White Sox further stick it to fans by canceling SoxFest

When they actually had SoxFest, you could get pictures like this.

In a classic "Friday afternoon news dump," the White Sox announced that SoxFest 2023 has been canceled.

When bad news is announced, people often try to sneak it through on a Friday afternoon, hoping that everyone will be too focused on the upcoming weekend to care or notice.

I don't know how much the local media noticed, but Sox fans sure noticed, and they are rightfully furious.

Here's the text of the email I received, as a "regular attendee" of SoxFest:

"As one of our regular attendees, we look forward to seeing you every year at SoxFest. We wanted you to know that due to several factors, SoxFest 2023 will not be held this January. Like you, we are disappointed this event will not take place." 

Bullshit. 

The Sox aren't disappointed at all. If they actually cared, they would be doing everything in their power to make sure the event takes place. We haven't had a SoxFest since 2020, and now we won't have one until at least 2024. Four years is a long time.

"Due to several factors," huh?

Why don't they enlighten us on exactly what those factors are? We're all reasonable people here, and if there are good, legitimate reasons for the cancellation, then present them.

Lacking information, we're reduced to speculation. My speculation is the Sox don't want to answer difficult questions from their fans after an extremely disappointing 81-81 season that began with October expectations, and ended in disaster.

General manager Rick Hahn and others were happy to strut around and take questions when a majority of the fan base was on board with the direction the team was heading, but now that those plans have imploded, they are all too cowardly to stand up and discuss what went wrong.

Not to mention, this cancellation also signals to me that the Sox are going to be making some unpopular decisions this offseason. They won't be spending in free agency to improve the team. Nobody knows what exactly is going to happen with the managerial hire. They will probably do some other things that I'm not even thinking of that will piss the fans off even more, and they won't be in the mood to be called out about it.

The funny thing is, SoxFest is a cash cow for Jerry Reinsdorf. He's got a bloated payroll, a mediocre team and a dwindling season ticket holder base. You would think he would want the money, but nah, apparently they've decided to stick it to fans some more and avoid the face-to-face confrontations that would be coming their way.

Remembering the last World Series game played on the South Side

 Sunday is Oct. 23. Let's relive a great game that was played in Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 23 in 2005.

Yoan Moncada's contract keeps looking worse for White Sox

Yoan Moncada

Remember the days when people thought Yoan Moncada was going to become a perennial All-Star? That was fun while it lasted.

The 27-year-old White Sox third baseman has now spent all or parts of six seasons with the team, and you would think he'd be right in the middle of his prime. 

Instead, he's coming off the worst year of his career, and there are legitimate questions about whether he can be counted upon to be even a league-average player.

When I think about Moncada's career, I draw a clear line on March 6, 2020. That's the day he signed his five-year, $70 million extension with the Sox.

Before that day, he seemed to be a player on the rise, culminating in by far the best season of his career in 2019:

2017: .231/.338/.412, 8 doubles, 8 home runs, 22 RBIs, 103 OPS+ in 54 games

2018: .235/.315/.400, 32 doubles, 17 home runs, 61 RBIs, 96 OPS+ in 149 games

2019: .315/.367/.548, 34 doubles, 25 home runs, 79 RBIs, 140 OPS+ in 132 games

Then the Sox gave him long-term security, and splat:

2020: .220/.320/.385, 8 doubles, 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, 94 OPS+ in 52 games

2021: .263/.375/.412, 33 doubles, 14 home runs, 61 RBIs, 116 OPS+ in 144 games

2022: .212/.273/.353, 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, 76 OPS+ in 104 games

Wow, a 76 OPS+ for a guy who is supposed to be a cornerstone player.

One of the main problems the Sox have is a lack of left-handed thump in the middle of the batting order. The front office seems to think Moncada and catcher Yasmani Grandal, a pair of switch-hitters, can play that role. It hasn't worked well at all, as Grandal also had a terrible 2022 (64 OPS+).

At this point, we can probably forget about 2019 Moncada ever coming back. That was a career year, and he's just not that guy. The best fans can hope for is he regains his 2021 form -- an above-average hitter who plays a decent third base. That's not the All-Star level everyone hoped to see, but hey, it's something.

Unfortunately, Moncada has only been that guy once in the past three years. His supporters make endless excuses about injuries and Moncada's bout with COVID-19 in 2020.

Enough of that.

Everyone has had COVID by now whether they know it or not, and there are numerous other players around that league who had COVID symptoms and have recovered with no problem. And then there's the endless array of soft-tissue issues that Moncada has suffered -- hamstring pulls and oblique strains and whatnot. How is a 27-year-old player getting injured this often? It's time for Moncada to get in "the best shape of his life" this offseason, but will he have the motivation?

