Here are the 44 players coming to White Sox camp

The White Sox will report to Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday for their 2020 summer camp, ahead of the anticipated July 24 opening of the season.

As many as 60 players can participate, but for now, the Sox are bringing 44. Additional players eventually will be added to bring the roster to the full complement of 60, but general manager Rick Hahn says those players will not report until mid-July.

Thirty players will make up the Opening Day roster, while the remainder will make up a "taxi squad," which will conduct workouts elsewhere in Chicago to stay ready in the event of an injury or a COVID-19 infection. It is anticipated that no minor league baseball will be played this summer.

For now, let's take a look at the 44 players, position by position:

Catchers (4): Yasmani Grandal, James McCann, Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes

Comments: Grandal and McCann are roster locks, if healthy, and it remains to be seen whether the Sox want to use either Collins or Mercedes as a bench bat. Collins has the advantage of being a left-handed hitter, and of having had previous major league experience. Mercedes was impressive in March and played his way into the conversation.

Infielders (10): Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Edwin Encarnacion, Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Romine, Danny Mendick, Nick Madrigal, Cheslor Cuthbert

Comments: If healthy (a common phrase right now), Abreu, Anderson and Moncada are entrenched starters. Let's include Encarnacion in the entrenched starters group, as he will be the primary designated hitter. But what about second base? Garcia will be on the club as a super-utility guy, and the guess here is he starts the season at second base. The Sox will hold Madrigal back for a week for service time reasons. One week of sitting him out is all they need to retain another year of team control. Vaughn is a great prospect, but there are no at-bats for him right now at the big league level. Romine is a Quad-A extra who could see time in the event of an injury. Will Mendick make the 30-man roster, or will the Sox carry extra pitching? We'll see.

Outfielders (6): Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nomar Mazara, Adam Engel, Nicky Delmonico, Luis Alexander Basabe

Comments: We know the starters, if healthy, are Jimenez, Robert and Mazara. We know Engel is the extra outfielder, and we know Garcia provides extra depth when he's not playing infield. Delmonico is on the roster bubble. He was impressive in March, but he has a thin track record against major league pitching. Basabe's inclusion shows the Sox view him as the most rosterable among the remaining outfield prospects not named Robert.

Starting pitchers (9): Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Cease, Gio Gonzalez, Michael Kopech, Carlos Rodon, Dane Dunning, Jimmy Lambert

Comments: Kopech and Rodon should be completely recovered and ready to go after elbow surgeries. Neither man was expected to be on the Opening Day roster had the season started as scheduled, but now we figure to see both in the Sox's rotation. Gonzalez may no longer be needed as a starter, since he was viewed as a stopgap to get the Sox through the April, May and June. Still, he's a veteran presence, so he'll be on the team, perhaps as a long reliever. Only Dunning and Lambert, two others who are coming off elbow surgery, figure to not make the Opening Day roster. Suddenly, the Sox have seven starting pitchers to choose from.

Relief pitchers (15): Alex Colome, Aaron Bummer, Jimmy Cordero, Jace Fry, Kelvin Herrera, Steve Cishek, Carson Fulmer, Evan Marshall, Jose Ruiz, Ian Hamilton, Ross Detwiler, Codi Heuer, Tayron Guerrero, Tyler Johnson, Drew Anderson

Comments: Will they carry eight relievers? Perhaps nine? Maybe even 10? I guess it depends on how much they want to protect their starting pitchers, who probably won't be ready to pitch deep into ballgames right at the start of the season. The roster locks, if healthy, are Colome, Bummer, Cordero, Fry, Herrera, Cishek and Marshall. There's seven. At the start of the year, we thought Fulmer would get one more kick at the can because he's out of options. Maybe that's still true. Heuer impressed in Arizona in March and is a dark horse to make the roster.

