, are the Twins are better team than they were in 2022? They had Correa last season, too, yet they only won 78 games and finished third in the mediocre AL Central. In fact, the godawful 2022 White Sox won three more games than the Correa-led 2022 Twins.

In Minnesota, some feel they've addressed their two greatest needs, shortstop and catcher. Correa and Christian Vazquez are slated to fill those two spots. Perhaps that's correct, but I still have serious questions about Minnesota's starting rotation and bullpen.

Here's their projected rotation: Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle and Bailey Ober. Is that good enough to win the AL Central? I don't think so. Maybe the Twins pass the Sox by if they finally get a healthy season from Byron Buxton, and they find some answers in their bullpen, but I don't see them making up the 14-game gap that existed between them and the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.

It's worth noting that the Twins stunk last season, despite Correa's overall excellence.

So, Carlos Correa is actually going to the Mets

Carlos Correa

This is a new one for me. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants earlier this month.

But on Tuesday, the Giants canceled a press conference during which Correa was scheduled to be formally introduced. Apparently, something came up in Correa's physical that held up the deal.

So, Correa reopened his free agency late Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning, he had a 12-year, $315 million deal with the New York Mets. He'll no longer be a shortstop, because the Mets already have Francisco Lindor. Instead, he'll play third base.

On Wednesday, I saw an estimate that said the Mets' payroll would be an estimated $384 million, with luxury tax penalties totaling $111 million. Add it all up, and that equals $495 million.

According to reports late Wednesday, the Mets are trading struggling catcher James McCann to the Baltimore Orioles, so that sheds some payroll. Still, this is one expensive baseball team.

Here are the contracts the Mets have doled out this offseason:

• Correa, 12 years, $315 million
• Brandon Nimmo, eight years, $162 million
• Edwin Diaz, five years, $102 million
• Justin Verlander, two years, $86 million
• Kodai Senga, five years, $75 million
• Jose Quintana, two years, $26 million
• Omar Narvaez, two years, $15 million
• Adam Ottavino, two years, $14.5 million
• David Robertson, one year, $10 million 

That's a total of $806.1 million. 

We've talked about the White Sox giving $75 million to Andrew Benintendi, and how that's the richest deal in team history. For the Mets, $75 million would only be the fifth-highest deal they've handed out this offseason. Forget team history.

No wonder Jerry Reinsdorf voted against allowing Steve Cohen to buy the Mets.

Rumor mill: Mets reportedly interested in Liam Hendriks

This story popped up on MLB.com Tuesday. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported the New York Mets are talking to the White Sox about a trade for Liam Hendriks.

I've learned through the years to never say never, but I'm not seeing a match here. Earlier this offseason, the Mets retained their incumbent closer, Edwin Diaz, by signing him to a five-year, $102 million contract. New York does not need a ninth inning guy.

Not to mention, the Mets also signed David Robertson to a one-year deal. Robertson is a veteran reliever with ample closing experience, should Diaz get injured or falter. On Tuesday, the Mets signed reliever Adam Ottavino to a two-year, $14.5 million deal.

It seems to me that the Mets are set for innings 7, 8 and 9. I get that they are looking to accumulate an embarrassment of riches this offseason, so maybe that's why they've inquired about Hendriks.

That said, what is in it for the Sox? As all Sox fans know, the team has holes at second base and in right field. And Hendriks might be their most attractive trade chip. In my way of thinking, that means any trade involving Hendriks has to include a starting-caliber second baseman or outfielder coming the other way.

Are the Mets trading the Sox their starting second baseman, Jeff McNeil? I don't think so. Why would they do that going into a season where they have World Series expectations? Do the Mets have an extra left-handed corner outfielder that could start in right field for the Sox? No, it doesn't look like it to me. Maybe I'm wrong, and someone will correct me.

What's the motivation for the deal here, for either side?

I saw one proposal today that had the Mets acquiring Hendriks for a package of prospects. This also makes little sense. The Sox might be foolhardy in their belief that they can win in 2023, but the signing of Andrew Benintendi this past weekend signals they are still going for it.

And if they are going for it, why wouldn't they want Hendriks to continue as their closer?

New York Mets continue to spend money in free agency

It feels as though not a day goes by without the New York Mets signing another free agent.

The Mets added to their starting rotation on Friday by signing right-hander Kodai Senga to a five-year deal worth $75 million. For those not familiar with Senga, he's a 29-year-old who has pitched 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, going 104-51 with a 2.42 ERA over 275 starts.

