Some updates on the White Sox roster

Tim Anderson

The Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, which means the 2022-23 offseason can finally begin.

Let's go over some of the roster moves the White Sox have made thus far.

Shortstop Tim Anderson, who is coming off an injury-plagued season, had his $12.5 million contract option exercised.

However, it looks like his double play partner will be someone new. The Sox declined a $5.5 million club option on second baseman Josh Harrison, instead opting to pay him a $1.5 million buyout for a savings of $4 million.

The Sox cleared additional space on their 40-man roster by outrighting relief pitcher Kyle Crick and outfielder Adam Haseley. Look for those two players to have their jerseys on the clearance rack at the garage sale if the Sox ever host a SoxFest again.

First baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Elvis Andrus, and pitchers Johnny Cueto and Vince Velasquez have elected free agency.

That leaves the Sox roster at 35 players, although they will have to reinstate infielder Danny Mendick and pitchers Garrett Crochet and Jonathan Stiever from the 60-day disabled list at some point. That would take the roster to 38 players, so there's still room.

The most notable of these moves is the decision to cut ties with Harrison, who played 119 games and batted .256/.317/.370 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 2022. The veteran basically met expectations. Maybe Harrison wasn't part of the solution, but he wasn't a problem either. He essentially earned his salary.

Had the Sox picked up that option, they probably could have gotten similar production next season. But perhaps they are looking to cut costs, figuring they can get the same numbers for less money from other internal options. Those options include Mendick, Romy Gonzalez and ... gulp ... Leury Garcia.

OK, actually Garcia makes $5.5 million, so he's making the same money as Harrison would have. But the two are somewhat redundant on the roster, so it makes little sense to carry them both.

Perhaps the Sox intend to fill second base via trade, since the free agent market at the position is thin. We'll find out in the coming months.

Sources: Pedro Grifol will be named next White Sox manager

Pedro Grifol was one of the first candidates to reportedly interview for the White Sox's managerial opening. Almost a month later, there's yet to be a report that he's been eliminated as a candidate, and now sources are saying he'll be the last man standing.

Buster Olney of ESPN was first to report the news Tuesday, and many others have confirmed that Grifol is expected to be the next Sox manager.

Who the heck is Pedro Grifol? Good question. The short answer is he's been working for the Kansas City Royals since 2013, most recently as the bench coach. But up until he was named as a candidate with the Sox, I had never heard of him.

As I've mentioned before, I wasn't really sure who I wanted the Sox to hire. I was more sure of what I didn't want:

1. I didn't want the Sox to promote someone internally.
2. I didn't want the Sox to hire a retread who had worn out his welcome somewhere else.
3. I didn't want the Sox to hire one of Jerry Reinsdorf's cronies to manage the team.

In that regard, this is a success! While I can't say I'm excited about Grifol, I'm not outraged either, because the Sox at least hired someone from outside the "family," who will bring some different ideas to the organization. Whether those ideas are winning ideas remains to be seen, but I'll take comfort knowing the Sox didn't make the insular hire that I expected.

Grifol, 52, is a bilingual Miami native with Cuban heritage. He has some managerial experience in the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues. His strengths are said to be his communication skills, preparedness and ability to manage personalities.

While in Kansas City, he held assorted roles, including hitting coach, quality control coach, catching instructor and bench coach. When the Royals were at the height of their powers in 2014-15, Grifol was serving as the catching instructor. In fact, Grifol was a catcher as a player, where he reached the Triple-A level before fizzling out.

Of note, the Royals also had a managerial opening this offseason. They opted to hire former Tampa Bay bench coach Matt Quatraro. This will lead some to ask the legitimate question: If the 97-loss Royals didn't consider Grifol a managerial candidate, then why did the Sox? 

I'm reluctant to hold that against Grifol, as all his superiors in Kansas City -- including team president Dayton Moore and manager Mike Matheny -- just got fired. It stands to reason that the new regime in Kansas City would want to bring it its own guys, and that's not necessarily a commentary on Grifol's fitness for a manager's job.

We're also hearing that former Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo is going to be hired as the new Sox bench coach. Pitching coach Ethan Katz is expected to be retained, but other members of the Sox coaching staff could be shown the door, according to a tweet from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Worth noting: None of this is official. No formal announcements can be made on a day when a World Series game is being played, so we'll have to wait until the the next off day -- or the end of the series -- before we hear from Sox general manager Rick Hahn. But it appears that these reports Tuesday are coming from multiple credible sources. 

Has it really been 17 years?

In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In other ways, it feels like another lifetime ago. This is from Oct. 26, 2005:

3 things I don't want in a White Sox manager

Me with Ozzie Guillen in 2019

Who will be the next manager of the White Sox? Rumors were flying this weekend, and as you might expect, the situation is clear as mud.

There are reports out there that the Sox are poised to name Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada their next manager. It's also been reported that Espada is a candidate to manage the Miami Marlins.

Then, of course, there's the gossip about Ozzie Guillen allegedly getting an interview. Depending on who you ask, Guillen has either a) already been interviewed, b) will be interviewed this week, or c) would be a candidate for the job only over Ken Williams' dead body.

I've been amazed by how many Sox fans want Guillen to return to the manager's office. That 2005 nostalgia runs deep for every South Side baseball fan, but we can't allow that to get in the way of our better judgment. The World Series title was 17 years ago. Guillen has been out of baseball since 2012, and let's not forget how his previous tenure with the Sox ended in 2011.

I'd rather not rehash the 2011 season, in fact, so I won't unless Guillen somehow gets the job.

I'll be honest and say none of the managerial candidates I've heard tied to the Sox thrill me. I'm more in the "Rick Hahn screwed this up" camp than the "Tony La Russa screwed this up" camp. Don't get me wrong: I'm glad La Russa is no longer the Sox manager, but I don't think any manager could have covered all the flaws in Hahn's roster construction.

So, I'm not sure what I'm looking for in a Sox manager. I just know these are the three things I do not want:

1. someone promoted from within (sorry, Miguel Cairo)
2. a recycling of an old guy who wore out his welcome somewhere else (sorry, Joe Maddon)
3. someone who is a friend of Jerry Reinsdorf (sorry, Ozzie)

There are lot of things getting in the way of Espada taking the job. First of all, he might want to manage in Miami. Second of all, if the Astros win the World Series, Dusty Baker could retire. That could put Espada in line for a promotion with his current club. Third, Espada used to work in the New York Yankees organization, and he could be a managerial candidate there if the Yankees decide to move on from Aaron Boone.

It's also possible that Espada is Hahn's guy, but Reinsdorf is going to intervene in the process and name Guillen manager.

Hey, that's happened before, right? In the past managerial search, Hahn wanted to hire A.J. Hinch. Then Reinsdorf intervened and appointed La Russa. 

It's the White Sox, so expect something weird to happen, until they prove otherwise.

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.