2021 White Sox: Where are they now?

With the White Sox poised to spend yet another season as the punchline of Major League Baseball, it's hard to believe they are only four years removed from being American League Central Division champions.

Yes, the 2021 Sox were a one-ply roster. They were not built for long-term success, regardless of what the talking heads in the organization sold you, and it was no surprise that they did not win a playoff round.

Still, the fall from a 93-69 season has been steep, and most of the players from that postseason-qualifying team are gone. Many of them have fallen on rough times. Here's a look at where key players from that team are heading into the 2025 season:

Yasmani Grandal, C: The 36-year-old batted .228 with nine homers and 27 RBIs last year for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He remains a free agent heading into spring training.

Jose Abreu, 1B: The 38-year-old left the Sox after the 2022 season and signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros. But he didn't make it through the second season. The Astros designated Abreu for assignment in 2024, when he batting .124 with only two homers in 35 games. He hasn't officially retired. He's a free agent, but his career might be over.

Cesar Hernandez, 2B: Hernandez last played in the majors in 2022 with the Washington Nationals.

Tim Anderson, SS: The Sox let their former batting champion go after he slumped to a .245 average with only one homer in 2023. Things did not improve for Anderson in 2024, as he batted .214 with no home runs in 65 games with Miami Marlins. He was designated for assignment midseason. He's signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels this offseason.

Yoan Moncada, 3B: Injuries limited Moncada to only 12 games in the 2024 season. The Sox understandably tired of him and declined his contract option for the 2025 season. Unlike some of his former teammates in Chicago, Moncada has a guaranteed major league contract for this year. He's with the Angels on a one-year prove-it deal worth $5 million.

Eloy Jimenez, LF/DH: The Sox were lucky to find a taker for Jimenez at the trade deadline last season, but his struggles continued with the Baltimore Orioles. He batted just .232 with a homer and seven RBIs in 33 games. The lack of power is notable -- Jimenez totaled only six home runs in 98 games between Chicago and Baltimore. He'll be with the Tampa Bay Rays on a minor league deal this spring.

Luis Robert Jr., CF: Hey, someone who is still with the Sox! For now. Robert is coming off a terrible season that saw his home run total slip from 38 to 14, and his OPS slip from .857 to .657. Ouch. The Sox are hoping he can stay healthy the first half of the season and regain some value, so they can deal him for futures at the trade deadline this summer.

Leury Garcia, Utility: The three-year contract former GM Rick Hahn gave Garcia after the 2021 season is finally off the books. Garcia hasn't played for the Sox since being designated for assignment in spring training 2023, before the second year of his deal even started. As a matter of fact, Garcia hasn't played in the majors since he left the Sox. He was in the Atlanta Braves organization last year. He's currently a free agent. 

Lucas Giolito, SP: Giolito has fallen on hard times since he left the Sox. He had a 6.89 ERA in six starts with the Angels. Then he went to the Cleveland Guardians and a had 7.04 ERA in six starts there. He missed the 2024 season with an arm injury after signing with the Boston Red Sox. He is expected to pitch for Boston in 2025.

Dylan Cease, SP: The Sox traded Cease in spring training 2024, and he made 33 starts for a playoff team, going 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA with the San Diego Padres. He pitched a no-hitter during the 2024 season. He has one year remaining on his contract with San Diego.

Carlos Rodon, SP: Rodon left Chicago in free agency after the 2021 season. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants, then hit the open market again and cashed in big. He's entering the third year of a six-year contract with the New York Yankees that will pay him $162 million over the life of the deal. He was a 16-game winner with AL champion New York last season.

Lance Lynn, SP: The Sox traded Lynn to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the middle of the 2023 season. He then signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency, where he went 7-4 in 23 starts in 2024. The 37-year-old is looking for a team again this offseason. Despite a decent campaign last year, he remains a free agent.

Dallas Keuchel, SP: The veteran lefty started the 2022 season by going 2-5 with a 7.88 ERA in his first eight starts. The Sox decided to eat his contract, and Keuchel has since been roaming aimlessly around the league. He has since pitched ineffectively for Arizona, Texas, Minnesota and Milwaukee. He's now under contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Liam Hendriks, Closer: Hendriks just turned 36 on Monday, and his story is familiar to fans. He beat cancer in early 2023 and returned to the mound to make five relief appearances with the Sox. Alas, he blew out his arm and needed Tommy John surgery. The Sox bought his contract out after the 2023 season, and he signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. He didn't pitch in 2024, but is expected back for the second season of his contract this year.

It's remarkable how quickly these guys have all scattered to the wind, isn't it?

Lucas Giolito, Chris Sale joining new teams

Lucas Giolito

Erase the idea of Lucas Giolito coming back to the White Sox on a one-year prove-it deal. The 29-year-old right-hander did better than that on the open market, securing a two-year contract worth $38.5 million from the Boston Red Sox.

Giolito will earn $18 million in 2024, with an option to get out of the deal next winter. He will receive a $1 million buyout if he opts out. His 2025 salary will be $19 million if he opts in.

If he opts in, that activates a conditional option covering 2026. If Giolito throws fewer than 140 innings in 2025, the Red Sox have a $14 million team option for 2026. If Giolito tops 140 innings, there's a $19 million mutual option. Buyouts in either case would total $1.5 million.

Giolito had a bizarre 2023 campaign. The White Sox traded him to the Los Angeles Angels in late July. Eventually, the Angels placed him on waivers, where he was claimed by Cleveland. He finished his season with the Guardians. Here's how he fared with each of the three teams:

• White Sox: 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA over 20 starts; 134 Ks in 121 IP.
• Angels: 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA over 6 starts; 34 Ks in 32.2 IP.
• Guardians: 1-4 with a 7.04 ERA over 6 starts; 39 Ks in 30.2 IP.