Earlier this offseason, the Mets signed AL Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander and veteran left-hander Jose Quintana. With ace Max Scherzer and right-hander Carlos Carrasco also in the rotation, New York seems set on the starting pitching front -- even though Jacob deGrom is now a member of the Texas Rangers.

This offseason, the Mets have also retained outfielder Brandon Nimmo on a eight-year, $162 million deal, and closer Edwin Diaz on a five-year, $102 million deal. They also added veteran reliever David Robertson for one year and $10 million.

New York's estimated payroll is now about $345 million, which would be an all-time high if they don't shed salaries in trades between now and the start of the 2023 season. If the payroll holds, Mets owner Steve Cohen will have to pay $76.2 million in luxury tax penalties. With the way that team is spending, it seems as though he doesn't care.

Must be nice as a fan.

In case you were wondering, the biggest free agent contract the White Sox have ever handed out was to catcher Yasmani Grandal, who is entering the fourth and final year of a $73 million contract.

In other words, Cohen could pay more in luxury tax penalties in 2023 than Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has ever paid to a free agent.

Trea Turner to Phillies; Justin Verlander signs with Mets

Trea Turner

“I really philosophically believe that you win with star players."

It's hard to argue with Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations with the Philadelphia Phillies, because he's built a lot of winning teams throughout his years in baseball.

The Phillies came up just short in 2022, losing to the Houston Astros in the World Series. On Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Philadelphia moved to address one of its holes by agreeing to terms with superstar shortstop Trea Turner on a 11-year, $300 million deal.

Turner is 29 years old, and I'm sure by the end of that contract, he probably won't be worth his salary. But that's a problem for another day. The Phillies are looking to win in 2023, and that's commendable. Opportunity only presents itself so often, and it's important to push chips into the middle of the table when the time comes.

Philadelphia has a lot of big contracts on its books. Bryce Harper ($26 million), Zack Wheeler ($24.5 million), J.T. Realmuto ($23.9 million), Nick Castellanos ($20 million), Kyle Schwarber ($20 million) and Aaron Nola ($16 million) are raking in the money with the Phillies. Add Turner's $27.3 million AAV to that list. 

But you know what? Harper, Turner, Realmuto, Wheeler and Nola are all blue-chip players, and you win with those types of guys. And while I'm not a fan of "three true outcome" batters as a rule, credit Schwarber for leading the National League with 46 home runs last season.

I wish my favorite team had All-Star talent like the Phillies do. They are giving themselves a chance in the rugged NL East.

Verlander signs with Mets 

Speaking of the NL East, Justin Verlander is signing with the New York Mets, agreeing to a two-year, $86.7 million contract.

Verlander, the Cy Young Award winner in the American League in 2022, leaves the Astros and basically takes the place of Jacob deGrom at the top of the New York rotation.

The Texas Rangers signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract over the weekend, and you figured the deep-pocketed Mets would respond quickly.

Indeed they did, as Verlander will join former Detroit Tigers teammate Max Scherzer to form a 1-2 punch with the Mets.

I think this is a win for New York because even though Verlander is 40 years old, I trust him to stay healthy more than I would deGrom. Verlander gave the Astros 28 starts and 175 innings last season, going 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA.

Meanwhile, deGrom has totaled only 26 starts and and 156.1 innings over the past two seasons combined. He's still one of the best in the league when he takes the mound, but at age 34, you have to wonder what the Rangers are getting there. I'm not a huge proponent of signing pitchers with long injury histories.

Granted, you never really know with pitchers, but I think the Mets are getting a little more certainty with Verlander.

Indians trade Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco to Mets

Francisco Lindor

The complexion of the 2021 American League Central race was altered Thursday as the Cleveland Indians traded the face of their franchise, plus a starting pitcher, to the New York Mets.

Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco are on their way to New York, and in return, the Indians received two middle infielders -- Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez -- and two prospects -- pitcher Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene.

A trade of Lindor has long been rumored, and with him entering the last season of his contract, the Indians finally swung a deal. In doing so, their chances of winning the AL Central are greatly diminished. 

In truth, Cleveland has been subtracting talent for a while. In recent times, we've seen the Indians trade Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger. They also cut ties with reliable closer Brad Hand because of money. 

In 2020, most of the Cleveland offense came from four guys: Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana and Franmil Reyes. Santana is gone, having signed a free-agent deal with the Kansas City Royals, and now the perennial All-Star Lindor is out the door as well.