Notable omissions: RHP Zack Burdi, C Seby Zavala, OF Micker Adolfo, OF Blake Rutherford, OF Luis Gonzalez, LHP Garrett Crochet, RHP Jared Kelley

Comments: Any or all of these guys could be added when the roster fills out to 60. It's a surprise Burdi isn't in the mix in the first group, just because so much has been invested in the former first-round pick. I figure Zavala will eventually come on board. What if two of the other four catchers get the coronavirus? Wouldn't it be nice to have a good defensive catcher such as Zavala hanging around? I believe so. As we said in the outfielders section, evidently Basabe is more highly regarded that the other fringy outfield prospects, all of whom I included on this list. Crochet and Kelley are the Sox's top two draft picks. Is there any plan for them this year? Crochet, in particular, could contribute immediately as a reliever, depending on how the Sox want to develop him.

All White Sox draft picks are signed; 5 players released

All five of the White Sox's 2020 draft picks have agreed to contracts. Their second-round pick, right-handed pitcher Jared Kelley, signed for $3 million, which as expected was overslot. Fifth-round pick Bailey Horn, a left-handed pitcher, agreed to sign for $150,000, which as expected was underslot.

Kelley basically got late first-round money. By way of comparison, his bonus matches the money received by another high school pitcher, Nick Bitsko, who was selected 24th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays. Kelley was the No. 47 overall selection.

Here's the final rundown on Sox draft picks and the money they signed for:

First round: Garrett Crochet, LHP, $4,547,500 ($4,547,500 slot)
Second round: Jared Kelley, RHP, $3,000,000 ($1,582,000 slot)
Third round: Adisyn Coffey, RHP, $50,000 ($733,100 slot)
Fourth round: Kade Mechals, RHP, $10,000 ($517,400 slot)
Fifth round: Bailey Horn, LHP, $150,000 ($386,600)

All total, the Sox spent $7,757,500 of their bonus pool. That is $7,300 less than their maximum allowed total of $7,764,800.

Five players released

Major League Baseball ended its roster freeze Friday, and the Sox released these five players: Caleb Frare, Zach Putnam, Matt Skole, Matt Tomshaw and Ramon Torres.


Remember spring 2019? We used to think Frare could be a viable left-handed reliever out of the bullpen, but he forgot how to throw strikes and hasn't seen the bigs since posting a 10.13 ERA in five April appearances last year.

Putnam was a pretty good reliever for the Sox from 2014-17. He appeared in 130 games with the South Siders and posted a 9-6 record with a 2.71 ERA and six saves over that time span. But, he had Tommy John surgery in 2017 and has never made it back to the majors. It's possible he's thrown his last professional pitch.

Skole, a left-handed hitting first baseman, somehow managed to get added to the 25-man roster in both 2018 and 2019. He batted .217/.290/.277 with one home run in 31 games and 93 plate appearances over those two seasons with the Sox.

Tomshaw and Torres? Well, I don't have much to say about them. Tomshaw is a 30-year-old lefty pitcher who was decent at Double-A, but he got hit around every time he was promoted to Triple-A. Torres, a utility infielder, was last seen playing for the Kansas City Royals in 2018. There's no reason to believe he would have had any role in the Sox organization.

ICYMI: White Sox sign top draft pick Garrett Crochet

Garrett Crochet

Perhaps because of the labor negotiations, we neglected to mention that the White Sox signed their No. 1 draft pick, Garrett Crochet, on Monday.

Crochet, a left-handed pitcher out of Tennessee, received a $4,547,500 signing bonus, which is equal to the recommended slot value for the No. 11 overall pick in the draft.

Among the five Sox draft picks, second-rounder Jared Kelley and fifth-rounder Bailey Horn remain unsigned.

Kelley's slot value is $1,580,200, but as we stated in a previous blog, he's getting more than that. No doubt he's getting first-round money.

After signing Crochet for slot, the Sox have $3,157,300 remaining in their draft pool. The guess here is they can get Kelley in the fold if they offer him about $3 million.

Opening Day is July 24; let's hope this all works out

Must admit, I'm surprised the league-imposed 2020 Major League Baseball schedule is going to be 60 games. I figured the owners would want a 48- or 52-game schedule, but I suppose by playing 60, they increase their chances of winning in court when the MLBPA inevitably files a grievance arguing that owners didn't bargain in good faith.