Would you believe it if I told you Giolito allowed 41 home runs over 184.1 innings last season? Forty-one!

But here's the funny thing: He allowed 20 of those homers over his 21 starts with Chicago. That home run rate is certainly higher than one might like, but that's nothing until you consider that Giolito allowed 21(!) homers in his combined 12 starts with the Angels and Guardians.

Indeed, this is the rare player who got WORSE when he left the White Sox. He couldn't keep the ball in the yard with the Angels or Guardians. What does that mean for him pitching with Boston and the short porch in left field at Fenway Park? We shall see.

What we do know is Giolito will not be teammates with former Sox ace Chris Sale, who was traded from Boston to Atlanta for infielder Vaughn Grissom. Sale waived his no-trade clause, and Boston included $17 million in the deal to help the Braves cope with Sale's $27.5 million salary for this upcoming season.

Around here, we're not too interested in the composition of the Atlanta rotation, but I do think this move means the Braves are OUT on any potential deal for Sox right-hander Dylan Cease. Atlanta just wasn't going to give up multiple prospects to fortify its pitching staff, and it didn't have to do that in order to acquire Sale.

If you're still thinking Cease will be on the move this offseason, potential suitors might include the Red Sox, as well as the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees or Cincinnati Reds.

Lance Lynn pitching well since joining Los Angeles Dodgers

Former White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn has been rejuvenated since the late-July trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At the time of the deal, Lynn was 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA across 21 starts with Chicago. That 6.47 ERA was the worst among qualified starting pitchers in all of baseball.

But since escaping the Sox and their "bad culture," the 36-year-old has discovered the fountain of youth. In four starts with the Dodgers, he's 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA.

Lynn received a no-decision Thursday night, but he tossed seven shutout innings in a 1-0 Los Angeles victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here's a look at the pitching lines for Lynn with the Dodgers:

Aug. 1 vs. Oakland: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 Ks, 1 BB -- WIN

Aug. 6 vs. San Diego: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BBs -- WIN

Aug. 11 vs. Colorado: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 9 Ks, 1 BB -- WIN

Aug. 17 vs. Milwaukee: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 Ks, 1 BB- ND

Total: 25 IP, 17 H, 5 R, 4 ERs, 25 Ks, 5 BBs

So, what's different? Well, the Dodgers told Lynn to throw fewer cutters and more four-seam fastballs. Obviously, it's working, and that's led to some irate Sox fans. Why didn't pitching coach Ethan Katz order this adjustment while Lynn was still pitching on the South Side?

Before we get too mad, let me point out one thing: Lynn hasn't been facing good offenses since he joined the Dodgers.

He has pitched against one mediocre offense (San Diego) and three bad offenses (Oakland, Colorado and Milwaukee).

The Padres rank 16th out of 30 teams in runs per game. The Rockies are 22nd, the Brewers are 24th, the Athletics are dead last. That's three bottom-10 offenses out of four.

So, I'm not 100% sold that Lynn is back on track for good. Here's my question: When a good offensive team adjusts to his new pitch mix, will he have a counter that will still allow him to thrive? 

I don't have a firm answer to that question. Just throwing it out there. It's something to watch.

And if you're feeling as though Sox players always improve as soon as they leave the team, don't despair. That's a myth. After all, just look at what Lucas Giolito has done through his first four starts with the Los Angeles Angels: 1-3 with an 8.14 ERA. Woof.

3 White Sox prospects make Baseball America's Top 100

The White Sox are playing as I type this Tuesday night, but I'm not watching the game. I'm indifferent about any outcomes for the rest of the 2023 season.

Instead, I'm writing a blog about prospects, while a game between the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves is on my TV.

It's obnoxious that it's come to this, but here we are. Anyway, I was flipping through the August edition of Baseball America when I saw that publication's updated Top 100 list. For the first time in quite some time, that list contains three White Sox prospects. In case you were wondering, here they are:

Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 22). The Sox's 2021 first-round pick missed the start of the season with an oblique injury, which has limited him to 36 games. Upon his return, the shortstop tore up the Arizona Complex League, posting a 1.099 OPS in 10 games. 

Montgomery had no difficulties once he was promoted to High-A Winston-Salem, either, where he had a 1.088 OPS with three home runs and three doubles in 17 games. Opposing pitchers walked him 20 times, including three times intentionally.

So, the Sox promoted Montgomery to Double-A Birmingham. In nine games there, he's batting .179/.465/.357. The OPS is .822, and it's mostly because of a high on-base profile. Montgomery has walked 10 times (against 10 strikeouts) in those nine games. This is obviously a small sample size. We'll see if he adjusts to the level between now and the end of the year.

Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 35). Schultz, who just turned 20 years old earlier this month, was the Sox's first-round draft pick in 2022. A strained flexor muscle in his left arm delayed Schultz's season debut until June 2, but he's been overpowering in Low-A Kannapolis thus far.

They are keeping this kid on a strict innings count -- he's only thrown 27 innings in 10 starts. But across those 10 starts, he did not allow an earned run in nine of them. He had one bad outing where he gave up four earned runs, leaving his ERA at 2.33.

Schultz has struck out 38 and walked only six in those 27 innings. He's allowed 17 hits. Right now, the whole deal is to build up stamina and arm strength.

Edgar Quero, C (No. 75). In this magazine, Quero is still listed as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. The 20-year-old catcher was traded to the White Sox, along with pitcher Ky Bush, in exchange for pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez last month.