Ramirez is a great player, arguably as good as Lindor, but now he's going to have to carry the Indians' lineup by himself. I'd be pitching around him a lot in 2021. 

Cleveland's starting rotation will not be crap, even with the subtraction of Carrasco -- a respected 11-year veteran who is 15 games over .500 in his career. The Indians still have the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner in Shane Bieber, plus Zach Plesac, Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale.

There's enough there to stay competitive most nights, but now it would be a surprise if the Indians are able to hang with the Minnesota Twins and White Sox all season in the AL Central.

That said, I can't say the Indians did poorly in this deal. Everyone knew they had to trade Lindor, so it was unlikely they were going to get a king's ransom in return. What they did get is two players who will start for them immediately. Rosario figures to be their shortstop. Gimenez will likely play second, with free agent Cesar Hernandez unlikely to return.

Wolf was a second-round draft pick of the Mets in 2019. Greene was a second-rounder in 2020.

The return could have been worse for Cleveland, but I'm sure that's of little consequence to their fans, who have to be saddened to see two solid performers walking out the door -- one of which has been the franchise cornerstone through some very good years.

James McCann headed to New York Mets on four-year deal

James McCann

A previous post this week talked a lot about White Sox general manager Rick Hahn's horrible free agent signings, so let's bring up one of his better ones: James McCann.

After two productive seasons in Chicago, McCann is heading to the New York Mets on a four-year, $40 million contract.

This is a really good turn of events for McCann, who was non-tendered by the 98-loss Detroit Tigers after the 2018 season. The Sox picked him up on a one-year, $2.5 million scrap-heap deal, and McCann responded by making the All-Star team in 2019.

In his first season with the Sox, McCann batted .273/.328/.460 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs in 118 games. McCann didn't have the greatest framing statistics in the world as the Sox's primary catcher, but the offensive production was good.

Still, the Sox were understandably unconvinced that McCann was the long-term answer behind the plate. What if 2019 was just a career year for McCann? So, Hahn jumped at the opportunity to sign Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million contract last November.

McCann was brought back on another one-year deal, and he and Grandal formed an effective one-two punch behind the plate for the Sox in 2020.

Even with limited playing time, McCann produced. He batted .289/.360/.536 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games. He did not complain about his diminished role and often was praised for his leadership. And he became the personal catcher for Sox ace Lucas Giolito, who provided a 2020 season highlight by throwing a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 25.

But with Grandal in the fold for the long haul, the writing was on the wall for McCann. He sees himself as a starting catcher, and he's proven over the past two years with the Sox that he deserves a shot to be the No. 1 guy. He was not going to get that in Chicago.

He'll get that opportunity in New York. As Sox fans, we wish we could have the Grandal-McCann tandem behind the plate for another few years, but realistically, that was never going to be cost-effective.

You're not going to pay McCann $10 million a year to catch twice a week, and you can't blame the Sox for not being interested in matching an offer like that. You simply thank McCann for a job well done and wish him well with the Mets.

In the meantime, the Sox need a second catcher. The internal options are suspect: Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala. We talked about these guys before: Collins and Mercedes have hit at the Triple-A level, but both are subpar defensively. Zavala is a good receiver, and a good catch-and-throw guy, but it's unlikely he'll ever hit well enough to stick in the major leagues.

So, do the Sox go outside the organization? If the answer is yes, here are your options in free agency: Jason Castro, Robinson Chirinos, Tyler Flowers, Sandy Leon, Yadier Molina, Kurt Suzuki and Mike Zunino.

Do we like anybody on that list? 

Some of the latest MLB transactions ...

Robinson Cano

Catching up on a few things ... the Seattle Mariners are selling everyone, I guess. Here are three transactions that have happened in the past few days:

• The Mariners traded former All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano and All-Star closer Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Jay Bruce, relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak and prospects Gerson Bautista, Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn.
• The Mariners traded All-Star infielder Jean Segura and relievers Juan Nicasio and James Pazos to the Philadelphia Phillies for first baseman Carlos Santana and shortstop J.P. Crawford.
• The Washington Nationals have signed left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140 million contract.

The last move is too bad, because Corbin was one of the players who was on my wish list as a White Sox fan. Of course, if the Sox signed him, he'd probably blow out his elbow next season anyway.

Jacob deGrom, Blake Snell win Cy Young awards

Jacob deGrom

Here's a fun fact, courtesy of Sarah Langs' Twitter account, on NL Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom:

"deGrom: MLB-best 1.70 ERA. Mets went 14-18 in his starts & he went 10-9

Lucas Giolito: 6.13 ERA, worst in MLB. He went 10-13 & White Sox were 14-18 in his starts

That’s the same number of pitcher wins and same team record ... for the best and worst pitchers in MLB."

