Happy Thanksgiving from The Baseball Kid

Thoughts on Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu and Yolmer Sanchez

Yasmani Grandal

Of all the free agent position players this offseason, I believed Yasmani Grandal would be the best fit for the White Sox. Several of his strengths are weaknesses for the Sox. Consider this:

1. The Sox needed to add more power to their lineup. Grandal hit a career-high 28 home runs last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he has hit 22 or more home runs in each of the past four seasons.

2. The Sox needed left-handed hitting to balance out their lineup. Grandal is a switch-hitter who posted an .813 OPS from the left side of the plate in 2019.

3. The Sox need to take more walks. Grandal took a career-high 109 of them last season, and he posted a career-best .380 on-base percentage.

4. The Sox need to be better defensively. Grandal is considered one of top-five defensive catchers in the game. He's strong in the framing department. According to Statcast's metrics, Grandal saved 13 runs with his framing in 2019. By way of comparison, James McCann cost the Sox 16 runs with subpar framing, and Welington Castillo was minus-8 in the same metric.

So, I was happy last week when the Sox gave Grandal a four-year, $73 million contract to be their starting catcher. If he continues to perform at his current level, that's exactly what the Sox need behind the plate.

The only reservation I have: Grandal is 31 years old. And like most Sox fans, I'm always wary of their free agent signings forgetting how to play baseball the moment they put on a Sox uniform. I've been burned before.

However, that line of thinking is irrational fan negativity. This signing should be taken as a sign of hope, so let's try to look at it that way. Grandal checks boxes the Sox needed to check.

Abreu signs 3-year contract extension

The Sox also agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with first baseman Jose Abreu. Again, the only real concern here is Abreu's age. He'll be 33 when the 2020 season opens, and who knows whether he can continue to perform at a high level?

Obviously, Abreu is the type of player who has to hit to be effective. He's a slow, subpar base runner, and his defense at first base is mediocre at best. However, he's hit 30 or more home runs and driven in 100 or more runs in five of his six seasons with the Sox. And he's coming off a career-high 123 RBIs in 2019.

I would say the Sox need more offense even with Abreu producing at that level, so they really couldn't afford to not bring him back as a middle-of-the-order presence.

Is it a bit of an overpay? Perhaps, but the Sox probably don't look at it that way, considering that Abreu is a beloved player in the clubhouse and the team leader and whatnot, in addition to his offensive productivity.

Sanchez on outright waivers

Yolmer Sanchez won a Gold Glove at second base in 2019, but don't expect him back with the Sox in 2020. Reports indicate Sanchez was placed on outright waivers Monday.

Like Abreu, Sanchez is good in the clubhouse, but that goodwill only goes so far. Sanchez was due a big raise in arbitration, a projected $6.2 million according to MLB Trade Rumors.

No matter how good his defense is, you can't pay that kind of money to a player with a .318 on-base percentage and a .321 slugging percentage. That isn't a small sample size, either. Sanchez played in 149 games in 2019.

He just doesn't hit enough to be an everyday player, and the Sox have a logical replacement in the pipeline with Nick Madrigal poised to take over at second base sometime in 2020.

I have no doubt that Sanchez is a good guy, but he's not the type of player who should be starting for a team that is serious about winning.

White Sox part ways with Omar Vizquel, add 7 to 40-man roster

Omar Vizquel

The White Sox on Wednesday announced that Omar Vizquel will not be returning as a manager in their minor league system for the 2020 season.

Vizquel enjoyed his best success as a manager during the 2018 season, when he led High-A Winston-Salem to an 84-54 record and a first-half division championship. He was named Carolina League Manager of the Year.

In 2019, Vizquel was promoted to manage Double-A Birmingham, but he was unable to duplicate that same success. The Barons finished 64-72.

"We felt that it was best for both sides to make a change," Chris Getz, White Sox director of player development, told MLB.com. "Listen, Omar, ultra-talented player, very good instructor, created a good environment for our players. We just felt with where things are at, our player development system, that it was time to go separate ways. But not only for himself, but for the organization as well and we wish Omar well. He was a positive influence while he was here."

