Over the past few days, White Sox fans have not been shy to share their thoughts on the state of the franchise on Twitter. Sparked by comments on Twitter trolls made by general manager Rick Hahn, fans were unhappy with a quote that, from my perspective, was taken out of context. Contrary to what some have assumed, Hahn was asked directly about Twitter trolls. It was not a spontaneous rant. He was not referring to the typical White Sox fan in his answer, but only a select few. This was lost in translation between the podcast and the snippet posted on Twitter, and debate arose.
The way I see it, the debate about the state of the rebuild is pretty clear. You have one side who heavily weights the progress made by core pieces such as Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito, and high profile prospects. These fans tend to be more optimistic about the rebuild’s trajectory and believe that a competitive team is on the horizon. On the other hand, you have a group which has become understandably frustrated by the team’s daily struggles, the ownership’s history, and questionable developmental decisions. These fans are more likely to have taken exception to Hahn’s comments, but were not his target.
The rebuild debates I have read all revolve around one central point. The White Sox have almost no money committed to next year’s roster, and Rick Hahn has promised that the money will be spent. These debates stall out because it seems as if most fans hold extreme opinions about the upcoming offseason. There are some who think that signing Gerrit Cole and/or Anthony Rendon is not only possible, but likely. There are others who believe that the Sox will march into the 2020s with some of the lowest inflation-adjusted payrolls in recent franchise history. In my opinion, the White Sox will spend, but not on elite talent like Cole or Rendon.
Of course, the success of the rebuild arguably hinges on who the team spends on, and many are afraid of this due to the team’s free agent history. I tend to be more optimistic in this regard because past White Sox teams did not have the amount of depth that these White Sox figure to have in the coming years, meaning the team will have more money to spend on fewer free agents. Regardless, I understand why many disagree with that opinion, and that brings me to my final point, and what this entire post has been leading to. Debates about the state of the rebuild are natural, but until the coming offseason passes, arguing over the degree to which the White Sox will pursue free agents is a fruitless exercise. Most seem to be entrenched in their current views, so all we can do is wait and see what unfolds.
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You didn’t seem to address the ‘why’ you wrote in the title.
I feel the reason debates about the state of the rebuild quickly become unproductive is that most people bring an agenda to the discussion. It’s an opening to whine about Hahn still being GM, Kenny Williams being around the team, or Jerry Reinsdorf being cheap. Or bunting. If you take a sober look at the organization, note the better drafting the team has done, note that our International scouting seems to have brought players worthy of note into the organization, you’re declared to be a lapdog. Anything measured is derided.
You see, everybody should be fired because of an injury. Or a slump. Or a learning curve. There’s no way to get beyond that. If you started having a discussion about the best southern BBQ, and the other person threw down that all southern BBQ is garbage, and the best way to prepare it is to open the trash can lid, and throw it out, it wouldn’t be fair for the other person to claim they’re participating in the discussion.
Totally concur with what Nik stated
Thanks, Jim!
I’ve been a life long Sox’s fan since 1985, I love are young team and predict a World Series Championship by 2025 or before the Cubs win another one. Sox Fans stay Strong and keep the Faith.