White Sox rebuild arc vs. Cubs rebuild arc: A comparison

The current era of White Sox baseball started Dec. 6, 2016. That was the day general manager Rick Hahn traded All-Star pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects -- Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz.

As we all know, Moncada is now the starting third baseman (when healthy) on the South Side, and Kopech is a member of the starting rotation (when healthy) -- although neither has fully lived up to the hype that surrounded them as prospects. Those other two guys in the deal flamed out, but that's not the point of this blog.

The point of this blog is that the Sox are now in Year 7 of this grand project, and it hasn't yielded the promised results. From day one, I was skeptical of Hahn's master plan. The fact is, my view was the minority one. Most Sox fans bought in.

Why did they buy in? Well, let's remember what the baseball climate was like in Chicago in winter 2016. The crosstown Cubs had just won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, the culmination of a five-year rebuild executed by then-team president Theo Epstein.

Sox fans looked at that and thought, "Yes, this is the way forward. It worked for them. It can work for us, too. Let's do it!"

But there was one key difference: The Cubs were put in the ditch by their former GM, Jim Hendry. There was an ownership change on the North Side, and a new regime was brought in -- led by Epstein -- to take a fresh look at some old problems. Hendry and the old guard were fired.

On the South Side, the Sox have had the same owner since 1981. They've had the same GM since 2013. Those people were responsible for the franchise bottoming out from 2013-16. You can't change the owner, but at minimum, Hahn should have been replaced. Instead, he was given a second chance to rebuild the club, and frankly, he's done little with it.

Let's compare the arcs of the respective rebuilds on both sides of town. For purposes of this exercise, we'll look at the Cubs from 2012-18, and we'll look at the Sox from 2017 to present day.

So, for the Cubs, "Year 1" is 2012. Year 1 is 2017 for the Sox. Year 2 is 2013 for the Cubs and 2018 for the Sox, so on and so forth:

Year 1

Cubs: 61-101, finished fifth in NL Central

White Sox: 67-95, finished fourth in AL Central

Year 2

Cubs: 66-96, finished fifth in NL Central

White Sox: 62-100, finished fourth in AL Central

Year 3

Cubs: 73-89, finished fifth in NL Central

White Sox: 72-89, finished third in AL Central

Year 4

Cubs: 97-65, NL wild card, won NLDS, lost in NLCS

White Sox: 35-25, AL wild card, lost in first round of playoffs (pandemic-shortened season)

Year 5

Cubs: 103-58, NL Central champions, won NLDS, won NLCS, World Series champions 

White Sox: 93-69, AL Central champions, lost in ALDS

Year 6

Cubs: 92-70, NL Central champions, won NLDS, lost in NLCS

Sox: 81-81, finished second in AL Central

Year 7

Cubs: 95-68, NL wild card, lost in NL wild card game

Sox: 6-10 through first 16 games.

What do we notice here? There are two things in common. Both teams put their fans through three years of intentional losing, but when the Cubs came out of it in the fourth year, they had an elite team. The Sox were good, but clearly not among the elite teams in the AL. 

Both of these rebuilding projects peaked in the fifth year. The Cubs' rebuild resulted in that World Series. The Sox rebuild peaked with a division title and a quick ouster from the playoffs.

After the Cubs won, they were still contenders for two more years. Despite a decline in play, they still won a playoff series in Year 6, while the Sox finished 11 games out in their division. The Cubs were a playoff team in Year 7, too. There's 146 games to go in Year 7 for the Sox, but it's not looking good so far.

This is not to say the Cubs were the model rebuild. Look to the Houston Astros for that. They've made the ALCS in each of the past six seasons. They have made the World Series four times, and they've won it twice -- 2017 and 2022.

Basically, I'm seeing three levels of rebuilds here. At the top of the pyramid, you have the Astros. They were trash for four years, from 2011-14. But once they started climbing, they got to the top in 2017 and have stayed there ever since.

The Cubs are in the middle tier. They got to the top in 2016, but they couldn't stay there. The championship core was disassembled in 2020-21, and they've started anew with a different group of players.

At the bottom tier, we find the Sox, who put their fans through three seasons of intentional losing -- all for a grand total of two contention seasons.

You read that right: The intentional losing on the South Side of Chicago lasted longer than the contention window. It shouldn't be a surprise that fans are so pissed off. They were promised parades. They were promised contention for "multiple championships." Instead, they got a 2-5 record across two playoff appearances.

Whoop dee doo. Soon it will be time to start over. Sox fans can only hope someone other than Hahn will lead the next rebuild.

Tim Anderson hits the IL; White Sox lose two straight at Minnesota

The 2023 White Sox are starting to look like the bad sequel to the box office bust known as the 2022 White Sox.

Tim Anderson, who was limited to 78 games last season by injury, once again hit the injured list Tuesday. He's out 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee after a collision with Minnesota's Matt Wallner during a botched rundown during Monday's game.

