No one will question the fact that things are bad on the South Side. When we had the idea for this article, fans were fairly frustrated that the team was four games under .500 and hadn’t won a series. Now that it’s coming to fruition, things have turned downright catastrophic, as the White Sox just put a 10-game losing streak in the rearview mirror. Now, they sit 13 games below .500 with a lot of work to do.
We wanted to talk about early season overreactions. We thought it would be a good way to suss out the good from the bad in a frustrating start. With how bad the recent stretch has gone, though, it feels like there cannot be any overreaction to this team. We tried to prove otherwise, as a group of our contributors weigh in on whether or not the following statements about the team thus far are overreactions.
Statement #1: The White Sox Will be Sellers at the Deadline
Jordan Lazowski, Editor-in-Chief
NOT AN OVERREACTION. I was pretty optimistic about this team heading into 2023, so there are plenty of old takes that people are free to go back and clown me about. With the team sitting at 8-21, they have created a situation in which they have no room for error. So, even a few average weeks will be enough to sink this team’s chances in 2023.
Should that happen, I’d assume those players on expiring contracts (Giolito, Lynn, Clevinger, Grandal, Kelly, among others) will be the first to go. From there, the White Sox will have to make tough decisions about players like Dylan Cease, Tim Anderson, and potentially even Luis Robert or Eloy Jimenez. It’ll be a re-tool, not necessarily a rebuild. But, it would still hurt.
It’s not a great place to be, but unfortunately, it’s likely where this team is headed.
Adam Kaplan, Senior Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. To me, this question is actually two parts. First, will the White Sox be bad enough at the Trade Deadline where it would make sense for the organization to sell off assets? To me, that’s a resounding “yes.” To paraphrase Sox manager Pedro Grifol, “You can’t win a World Series in the spring, but you can lose it.” Well, the Sox have gotten off to such a poor start, that I feel confident they will not be in playoff competition come the Trade Deadline.
Now the second part: will GM Rick Hahn and Co. actually make trades? Who knows. In 2020, the Sox were clearly a third starting pitcher away from being true competitors, yet they did not make any trades. Last season, the Sox also basically just stayed pat. I think it’s debatable whether they should have been buyers or sellers, but as Jim in The Office once said, “You gotta do something, man. You can’t just sit there.” Well, it turns out Rick Hahn did just sit there, to the organization’s detriment.
So while the White Sox should be sellers at the Trade Deadline, who knows if they actually will.
Brian Barry, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. Given the poor baseball they’ve played thus far, it’s not difficult to envision them shipping off pieces around the trade deadline. Having said that, I would guess it would be expiring veteran contracts such as Giolito, Hendriks (2024 club option), Grandal, and Lynn (2024 club option), and not younger pieces like Vaughn, Anderson, Cease, Robert, etc. I don’t foresee a full teardown at the deadline.
Nico Andrade, Contributor
OVERREACTION. Here’s why. As of now, the Sox are 8-21, fourth place in the AL Central. They have dug themselves into a hole that is so deep they would have to play flawless baseball for a month. The truth is that if they do keep playing the way they are, they should be sellers at the deadline. But will Jerry Reinsdorf allow Rick Hahn and Co. to break it all down and sell? I don’t think so. It would be essentially waving a white flag and putting an end to this contention window.
Noah Phalen, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. This is a tough question to answer because it really depends on what is being asked. If you’re asking whether the White Sox SHOULD be sellers at the deadline, I don’t think that’s an overreaction at all. However, given Rick Hahn’s public support of what he’s built, and the fact that his job is potentially in danger if there’s no turnaround, it would be rather surprising to me if Hahn decided to wave the white flag midseason.
Matt Cotner, Contributor
OVERREACTION. I do think it is likely that the White Sox will be bad enough to justify selling at the deadline. However, I don’t think that the front office will have the guts to be true sellers. Selling at the deadline would be admitting this rebuild as a failure, something I think the front office is too stubborn to do no matter how bad things continue to get. Additionally, if the White Sox are anywhere near .500 at the trade deadline (which is becoming less and less likely by the day), the front office could conceivably claim that they are pushing for a wildcard spot in this new expanded format as a convenient excuse to avoid selling.
Statement #2: Pedro Grifol is Not a Significant Upgrade Over Tony La Russa
Jordan Lazowski, Editor-in-Chief
OVERREACTION: The difference between Tony La Russa and Pedro Grifol isn’t in the record or their ability to make the most of an underperforming or flawed roster. The difference is in how they prepare the players, hold them accountable, put them in positions to succeed, and approach in-game situations.