The Sox fan reaction to this news has been overwhelmingly negative, and frankly, I'm a little surprised. Vizquel's team had a subpar year, and several outfield prospects of note -- Blake Rutherford, Luis Gonzalez, Luis Alexander Basabe and Micker Adolfo -- stalled this season. To be fair, Adolfo got hurt again, and what's a manager to do? But expectations were higher for this Birmingham group in 2019.

In general, I think the fan discontent stems from the long-held belief that Vizquel would eventually replace Rick Renteria as the manager in Chicago. I've never quite understood why that was the assumption, nor have I understood why it is just assumed that Vizquel would do a better job than Renteria has.

Clearly, Vizquel had a better playing career than Renteria, but that doesn't amount to a hill of beans when evaluating someone as a manager.

I'm left to conclude that some fans simply want Renteria gone. They believe anyone would be better, and they're just pissed off that Vizquel is no longer an option.

Sox add 7 players to 40-man roster

Rutherford, catcher Yermin Mercedes and pitchers Dane Dunning, Jimmy Lambert, Zack Burdi, Matt Foster and Bernardo Flores had their contracts purchased by the Sox on Wednesday. The seven players were added to the 40-man roster, bringing the roster to the maximum 40.

As a result, these men are not available to other clubs in the Rule 5 draft. Notable players who were not protected included pitchers Alec Hansen, Zach Thompson and Spencer Adams.

Mercedes was the big question mark. He batted .317/.388/.581 with 23 home runs and 80 RBIs in stops at Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He can hit, but he's poor defensively, and that seemed to be preventing him from getting a call to the majors.

If he had been exposed in the Rule 5 draft, it seems likely that a rebuilding team would have snagged him and given him a chance as a designated hitter. Now, he'll stay in the Sox organization, but the club has a logjam at catcher.

Even with Welington Castillo gone, there are four catchers on the 40-man -- James McCann, Zack Collins, Seby Zavala and Mercedes. It wouldn't be surprising to see a trade of one of these players who is not named McCann -- who is the presumed starter in 2020.

For me, Dunning, Lambert and Burdi are the no-brainers here. All three pitchers are coming off injuries, yes, but that would be all the more reason for a rival club to snag them in the Rule 5 draft and hide them on the injured list for half a season.

Dunning is the No. 5 prospect in the organization. Lambert ranks 18th and was thought to have a chance to make the majors in 2019 before he got hurt. Burdi is a former first-round draft pick.

Too much has been invested in these three players to risk losing them for nothing.

Here is the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot

Paul Konerko

Below is a list of every player on the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. Names are listed alphabetically:

Bobby Abreu, Josh Beckett, Heath Bell, Barry Bonds, Eric Chávez, Roger Clemens, Adam Dunn, Chone Figgins, Rafael Furcal, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton, Raúl Ibañez, Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Paul Konerko, Cliff Lee, Carlos Peña, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, J.J. Putz, Manny Ramírez, Brian Roberts, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Alfonso Soriano, Sammy Sosa, José Valverde, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Larry Walker.

Of note for White Sox fans, Konerko is on the ballot for the first time. I do not expect Konerko to make the Hall this year or any other year, but hey, I didn't expect Harold Baines to get in either, but he did.

Jeter is the only sure bet to get in among the other first-timers. Other notables making their first appearance on the ballot include Soriano, Giambi, Dunn, Lee and Abreu.

Me personally, I hope Giambi doesn't get in. He's a steroids guy, and I hold a grudge against him for cheating to win the 2000 American League MVP award. (Frank Thomas was more deserving.)

Walker is on the ballot for the final time, and we'll see if he can get the votes necessary for induction on his last kick at the can, much like Edgar Martinez did last year.

Players must appear on 75% of the ballots in order to be inducted. Last year, there were 425 ballots cast, so 319 votes were necessary to cross the 75% threshold.

Hall voters are required to submit their votes by the end of the calendar year, and this year's class will be announced Jan 21 on MLB Network. The 2020 induction will be July 26.