Anderson joins Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) on the sidelines, along with erstwhile reliever Joe Kelly (groin), who was hurt running in from the bullpen during a bench-clearing incident Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Third baseman Yoan Moncada did not play in any of the three games against the Twins. He's listed as day-to-day with back soreness.

That leaves Luis Robert Jr. as the only man standing among "the core 4" of Sox position players. All of that feels eerily familiar.

Also eerily familiar is bad defense. The Sox lost, 4-3, in 10 innings Tuesday night when Hanser Alberto's throwing error allowed the Twins to score the winning run.

Remember when Rick Hahn said the Sox were going to stop putting first basemen in the outfield? Well, there was Gavin Sheets in right field on Wednesday, and he fell down on a routine fly ball that was scored a "triple," leading to the first Minnesota run in an eventual 3-1 Sox loss.

The Sox have played four series so far this season. They've lost three and split one. Two weeks into the season, they have yet to win consecutive games. Their record is 5-8.

During the three seasons of intentional losing (2017-19), we were assured that a prolonged "contention window" was coming. Whatever window there was seemed to close after a quick playoff exit in 2021.

Sox fans, are we having fun yet?

White Sox bullpen locks up 4-3 win in Minnesota

Dylan Cease

There is no such thing as a "big game" in April, but it felt as though the White Sox needed a win Monday against the Minnesota Twins.

They were coming off a lackluster series in Pittsburgh, during which they lost two of three games. Ace Dylan Cease was Monday's starting pitcher, and he was facing a short-handed Twins lineup. Byron Buxton took a scheduled day off, while Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo were out of the lineup with minor ailments.

Well, it wasn't pretty, but the Sox won, 4-3, behind four scoreless innings from a combination of four relief pitchers.

Cease (2-0) earned the win, but his outing was limited to five innings because poor infield defense cost him three runs and about 15 to 20 extra pitches. Hanser Alberto made two miscues -- one an error and one not (because you can't assume a double play) -- that cost the Sox a run in each of the third and fourth innings.

Elvis Andrus and Gavin Sheets both made errors in the bottom of the fifth that cost Cease a third run. 

Cease's final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BBs.

But for all his shortcomings on defense, Alberto delivered the decision blow of the game -- a 3-run homer off Minnesota starter Kenta Maeda (0-2) that capped a four-run fourth inning. Andrew Benintendi and Sheets singled. Yasmani Grandal singled, scoring Benintendi, and setting up Alberto's blast on a hanging slider.

Cease exited the game after 99 pitches. Jimmy Lambert worked a scoreless sixth, and Kendall Graveman worked around a single to deliver a scoreless seventh.

Aaron Bummer got two outs in the eighth, and left with the tying run on third base. Reynaldo Lopez struck out Michael A. Taylor to end that threat, then worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his second save of the season.

The Sox are 5-6.

White Sox designate pitcher Jose Ruiz for assignment

The White Sox on Friday designated relief pitcher Jose Ruiz for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Jesse Scholtens from Triple-A Charlotte.

Ruiz, who has made 177 relief appearances with the Sox from 2018 to present, was off to a terrible start this season. He's been in four games, allowing nine runs, eight hits, four walks, two HBPs and three home runs over 3.2 innings pitched.

The season ERA for Ruiz? 22.09, which is higher than the 21.60 ERA posted by utility infielder Hanser Alberto in his two pitching appearances.

That will get you designated for assignment.

Scholtens, who just turned 29 on Thursday, has never pitched in the majors before. He was a ninth-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2016. Up until this year, he had been in the Padres organization.

He made one start with Charlotte this week, giving up four earned runs in four innings. He's stretched out as a starter, so that means he can work in long relief for the Sox. That's a role that is needed right now.

Through seven games, the Sox have received only one quality start -- Dylan Cease on opening night. With starters failing to go any deeper than five innings in games, the Sox bullpen has been taxed early. They need a guy who can give them multiple innings in relief.

Scholtens is getting the opportunity. We'll see what he does with it.

Hanser Alberto pitches again as White Sox makes fools of themselves

Utility infielder Hanser Alberto has made two appearances as a relief pitcher in the first three White Sox home games of the season.

That's not a good sign. The San Francisco Giants pounded the Sox, 16-6, on Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field to take two of three in the series.

The Giants totaled 20 hits, including five home runs, and capitalized on a terrible start by right-hander Lance Lynn (0-1).

The veteran was lucky to last until the fifth inning, and he probably shouldn't have been allowed to pitch that long. In 4.1 innings, he allowed eight runs on nine hits -- three home runs -- while striking out five and walking three.

Things didn't get much better with Jose Ruiz (2 ER), Gregory Santos (2 ER) or Alberto (4 ER) on the mound.

As you might recall, the Sox lost Monday's game, 12-3, so a San Francisco team that is expected to be middle-of-the-pack in the National League had no trouble padding its numbers.

