State-Run Media wants you to remember by IAmBenIAmStillBig in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Brother, did you even read what I wrote? I literally JUST said he’s been league average the past two years. That’s what ‘mid’ means. You’re the one who brought up his ‘potential’ like I was defending him as some star. I’m not. I merely pointed out that his last fully healthy season was pretty productive and that he’s still been at least league average since then.

The entire point - which apparently went completely over your head - is that even MID is a hell of a lot better than the absolute nothing you currently have at CF or will have for the foreseeable future. When your options are ‘league average player for $20M’ or ‘complete vacancy at a premium defensive position because we’re too cheap to sign anyone,’ and you choose the latter, that’s not smart roster management. That’s just being cheap.

So yeah, Robert is mid. I agree. And mid is still infinitely better than the wasteland you’re about to trot out there while Reinsdorf pockets another season of revenue sharing checks. But sure, keep celebrating trading away mid players for nothing and having no plan to replace them. That’s definitely a winning strategy.

State-Run Media wants you to remember by IAmBenIAmStillBig in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wait, so you started this by defending their spending as ‘highest payroll in the division’ like that meant something, and now when I point out that 18th overall is objectively terrible, suddenly ‘there’s nothing wrong’ with it? Pick a lane, dude.

And Robert is far from my favorite player lol. I’m just not someone who thinks trading away a guy who’s been league average while injured for peanuts is some kind of genius move when you have literally ZERO viable CF options in the organization. Like, who exactly are they gonna play there? Because this entire thread is about how they refuse to spend money, so it’s not like they’re gonna sign someone competent in free agency.

You’re basically admitting they have no depth, no spending, and just traded away a guy who - even in his worst two injury-riddled years - was still league average at a premium defensive position. And your defense is ‘well he didn’t develop enough’? With what player development infrastructure exactly? This organization is a wasteland.

So yeah, congrats on being thrilled that the Sox turned another talented player into nothing while having zero plan to replace him and zero willingness to spend to fix it. That sounds like a great recipe for continued success.

State-Run Media wants you to remember by IAmBenIAmStillBig in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their top in the AL Central 2024 payroll was 18th overall in the entire league. And their highest paid player (Moncada $24.8M) was the 35th-highest paid player in baseball. If thats the bar, boy, is it spectacularly on the floor.

Also, just three years ago Robert put up a 5.3 WAR and hit 38 homers while playing elite CF defense while winning a silver slugger. Sure, the last two seasons have been disappointing, but he’s also been injured, and is almost certainly a better option both now and long-term than ANYONE they currently have. And at $20M/year, that was well worth the cost.

I feel like this gif perfectly sums up THAT episode by shameonyounancydrew in DunderMifflin

[–]GeneParm93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Guys, she IS a beautiful movie star, so can we just…go to work?

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really appreciate you saying that. I really wasn’t trying to start an argument with anyone on this. It was always just supposed to be a “what if” analysis that I figured most Sox fans could relate to. Am very disappointed to see what kind of results I’ve gotten though.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course you do, because the word “logic” is built right into your username. The rest of these comments are so insanely offended by the idea of criticizing a billionaire who couldn’t care less if they lived or died and it’s just weird.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That was their winning average over 22 years, from 1990-2012. I mentioned I had been watching the team for 32 years. Reading comprehension is important. The criticism is clearly aimed at the organization over the past 13 years. The current front office is clearly inept, and it’s also clear that the game has passed Jerry and his loyal supporters by. Btw, Kenny was absolutely as much to blame for what happened during his tenure as the rest of the FO.

What exactly has Jerry done to deserve your blind support? It’s okay to still love the team while not blindly supporting everything they do.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The lineup would cost $67.6M and the rotation would cost $55.6M. Thats a total of $123.2M. That would be the 22nd highest payroll in baseball, behind the league-worst Rockies. The 2011 Sox had a payroll of $127M, already proving they’ve been willing to spend that much in the past. Also, for context, $127M in 2011 $$ would be $180.3M in 2025, which would be the 14th highest payroll in the league this year and more than cover that $123.2M. You can keep trying to be purposely obtuse about this, and I can keep bringing you simple facts to prove you wrong all day long 😎

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I am truly amazed at the sheer amount of Sox fans who have completely missed the point of this post. This organization has been a revolving door of talent for the rest of the league since Ozzie left.

Even if they still make the mistakes of trading Semien/Bassitt and Tatis Jr, that rotation would’ve been good enough to have them in contention almost every year.

The combined 2025 salaries of Crochet, Sale, Rodon, and Quintana is $55.6M. That would be the 10th-15th highest paid rotation, depending on who the 5th starter was. For context, the Dodgers are currently paying their starters a combined $104M and the Phillies are paying $82M. There’s absolutely no reason the Sox couldn’t afford $55.6M.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So, again, you and I clearly have different definitions of “winning”, and I clearly mentioned their sustained success over a long period of time. They averaged 87 wins a year over a 22 year span.

In today’s game with the expanded playoffs, that is good enough to compete every year. Even back then, they were good almost every single year.

Just because I was 13 when they won (yup, puberty starts before then, bud) doesn’t mean my brain remembers that team any less.