In that sense, the difference between Grifol and La Russa is night and day in a positive way. I’m not going to fault Grifol for this roster’s first 29 games – like La Russa’s supporters used to say, the players play the games. He showed me what kind of manager he is when he benched Luis Robert on Saturday – that’s practicing what you preached in Spring Training. I won’t say I’ve agreed with everything Grifol has done so far in his tenure, but I’m a big fan of his approach to the game, and I think he could have an opportunity to be here for a while, regardless of how the team performs this year.
Adam Kaplan, Senior Contributor
OVERREACTION. While Pedro Grifol has made some questionable line-up decisions and bullpen moves, I still believe he’s better than Tony La Russa. I think La Russa’s hiring was the absolute worst move a team with supposed World Series aspirations could have done, and now Grifol, in part, is left cleaning up the mess TLR made. That being said, Grifol still has to show fans he’s unequivocally an upgrade. Saying the correct things this offseason is one thing, but living up to his word is another. So far, I’ve been disappointed by Grifol’s brief tenure, but I’m willing to at least give him a full season before I really make up my mind.
Brian Barry, Contributor
OVERREACTION. While Grifol’s managerial prowess, decision-making, and ability to command a clubhouse have been mediocre at best so far, it’s early in his career as a manager and he has room to grow. It was evident the game had passed La Russa by. However, whoever is at the helm is a moot point when the players are playing at an abysmal level. Ultimately, they’re the ones out there on the field.
Nico Andrade, Contributor
OVERREACTION. Pedro Grifol is the right man for this job. Put in perspective this group of players is the players he was given. Plus it is April, so of course, there are going to be some hiccups from Grifol as he is a first-time manager. Fans should not be blaming Grfiol, as it’s not his fault.
Noah Phalen, Contributor
OVERREACTION. While I haven’t loved all of Pedro Grifol’s in-game decisions early this season, to say after less than a month that he’s not an upgrade is quite an overreaction. The wins haven’t been there, but there’s been a pretty clear change in communication and strategy. A better comparison to Pedro Grifol in my mind is Rick Renteria. Both managers were good communicators and well-liked in the clubhouse, however, Ricky, like Pedro, left a lot to be desired with his in-game decisions. When I see White Sox fans starting to compare Grifol to Tony, I like to remind them that Leury Garcia batted third in 2022, and Trea Turner was intentionally walked in a 1-2 count.
Matt Cotner, Contributor
OVERREACTION. While the team remains disappointing, and I haven’t liked the way Grifol has managed the bullpen, I think it is an overreaction to say Grifol is no better than La Russa. At the very least, it is too early in the season to say as much. However, I do think he will still be an upgrade, primarily because I’m not sure there could’ve been a worse hire than La Russa. Grifol deserves to be critiqued for these early-season struggles, as does the rest of the organization, but he deserves more time in the clubhouse before a statement as strong as this is made.
Statement #3: Yoan Moncada or Eloy Jimenez Will Miss at Least 80 Games this Year
Jordan Lazowski, Editor-in-Chief
NOT AN OVERREACTION. Until otherwise proven, I’m worried about Yoan Moncada. He is dealing with the same back injuries that really limited Joe Crede’s career down the stretch and forced his retirement at age 32. I think Moncada could find a way to play 90-100 games this season, but the questions surrounding his back are likely to persist throughout his career. It’s serious – and unfortunate – stuff he’s dealing with.
Adam Kaplan, Senior Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. Prior to Rick Hahn’s recent conversation with the press, I still would have predicted over 80 games played for Yoan Moncada. However, with the news that the third baseman has disc issues, I’m not confident he’ll even play again in 2023. I hope he does, but this injury is quite concerning to me.
I think Eloy Jimenez is a different story though. Despite having persistent injury concerns since 2019 and a hamstring that doesn’t seem to want to stay connected to his leg as well as a prior IL stint earlier this year, I still feel confident Jimenez will play more than 80 games this season. I would also wager that the Sox DH/RF will have at least one or two more IL trips in 2023, but I still don’t think he’ll miss half a season.
Brian Barry, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. I’ll take a stab and say Moncada misses 80+ games this year but Jimenez does not miss 80+ games.
Nico Andrade, Contributor
OVERREACTION. I don’t think Moncada will miss 80 games, but it might be close, as he has already missed close to 20 games without starting a rehab assignment. He might miss somewhere near 30-40, but not quite 80, unless he re-aggravates his back sometime during the season.
Noah Phalen, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. What started as a day-to-day soreness in his lower back has turned into something quite a bit more significant for Yoan Moncada. He’s been on the IL now for a couple of weeks with no rehab stint in sight. Rick Hahn commented recently that Yoan is suffering from a protruding disc in his back. Those of you who remember the Joe Crede era may recall that this is a very similar injury to the one that derailed his career. While approximately 80% of cases don’t require surgery, the White Sox haven’t been on the luckier side of injuries, and there is real concern that this injury could heavily affect Moncada’s season. I’ll take the over on games missed for him.