Mike Trout, Cody Belllinger win 2019 MVP awards

Mike Trout

Over the past eight seasons, here are Mike Trout's finishes in the MVP voting:

2012: 2nd
2013: 2nd
2014: 1st
2015: 2nd
2016: 1st
2017: 4th
2018: 2nd
2019: 1st

I used to be one of the people who thought the MVP should come from a playoff team, but even though the Los Angeles Angels stink, Trout is so far and away the best player in the American League that he shouldn't be denied the award.

This season, Trout batted .291/.438/.645 with 45 home runs and 104 RBIs and had very little help with the Angels. He missed the last 19 games of the season with an injury, and even that didn't matter in the voting.

Trout got 17 of the 30 first-place votes, while Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros got the other 13 first-place votes to finish second. No doubt, Bregman garnered the votes from the guys who want the MVP to come from a playoff team.

Former White Sox infielder Marcus Semien, now with the Oakland Athletics, finished in third place.

In the National League, Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers got 19 first-place votes to win the award. He beat out last year's winner, Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers, who got 10 first-place votes.

The other first-place vote went to third-place finisher Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals.

Yelich had a higher batting average than Bellinger (.329 to .305), a higher on-base percentage (.429 to .406) and a higher slugging percentage (.671 to .629). Can you tell I was partial to Yelich in this race? I don't think he had as much help with the Brewers as Bellinger had with the Dodgers.

But, to be fair to Bellinger, he had more homers than Yelich (47 to 44) and more RBIs (115 to 97). It's also true that Bellinger is a superior defensive outfielder, and he was healthy for the whole season.

Yelich missed the Brewers' last 18 games with a fractured kneecap, and voters apparently were not as forgiving toward him as they were to Trout. Bellinger played it out to the end, and his team won a league-best 106 games. That was enough to push him over the top.

Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom are 2019 Cy Young winners

Justin Verlander

After watching the playoffs unfold, I think Gerrit Cole is a better pitcher than Justin Verlander right now. But voting for the Cy Young Award occurs when the regular season ends, and postseason play is not a factor.

Through that lens, it's not a surprise that Verlander edged Cole -- his teammate with the Houston Astros -- for the American League honor, because Verlander's regular season was slightly better than Cole's.

Verlander got 17 of the 30 first-place votes, while Cole got the other 13 to finish second. Tampa Bay's Charlie Morton placed third in the voting, while the White Sox's Lucas Giolito finished sixth.

Verlander led the Major Leagues in wins (21), innings (223), batting average against (.171) and WHIP (0.80). He had a 2.58 ERA in a league-high 34 starts and finished with exactly 300 strikeouts. He also threw a no-hitter Sept. 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cole led the league in strikeouts (326) and had a better ERA than Verlander (2.50), while going 20-5. Cole gave up the same number of earned runs as Verlander (66) in 10.2 fewer innings, but the win total, the innings count and the no-hitter were enough to sway voters toward Verlander.

Really, whichever voters went here, they weren't wrong. I would have voted for Cole, but I can't say Verlander didn't deserve the award -- the guy was 21-6, that's a helluva year.

In the National League, Jacob deGrom's won-loss record over the past two seasons is nothing special. He was 10-9 in 2018, and he went 11-8 in 2019. But he won the Cy Young in both years because his peripherals are out of this world.

His WHIP was 0.97 this season, and that makes him the only qualified NL pitcher with a WHIP below 1.00 in each of the past two years.

This year, deGrom led the National League in strikeouts (255) and ranked second in ERA (2.43) and WHIP. He was third in innings with 204, and posted a 1.89 ERA over his final 23 starts, covering 152 innings.

That was good enough to dominate the voting, as deGrom totaled 29 of the 30 first-place votes. Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Los Angeles Dodgers got the only other first-place vote and finished second. Washington's Max Scherzer placed third.

Jose Abreu accepts qualifying offer from White Sox

Jose Abreu

First baseman Jose Abreu will be back with the White Sox for the 2020 season.