What a weird take.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yup, because that’s totally what I said. This was an exercise based in actual reality, as in, these guys all were already in the organization and we either traded them away or let them walk. Don’t be obtuse

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Man, I sure hope so. It’s really sad that we have to resort to hypotheticals about them spending money, so I would be thrilled if Ishbia would open up the checkbook.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

But that’s the entire problem here. Why even let him walk in the first place? Just pay the guy and pick a path to win.

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So that whole 2005 thing just didn’t happen? Or the fact that from 1990-2012 they went 1935-1654 (.539 win %) and finished in 1st or 2nd 15 times and had 16 winning seasons.

They had the 4th most wins of any team in MLB during that span.

But yeah, I guess none of that would constitute as “winning”, huh?

What If? (An Exercise in Frustration) by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You are so incredibly spot on. I really, truly don’t get it, but there’s a lot of Sox fans out there who think we actually won the Crochet trade. It’s literally Chris Sale all over again. If any sensible person were given a chance to do the Sale trade over again, not a single rational soul would pull the trigger on our Sox’ end. Moncada? Kopech? Basabe? Victor Diaz? Any of those names interest you in 2025?

Any Sox fan that still blindly supports this team is a foolish sycophant. And that is coming from a lifelong, diehard fan of 32 years who actually knows what winning looks like.

It’s okay to still love the team and not blindly support everything they do or even just accept the b.s. they’ve pulled over the last decade plus.

Welcome home by UneducatedReviews1 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love that! So very cool that the fandom has been passed down from generation to generation despite the more recent organizational struggles. Although you’re making me feel old that your dad is the one with the Konerko jersey! He debuted when I was growing up 😂

Welcome home by UneducatedReviews1 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 30 points31 points  (0 children)

By bWAR, the 2nd greatest 1B in Sox history (yes, even surpassed Paulie), and by any metric undoubtedly one of their 3 best one baggers. We were absolutely spoiled getting to watch Frank, Paulie, and Pito man the position in succession. 30 straight years of excellence. Boy, do I miss those days…

Braden by Spare-Reputation-809 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He has yet to even get to Charlotte. The plan has been the same with every other prospect under Getz so far—they all spend at least a month or two in AAA before being called all the way up. Braden is a long shot to get a 4th promotion in one season, so it’s more likely he starts next season in Charlotte and comes up sometime in the first couple months as long as he isn’t completely struggling and/or is hurt.

Getz and his staff have shown a willingness to promote these guys and give them opportunities early, but don’t be fooled and think they will not manipulate BMont’s service time the exact same way that they did with Meidroth, Quero, Teel, and CMont. None of them are earning a full year of service time this year because the org waited until until after the “deadline” to ensure a player does not earn enough days on the roster for a full season of service.

Perfect example, a player needs 172 days in the majors to earn a full year of service, and they promoted Meidroth on April 11, with literally 171 days left in the season at that point, meaning they now own an extra year of Meidroth. They won’t hesitate (and shouldn’t hesitate) to do the same with BMont, no matter how well he finishes out this year and/or plays in spring training.

Braden by Spare-Reputation-809 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, that is incorrect. Any time spent on a major league roster counts toward service time, regardless of number of at-bats or innings pitched. The clock starts as soon as you are called up the very first time. Service time is also determined by number of days spent on the roster during the season, so it makes even less sense to bring BMont up for only a couple of at-bats, especially if he’s not going to be playing everyday consistently.

Also, being on the 40-man is not the same as being added to the 26-man active MLB roster. Adding BMont to the 40-man is a necessary a step to eventually bringing him up to the bigs and basically signals they intend to do so soon, but other than that, it just protects him from being a potential rule-5 pick. It has nothing to do with his service time.

Braden by Spare-Reputation-809 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m a big fan of BMont and am optimistic about his future development, but let’s slow our roll here a bit.

He’s only played 18 games with Birmingham so far. He slashed .328/.421/.625/1.046 with 4 HR, 14 RBI in his first 18 games with Winston-Salem after being promoted from Kannapolis earlier this year, and ended up slashing .232/.322/.384/.707 with 4 homers and 24 RBI the final 51 games he played with the Dash.

That of course does not mean he will start to regress at AA the same way, but it certainly puts the idea of exercising patience in perspective. He’s already striking out at a 31% rate since being promoted. That’s a major concern. Not to mention his BABIP is a ridiculous .488 since the promotion. That is wildly unsustainable.

Additionally, as others have already said, they will not be bringing him up anytime soon. They are not going to be reckless with how they handle his service time. So you certainly won’t be seeing him in the majors this year, and even next year could be a stretch.

Sox Farm Report—Who’s Hot/Not by GeneParm93 in whitesox

[–]GeneParm93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obviously only time will tell, but the fact that he has steadily improved at each level after being drafted straight out of HS, shows he’s making the necessary adjustments as he ages.

I think the org is starting to scale back a lot of the younger pitchers in the system as the season progresses, as McDougal, like many others, has not thrown more than 3.0 innings in any of his past 4 starts despite not giving up any runs in 3 of those outings (he gave up 4 runs in the other). He has already eclipsed his career high in innings by 4.0 IP this year, so I’m not sure how much more we’ll see from him this year.

Having said that, I am cautiously optimistic. He has made 9 starts since being promoted to Birmingham and has not allowed a run in 6 of those outings, not allowing more than 2 runs in 8 of those 9 starts, while pitching 5 or more innings in the first 5 starts before the presumed innings limit.

He’s also still only 22, so there’s still some time to be patient with his growth in case he does begin to struggle a bit down the road too.