Anyway ... the latest news ... the union informed the league Tuesday that it will comply with the imposed outline for the 2020 season. Players will report to spring, err.., summer training on July 1, and the season is expected to begin July 24.

The two sides still are working to finalize health and safety protocols. The league is expected to conclude its regular season Sept. 27 -- for those scoring at home, that means 60 games in 66 days. The usual 10-team playoff format applies, and that should be over by the end of October.

If the league and the players can avoid having this whole thing shut down by stupid COVID-19. Let's hope the infections are kept to a minimum, and that we can have baseball. Well, hopefully, there are no infections, but I'm not sure how realistic that is.

MLBPA votes down 60-game proposal

The MLB Players Association voted, 33-5, on Monday to reject Major League Baseball's proposal to start the 2020 season, sources say.

The vote was conducted by the union's eight-member executive committee, plus one player representative per team.

The proposal called for:

• a 60-game season
• a 16-team expanded playoff
• prorated pay for players
• no additional salary guarantees should the season be canceled because of COVID-19
• the union to waive its right to file a grievance claiming the owners did not negotiate in good faith

The guess here is that fifth and final statement was the sticking point.

Where do we go from here? Well, we wait for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to tell the players "when and where" the 2020 season will begin, if it begins at all.

I think there are three ways this could go. MLB could cancel the season, fearing that COVID-19 could torpedo the playoffs in October, thus cutting off a large source of revenue that owners are counting on.

Or, Manfred could call for a season of 48 games, get the regular season over as quickly as possible, and hope for the best with the usual 10-team playoff.

Or, owners could be altruistic, have Manfred mandate a 60-game season and hope the playoffs get completed.

As a baseball fan, I hope the last option will happen, but rationally, I know better. We are looking squarely at one of the first two options I mentioned.

A 75% yes vote would be required to pass any plan Manfred chooses to implement. If eight owners vote to cancel the season, there will be no season.

White Sox have signed 2 of their 5 draft picks (but not the top 2)

Jim Callis, senior writer for MLB Pipeline, has been using his Twitter feed to keep the world updated on draft signings.

I'll spare you a lot of scrolling and just tell you that the White Sox have agreed on contracts with both third-round pick Adisyn Coffey and fourth-round pick Kade Mechals.

The Sox's top two picks, left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet and right-handed pitcher Jared Kelley remain unsigned, although a tweet from MLB.com's Scott Merkin said Crochet would be in Chicago for a physical this week, and that contract could be wrapped up soon. Fifth-round pick Bailey Horn also remains unsigned.

Coffey, a right-handed pitcher and sometimes shortstop out of Wabash Valley Community College, signed with the Sox for $50,000, well below the slot value of $733,100.

Mechals, a right-handed pitcher out of Grand Canyon University, underwent Tommy John surgery in May, so he had no leverage in contract negotiations. He got the standard rate that you would normally assign to a college senior who was selected on the second day of the draft: $10,000. In case you were wondering, slot rate is $517,400.

So, if you combine the savings on these two underslot deals for Coffey and Mechals, you get $1,190,500 that the Sox can put toward signing Kelley for first-round money.

The slot value for Crochet is $4,547,000. The slot value for Kelley is $1,582,000. I'm expecting Crochet to get right at that figure, or somewhere in the neighborhood.

Assuming Crochet signs at slot, the Sox would have $3,157,300 remaining in their draft pool with which to sign Kelley and Horn. With the 5 percent overage, the Sox can spend as much as $3,545,540 before they would have to surrender future draft picks.

The slot value on Horn is $386,600. He doesn't have a lot of leverage here as a fifth-round pick, so expect most of that $3 million-plus to go to Kelley, who most people believe was a first-round talent who slid to the second round because of signability issues.

Finally, a glimmer of hope in the MLB negotiations

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement Wednesday, and here it is:

“At my request, Tony Clark and I met for several hours yesterday in Phoenix. We left that meeting with a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement and subject to conversations with our respective constituents. I summarized that framework numerous times in the meeting and sent Tony a written summary today. Consistent with our conversations yesterday, I am encouraging the Clubs to move forward and I trust Tony is doing the same.”