How about that? If that doesn't show you that wins is a lousy way to evaluate a pitcher, I don't know what does.

No pitcher has ever won a Cy Young with fewer than 13 wins until now, but New York's deGrom is deserving despite having only 10 victories in 2018.

He is a true ace, having made all 32 of his starts, throwing 217 innings and striking out 269 against only 46 walks. In those 32 starts, deGrom allowed three runs or less in 31 of them -- there was one start in April where he allowed four runs.

He set records for quality starts and consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer. It was a dominant season for deGrom, and he totaled 29 of a possible 30 first-place votes, win-loss total be damned. He had one of the best seasons I've ever seen from a starting pitcher in my lifetime. Too bad he played on a crummy team. He pitched well enough to win 25 games, at least.

Washington's Max Scherzer got the other first-place vote, and he was listed second on the other 29 ballots. Philadelphia's Aaron Nola received 27 third-place votes and finished third.

On the American League side, Tampa Bay's Blake Snell got the honor on the strength of a 21-5 record.

Snell is interesting, because he pitched only 180.1 innings, or 33.1 innings less than the second-place finisher in the voting, Houston's Justin Verlander. A good case can be made for Verlander because he, like deGrom, shouldered an ace workload for his team.

But, ultimately, voters liked Snell's 1.89 ERA and 221 strikeouts pitching in the offense-heavy American League East.

We can say this for Snell: He was really, really good against top teams. In 12 starts against the five AL playoffs teams (Boston, New York, Cleveland, Houston and Oakland), Snell went 9-2 with a 2.00 ERA.

Snell was not getting fat on crummy competition, and that most have impressed voters, who gave him 17 of the possible 30 first-place votes. The other 13 first-place votes went to Verlander. Cleveland's Corey Kluber finished third.

Yoenis Cespedes returning to Mets; Edinson Volquez to Marlins; Jon Jay to Cubs

Yoenis Cespedes

Finally, a few free-agent signings to talk about.

The biggest bat on the market is no longer available. Yoenis Cespedes on Tuesday agreed to return to the New York Mets on a four-year, $110 million contract, pending a physical.

This is a good move for both player and team. The contract is worth $27.5 million a year on average, which is the highest ever for an outfielder in MLB history. Cespedes has to be happy with that, and he also has to be pleased by the full no-trade clause included in the deal.

It's a good move for the Mets because the commitment is four years to a 31-year-old player, not five or six years. That's palatable, especially since New York is 106-74 with Cespedes in the lineup and 18-23 without him since the Cuban slugger joined the team in a midseason trade in 2015.

Cespedes finished eighth in the NL MVP balloting in 2016. He hit .280/.354/.530 with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs and 25 doubles.

Volquez to Marlins

The Miami Marlins signed veteran right-hander Edinson Volquez to a two-year deal worth $22 million.

Volquez, 33, had a good season in 2015 for the Kansas City Royals, recording a 3.55 ERA over 200.1 innings and helping the team to its first World Series title in 30 years. But he regressed in 2016, posting a 5.37 ERA while allowing a league-high 113 earned runs.

You can't blame the Royals for moving on. Kansas City has Jason Vargas coming back from arm surgery, and he'll be their No. 4 starter behind Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura and Ian Kennedy. The Royals still have one spot open in their rotation, and I'm sure they believe they can do better than the declining Volquez.

The Marlins? They need pitching help of any sort after the shocking death of Jose Fernandez in late September. They'll be hoping Volquez can return to his 2015 form with a return to the National League.

Jay to Cubs

I'll call it right now: If the Cubs want to repeat as World Series champions in 2017, they need to re-sign center fielder Dexter Fowler, who ignited their offense in 2016 with a .393 on-base percentage, 84 runs scored and 45 extra-base hits in 125 games.

Apparently, the Cubs are thinking of moving on, however, since they signed veteran Jon Jay to a one-year, $8 million deal. Perhaps the Cubs consider Jay a stopgap measure until prospect Albert Almora is ready for a full-time role.

Jay is capable of playing all three outfield spots, and as a left-handed hitter, he hangs in there nicely against left-handed pitching - .288 lifetime vs. righties, .284 vs. lefties. In 2016, Jay hit .311 against lefties and .282 against righties, so the Cubs don't need to platoon him.