The early returns for this switch-hitting catcher are good since he joined Double-A Birmingham. Quero has caught 12 games, batting .326/.377/.370. He's yet to hit his first home run as a member of the Sox organization, but he does have 12 RBIs.

Quero will take his walks. He has four of them with the Barons (against six strikeouts). For the season, he's walked 59 times and struck out 59 times, so he's shown good knowledge of the strike zone, which is something the Sox need.

He is young for the level, so I'm going to pump the brakes on anyone who thinks Quero can get to the majors in 2024. It's possible, but unlikely. The most likely scenario is he starts in Birmingham again next year, and hopefully earns a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte. Maybe he's the Sox catcher in 2025, if all goes well.

One other prospect to note: Baseball America picked a Minor League Player of the Year for all 30 organizations at midseason. Montgomery and Schultz weren't going to get this nod for the Sox, because of their injuries. 

Instead, the magazine bestowed that honor upon ... outfielder Terrell Tatum.

Tatum, who just turned 24, had an exceptional start to the year at High-A Winston Salem. He played 60 games there, batting .268/.434/.421. Note the high on-base percentage. Tatum drew 58 walks in those 60 games, and he turned a bunch of them into doubles. He had 32 steals for the Dash.

That earned him a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. The OBP is down a little bit there in 38 games, but the numbers are still encouraging on the whole: .262/.390/.376. Tatum has swiped 10 bags for the Barons, which puts him at 42 steals for the season.

A speedy outfielder who gets on base and steals bases? Umm, yeah, the Sox need that skill set, right? It will be interesting to see if Tatum can play his way into the team's plans.

Is Mike Clevinger going to pitch for the 2024 White Sox?

Mike Clevinger

This question would have been unthinkable at the start of the season, given Mike Clevinger's off-the-field problems, but is it possible the White Sox will pick up his contract option for the 2024 season? 

Clevinger pitched six innings of one-run ball Wednesday night and earned the victory as the Sox defeated the New York Yankees, 9-2.

For the season, Clevinger has the lowest ERA of any Sox starting pitcher -- 3.55. He's made 15 starts, going 5-5. That doesn't seem spectacular, but when you're pitching for a team that is 47-69, a .500 record isn't that bad.

According to baseballreference.com, Clevinger is worth 2.0 WAR this season, which puts him third on the team behind Luis Robert Jr. and Lucas Giolito. Well, actually, maybe Clevinger is second on the team, now that Giolito has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels.

At this point, you'd have to say Clevinger is one of the few players on the Sox who has met or exceeded expectations in 2023.

The big question with Clevinger remains his health. He's had two stints on the injured list this season, notably being out from June 14 until July 29 with a biceps strain. Can he pitch without hurting himself? It's a legitimate concern.

Also a concern, the Sox have only two starting pitchers under team control for 2024: Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech.

That leaves three spots open, and at this point, you can't count Clevinger out for next season. There's a mutual team option worth $12 million. Would the Sox pick that up? Or would they gamble on finding somebody better on the free agent market?

If the Sox do pick up the option, would Clevinger opt in to stay in Chicago? Or would he bet on himself and elect free agency? Given his "character issues" and injury history, it's unclear to me whether Clevinger would get another $12 million on the open market. 

His best bet might be to stay, if the Sox want him.

Lucas Giolito 0-2 after first 2 starts with Angels

Lucas Giolito

Former White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito has had a rough introduction to his new team since being traded to the Los Angeles Angels last week.

The Angels are on a tough road trip, and Giolito's first two starts have come against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves, two playoff contenders. He lost both games. Here are his pitching lines:

• July 28 at Toronto: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 Ks, 1 BB, 2 HRs allowed
• Aug. 2 at Atlanta: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 Ks, 3 BBs, 3 HRs, allowed

Ouch. Especially that game against the Braves. Giolito's given up 12 earned runs over his first nine innings pitched as a member of the Angels.

It's going to be a couple of years before we can judge that trade for the Sox, who received prospects Edgar Quero and Ky Bush from the Angels.

But for Los Angeles, both Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are free agents at the end of the season, so they need immediate returns for this trade to work. Most of all, the Angels need to qualify for the postseason this year, before superstar Shohei Ohtani hits free agency.

I think it's going to be a tall order. As I sit here right now, the Angels are 56-53. They are in fourth place in the American League West, seven games behind the first-place Texas Rangers. The wild card is more doable. The Angels are 3.5 games back of the final wild card spot. The problem is they have four teams they need to pass.

In addition to Giolito and Lopez, the Angels acquired first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk at the trade deadline. They will get All-Star center fielder Mike Trout back off the injured list at some point this month.

Still, I'm skeptical that they'll have enough. 

On the Sox end of the trade, Quero is the best prospect the Sox acquired at the deadline. The 20-year-old catcher is ranked No. 65 on MLB Pipeline's list of Top 100 prospects.

The Sox assigned the switch-hitter to Double-A Birmingham, where he has gone 4 for 21 with three RBIs in his first five games. The book on Quero is he has good plate discipline. He's walked 56 times this season, with 55 strikeouts. That's a good ratio. 

His power is down, however. In 2022, he hit 17 homers for Low-A Inland Empire. For whatever reason, the Angels allowed him to skip a level and promoted him to Double-A this season. He's young for the league, and this year, he's only got 3 home runs. 

It's too early to panic about that, however. Time is on Quero's side. He should be allowed to start next season at Double-A, and hopefully he'll earn a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte at some point. Perhaps we'll see him in Chicago sometime in 2025. If so, that would be terrific news.