Matt Cotner, Contributor
OVERREACTION. While I would not be surprised to see Eloy Jimenez hit the IL once or twice more this season, I don’t think he will be absent for nearly half of it. The recent news about Moncada is concerning; however, 80 games is still a lot of time. I’m hoping a slow rehab on this initial injury prevents further ones this season and allows him to play at least more than half the year.
Statement #4: Liam Hendriks Will Notch 25 Saves this Season
Jordan Lazowski, Editor-in-Chief
NOT AN OVERREACTION. The question just says he has to get 25 saves, it doesn’t say for which team…
Liam Hendriks is already throwing in Arizona. If he’s back by mid-to-late May, that’s plenty of time to notch the necessary save opportunities – no matter which team he is on.
Adam Kaplan, Senior Contributor
OVERREACTION. I am obviously not a doctor and have no idea how going through chemotherapy will affect Hendriks’ on-field performance. However, even if Liam Hendriks comes back fully healthy and comes back looking like his former All-Star self, the White Sox will not win enough games and will not be competitive in enough games to allow Hendriks to even get 25 save opportunities.
Brian Barry, Contributor
OVERREACTION (if he remains with the White Sox for all of 2023). Liam certainly has the capability to tally this many saves, especially if he returns before June. However, the White Sox won’t be in enough save situations for him to surpass 25 saves in 2023. There’s a chance he could do it if he’s moved at the deadline, though.
Nico Andrade, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. Liam is one of the best closers in baseball. After kicking cancer in the mouth he will come back and notch 25 saves – hopefully even more.
Noah Phalen, Contributor
OVERREACTION. Liam Hendriks is cancer free and that is incredible news that goes far beyond baseball. He’s been throwing in Arizona and could be ready for a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks. Hendriks coming back by mid-late May seems like a strong possibility, but will the remainder of the season be enough for him to record 25 saves? I don’t think it will. To be quite frank, I’m not convinced he’ll have enough opportunities. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see him struggle a bit out of the gate without a true spring training. It’ll be wonderful to have Hendriks back, but I’ll take the under on his saves
Matt Cotner, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. This is the one bright spot I am allowing myself with the White Sox. Liam Hendriks is so easy to root for, and I think he can come back and provide some real consistency at the back of the bullpen, provided he isn’t traded at some point during the season.
Statement #5: Tim Anderson is the Most Important Player on the Team
Jordan Lazowski, Editor-in-Chief
NOT AN OVERREACTION. This isn’t an overreaction for me for a different reason than everyone else. While most people approach this from the energy Anderson adds, I approach this from the fact that there simply isn’t someone on the White Sox’ roster that can do what Anderson does when he isn’t in the lineup. The White Sox record when he is out, in my opinion, isn’t a reflection of the energy he brings or him being a “spark plug” in the lineup – though that certainly helps. Rather, it’s a reflection of the skillset he brings that can’t be replicated by Elvis Andrus, Lenyn Sosa, Romy Gonzalez, or anyone else the White Sox have put at shortstop in his absences over the years.
Adam Kaplan, Senior Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. In my pre-season prediction article, I named Tim Anderson as my Team MVP. As fans on social media like to say, “TA is the straw that stirs the drink”. Between Anderson’s infectious presence in the clubhouse and his All-Star caliber performance on the field, I think TA is a key cog to the White Sox’ success. Tim Anderson’s absence should not be the reason the White Sox are one of the worst teams in baseball, but his presence always helps.
Brian Barry, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. This ball club’s record speaks for itself when he is injured and not on the field. He is a true spark plug and natural energy infuser across the entire diamond and for the lineup. His hitting acumen is prolific and he’s the engine that has driven this team for years, in my opinion.
Nico Andrade, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. Anderson is an important bat at the top of the order for this ballclub, as he gives them a boost whenever he is there. However, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert Jr, Andrew Vaughn, and Andrew Benintendi are also important to this team. Whether or not Anderson is in the lineup, this team has enough talent to win games, but the fact is that lately without him they haven’t. So yes, Tim Anderson is very important.
Noah Phalen, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. The numbers speak for themselves. At the time of writing this, the White Sox are 2-14 in 2023 without Tim Anderson. The offensive numbers have fallen off a cliff since Tim was placed on the IL. It isn’t just this year either. The White Sox historically have performed very poorly without Tim in the lineup. He’s the spark plug at the top of the order and unquestionably the most important player on this team. His absence isn’t the only reason for the offensive struggles, but it has heavily contributed.
Matt Cotner, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. This feels like the easiest one of the bunch. The White Sox can’t win this season without Tim Anderson. The White Sox struggled to win last season without Tim Anderson. Enough said.