Abreu accepted the one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer from the team Thursday. The veteran can become a free agent without restriction after next season, but the possibility still exists that he could sign a multiyear deal -- perhaps a three-year contract -- that would keep him in Chicago beyond 2020.

Abreu, who will be 33 on Opening Day next season, batted .284/.330/.503 with a 33 home runs and an American League-leading 123 RBIs in 2019. He has topped 100 RBIs in five of his six seasons with the Sox.

In other news around the league, Minnesota right-hander Jake Odorizzi also accepted the one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer to remain with the Twins.

So, if you were looking for the Sox to potentially sign Odorizzi to fill a hole in the starting rotation, cross him off your list.

Rocco Baldelli, Mike Shildt win Manager of the Year awards

Mike Shildt

Some things never change: The Manager of the Year awards always go to guys who made the playoffs with a team the media didn't expect to be in the postseason.

Here in 2019, Rocco Baldelli of the Minnesota Twins and Mike Shildt of the St. Louis Cardinals won the awards in their respective leagues.

Everyone, including me, thought the Cleveland Indians would win the AL Central this season. They did not. Baldelli, who was in his first year with the Twins, led the team to 101 wins and a 23-game improvement. When the playoffs rolled around, it was the same old Minnesota -- the Twins got swept in the first round by the New York Yankees.

But that regular-season performance was enough for Baldelli to edge New York's Aaron Boone in the AL Manager of the Year balloting. Both men received 13 first-place votes, but Baldelli was second on 13 ballots, while Boone was second on only nine.

Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash got three first-place votes and finish third. Oakland's Bob Melvin finished fourth, and Houston's A.J. Hinch got one first-place vote and finished fifth.

In the National League, Shildt got the nod for leading the Cardinals to 91 wins and an NL Central title. I actually was not surprised by St. Louis' success -- I picked them to win that division.

I just kept that opinion mostly quiet, because I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and any White Sox fan who dares to question the greatness of the Cubs is subject to tar and feathering around here.

Most of the media had the Cubs winning the NL Central, too, even though the Brewers were the defending champions.

The Cubs, of course, were the mid-80s-win-total team I expected them to be. They finished third behind the Cardinals and Brewers, who won a wild card spot in the NL.

The respective managers of those two teams, Shildt and Milwaukee's Craig Counsell, finished 1-2 in the Manager of the Year balloting for "surprisingly" doing better than the Cubs.

Shildt got 10 first-place votes and 14 second-place votes to win the honor, while Counsell got 13 first-place votes, but only six second-place votes. Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves earned three first-place votes and finished third. Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers got four first-place votes and finished fourth.

Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez win Rookie of the Year awards

Pete Alonso

There wasn't much drama in this year's Rookie of the Year awards, was there?

Pete Alonso of the New York Mets collected 29 of the 30 first-place votes to win the National League honor, while Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros was a unanimous choice in the American League.

Alonso set a MLB rookie record with 53 home runs and batted .260/.358/.583 with 120 RBIs in 161 games. The previous record for rookie homers was set only two seasons ago, when Aaron Judge hit 52 in 2017.

Atlanta pitcher Mike Soroka got the other NL first-place vote and finished second, as he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts for the NL East champion Braves. San Diego shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. placed third in the balloting, despite playing only 84 games.

Tatis Jr. batted .317/.379/.590 with 22 home runs, 53 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in those 84 games, and he plays a premiere defensive position. If he had stayed healthy for a full season, it might have been a tight race between him and Alonso.

However, Alonso is the deserving winner because he produced at a high level and appeared in every Mets game but one.

In the American League, Alvarez also did not play a full season. He was not called up until June 9 and appeared in only 87 games. But, he batted .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs and 78 RBIs while playing for the AL champion Astros. That's outstanding production in a pennant race, and it's impossible to argue with this selection.

Baltimore pitcher John Means finished second in the voting, going 12-11 with a 3.60 ERA in 31 games (27 starts). Given that the Orioles went 54-108, it is not too shabby for a rookie to finish over .500.