Bush, a 23-year-old lefty, was good enough to pitch in the Futures Game in 2022, when he went 7-4 with a 3.93 in 21 starts with Double-A Rocket City. 

Injuries have limited him to nine starts this season. The Sox assigned him to Double-A Birmingham, and he got absolutely bombed in his first start there -- seven earned runs on 12 hits over 3.1 innings pitched.

Again, we won't make an assessment after one start, but I would pump the brakes on the idea that Bush will be a candidate for the 2024 Sox rotation. Maybe the second half of the year, if all goes well. It is good that the Sox added a lefty starter to their farm system. We know that's one area that's lacking. We'll see if they can develop Bush.

White Sox make 6 deals in days leading up to trade deadline

The White Sox needed to sell at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, and they did. Here's a look at the six trades the team has made over the past week:

1. Traded pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Los Angeles Angels for catcher Edgar Quero and pitcher Ky Bush.
2. Traded pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitchers Nick Nastrini, Jordan Leasure and outfielder Trayce Thompson.
3. Traded pitcher Kendall Graveman to the Houston Astros for catcher Korey Lee.
4. Traded infielder Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins for pitcher Jake Eder.
5. Traded pitcher Keynan Middleton to the New York Yankees for pitcher Juan Carela.
6. Acquired pitcher Luis Patino from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.

I'll talk more about these deals in the days ahead. The Sox are 43-64 heading into Tuesday night's game with the Texas Rangers, so there will not be much on the field to talk about. 

Maybe we'll get a look at a couple of these new acquisitions before 2023 is over. I'm thinking Lee and Patino are candidates to be on the roster soon. We shall see.

White Sox can't sell false hope after getting swept in Minnesota

The White Sox entered this weekend's series against the first-place Minnesota Twins nine games back in the American League Central Division.

The thinking was, if they could sweep, they would be "back in it," only six games out with 61 games to go. Accordingly, they lined up their three best starting pitchers -- Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito -- to pitch the three games against the Twins.

Well, instead of sweeping, they got swept. The Sox leave Minnesota 12 games out of first place, and they can no longer cling to any sort of hope -- false as it was -- in the division race. The 2023 season has been toast for months in my eyes, but after this, nobody can disagree with that assessment anymore.

On Sunday, the Sox took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. Giolito was in line for the win, but Kendall Graveman gave up three runs and blew the whole thing. The Twins went on to win, 5-4, in 12 innings.

The loss leaves the Sox at 41-60. That's really a terrible record for a team that GM Rick Hahn said was "built to go deep into October" at the start of the season. Phooey.

In fact, this year's team isn't much different than the teams Sox fans watched during the three years of intentional losing (2017-19):

• 2017: 39-62 after 101 games
• 2018: 36-65 after 101 games
• 2019: 45-56 after 101 games
• 2023: 41-60 after 101 games 

In other words, the "peak contention window" Sox are not any better than the "tanking for draft position" Sox of past years. That's quite an indictment of the front office and the players alike.

I'm 47 years old. I've been a Sox fan since I attended my first game in 1981. I've seen worse Sox teams than this, but this is probably the worst season I've ever had to endure.

The gap between what the organization says they are and what they actually are has never been more wide. It's a chasm, and that's what makes all this losing so intolerable. They claim that they have what it takes to win, but it's been clear for months that they simply do not.

It's time to clean house, both in the front office and on the field.

Lucas Giolito struggles through poor start against Mets

Lucas Giolito

On Tuesday afternoon, I saw a Twitter poll asking whether Lucas Giolito's start against the New York Mets would be his last as a member of the White Sox.

It's a reasonable question. After all, the Sox entered Tuesday's action 15 games below .500 and eight games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins in the American League Central Division. Giolito is in the last year of his contract, and he would have value for a contending team.

I voted "no" in the poll. My opinion was the minority one. At the time I voted, 64% of respondents said "yes."

But here's why I think Giolito will hang around for one more start and perhaps two: The Sox play at Minnesota this weekend, and the team very clearly set their post All-Star break rotation with that series in mind. Lance Lynn will pitch Friday. Dylan Cease is scheduled to work Saturday, and Giolito's next turn is Sunday. 

These three games against the Twins represent the last gasp of the season. If the Sox were to somehow sweep that series and get within, say, five games of the division lead, management would probably delay their sell-off for another week -- at least until the four-game set against the Cleveland Guardians from July 27-30 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Guardians are another team the Sox need to catch, and Giolito would be scheduled to work the third game of that four-game set -- if there are no changes to the rotation.

You might be saying this is all pie in the sky. You might be saying that the Sox suck, and they are out of it. And I agree with you 100%. But you have to think along with team brass here. They still believe they assembled a "talented" roster, and I expect them to fight to the death.

By the time that Cleveland series is over, the Sox still have time to trade key players before the deadline, if they indeed are buried in the division race. And let's be honest: Not much gets done in MLB until right before the deadline. Teams are trying to broker the best deal possible, and they often don't move until the last possible minute.

Back to Tuesday's start ... Giolito was awful. He had his worst start in a long time, allowing eight earned runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. He struck out five, walked five and allowed three home runs in a 11-10 loss.

Those same Sox fans on Twitter are having a meltdown in the wake of this poor performance, believing Giolito has "cratered" his trade value.

With all due respect, that is pure idiocy.

Giolito had allowed two earned runs or less in six of his previous seven starts. He's had a good season overall. 

Not to mention, he's been in the American League for six-plus seasons. He's a veteran pitcher, with a huge career sample size and a well-established track record. GMs and scouts know exactly what Giolito can do -- and what he cannot do. 