This is a player who will do a decent job for the Cubs, but if Fowler leaves as expected, the North Siders will almost certainly have a lesser offensive player batting leadoff next season.

'You don't use your closer in a non-save situation'? Nonsense

Buck Showalter (left) and Terry Collins

Biggest takeaway from the wild-card playoff games this week: One manager lost because he failed to use his closer in a non-save situation; another manager lost because he did use his closer in a non-save situation.

Countless times through the years, I've heard fans and even some media members remark that you're not supposed to use your closer in non-save situations. The argument for this is the idea that closers are successful only because of the adrenaline rush that goes along with a save situation, so they can't pitch effectively if that carrot isn't dangling in front of them.

Nonsense.

I'm of the school of thought that it's never a bad play to bring your closer, who is presumably your best or second-best reliever, into a tie game. Does it make sense to save your closer for a save situation that might never present itself? I don't believe so.

That means I will join the chorus of people who have criticized Baltimore manager Buck Showalter for bringing in Ubaldo Jimenez to face the top of the Toronto batting order with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning in a 2-2 tie Tuesday in the AL wild-card game.

Jimenez, he of the 5.44 ERA, needed just five pitches to blow the Orioles' season. Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson singled for Toronto, setting the table for Edwin Encarnacion to hit a three-run homer and send the Blue Jays to the ALDS with a 5-2 win.

Meanwhile, Zach Britton sat unused in the Baltimore bullpen. Britton is the best reliever in baseball this year, and he's a legitimate candidate for the AL Cy Young award. He was 47 for 47 in save opportunities, has a ridiculous 0.54 ERA, and has held right-handed batters to a .155 average this season. Travis, Donaldson and Encarnacion are all right-handed.

In the face of these facts, does anyone want to argue that Jimenez was the right choice? Does anyone want to argue that you don't use your closer in a non-save situation? I wouldn't think so.

Incredibly, Showalter's move is now conventional wisdom in the game. MLB Network's Brian Kenny had a useful discussion on the air Wednesday, where his research showed that managers used their closer in situations such as Baltimore's on Tuesday just 27 percent of the time in 2016. We're talking about spots where you're on the road, the game is tied in the ninth inning or later, and you need your pitcher to put a zero up in the bottom of the inning to force an extra inning.

So, 73 percent of the time, managers are using non-closers in those spots. That seems like a very high number, and to me, that's not smart baseball.

In contrast, I cannot blame New York Mets manager Terry Collins for his club's 3-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants in Wednesday's NL wild-card game.

The situation was a little bit different, of course, because the Mets were playing at home. The game was scoreless into the ninth inning, and there was no chance at that point for a save situation to arise for New York closer Jeurys Familia.

With everything on the line in the ninth, Collins wisely went to his best reliever, Familia, who screwed the pooch. Familia gave up a double to Brandon Crawford, a walk to Joe Panik and a three-run homer to former White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie.

That was all San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner needed, as the left-hander continued his postseason mastery by throwing a complete-game, four-hit shutout.

From the Giants' perspective, credit goes to Bumgarner and Gillaspie, and from the Mets' perspective, Familia is wearing the goat horns. Collins made the right move. It didn't work.

You see, I like to judge a manager's moves on the philosophy and logic behind the decision more than the result. Baseball is a game where the right move still can lead to a bad result, and sometimes a move that makes no sense comes up aces.

Philosophically, from my perspective, it's never wrong to use your best reliever with the game on the line. If that reliever fails, it's on him. However, it is wrong to leave your best reliever sitting in the bullpen while a lesser pitcher flushes your season down the toilet.

Yoenis Cespedes signs three-year deal to stay with Mets

Yoenis Cespedes

Yoenis Cespedes was the last of the impact free-agent outfielders on the board this offseason, and he had to wait until late January to sign a contract.

But, what a player-friendly contract it is.

Cespedes will stay with the New York Mets, after agreeing Friday on a three-year deal worth $75 million. The Mets front-loaded the deal -- Cespedes will make $27.5 million for the 2016 season, and the contract includes an opt-out after one year.

Given next offseason's weak crop of free agents, Cespedes is in position to go back on the market next year and cash in with an even bigger contract -- if he performs at a high level this season in New York.

Cespedes was acquired by the Mets midseason last year, and he hit .287 with 17 home runs and 44 RBIs in 57 games. During that stretch, New York went 36-21 and transformed itself from a middling team into NL East Division champions. They went on to make the World Series before losing to the Kansas City Royals.