The Sox owe him $17 million in 2023 and $24 million in 2024. There is a $25 million club option for 2025 that includes a $5 million buyout. Unless something changes dramatically, that isn't getting picked up, but Moncada has a guaranteed $46 million coming to him the next two-plus years.

If he's going to go through the motions and bat .212 with a 76 OPS+ again, fans will be well within their rights to boo him mercilessly.

Yankees beat Guardians in Game 5, advance to ALCS

Giancarlo Stanton

So, did Monday night's postponement of Game 5 of the American League Division Series help the New York Yankees? Perhaps.

The Yankees scored four runs in the first two innings Tuesday afternoon and went on to beat the Cleveland Guardians, 5-1, in the deciding game of the best-of-five series.

One thing is for certain: The rain opened the door for each manager to change his pitching plans, and the Yankees took advantage.

Had the game been played Monday night, we would have seen a matchup of No. 4 starters -- Jameson Taillon for the Yankees and Aaron Civale for the Guardians.

But given the extra day of rest, New York manager Aaron Boone brought back his No. 2 starter, Nestor Cortes, on three days' rest to pitch Game 5. Cleveland manager Terry Francona could have used his ace, Shane Bieber, but he opted to stick with Civale.

That decision by Francona backfired immediately. Civale recorded only one out before being knocked out of the game. He walked Gleyber Torres, hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch and surrendered a 3-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton.

Four batters into the bottom of the first inning, the Yankees had a 3-0 lead, and the game was effectively over.

Cortes held up his end of the bargain, tossing five innings of one-run ball. Three New York relievers combined for four shutout innings to close it out, leaving Cleveland to wonder what might have been had it used Bieber in this game.

The Yankees, who won 99 games in the regular season, will take on the 106-win Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series, starting Wednesday. 

No surprise to see those two teams meet at this stage of the playoffs. All summer long, it's been the Astros, Yankees and everyone else in the AL. They've been on a collision course, and now they'll collide.

2 trades that helped the Cleveland Guardians win the AL Central

Francisco Lindor

Monday night's Game 5 of the American League Division Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees was postponed because of inclement weather in New York.

The game will be played at 3 o'clock CDT Tuesday. The winner will travel to Houston to face the Astros in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series on Wednesday.

That's a quick turnaround, so the big winner in this postponement would appear to be the Astros.

Regardless, I've been thinking lately about how the Guardians managed to win 92 games and basically blow the White Sox and Minnesota Twins out of the water in the AL Central this season. 

Hell, Cleveland was picked to finish third or fourth in a lot of preseason magazines, which is only proof that one never knows.

Two trades that Cleveland made in the recent past come to mind:

Aug. 31, 2020: Cleveland traded Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen and a player to be named later to the San Diego Padres for Josh Naylor, Owen Miller, Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Gabriel Arias and Joey Cantillo.

Jan. 7, 2021: Cleveland traded Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets for Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf.

Look at that return that Cleveland got in that Clevinger deal. Is that about half their roster? 

Naylor is their cleanup hitter and second-best run producer. Miller appeared in 130 games for the Guardians this season as an all-purpose player. Hedges can't hit a lick, but he's Cleveland's primary catcher because of his outstanding defensive work at a premium position. 

Quantrill went 15-5 in 32 starts this season as Cleveland's No. 3 starter. Arias is a 22-year-old who appeared in only 16 regular season games for the Guardians, but hey, he was in the lineup for Game 4 against the Yankees.

Of those six guys in the Clevinger deal, five of them are helping the Guardians right now.

And Clevinger? He missed all of 2021 with an injury. Since the trade, the 31-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.12 ERA and 4.60 FIP over 27 appearances. 

Yes, I think the Guardians are happy with that trade.

I remember when Lindor was traded in January 2021, and many people -- including me -- thought Cleveland got fleeced. We were wrong.

Sure, Lindor is still a good player. He bounced back from a lackluster 2021 to post 26 homers, 107 RBIs and a 125 OPS+ for the New York Mets this season. And Carrasco provided New York with 29 decent starts in 2022 -- he was 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA.

However, I don't think the Guardians are disappointed in the return they got for those two players -- Gimenez and Rosario now are starting middle infielders for them on a playoff team.

Gimenez had a 7.2 WAR and made the All-Star team in his age-23 season this year. He batted .297 with 17 homers, 69 RBIs, an .837 OPS and a 141 OPS+. And oh yeah, he's the likely Gold Glove winner at second base in the American League this season.