Nothing has been agreed upon yet, but The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich posted a good article Wednesday night outlining the progress toward a deal that could start the 2020 season.

During the face-to-face meeting between Manfred and Clark, the owners offered a major concession: Players will get their full prorated salaries if the season is played. The league proposed a 60-game season that would start about July 19 or 20 and take place over 70 days.

The number of games remains a sticking point, according to The Athletic report. Players would like 70 games, of course, to maximize their earnings. The owners want 60 games, but with the season being played over a period of 70 days, perhaps there is room for compromise in there. Maybe 65 or 66 games in those 70 days?

If the season is 60 games, players would receive about 37% of their salaries, which is more than in any of the previous offers made by the owners. If 65 games are played, players would get 40% of their salaries, and I think that might be enough to broker a deal.

The league also has asked the union to consent to expanded playoffs in 2020 and 2021, and waive its right to file a grievance over scheduling. The latter would be a big concession from the union, but I don't think it's too big of an ask given that the owners have moved to allow full prorated salaries to be paid.

Let's hope this is the beginning of the end of this whole sad episode, and that we can have baseball back in about a month.

Rob Manfred takes his shot at title of worst commissioner ever

Rob Manfred on June 10: "We're going to play baseball in 2020, 100 percent."

MLB Players Association: "Tell us when and where."

Rob Manfred on June 15: "I'm not confident [there will be a season]. I think there's real risk, and as long as there's no dialogue, that real risk is gonna continue."

You can't help but hate the commissioner of Major League Baseball. After all, he hates baseball, a game many of us love. He's threatening to pull the plug on the 2020 season on the same day he's appearing on an ESPN special called, "The Return of Sports."

Oh, the irony.

Add his gross mismanagement of the restart negotiations to a list of transgressions that includes his push to destroy minor league baseball, his asinine handling of the electronic cheating scandal and his plans to implement a laundry list of ridiculous rule changes, and you have the worst commissioner in the history of baseball.

These talks on the potential restart of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been a farce, with the owners repackaging the same offer over and over again. Every thing they've offered ends in the same place, with the players being offered between 33% and 35% of their prorated pay. They're not going to take that; get a clue, Manfred!

And it's asinine for the owners to say the players are acting in "bad faith." The owners have done nothing but act in bad faith for years, screwing players over with service time manipulation, refusing to sign middle-tier free agents, stocking rosters with Quad-A players to "tank" seasons in the name of better draft positions, and downplaying players' abilities in arbitration hearings.

Granted, none of these things are against the rules. Some say it's "smart business," but one man's "smart business" is another man's bad faith. Over the past few years, we've routinely seen players get outleveraged on the business side of the game, and what's the response? "Welp, the players need to negotiate a better deal."

OK, fine, and now the players are, in fact, taking a hard line to try to get a better deal. Can you blame them? I can't.

I'm left with the conclusion that the owners simply don't want to play this year, because they will lose money, and they are sending Manfred out there to do their bidding.

Newsflash: In the middle of a pandemic, nobody is making money this year. It's about mitigating losses and living to fight another day right now. MLB is going to have even more trouble when another day comes because of all the bad will it is building up with fans and players right now.

I mean, let's be honest about this. If attendance suddenly shot up, would owners tack on some of those extra revenues to player contracts? Of course not. The contracts were signed, and a deal is a deal.

The same is true when the opposite happens. There will be no attendance, so revenues are going down. But you know what? The contracts were signed, and a deal is a deal. Both sides have to abide by the agreed upon terms regardless of what the overall revenues are.

The players are entitled to earn the salaries they negotiated, prorated to the number of games they play -- if any -- this season.

If Manfred was any kind of leader at all, he'd explain this to the owners. The owners are stewards of the game, and they are responsible for its long-term well-being. Right now, they are hurting the game's long-term well-being in the name of trying to avoid losses in 2020.

It's a failing strategy.