Give the Mets credit. This move solidifies them as one of the top teams in the National League. Quite possibly, they are the favorite to make it back to the World Series. It's hard to bet against them with the pitching staff they have in place. Their rotation includes Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and one of Bartolo Colon or Zack Wheeler.

Find me another team in baseball that can match that kind of quality and depth in starting pitching. I don't think there is one.

There's every reason to believe Cespedes, 30, will continue to be productive as a cleanup hitter. The only real problem for the Mets here will be their outfield defense. Cespedes is a plus defender in left field, but on the Mets, he'll need to play center field in between Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson. As a center fielder, Cespedes is adequate at best. That could hurt New York at times, but I think the benefits of this signing far outweigh the drawbacks for them. They are one of the teams that has a shot to win it all in 2016.

What does this mean for the White Sox? Well, back to the drawing board. I'm not sure the Sox were ever serious contenders for Cespedes, and certainly, they were not going to hand out a contract like the one Cespedes signed.

The Sox got caught a little bit here, slow-playing the outfield market, believing somebody's price would eventually come down into their range. That never happened, and for now, they are stuck with the status quo in their outfield. We'll find out in the next few weeks how much they really believe in Avisail Garcia. Will they give him another year in right field, or will they make a trade to replace him?

Mets complete NLCS sweep of Cubs

Daniel Murphy is the first player in baseball history with at least four total bases in six consecutive postseason games. That's probably because he's first player to hit a home run in six consecutive playoff games. The New York second baseman took Cubs reliever Fernando Rodney deep in the top of the eighth inning Wednesday night to set that record, as the Mets beat the Cubs, 8-3, to complete a four-game sweep of the National League Championship Series.

New York will face the Kansas City-Toronto winner in the World Series.

It's getting late, so I'll just offer a few bullet points from this game:

• Why on earth did Cubs manager Joe Maddon start Jason Hammel in a do-or-die game? Granted, Jon Lester on short rest is no sure bet, but nobody should be surprised that Hammel got pummeled. He gave up five runs, all earned, in just 1.1 innings. The Cubs were behind 4-0 just six batters into the game, and the crowd at Wrigley Field was full of long, ashen faces. That was a nightmarish start for the Cubs, and a dream come true for anyone cheering for the Mets. Maddon is considered a genius by many in the Chicago media, but starting Hammel is this game was a terrible move, an indefensible decision.
• Power pitching will always beat power hitting. The Cubs have a lineup full of dangerous hitters, but they can't score if they don't hit home runs. The Mets outhomered the Cubs, 3-1, on Wednesday and 7-4 in the series. The Mets have four quality pitchers in Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz. Those power arms in the New York rotation gave up a grand total of six runs to Cubs hitters in four games. For the most part, they kept the Cubs in the park and off the scoreboard. As a team, the Cubs hit just .164 in the four-game series.
• Enough with the silly Cubs narratives, man. A lot of people ask me why so many White Sox fans (such as myself) refuse to cheer for the Cubs. Well, there are a couple reasons, but most of all, I'm weary of the storylines that seem to follow the Cubs. I'm tired of hearing about omens and curses and black cats and "Maddon magic" and various other hocus-pocus. Movie scripts that were written decades ago should not be taken as prophecy. The Red Sox rallying from 3-0 down in the 2004 ALCS has nothing to do with the 2015 NLCS. Nothing. There are no dead people looking down from heaven to make a ball disappear in the ivy. None of these extraneous factors have any impact on the outcome of ballgames.

Remember, the Cubs did not lose to the Mets because they are cursed. They lost because New York is a better team than they are. In fact, the Cubs are not cursed at all. They haven't won the World Series in 107 years because they've never fielded a good enough team to get the job done. 

Yoenis Cespedes' steal of third base: Most overlooked important play in NLCS Game 3

The Cubs played a lousy defensive game Tuesday night in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The New York Mets took advantage of most of their opportunities and got strong pitching from Jacob deGrom to earn a 5-2 victory at Wrigley Field. The Mets now have a 3-0 stranglehold on the best-of-seven series.

Here in Chicago, some of the postgame laments are focusing on a couple misplays in left field by Kyle Schwarber, and a wild pitch by Trevor Cahill in the top of the sixth inning that allowed New York's Yoenis Cespedes to score the go-ahead and eventual winning run. Cubs shortstop Javier Baez made an error on the first play of the game, and right fielder Jorge Soler also had a horrible misplay in the sixth inning, so there were no shortage of defensive gaffes by the Cubs.