Fans allow their emotions to get involved when they see a poor result, but that's not the way to look at the situation. Those who work in baseball are not going to change their assessment of a player based upon one game. They are going to take a bigger-picture view of that player's performance.

Giolito is almost certainly going to be dealt by the end of the month. A contender will want him. And the Sox should get a respectable return, at least as far as rental players go.

Lucas Giolito throws six no-hit innings; White Sox beat Yankees

Lucas Giolito

Aaron Judge did not play for the New York Yankees on Tuesday night ... and the White Sox actually took advantage!

Lucas Giolito pitched six no-hit innings, and catcher Seby Zavala homered twice to lift the Sox to a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium.

This was the second time this season that Giolito (5-4) went six innings without allowing a hit. Both times, he had to be removed because of a high pitch count. In this outing, he struck out seven, walked three and threw 58 of his 100 pitches for strikes. 

In particular, Giolito's slider was effective to right-handed hitters, and no doubt the absence of Judge (day-to-day with a foot injury) -- the reigning American League MVP -- made his job a little bit easier.

Of all people, Zavala was the one to come through offensively. In the bottom of the third inning, he hit a 320-foot wall-scraper that just cleared the 314 mark by the right-field foul pole. It might have been a home run in only one of 30 MLB parks, but that one park happens to be Yankee Stadium.

Zavala added a two-run shot in the fifth off New York starter Clarke Schmidt (2-6). This was one not cheap. It was a 435-foot blast to the pull field on what looked like a hanging slider. That gave the Sox a 3-0 lead, which is where the score remained until the seventh.

Joe Kelly relieved for the Sox and issued a two-out walk. Poor defense cost the Sox the no-hitter when Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi miscommunicated on a fly ball to left-center by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Nobody called for the ball, and it fell at Robert Jr.'s feet for an RBI "double."

Kelly escaped the inning without further damage, and Kendall Graveman worked a 1-2-3 eighth for the Sox.

That set the stage for Liam Hendriks' first save opportunity of the season. It was an interesting move by Sox manager Pedro Grifol, because Hendriks entered Tuesday's action with a career 7.83 ERA against the Yankees.

That ERA went up when Josh Donaldson hit Hendriks' first pitch of the ninth for a solo homer to make it 3-2. However, Hendriks rallied and got three consecutive groundouts to shortstop to earn his first save since returning from cancer treatment.

The Sox are 27-35.

White Sox sweep Kansas City Royals

Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday afternoon.

It's only the Kansas City Royals, but the 2023 White Sox have finally swept a three-game series. And given that the Royals took three out of four from the Sox in Kansas City just last week, perhaps we shouldn't be minimizing the accomplishment. 

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, May 19: White Sox 2, Royals 0

Michael Kopech (2-4) dominated the Royals over eight innings, allowing only one hit while striking out 10 and walking none. The lone Kansas City hit was a broken-bat single by Michael Massey, and he was quickly erased when Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded into a double play. 

Kendall Graveman worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his third save of the season, and Sox pitchers ended up facing the minimum 27 batters. That's the first time the Sox have done that since Philip Humber's perfect game in 2012.

The Sox offense produced only five singles, but four of them came in the second inning, yielding the only two runs that were needed. Gavin Sheets had an RBI single, and Romy Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly.

Saturday, May 20: White Sox 5, Royals 1

Jake Burger's three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning turned a slim 2-1 Sox lead into a comfortable advantage. Yoan Moncada's two-run single in the first inning produced the other Sox runs.

After giving up a home run to Salvador Perez in the first inning, Lucas Giolito (3-3) settled in to give the Sox six quality innings. He allowed six hits, while striking out four and walking one. 

Four Sox relievers combined to allow only one hit over the last three innings.

Sunday, May 21: White Sox 5, Royals 2

The big hit in this game came from Gonzalez, of all people. The backup infielder entered Sunday's game with a .132 batting average, but with runners on second and third and the Sox trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, Gonzalez delivered a two-run triple that put the Sox ahead to stay. His average is up to .195 after a 3-for-3 day.

Luis Robert connected for this 13th home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth, and Andrew Benintendi added the other two RBIs -- a sacrifice fly after Gonzalez's triple in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh.

Lance Lynn (3-5) gave up a two-run homer to Massey in the second, but nothing more, over six innings. He struck out six and walked two.

Relievers Keynan Middleton, Aaron Bummer and Joe Kelly did not allow a hit over the final three innings. Kelly struck out two in his 1-2-3 ninth inning and earned his first save of the season.

The Sox are 19-29. The Royals are 14-34.

White Sox even series with Kansas City

Quick recap tonight, because it's getting late after a long rain delay. The White Sox and Kansas City Royals waited two hours to start Tuesday, and then the game itself took only two hours and two minutes to play. (Three cheers for the pitch clock!)

Thank goodness the Sox won, 4-2, because it would be embarrassing to lose to Kansas City two days in a row.

Luis Robert Jr. hit his eighth home run of the season -- a solo shot -- in the fourth inning. Andrew Vaughn's fourth homer of the year brought home two runs in the sixth, and Seby Zavala added an RBI single in the seventh to cap the Sox's scoring against Jordan Lyles (0-6), who pitched a complete game for the Royals despite taking the loss.

Lucas Giolito struck out nine over six innings of two-run ball for the Sox. Three relief pitchers combined to retire all nine Kansas City batters they faced. Joe Kelly pitched the seventh. Reynaldo Lopez worked the eighth. Kendall Graveman needed only seven pitches to induce three pop-outs in the ninth for his first save of 2023. 