White Sox end up with two of the top 18 prospects in 2020 MLB Draft

There are two ways to look at the five pitchers the White Sox selected in the 2020 MLB Draft. Glass half full: They got two of the top 18 prospects in the draft. Glass half empty: Well, those two guys better pan out, because those other three guys are nothing special.

Believe it or not, the highest-rated player the Sox took in this draft was the guy they took in the *second* round. First-round pick Garrett Crochet was rated 18th overall by MLB Pipeline, while second-round pick Jared Kelley was ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the draft.

How did this happen? Well, let's go over it.

Kelley, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed pitcher out of Refugio High School in Texas, was considered the best high school arm in the draft. He can run his fastball up there in the high 90s, and he already has a changeup that he can use in games. The breaking ball is a work in progress, but this is a kid who has two pitches he can get outs with from day one.

Before the coronavirus ended high school baseball seasons everywhere, Kelley worked 12 innings this spring without allowing a hit. He struck out 34 batters and was named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.

So, how in the hell did the No. 12 prospect in the draft fall all the way to the Sox at pick No. 47? You could argue it's because of Kelley's lack of a slider, but the real reason is teams didn't think he would sign a contract. Kelley is committed to the University of Texas, and apparently, most clubs believed he intended to honor that commitment.

Not so fast, because the Sox are going to pay an overslot deal to sign him, and I'm sure they would not have chosen him had they not determined he was amenable to signing.

For those unfamiliar with the process, the Sox had a pool total of $7,764,800 that they could spend on their five draft picks. The No. 11 pick was slotted at $4,547,500, the No. 47 pick at $1,580,200 and so on.

The Sox might very well pay Crochet, the No. 11 overall pick, that $4,547,500. However, there's no question they are going to pay Kelley more than $1,580,200 to sign with them.

In fact, it's quite likely the Sox will pay most of that $7,764,800 on their first two picks. The other three guys? They will take whatever is left, and the Sox quite intentionally chose guys who aren't in position to command much:

Third round: Adisyn Coffey, RHP, Wabash Valley CC
Fourth round: Kade Mechals, RHP, Grand Canyon University
Fifth round: Bailey Horn, LHP, Auburn University

Coffey and Mechals weren't even ranked among the top 500 prospects in the draft. Mechals and Horn have already had Tommy John surgery. You can see how the Sox probably won't need much money to get these guys to sign on the dotted line.

Coffey is 21 years old, old for a junior college player, and he was slated to head to the University of Louisville, where he was going to pitch in the bullpen. But hey, he throws 95 mph and has a slider. Maybe that two-pitch mix will some day amount to something.

Mechals, a college senior, is a 5-foot-11 sinker-slider righty who is lauded for his command and pitchability. He had Tommy John surgery in May, so see you sometime in late 2021. Odds are, Mechals will be a guy who can provide competent innings as organizational filler in Triple-A Charlotte or Double-A Birmingham. A big-league career would be a pleasant surprise.

Horn, a 6-foot-2 lefty, is healthy after missing the 2018 season with Tommy John surgery. He made four starts at Auburn before the pandemic this spring, and he struck out 27 batters against five walks over 17.1 innings. The fastball sits at 92-93 mph. The slider is his second-best pitch, followed by his change. I've heard his curveball described as "meh."

In case you were wondering, the slot values for the third through fifth rounds are as follows:

Third round: $733,100
Fourth round: $517, 400
Fifth round: $386,600

I'm guessing those last three guys sign for below these figures, so that the first two guys -- especially Kelley -- can sign above theirs. Maybe Horn has a case to get the slot value, but Coffey and Mechals will definitely be below slot.

White Sox select left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet in first round

Garrett Crochet

As expected, I had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned five players that the White Sox could draft with the No. 11 overall pick in Wednesday's MLB Draft.

The Sox, of course, selected none of those five players. They took left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet out of the University of Tennessee.

I'm cool with taking a left-handed pitcher, even though Reid Detmers was my preference. Detmers was off the board when the Sox picked, however. He went No. 10 overall to the Los Angeles Angels.

When Crochet was chosen, the MLB Network guys compared him to Chris Sale. Um, OK.

