Chicago White Sox common supervisor Rick Hahn appeared stunned by the query.
“Oh, geez,” he stated late Wednesday night time when requested if the commerce of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels for 2 prospects signaled the beginning of one other rebuild.
Hahn assured the reporter there can be loads of time for “declaring titles” for regardless of the recreation plan seems to be, and the one factor he was doing now was making strikes that “make sense and put us in the best position going forward.”
“Oh, geez” is pretty much as good an epitaph for the present White Sox rebuild as something I can consider. It started in 2016 with the commerce of Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox and was full steam forward with the deal that despatched Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals.
That deal, which netted three prime pitching prospects in Giolito, López and Dane Dunning, turned out to be probably the greatest strikes Hahn has made in his Sox profession. Giolito grew to become an All-Star, Dunning was used to amass a veteran starter in Lance Lynn and López changed into a semi-reliable excessive leverage reliever after a failed stint as a starter. Dunning is now as a key member of the Texas Rangers rotation, going 8-3 with a 3.18 ERA for the American League West leaders.
But the Sox by no means appeared focused on extending Giolito, who did nothing however characterize the group with dignity in his seven years with the staff, and couldn’t determine a option to harness the potential of López, who started the season as a possible nearer whereas Liam Hendriks battled most cancers. The choice to surrender on Dunning wasn’t worrisome when Lynn helped the Sox win the American League Central in 2021. But after two years of ineffectiveness, Lynn has develop into a logo of what went improper with the rebuild.
Whether Hahn acquired sufficient in return from the Angels for 2 pitchers is debatable. Both had been leases earlier than hitting free company, so perhaps the 20-year-old, switch-hitting catcher Edgar Quero with three residence runs this yr and a 23-year-old left-hander in Ky Bush who has battled accidents whereas placing up unimpressive numbers (5.88 ERA) was pretty much as good a haul as may very well be anticipated.
The Sox actually want a catching prospect after failing with former first-round decide Zach Collins, which compelled them to signal Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million deal in 2019 that changed into an albatross after the 2021 season. Quero instantly turns into the catcher of the longer term, whilst he’s nonetheless at Double A and unlikely to begin the 2024 season on the South Side.
But a minimum of the selloff has begun, and hopefully Hahn can discover new houses for Lynn, Joe Kelly, Kendall Gravemen and others the subsequent 5 days earlier than the Aug. 1 commerce deadline. If Wednesday’s blown recreation to the Cubs was the ultimate time we’ll see Lynn and Kelly pitch, we could be happy figuring out they saved their worst for the final time Guaranteed Rate Field will probably be packed in 2023.
Lynn, who couldn’t final 5 innings regardless of holding a five-run lead, has a 6-9 file and 6.47 ERA. The Tampa Bay Rays reportedly are focused on buying Lynn, which is sensible contemplating they signed reliever Jake Diekman after the Sox launched the veteran left-hander May 6 whereas paying the majority of his $3.5 million wage.
“I’d say this is the best possible scenario,” Diekman instructed the Tampa Bay Times when he arrived. “It’s better than mowing my yard back home.”
Diekman, who was 0-4 with a 7.04 ERA with the Sox after being their greatest commerce deadline acquisition on Aug. 1, 2022, has a 2.14 ERA in 27 appearances with the Rays. If the Rays can carry out one other miracle by resurrecting Lynn, it could be an indictment of the Sox pitching coaches.
Hahn’s rebuild was a convincing success solely two years in the past. Even the compelled marriage of Tony La Russa couldn’t appear to cease the momentum that started to construct in 2019 and turned the nook within the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Hahn was given a mulligan after La Russa left for well being causes final August, and with a brand new supervisor in Pedro Grifol and many of the similar stars from the 2021 staff, the Sox had been purported to contend once more. Grifol stated the day of his introductory information convention “we’re gonna prepare every night to kick your ass.”
Instead, the Sox had been on the receiving finish of the butt-kickings, together with the worst one but Wednesday in opposition to their crosstown rivals. A selloff was the one resolution. No one ought to really feel protected.
After the loss, Sox studio analyst Ozzie Guillen cracked on the postgame present that “even the parking lot guy has to go.” If he does go, maybe the Rays can flip him into the very best parking zone attendant in baseball.
Whether the Sox are headed towards a rebuild will probably be a query Hahn will probably be requested once more as he continues to unload gamers. You’d suppose by now the Sox would have a reputation all picked out for his or her plan, as issues have been headed within the improper course since early April.
When the Seattle Mariners selected a makeover after the 2018 season, they referred to it as a “re-imagining” as an alternative of a rebuild, making it sound like a brand new model of a basic Disney cartoon. Certainly the Sox can provide you with one thing as inventive whereas backing up the truck this week.
In the meantime, the one factor Sox followers can do is sit again, chill out, strap it down and look ahead to the subsequent strikes.
Oh, geez.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com