Giolito is 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA. He's posted five quality starts in his past six outings. He is indeed back to being the Sox's most reliable starting pitcher. It is the final year of his contract, so he's got millions of reasons to continue pitching well.

The Sox are 13-24. The Royals are 10-27.

Lucas Giolito's outing wasted by pathetic White Sox offense

Lucas Giolito

Here's the good news for the White Sox: Lucas Giolito is pitching much better than he did last season.

The 28-year-old right-hander tossed seven innings of one-run ball against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field. For Giolito, it was his fourth quality start in his past five games, and his fifth consecutive start of six innings or more.

Too bad the Sox wasted it.

The Twins scored five runs in the top of the 12th inning to snap a 2-2 tie, and finished off a 7-3 victory. With the win, Minnesota (18-14) salvages the final game of the three-game series and snaps a three-game winning streak for the Sox (10-22).

This was a missed opportunity for the Sox, on multiple levels. Sox batters went a pathetic 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position in this game. The only hit came in the bottom of the 12th, while they were trailing 7-2. It was a meaningless RBI single by Eloy Jimenez that scored ghost runner Billy Hamilton.

Hamilton, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Andrew Vaughn in the eighth inning, twice made it to third base with zero outs -- in the eighth inning and in the 10th. Had he scored in the eighth, the Sox probably win. Had he scored in the 10th, the Sox definitely win.

Alas, nobody could muster so much as a sacrifice fly with the game on the line.

In the eighth inning, Hamilton stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. However, both Jimenez and Tim Anderson hit grounders to the left side of the infield that Hamilton could not score on. Luis Robert Jr. was intentionally walked, and Hanser Alberto grounded out.

Hamilton started the 10th inning on second base as the ghost runner. Jimenez was intentionally walked to start the inning, and both men advanced on a wild pitch.

Anderson was at the plate with second and third and no outs, but he swung through a 3-2 slider that looked hittable for strike three. Robert Jr. was intentionally walked again to load the bases for Alberto, who swung and missed at a 1-2 pitch that hit him in the arm. Strike three. If he had just not swung, that's a game-winning HBP. Then Elvis Andrus struck out to end the threat.

Anderson, Alberto and Andrus all were guilty of swinging through or fouling off hanging sliders in that inning. It was ludicrous that nobody put a ball in play.

The Twins finally broke through for five runs in the 12th off the combination of Alex Colome and Sammy Peralta. The ghost runner scored from second when Anderson booted a grounder to shortstop, capping a terrible day for the Sox's best all-around player.

Pity Giolito, who left after seven innings with a 2-1 lead. The Sox bullpen couldn't hold it, as Reynaldo Lopez game up a game-tying home run to Byron Buxton in the eighth. Lopez has now allowed six homers in only 13.1 innings pitched this season. It's time to reconsider his role. He cannot be allowed to pitch in high leverage against the other team's best hitters (such as Buxton) until he figures out how to keep the ball in the park.

The Sox started this series nine games back of the Twins. They cut that lead to seven after winning the first two games, and there's no question they should have won Thursday to pull within six games. Instead, they kicked this game away, and they are eight back. 

Of course, team management is saying they can get back in the race. There's enough time left to do that in the season, sure, but missed opportunities like Thursday do not inspire confidence.

Burger to IL

Third baseman Jake Burger has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. Lenyn Sosa was recalled to take his place on the roster. 

Sosa started at second base Thursday and shifted to third late in the game. He went 0 for 4 with two Ks, to drop his season average to .140. You may recall that Sosa was just sent to Triple-A on Tuesday. There was a good reason for that -- he's not ready to play in the big leagues.

Instead, injuries and a lack of depth have forced him into a role that he's not prepared to fill. General manager Rick Hahn has once again built a one-ply roster. The 10-22 record is not an accident.

White Sox avoid arbitration with 5 players

Dylan Cease

As you may recall, the White Sox began the offseason with eight arbitration-eligible players.

They reduced that number to five by non-tendering infielder Danny Mendick and outfielder Adam Engel, and outrighting relief pitcher Kyle Crick.

Mendick signed with the New York Mets. Engel is now a member of the San Diego Padres. Crick remains a free agent.

Here's a look at the other five players who are still with the Sox and have their 2023 salary settled, after agreements were announced last Friday:

1. Dylan Cease. In his first year of arbitration eligibility, Cease will make $5.7 million, which is slightly higher than the MLB Trade Rumors projection of $5.3 million. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he finished second in the AL Cy Young award voting. Cease went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and a career-best 227 strikeouts in 32 starts and 184 innings pitched. Last year's AL Cy Young award winner, Justin Verlander, has since signed with a National League team, so Cease enters 2023 on the short list of preseason Cy Young award candidates.

2. Lucas Giolito. Giolito is in his last year of arbitration eligibility, and his $10.4 million 2023 salary is probably less than he envisioned for himself at this time. His MLB Trade Rumors projection was $10.8 million. However, the right-hander is coming off a down 2022 season. He was 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA in his 30 starts, a profile that is less than league average. Giolito had finished sixth, seventh and 11th in the Cy Young voting the previous three seasons, so 2022 was a huge step back for him. This coming season is a crucial year for him. He's a free agent next offseason, and his future earnings hinge on his performance in 2023.

3. Reynaldo Lopez. After three years of inconsistent performance, mostly as a starting pitcher, Lopez carved a niche in the Sox bullpen in 2022. He appeared in 61 games, going 6-4 with a 2.76 ERA across 65.1 innings pitched. Aside from closer Liam Hendriks, Lopez was probably the most reliable relief pitcher the Sox had last season. For his efforts, he'll earn $3.625 million in 2023, beating the MLB Trade Rumors projection of $3.3 million. With Hendriks sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Lopez is among the candidates to close games for the Sox this season.