I think there is some sort of rule that every player who gets picked in the first round has to be compared to someone who is a perennial All-Star, or somebody who is in the Hall of Fame. But I digress.

Crochet is a low-arm slot lefty with durability concerns. He's missed time in each of the past two seasons, with a broken jaw and then a sore shoulder. To be fair, the broken jaw came as a result of a line drive being hit right back at him, and what's a pitcher to do about that? That's just bad luck.

In any case, Crochet has the tools. His fastball sits at 96-100 mph, with the second-highest spin rate of any pitcher in the draft class. His slider is 70-grade, and it wipes out left-handed hitters. He's also got a changeup that he probably hasn't had to use much at Tennessee.

That actually sounds a little like Carlos Rodon when he came out of college. I'm not going to make the Sale comp, because Sale has three dominant pitches that he can throw for strikes in any count. Who has that? Not many people.

Crochet doesn't have great fastball command, and it's a pity he didn't get a chance to work on that this spring with the college baseball season being canceled.

Here's one way we might be able to draw a comparison between Crochet and Sale: Don't be surprised if Crochet comes to the big leagues quickly ... as a reliever. He's 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, and with his velocity and plus slider, he could probably pitch in certain situations out of the bullpen relatively quick. Given his arm angle and big body, he looks like a nightmare for lefty hitters.

Of course, with a first-round draft pick, you want more that just a situational pitcher. You want a cornerstone for your starting rotation. We'll see how the Sox plan to develop Crochet over the next year to 18 months.

5 players the White Sox could draft in the first round

The MLB Draft will be held Wednesday night, and the White Sox own the 11th overall selection. Who will they pick?

Under normal circumstances, you always say take the best player available, regardless of position, right? This isn't like the NFL or the NBA, where you're drafting for need and looking for immediate impact. In baseball, you figure even the best players available in the draft are a couple of seasons away from making a meaningful contribution, so it's folly to pick someone to address a need -- how can you guess what your needs will be two or three years from now?

Well, the Sox are in a unique situation. They have several young core position players under team control for the long term. Look at the roster, and you can find long-term solutions either already in place or on the way at first base, second base, shortstop, third base, left field and center field. The Sox also have an abundance of power right-handed starting pitchers.

You have to believe and hope that this core is still going to be around in two or three years, so the Sox might actually benefit from drafting for positions that don't have a long-term solution.

How about a young catcher? Yasmani Grandal is 31, and nobody really believes Zack Collins is the heir apparent anymore. How about a left-handed pitcher to complement the righties in the rotation? Maybe a left-handed bat? Aside from the switch-hitting Yoan Moncada, there aren't a lot of power sources from the left side in the lineup. Or, maybe the team needs to address its lack of middle infield depth.

With those things in mind, here are five guys the Sox could draft at No. 11 on Wednesday night:

1. Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville: This 20-year-old pitcher is not overpowering, which is why he may slip down to the 11th spot in the draft, but he is widely considered the most polished college pitcher available. His fastball sits in the low 90s with good command. His curve is a plus pitch, and he's got a changeup too. He projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter, and he could be a nice complement to a staff that is right-handed heavy.

2. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas: The Sox have two outfielders who are expected to be a part of the long-term plan in Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. Both are right-handed bats. How about a left-handed bat to fill out the trio? Maybe Kjerstad can be that guy. He hit 37 home runs in 150 games at Arkansas. His college K rate (22%) is a little high, but the power that's needed to play a corner outfield spot is there.

3. Patrick Bailey, C, N.C. State: Grandal is under contract for three more years after this one, but there's nobody in the pipeline who looks like a candidate to replace him. So perhaps the switch-hitting Bailey is a fit. He's seen as a bat-first guy, but he's thought to be an adequate receiver with a good arm. Unlike Collins, the consensus seems to be that Bailey can stick at catcher as a professional.