Tampa Bay's Brandon Lowe placed third after batting .270/.336/.514 with 17 home runs in 82 games. Lowe got injured and only played six games after the All-Star break, which essentially killed his candidacy for the award.

Actually, I'm a little surprised the Sox's Eloy Jimenez finished fourth and behind Lowe. Jimenez had an uneven season, but he did finish with 31 home runs and 79 RBIs in 122 games. I would have thought that would be enough for a top-three finish in a weak rookie crop, but the voters decided otherwise.

Regardless, none of these AL rookies played as well as Alvarez, and really, if you don't have a case for first (Jimenez doesn't), it probably isn't worth too much discussion.

Taking a short vacation ...

Good morning, readers. I'm on a plane to Phoenix for my sister's wedding this Friday.

I'll return to Chicago on Monday afternoon, Nov. 12, so blogging will resume sometime shortly thereafter.

Cheers,

JB

Yolmer Sanchez wins Gold Glove for AL second baseman, other White Sox notes

Yolmer Sanchez

Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez became the first White Sox position player in 21 years to win a Gold Glove earlier this week, beating out Houston's Jose Altuve and New York's DJ LeMahieu for the American League award at his position.

The Sox have had their fair share of Gold Gloves won by pitchers -- Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy -- but no South Side position player had won the award since Robin Ventura took top honors at third base in 1998.

This might have been Sanchez's first and last chance to win a Gold Glove. He's a non-tender candidate this offseason because of his weak bat, and even if the Sox do bring him back at a reduced salary, he probably won't be the everyday second baseman anymore -- especially with Nick Madrigal waiting in the wings.

Of course, it's possible Sanchez leaves the Sox, catches on with another rebuilding team, wins a starting job and earns another Gold Glove. But the guess here is this was his one and only hurrah.

Abreu gets qualifying offer

First baseman Jose Abreu received the one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer from the Sox. He has 10 days to accept it, or become a free agent.

That would be a more-than-fair salary for Abreu, but I'm thinking he would like a multiyear deal. The Sox may very well give one to him, but it probably will be for less AAV.

I'm guessing two years, $25 million. Does that seem fair for a soon-to-be-33-year-old slugger who is productive but one-dimensional?

Martinez staying in Boston

For those who were hoping the Sox could sign J.D. Martinez to be their DH for next season, your hopes are dashed.

Martinez opted in to the three years and $62 million remaining on his contract with the Boston Red Sox.

A smart move by Martinez, in my view. Even though Martinez remains an elite run producer, there probably aren't more than three or four teams looking for a DH this offseason (the Sox, obviously, are one.).

I'm not sure Martinez would able to get better, either in terms of years or in AAV on the open market, with so few likely suitors.

White Sox trade Welington Castillo; Josh Osich also moving on

Welington Castillo

Even when the White Sox trade a hated and despised player, they do it in a strange way that invites criticism.

Take for this example this week's deal with Texas. The Sox sent catcher Welington Castillo and $250,000 in international bonus pool money to the Rangers in exchange for minor leaguer Jonah McReynolds.

What's interesting here is that neither the Sox nor the Rangers had any intent of having Castillo on their 2020 roster. There's an $8 million option on his contract, and who is going to pick that up for an injury-prone catcher coming off a season in which he batted .209?

Nobody.

The option includes a $500,000 buyout. The Sox apparently didn't want to pay that, even though they've got a bottom-third payroll, so they passed that financial obligation along to the Rangers. Why would Texas do that? The Rangers want that international bonus money, plain and simple.

There's precedence for this. You may recall that the Sox traded Nate Jones to Texas at the July trading deadline. Jones will never throw a pitch for the Rangers, who will pay his $1.25 million contract buyout this offseason. In that deal, Texas acquired $1 million in international bonus pool money.

Simplifying all this, essentially the Sox gave Texas $1.25 million in international bonus pool money in order to avoid paying $1.75 million in buyouts to two dead-weight veterans, Jones and Castillo.

Why would the Sox be eager to unload valuable international bonus pool money during a rebuilding cycle, and during a time when their minor league depth has been depleted by injuries? I have no idea. No idea at all.