That 7.2 WAR equals the best season Lindor had in a Cleveland uniform -- that coming in 2018.

The 26-year-old Rosario isn't quite as good Gimenez, but I don't think Cleveland fans are disappointed in the 4.1-WAR season they have received from their shortstop. Rosario batted .283 with 11 homers, 18 steals, 71 RBIs, a .715 OPS and a 106 OPS+ in 2022. That's not All-Star level, but it's certainly above league average.

So, how did Cleveland get this good? There are a few different reasons. Shane Bieber is an elite, reliable starting pitcher. Triston McKenzie has made strides to join him at the top of the rotation. Emmanuel Clase is the best closer in the AL, and he has two good relievers setting him up in James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan.

But when you're telling the story of this Cleveland Guardians team, you have to look at these two trades, which netted them three-quarters of their starting infield -- including one All-Star -- a starting catcher and a starting pitcher, plus two other players who are at least helping on the margins.

While the Guardians did move three decent-to-great players in those deals, they absolutely got quality coming the other way.

National League favorites out of playoffs early

The National League Championship Series will feature the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres.

Just as we all predicted, right? 

OK, nobody predicted that the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds would advance to the NLCS. The NL produced three 100-win teams this season -- the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. Shockingly, those favored teams have all been eliminated.

The 87-win Phillies, third-place finishers in the NL East, swept a best-of-three series from the 93-win St. Louis Cardinals in the wild card round. They went on to beat the 101-win Braves, 3 games to 1, in a best-of-five NL Division Series.

The 89-win Padres are even bigger giant killers. They won a winner-take-all Game 3 over the 101-win Mets in the wild card round. Then they shocked the universe by knocking out the 111-win Dodgers, 3 games to 1, in the NLDS.

During the regular season, the Dodgers defeated the Padres in 14 out of 19 meetings. Second-place San Diego finished 22 games behind NL West champion Los Angeles. Didn't amount to a hill of beans in the playoffs. 

Over in the American League, the 99-win New York Yankees staved off elimination with a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland on Sunday night. With the win, the Yankees tied that best-of-five series at 2. That sets up a winner-take-all Game 5 on Monday night in New York.

The 106-win Houston Astros are the only prohibitive favorite not to be challenged in the divisional round. Well, maybe that's a little bit of an overstatement. The Astros won two one-run games in a three-game sweep of the 90-win Seattle Mariners, including a 1-0, 18-inning marathon in Game 3 on Saturday night. Houston was challenged, but passed the test.

The Astros will play Monday night's winner in the American League Championship Series.

All these upsets have created questions about Major League Baseball's new playoff format this year. Two teams that received byes through the wild card round -- the Dodgers and Braves -- lost, and a third team -- the Yankees -- is being pushed to the limit. 

Did the bye create rust for those powerhouse teams? Is it actually a disadvantage to have five days off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs?

Those are interesting questions, but I'm reluctant to draw any conclusions based on a one-year sample size. 

Keep in mind that the four teams who received byes went 3-1 in the first game of their respective division series. The Dodgers won Game 1, before losing three straight. The Yankees also won Game 1 in their series. The Astros, of course, won Game 1 on their way to a sweep. Only the Braves lost their first game after the extended layoff.

If rust is a key factor in the outcome of these series, wouldn't you think it would show up right away in a Game 1 scenario?

Schedule for MLB wild card round

The MLB playoffs start Friday!

The top two seeds in the American League are the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. They receive byes into the AL Division Series. In the best-of-three wild card round this weekend, the Cleveland Guardians will host the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Toronto Blue Jays will host the Seattle Mariners.

The top two seeds in the National League are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the defending champion Atlanta Braves. They receive byes into the NL Division Series. In the best-of-three wild card round, the St. Louis Cardinals will host the Philadelphia Phillies, and the New York Mets will host the San Diego Padres.

Here's your schedule:

Friday, Oct. 7 (All times Central)

Rays at Guardians, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Phillies at Cardinals, 1 p.m. (ABC)

Mariners at Blue Jays, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Padres at Mets, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Oct. 8 (All times Central)

Rays at Guardians, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

Mariners at Blue Jays, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Padres at Mets, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Phillies at Cardinals, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday, Oct. 9 (All games are if necessary, times are Central, subject to change) 

Mariners at Blue Jays, 1 p.m. (ABC)

Rays at Guardians, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Padres at Mets, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Phillies at Cardinals, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)