But the most overlooked important play in the game proceeded Cahill's wild pitch. With Cespedes on second base and one out in a 2-2 game, the Cubs' middle infielders, Baez and Starlin Castro, fell asleep. They were not holding Cespedes close, and he got a huge jump on Cahill and stole third base with ease.

The Mets successfully stole third base just five times during the regular season, but this is the fourth time one of their baserunners has swiped third in the postseason. New York is being more aggressive in the playoffs. The Cubs should have caught on to that by now, but apparently not.

That stolen base put Cespedes at third with just one out, which is always crucial. As it turns out, Cahill made the big pitch he needed to get the second out. Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to third base, and Cespedes could not advance. Michael Conforto then struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt, but the ball skipped past Cubs catcher Miguel Montero all the way to the screen. Conforto reached first safely on the dropped third strike, while Cespedes raced down the line to put the Mets up 3-2.

They tacked on two more in the seventh, with help from a Schwarber misplay, but do you think that steal of third base was crucial? You bet it was. That wild pitch means nothing if Cespedes is still standing on second base.

Ernie Banks makes an interesting comment about Ron Santo

While I was on vacation, I had a chance to read Sports Illustrated's annual "Where Are They Now?" issue. It's always a great read, full of interesting stories about sports figures of the past.

The cover story this year was about perhaps the greatest player in Cubs history, Ernie Banks, who hit 512 career home runs and earned consecutive National League MVP awards (1958-59) despite playing on mostly terrible teams throughout his 19-year career.

Banks was nearing the end of his career in 1969, when the Cubs had a nine-game lead as late as Aug. 16, only to spit it out and lose the NL pennant to the New York Mets. Naturally, Banks was asked about what happened for the SI article, and his answer was quite revealing. He pointed the finger right at fellow Hall of Famer Ron Santo.

"They say one apple can spoil the whole barrel, and I saw that," Banks told SI's Rich Cohen. "Before going to New York to play the big series against the Mets, I went to different players on our team and told them, 'We're going to New York, and when the game is over, there's going to be more media than you've ever seen in the clubhouse, so watch what you say.'

"So we get to New York, and lose the first game. Don Young dropped a fly ball, and that was it. We came into the locker room. I was next to Santo, and he just went crazy [blaming Young]. Young was so upset, he ran out. Pete [Reiser] had to bring him back. I had never seen something so hurtful."

Santo's comments ended up in the paper, and Banks said it caused a split in the locker room. The Cubs crumbled and lost the pennant by eight games.

For so many years in Chicago, we heard a lot of moral outrage about Santo being excluded from the Hall of Fame for so long. After his playing days were over, he became a beloved radio broadcaster -- mostly because he was an unapologetic homer for the Cubs -- and he was put on a pedestal because he raised a lot of money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

How could someone so great not be inducted into the Hall, people wondered? I would say comments like the one Santo made about Young that day in 1969 would be on the list of reasons why.

I always had the feeling that Santo was hated and despised by everyone who is not a Cubs fan, between his obnoxious heel-clicking after victories as a player, and some of the disrespectful comments he made about others at different points during his baseball career.

I'm not going to belabor the point, but if you were ever wondering why Santo wasn't inducted into the Hall until 2012 -- two years after his death -- now you know. He made his fair share of enemies in the game. You don't have to take it from me, you can take it from Ernie Banks, whose comment targets Santo as a central figure in the collapse of '69.

That's a take on 1969 that I don't think I had ever heard or read previously.

If you're hurt and can't pitch, well, then don't pitch

The White Sox bullpen had a bad day on Thursday. The South Siders had an 8-5 lead after six innings and couldn't hold it. They took a 9-8 lead into the ninth inning and had the Minnesota Twins down to their final strike, but Matt Lindstrom couldn't close. The Twins rallied for a 10-9 victory at chilly U.S. Cellular Field.

I imagine most Sox fans are angry at Lindstrom. I am not. Stuff happens, and Lindstrom is hardly the only guy around baseball to blow a ninth-inning lead during this opening week.

No, the Sox reliever on my bad side right now is Nate Jones, and it has nothing to do with the outcome of Thursday's game. I'd still be pissed at Jones even if the Sox had won. When it comes to pitchers, there are two things I have little tolerance for: 1) Relief pitchers who refuse to throw strikes and 2) Guys who try to be heroes and pitch through injury. Jones committed both those sins on Thursday.