I'm left to chalk this up to the usual Sox cheapness. Somehow I doubt that $1.75 million is going to make a difference one way or another in signing free agents this offseason.

Osich claimed on waivers by Red Sox

In other Sox news, left-handed reliever Josh Osich was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte and later claimed on waivers by the Boston Red Sox.

Osich went 4-0 with a 4.66 ERA in 57 games for the Sox this season, and somehow, he led the bullpen with 67.2 innings pitched. He had the fewest walks (15) of any Sox reliever, but he also allowed the most home runs (15).

Right-handed batters torched Osich with a .297/.344/.559 split this season. He was effective against lefties, however, limiting them to a .171/.200/.351 split.

It would seem as though Osich would have some utility as a left-handed specialist, but remember, there's a new rule coming in next season that requires relievers to face a minimum of three batters.

Pitchers such as Osich will run the risk of being overexposed to right-handed batters in this new era, and let's face it, he's not good enough to be considered irreplaceable.

Nationals use 4 starters, 2 relievers to beat Astros in World Series

World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg

Five times during the 2019 playoffs, the Washington Nationals faced elimination. In those five games, the Nationals trailed in all of them. However, they never lost.

Washington finished off an improbable run to a World Series championship Wednesday night, rallying to beat the Houston Astros, 6-2, in Game 7.

The Nationals trailed, 2-0, after six innings, but they came back with three runs in the seventh inning, one in the eighth and two in the ninth to stun the crowd in Houston and win the series, four games to three.

Most people will remember this series because the road team won all seven games -- that's never happened before in any sport. But hopefully, history will look back on this series as the one that brought good starting pitching back into fashion.

The Nationals won this series with basically six pitchers: World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson. The first four men on that list are starters; the last two are relievers.

Washington pitched 36 innings in this series, and 32.2 of them were handled by the six men listed above.

Strasburg earned his MVP with a brilliant, clutch performance in Game 6. He went 8.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a 7-2 Washington victory.

On the morning of Game 7, it was unclear who would pitch for the Nationals. But Scherzer answered the bell, three days after being scratched from his Game 5 start and taking a cortisone shot for back and neck muscle spasms.

Scherzer was far from his best, allowing 11 base runners (seven hits, four walks) over five innings, but only two of them scored. The Astros were ahead, 2-0, but they could have been ahead 6-0. Instead, they left 10 men on base and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. It was a gutsy outing by the Washington pitcher.

Worth noting: Houston also got brilliant starting pitching in Game 7. Zack Greinke allowed no runs on one hit through six innings, before he ran into mild trouble in the seventh inning.

Anthony Rendon homered with one out to make it 2-1, and Juan Soto followed with a walk. Greinke had only thrown 80 pitches, but you know, the analytics say you shouldn't let a starting pitcher face a lineup the third time through.

So even though Greinke had good stuff, Houston manager A.J. Hinch went to the bullpen. And then Hinch spent the rest of the game desperately trying to find a reliever who had stuff as good as Greinke's was.

Howie Kendrick greeted Will Harris with a two-run homer that put the Nationals ahead to stay at 3-2.

Soto's RBI single in the eighth made it 4-2 and added a run to Houston closer Roberto Osuna's tab. Then Washington scored two more in the ninth off Joe Smith and Jose Urquidy, with Adam Eaton delivering a two-run single to make it 6-2.

The Astros used five relievers, and the game got out of hand on their watch. So much for the era of "super relievers," huh? Maybe it is better to stick with an accomplished starter over a bunch of decent but not great relievers, no?

Meanwhile, the Nationals relieved Scherzer with another starting pitcher, Corbin, who worked three scoreless innings and earned the win in this clinching game. Hudson came on in his familiar relief role and worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts, no doubt setting off a wild celebration in the nation's capital.

Our congratulations go out to the Nationals and their fans. This was a surprising championship, but a well-earned one. Washington beat both the 106-win Dodgers and the 107-win Astros on its path to the title. You have to respect that performance.