4. Robert Hassell, OF, Independence (Tenn.) HS: The Sox have a long-standing reputation of playing it safe by taking college players, but if they want to gamble on a high school kid, they could do worse than Hassell. Some think he's the best high school hitter in this year's class, and if he's not, he's the second-best. Again, this is a left-handed hitter, something in short supply in the Sox's system. The hit tool is considered better than the power tool at this point, which you'd expect from an 18-year-old kid. Obviously, this would be a longer-term project.

5. Ed Howard, SS, Mount Carmel HS: Maybe the Sox take the local kid? Howard would be a longer-term project, but maybe he's ready for a shot about the time Tim Anderson reaches free agency. Howard projects as the best defensive shortstop in the draft. He's a plus athlete at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, and most scouts say he's got the bat speed to hit for power one day. This is not a player who is a candidate for a position change. He's a shortstop, and he's a South Sider. He might be a reach at 11, but he's a definite first-rounder.

Of course, now that I've offered this opinion, the Sox will select someone who I haven't mentioned.

MLB's latest proposal for a 76-game season doesn't help matters

Reports that MLB would not offer another proposal for resuming play apparently were false, as the league apparently sent the players association a new proposal on Monday.

Too bad it isn't going to bring us much closer to starting the 2020 season.

Here are the particulars:

• There would be a 76-game regular season, ending Sept. 27. Playoffs would conclude at the end of October, as per usual.
• Players would only be guaranteed 50% of their already prorated salaries for the regular season. If the postseason is completed without a "second wave" of COVID-19 in the fall, players would receive up to 75% of their prorated salaries.
• Draft pick compensation would be removed for the upcoming free agent class. In other words, if you sign a free agent next offseason, you don't have to forfeit a draft pick to the team that you signed the player away from. In the past, this rule has been cited as a reason why teams shy away from signing veteran free agents.

This deal is not going to interest the union, and here's why: Even if the postseason goes off without a hitch and this plan is seen through to its entirety, players would receive only 35 percent of their usual salaries.

By way of comparison, if commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally imposed a 50-game season with players receiving prorated salaries -- which Manfred is allowed to do according to a deal agreed upon in March -- players would receive only 31 percent of their usual salaries.

If you're a player, do you want to play 26 more games -- and risk your health 26 more times -- for such a small increase in pay? I'm guessing not.

The owners' first proposal included 82 games and a "sliding scale" of salaries, and the players' cut in this 76-game proposal is only percentage points higher.

In other words, the owners are basically proposing the same thing over and over again: 82 games, 50 games, 76 games, it doesn't matter. All of these proposals have the players receiving roughly the same amount of salary.

The owners want the public to believe they've moved, going from 50 games to 76, but in the players' eyes, they haven't really moved at all.

It's still hard to be optimistic that we'll see baseball this summer, even with the country crying out for entertainment and some normalcy.

114 games or 50 games? That's a drastic disparity ...

So, the Major League Baseball Players Association extended an offer to the owners over the weekend. Among the highlights:

• The union proposed a 114-game regular season -- a significant increase over the 82 games previously proposed by owners. The 114-game plan calls for Opening Day to occur June 30, with games running through Halloween, with postseason to follow. (How is that going to work in northern cities? Have you been in the Midwest in November?)
• The union offered up to $100 million in salary deferrals, should the postseason have to be canceled because of the public health crisis. The owners are very worried about a "second wave" of COVID-19 appearing in the fall that stops baseball from being played -- most of the money owners would make this season would come from postseason TV contracts.
• The union is amenable to expanded playoffs not only this year, but also in 2021. More playoff games, of course, means more revenues, and both sides want that.

Of course, the owners are never going to agree to this plan. They'll say the 114 games is too much, especially with the players continuing to stick to their guns on demanding prorated salaries.

But strangely, I'm reading reports this afternoon that owners are going to counter with an offer that includes only about 50 regular-season games. 

Wow.

I guess that would be good for flawed, underdog teams like the White Sox. If you get hot for three weeks, you're in good shape to make the playoffs in an expanded format. But for just that reason, is there really much integrity in a baseball season that is that short?

Obviously, we won't get the meritocracy that comes with the usual 162-game schedule this year regardless, but don't you think we need to see at least a half-season of games to feel as though the results are legitimate?