Jones entered the game in the top of the seventh inning with the Sox up three runs and promptly walked the only two Minnesota hitters he saw -- Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer. At one point, Jones threw seven consecutive pitches out of the zone. His final pitch of the day almost hit Mauer and went all the way back to the screen. It wasn't even close. Those back-to-back leadoff walks eventually came around to score, and the Twins got back in the game.

Afterward, Jones said the glute strain that affected him during spring training had resurfaced. It bothered him in the bullpen while he was warming up and continued to bother him after he entered the game.

“I felt a little discomfort out there today,” Jones told Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago. “It's kinda just in the back of your head. When you're thinking about something else besides hitting the mitt, then you see what happens. It's not good for the team.”

No, it's not good for the team. That's the one thing Jones got right today. Here's a tip, Nate: If you're hurt and don't think you can pitch effectively, tell the bullpen coach. Tell somebody, anybody. That way, the team can get somebody else warming up.

If a player says, "Hey, I'm hurt and I can't go," I can deal with that. What I don't care for is a pitcher throwing up all over the mound, costing the team, then saying "I'm hurt" after the fact. 

If you can't pitch, then don't pitch. Simple as that.

New York talking heads out of line, as usual

New York Mets infielder Daniel Murphy missed the first two games of the season because his wife had a baby. Murphy went on paternity leave for three days, which is his right under major league rules.

You would think nobody would have a problem with that, but a couple of blabbermouths on sports talk radio in New York City took Murphy to task.

''One day I understand. And in the old days they didn't do that,'' WFAN broadcaster Mike Francesa said. ''But one day, go see the baby be born and come back. You're a Major League Baseball player. You can hire a nurse to take care of the baby if your wife needs help.''

Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason also chimed in on WFAN.

''Quite frankly, I would have said C-section before the season starts. I need to be at opening day, I'm sorry,'' he said. ''This is what makes our money. This is how we're going to live our life. This is going to give my child every opportunity to be a success in life. I'll be able to afford any college I want to send my kid to because I'm a baseball player.''

Two points about this: First, if this had happened in July would anyone have noticed? I don't believe so. This whole tempest in a teapot is a prime example of how Opening Day games and games during the first week of the season in general are overanalyzed. The Mets didn't play well in their first series of the year. They got swept by the Washington Nationals, and in the small minds of some, dammit, someone must be blamed. Murphy is a convenient and easy target, but I really doubt his absence during those two games will have any impact on the outcome of the Mets' season. There's 159 games to go, you know?

And, second, as for Mr. Esiason, "quite frankly" he should stick to NFL talk. I firmly believe Murphy will be able to send his newborn child to college, despite missing the first two games of the season. I'm sure Murphy appreciates Esiason's concern. I know every game and every snap in the arrogant, self-important, bloated, overanalyzed NFL is treated as a matter of life and death, but that's not the way it should be.

No matter what your line of work, family should always come first. That shouldn't be a hard concept to grasp, unless you're an NFL meathead.

Free agent shocker: Robinson Cano snubs Yankees, agrees to terms with Mariners

Pat yourself on the back if you thought the Seattle Mariners would be the team to land the most sought-after free agent this offseason.

I didn't see this one coming: Robinson Cano has snubbed the New York Yankees and agreed to a 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners. The contract reportedly includes a full no-trade clause.

As expected, the Yankees have been on a spending spree after missing the playoffs in 2013. They signed catcher Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract. They also gave center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury $153 million over seven years. I just assumed they would open up the pocketbook and retain Cano, too.

They were denied because the Mariners, of all teams, blew them out of the water by making Cano an offer he couldn't refuse. The Yankees reportedly did not want to invest more than $175 million on Cano. If that's the case, then Seattle beat New York's best offer by $65 million.

I don't know that this signing makes the Mariners immediate contenders in the AL West, but it surely weakens the Yankees' quest to get back in the mix in the AL East. Not matter how you spin it, they aren't as good without their cornerstone second baseman and No. 3 hitter.

I never thought Cano would play in a smaller city. When he hired Jay Z at his agent, I assumed it was because he wanted more opportunities to market himself, perhaps even in a realm outside of baseball. Typically, a player wants to be in New York or Los Angeles to pursue those kinds of possibilities.

Instead, Cano is going to Seattle. I'm stunned.

Curtis Granderson signs with Mets

Free agent outfielder Curtis Granderson and the New York Mets have agreed to a four-year deal worth $60 million, reports say.

Earlier this offseason, there were rumors that the White Sox were interested in Granderson. For those years and those dollars, I'm glad the South Siders took a pass -- if indeed they were interested.