4. Michael Kopech. The 26-year-old Kopech is kind of like the new version of Carlos Rodon, only right-handed. We know he's a good pitcher -- when he's actually available -- but will he be healthy? Kopech managed to make 25 starts in 2022, going 5-9 with a 3.54 ERA across 119.1 innings. However, he battled a right-knee injury throughout the season, which required surgery. His availability is in doubt for Opening Day, with the Sox expressing hope that he'll be "ready to throw about 85 pitches" in a game by late March. His 2023 salary will be $2.05 million, below the MLB Trade Rumors projection of $2.2 million. If Kopech ever puts it together, he's a bargain.

5. Jose Ruiz. Give credit to Ruiz, because he's yet to fall off the roster despite being out of options for the past two years. He made 59 appearances in 2021 and 63 appearances in 2022. He was 1-0 with a 4.60 ERA in 60.2 innings of mostly low-leverage work last season. Ruiz has never done particularly well when entrusted with a clutch late-inning situation, but he's held his roster spot by chewing up innings in lopsided games. His salary in 2023 will be $925,000, less than the $1 million projected by MLB Trade Rumors. Odds are Ruiz will hang on the roster for another season. Unlike some of his bullpen brethren, he has a habit of being healthy and available. As we've noted before, availability is a skill, and it's been in short supply for many Sox players over the past two years.

The total outlay for the Sox in arbitration this year? It's $22.7 million. It's looking as though their payroll is right about $180 million, assuming no further additions. The Opening Day payroll last year was $193 million. Do with that information what you will.

Sources: Mike Clevinger agrees to 1-year deal with White Sox

Mike Clevinger

Injuries played a major part in derailing the 2022 White Sox, so you would think adding players with a track record of good health would be a priority this offseason.

That's what makes the signing of injury-plagued pitcher Mike Clevinger so baffling. According to reports, the Sox and the 31-year-old veteran right-hander are in agreement on a one-year, $12 million contract.

Like so many guys the Sox have signed through the years, Clevinger was good once upon a time. In 101 games (88 starts) with the Cleveland Indians from 2016 to 2020, Clevinger went 42-22 with a 3.20 ERA, while striking out 10 batters per nine innings.

The Sox tried to acquire Clevinger at the 2020 trade deadline, but instead he went to the San Diego Padres in a nine-player deal -- a move that ultimately allowed Cleveland to acquire four players who contributed to its 2022 AL Central Division championship.

Once in San Diego, Clevinger suffered an elbow injury late in 2020, and he missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. 

Credit to Clevinger for overcoming that -- he's one of only 47 pitchers in the history of baseball to return to major league competition after undergoing that particular surgery twice.

However, his 2022 season in San Diego was also injury-plagued. A right knee sprain, a right triceps injury and a bout with COVID-19 conspired to limit Clevinger to 22 starts and 114.1 innings. He went 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA. These days, he's striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings. His average fastball velocity sat at 93.2 mph, down from its 95.5-mph peak in 2019.

Clevinger figures to occupy the No. 4 spot in the Sox rotation, behind Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito, and ahead of Michael Kopech.

However, there are two reasons I don't like this signing. First, Clevinger can't be counted on to be healthy, and the Sox really need people to be healthy. According to pitching coach Ethan Katz, Kopech is behind schedule in his rehab after having right-knee surgery last fall. The hope is Kopech will be able to throw 85 pitches and go five innings by the time spring training ends in 2023.

In other words, you already have one injury concern going into the season with Kopech, and now you have two with Clevinger. The Sox have very little starting pitching depth in their organization, with only Davis Martin capable of coming up from Triple-A Charlotte and giving you a few credible starts in a pinch.

So that means Clevinger doesn't really solve the rotation hole. You're going to need at least one more guy as an insurance policy, but the Sox are on a tight budget, and they've already blown $12 million of whatever resources are being put toward free agency with this signing.

My other issue is that Clevinger is basically a five-inning pitcher at this point. The times-through-the-order penalty hits him hard. Here's a look at his 2022 numbers:

First time through the batting order: .588 OPS against

Second time through the batting order: .692 OPS against

Third time through the batting order: 1.032 OPS against 

When the opposition comes to the plate to start its third time through, bullpen get ready!

Here's another way to look at it, by pitch count:

Pitches 1-25: .605 OPS against

Pitches 26-50: .642 OPS against

Pitches: 51-75: .810 OPS against

Pitches 76+: .921 OPS against

Yeah, you're not getting any seven-innings outings out of Clevinger. If you get more than 20 starts, be happy. If you get 120 or more innings, be happy.

Now ask yourself: Should the Sox be making a guy who will be fortunate to make 20 starts and throw 120 innings their first major signing of the offseason? 

This player was a priority? I'm not impressed. The Sox need a workhorse for their rotation, not another question mark.

White Sox reliever Kendall Graveman struggles when he pitches back-to-back days

The White Sox played horrendous baseball Wednesday in a 6-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies. All the horrors of the 2022 season were on full display: two asinine baserunning blunders, a mental error on defense, an injury to a high-priced player, underperformance by a highly regarded starting pitcher, etc., etc., etc.

Lucas Giolito gave up three runs in the first inning to put the Sox in an early hole. Leury Garcia was picked off third base for the third out of an inning with the bases loaded. Jose Abreu was doubled off second base on an infield line drive. Tim Anderson forgot to tag second base when turning a double play. Joe Kelly walked off the mound in the eighth inning with an apparent biceps injury.