For the three-game series, the Giants totaled 31 runs on 38 hits. They drew 22 walks, and out-homered the Sox, 13-1.

The 13 home runs marked the most the Sox have EVER given up in a three-game series at home. They've been playing ball on the South Side of Chicago since 1901, so that's saying something. What we saw this week is nothing short of historical ineptness.

Through seven games this season, the Sox have issued a league-high 40 walks. They've also surrendered a league-high 15 home runs. Given that, they are fortunate to be 3-4. This is not a recipe for success of any sort, short term or long term.

Are we enjoying this alleged "championship window" yet, Sox fans? From what you've seen so far, do you feel as though this team has any chance to win in 2023? It's early, but it's been a brutal first week.

The Sox now go on the road for six games, three in Pittsburgh over the weekend and three at Minnesota from Monday to Wednesday next week. 

We know the Pirates are not contenders, so if they bomb the Sox pitchers too, we know we've got bigger problems than we thought.

Eloy Jimenez to injured list; White Sox top Giants

Eloy Jimenez

Remember 15 or 20 years ago when White Sox fans would (rightfully) mock Cubs fans, who started every season by saying, "If Prior and Wood are healthy ..."?

Mark Prior and Kerry Wood were never healthy, and as a result, the Cubs of that era never lived up to the massive amount of hype they received in the local press.

Well, Sox fans, I hate to tell you this, but we are exactly like the Cubs fans of the Prior-Wood time frame right now. All we do is talk about how awesome our team would be if "they could just stay healthy," when the fact of the matter is the Sox are never healthy.

They haven't been healthy in three years, and there's no reason to believe players who are always getting hurt will stop getting hurt. 

Eloy Jimenez is the first core player to be sidelined this year. The 26-year-old designated hitter was injured running the bases during the seventh inning of Monday's loss to the San Francisco Giants. He is expected to be out 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain, but with Jimenez's injury history, you have to be concerned that this will linger for longer than that.

Injuries limited Jimenez to only 55 games in 2021, and 84 games in 2022. The guy is a prodigious offensive talent, but sad to say, you can't trust him to be ready to play. He's made of glass. Always injured. 

The Sox recalled infielder Jake Burger from Triple-A Charlotte to take Jimenez's place on the roster. I would expect Burger to form the right-handed half of a designated hitter platoon while Jimenez is on the shelf. I would expect Gavin Sheets to be the left-handed half of the platoon.

Speaking of which, Sheets got the start at DH on Wednesday, and he went 2 for 4 with two singles and three RBIs to help the Sox to a 7-3 win over the Giants.

Dylan Cease (1-0) struggled with his command, walking five over five innings pitched. But he also struck out eight and limited the Giants to one hit -- a solo home run by J.D. Davis.

Luis Robert Jr. also had a good game for the Sox, going 3 for 4 with an RBI double, two singles and two runs scored.

The Sox are 3-3. After last season's 81-81 campaign, that's pretty much on brand, right?

White Sox embarrass themselves in home opener

Once upon a time, the day the White Sox began their home schedule was one of my favorite days of the year. Today, however, was just another Monday. Nothing more, nothing less. I never considered attending today's game.

I wasn't interested in going. I'm sick of the organization. I'm sick of all the big talk and no results. I don't like the owner. I don't like the front office. I don't like the players. I'm not excited about the season. I'm completely ready to move on from this era of Sox baseball. 

There was no reason for me to take a day off work to watch more slop, especially because the home opener is about a $200 investment. 

Sitting this one out was a good decision, as the San Francisco Giants pounded seven home runs and embarrassed the Sox, 12-3, at Guaranteed Rate Field.

I'm really happy I chose not to light $200 on fire by going to this game.

Michael Kopech pitched a terrible game for the Sox. He went 4.2 innings and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits, including five homers. He gave up four home runs in the top of the fifth inning alone. He exited the game trailing 7-0.

The Sox got two runs back in the seventh, highlighted by Andrew Vaughn's RBI double. They made it 7-3 in the eighth on Luis Robert Jr.'s second home run of the season.

However, the Giants put it away by blasting reliever Jose Ruiz for two more homers and five runs in the ninth. We've heard a lot of talk this spring about Ruiz pitching well for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, and how he's "ready" for more high-leverage work.

Well, right now, Ruiz is so bad that he's a candidate for release. He's given up seven earned runs in two innings across three appearances so far this season. The guy is 28 years old, and he's been with the Sox since 2018. Let's be honest about who he is: He's the 12th or 13th guy on a pitching staff on a mediocre team. Don't expect him to suddenly morph into a trusted relief option.

The ninth inning got so bad, in fact, that utility infielder Hanser Alberto had to come off the bench to pitch and record the last two outs.

That's right: The Sox had a position player pitching because they got their asses totally kicked in their home opener.

The game did not sell out, and you can't blame fans for not showing up.

The Sox are 2-3 so far this season.