Statement #6: Dylan Cease is the Only Starter the White Sox can Trust this Season
Jordan Lazowski, Editor-in-Chief
OVERREACTION. First of all, respect Lucas Giolito.
More importantly, the White Sox’ starting staff has shown signs of turning things around recently. Giolito, Lynn, and Clevinger all looked strong in their most recent starts. Dylan Cease is likely to work through some early season hiccups he’s encountering. That leaves Michael Kopech, who still has yet to prove he can be a key rotation piece moving forward. However, his past few starts have shown improvement, especially in the life of his fastball.
Early-season overreactions to poor starting pitching are natural. However, it’s already starting to look like the early-season variance is normalizing. The biggest problem is that the White Sox offense hasn’t done enough to give the pitching staff the benefit of time to work through some struggles.
Adam Kaplan, Senior Contributor
OVERREACTION. Dylan Cease is clearly the White Sox’s best starting pitcher and will be once the 2023 season is complete. However, I refuse to believe that the remaining four starters behind him in the rotation will continue to be this awful all season. I think Mike Clevinger has an opportunity to be DFA’d at some point this year, but I still have hope (maybe it’s false hope) that at least one or two other pitchers will be great and reliable down the stretch.
I still believe that Lucas Giolito will turn it around so he can get paid in the offseason once he becomes a free agent, and I still believe in Michael Kopech’s stuff where he should at least have a 2021 Dylan Cease-esque season. On the other hand, I don’t have as much hope in a Lance Lynn bounce-back, as his stuff seems to be on the downside of his career. He was awesome in 2021, when healthy in 2022, and during the WBC earlier this year, so maybe he has one more good season left in the tank.
Brian Barry, Contributor
OVERREACTION. This one is tough to quantify, so I’ll freelance it. While Lynn and Kopech have struggled MIGHTILY out the gates, I’m bullish on bouncebacks from them, and Giolito has looked like the old 2019-2021 Giolito as of late. I’ll predict that Lynn and Kopech turn it around and post ERAs under 4.50 with respectable strikeout numbers, and Giolito continues a solid campaign in a contract year. The hitting though…….. I’m not too bullish there!
Nico Andrade, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. I think coming off the season Dylan Cease had last year, everyone expects no-hitter stuff from him night in and night out. He certainly does have that, but that’s a lofty expectation. Just like in any season, there are going to be some bad days and there are going to be some great days. Can we trust Cease to go out there and give us his best? Absolutely. I also think Lucas Giolito has been throwing the ball well as of late. But with Giolito, Lance Lynn, Kopech, and Clevinger, we have no idea what pitcher we are going to get.
Noah Phalen, Contributor
OVERREACTION. If you’d have asked me this question two weeks ago, I probably would’ve agreed. Thanks to four consecutive solid outings by Lucas Giolito, I’ve started to trust him again. Whether or not that ends up being a mistake remains to be seen, but there have been some promising signs from Giolito as of late. It’s been a frustrating start overall for the Sox rotation, but one has to believe that it’ll even out eventually. If not, the rotation could look very different next season.
Matt Cotner, Contributor
NOT AN OVERREACTION. Wow, this staff has disappointed me so far this season. I love Lance Lynn and the fire he brings on the mound, but it seems he is entering the tail end of his career. Mike Clevinger has unsurprisingly struggled. I still have hope for Michael Kopech, but he needs to be more consistent before I can trust him.
That brings us to Lucas Giolito. He is certainly the starter I trust most outside of Cease right now, and he has found some consistency as of late. I will just need to see more of it before I feel comfortable saying I fully trust him this season.
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Featured Image: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
My recollection of White Sox history and my opinions of the team and its management, written in the thread, titled This and That, before this, are just that, recollection and opinion.
This and That:
That, I am responsible comment from Rick Hahn in my opinion, was not sincere. Being responsible has its three Rs: Regret, Repair and (not to) Repeat. Hahn’s declarative contained not one R.
This penchant for shortchanging youngsters irks me to no end. Robin Ventura went 0 for 41, had a stat line of .117/.293/.217. Having the patience of Job, Jeff Torborg stayed with his young third baseman. Through it all, and in the end, Robin Ventura put up remarkable numbers. Unlike Ventura, Colas with better numbers, is deported to the minors. With the season nearly lost its first month, why not let the young right fielder have the remaining five months to acquire some MLB sea legs?
That, the hierarchy would consider being Sellers at the trade deadline tells me how awful they are in planning a winning strategy, how failed they are in developing players, and how blinker visioned they are in fielding a contending team. To trade away core pieces, we thought were, is shameful. Where did This franchise go wrong? When Eddie Debartolo was denied purchasing the White Sox, even though his bid to purchase was considerably greater.