All the things wrong with this team were front and center once more, BUT they somehow managed to take a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning. Perhaps that's because the Rockies stink, and through eight innings, Colorado let the Sox off the hook for their blunders.

Alas, Kendall Graveman had a massive meltdown in the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked the bases loaded on 17 pitches, then gave up a two-run single to Elias Diaz. The Rockies got the two runs they needed to win the game before Graveman could even record an out.

Where was usual closer Liam Hendriks, you ask? Well, Hendriks needed 26 pitches to close out Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Rockies, and apparently, he has some problem pitching in altitude that requires medication.

Graveman needed only 11 pitches to record a scoreless eighth in Tuesday's game, so he was the fresher and more available reliever for Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Graveman's results were disastrous, and that's the continuation of a trend of struggles he has when pitching on back-to-back days.

Wednesday's game marked the 10th time he's appeared on back-to-back days in 2022, and he's allowed seven earned runs in 9.1 innings pitched in those situations. That's a 6.75 ERA.

In all other situations, Graveman has allowed seven earned runs over 34.1 innings, which pencils out to a 1.83 ERA.

Eight of the 17 walks Graveman has issued this season have been on zero days' rest, along with two of the four home runs he's allowed.

I guess you could say stop pitching Graveman on back-to-back days, but I don't think that's feasible given that Aaron Bummer is on the injured list, Reynaldo Lopez is day-to-day with a back strain and now Kelly is hurt. Who else you going to pitch?

More over, Graveman was given a three-year, $24 million contract in the offseason. He's being paid a lot of money to pitch in high-leverage situations, and pitching on back-to-back days is part of the job description. He needs to better in these spots.

White Sox game postponed because of COVID; Yankees up next

The White Sox game against the Cleveland Guardians was postponed Wednesday because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the Cleveland organization.

Seriously? This is still happening in 2022? OK, whatever. I don't care about viruses, so let's get back to baseball.

The Sox will welcome the New York Yankees for a four-game series from Thursday through Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field. I don't believe in "measuring sticks" in May, but it's worth noting that the Yankees are a league-best 22-8 entering Thursday's action. It will be interesting to see whether the Sox can hold their own and win a couple of games.

Here are the pitching matchups:

Thursday: Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.38 ERA) vs. Luis Gil (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Friday: Vince Velasquez (2-2, 3.97 ERA) vs. Gerrit Cole (2-0, 2.67 ERA)

Saturday: Dallas Keuchel (2-3, 6.86 ERA) vs. Jordan Montgomery (0-1, 2.90 ERA)

Sunday: Michael Kopech (0-0, 0.93 ERA) vs. Nestor Cortes (1-1, 1.41 ERA)

Some Sox fans have expressed bewilderment that Keuchel is being allowed to pitch in this series. The unexpected off day Wednesday theoretically would allow the Sox to skip Keuchel. Kopech could pitch on regular rest Saturday, and then Lucas Giolito would be lined up to pitch Sunday.

But here's what I think is going on: The Sox have Johnny Cueto getting ready in the minors. They have add him to the active roster by Sunday, or he can opt out of his contract. 

Cueto's fate is intertwined with Keuchel's. Velasquez has outpitched Keuchel and deserves to keep his spot. So the question becomes, "Cueto or Keuchel?"

In his last start, Keuchel had a good outing and picked up a win against the Boston Red Sox. He's getting one more chance to prove he can string together a couple of good performances, and to prove he can still keep the Sox competitive against a quality opponent.

If Keuchel gets cuffed around and the Sox get destroyed Saturday, then I think we see Cueto added to the roster. He'd take the last spot in the rotation, at least until Lance Lynn returns from knee surgery, presumably in early June.

Lucas Giolito (finally) slays the Guardians

Lucas Giolito

Monday night's loss to the Cleveland Guardians was probably the worst one the White Sox have endured in nearly six years. (Think May 28, 2016, in Kansas City.)

If nothing else, the fan base needed a win Tuesday night, because we might have all slit our wrists if we had to watch another game like Monday's.

Fortunately, Lucas Giolito (2-1) came up with his best outing of the season so far, and the Sox beat the Guardians, 4-1.

Final line for Giolito: seven innings pitched, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out five and walked only one. Josh Naylor hit a home run off him in his seventh and final inning, but by then, the Sox already had a 3-0 lead, so no harm, no foul.

Giolito generated 11 swings and misses and got 23 called strikes out of his 91 pitches. That means 37% percent of his pitches fell into the category of either a whiff or a called strike.

The league average at last check was 27%, and I always say if a pitcher is about 30% in that department, that's a strong performance.

The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when the Sox finally solved Cleveland starter Cal Quantrill (1-2). Josh Harrison doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Tim Anderson.

Gavin Sheets added a two-run homer, his third of the season, in the sixth inning to make it 3-0. After the Naylor homer, Anderson's RBI double in the bottom of the seventh scored Adam Engel, who had singled. That brought the score to 4-1. Anderson was 3 for 4. He's now hitting .347.

Jose Ruiz and Bennett Sousa combined to pitch a scoreless eighth inning. Closer Liam Hendriks was given the night off -- he had pitched six of the past eight days, and after five consecutive saves, he contributed greatly to the meltdown on Monday night.

That gave Kendall Graveman a chance for his second save of the season, and he converted -- albeit not without some drama. Graveman got the first two batters out before a walk and a single brought the tying run to the plate.

Andres Gimenez grounded out to Jose Abreu to end the game. It was a bang-bang play at first, and Gimenez was initially called safe. However, the Sox challenged the call, and it was overturned for the final out.

The Sox are 15-14, and they have their first win against the Guardians in five tries.