The Front Office Sleeps With The Fishes: No New White Sox

And on August 2nd, 2022, the White Sox faithful let out another long moan. Another season in the trash, another cavalcade of errors, and one more reason to wonder why we cheer for this team.

When the rebuild took shape, White Sox fans were on board with the mentality of “trust the process,” and we bought into it. We rolled through the bad seasons, the trades, the fire sales, everything ugly in the name of winning. And once we saw returns, the base came to the games. We waited in line for the cool new South Side jerseys. We bought the hip marketing spin of “Change the Game” with Tim Anderson throwing a bat, screaming at God himself for daring a pitcher to throw one over the plate.

When Manny Machado went to the Padres, it was because of guaranteed money. When other superstars go to not Chicago, it’s because of money. Every White Sox fan can draw up a scenario where the front office said they were in on someone and look how that worked out. Everyone remembers the phrase, “Kenny always gets his man!” even if it’s a decade after their prime. That was Chicago White Sox baseball.

When Uncle Jerry demanded Tony LaRussa come on board as we let competent skippers like AJ Hinch go to Detroit, the White Sox fans took the mind-boggling move in stride and hoped for the best, despite not one person going, “yeah, that makes sense.” And since then, we’ve dealt with severe head-scratching seasons with La Russa at the helm. No one said he wasn’t a great manager, but we did say the game had evolved, and he hasn’t been able to keep up.

We still held on.

We’ve watched as a plethora of injuries have plagued the team. We’ve seen guys phone it in, and we’ve still got those holes at second base and right field. In the two prior seasons, the White Sox made the playoffs and were laughed out in the first round. But this year, we were ready. The pros picked us. They said it was finally The Window. It was an across-the-board answer that the Chicago White Sox were a top-five baseball team, and many gurus picked us to represent the American League in the World Series.

And that didn’t happen. Instead, the 2022 Chicago White Sox have been a third-place 51-51 team. There have been no break-out moments, no time when the base could point and say, “there it is, we’re on like Donkey Kong.” So, the trade deadline was the golden goose, a moment when a few flashes of a pen, an email, or a phone call could have landed a Joey Gallo on the south side, someone who has all the talent in the world but can’t hack it in New York in the pinstripes, which many can’t.

The Cubs dangled Ian Happ, just like the sturdy arm of Wilson Contreras, but still no dice. The White Sox walked from the trade deadline with Jake Diekman. Diekman is a mediocre lefty from Boston, and the White Sox probably overpaid by shipping off Reese McGuire, a catcher who is joining a team who needed one BAD. And to boot, Diekman is owed around $4M annually.

What did the division rivals do this trade deadline? The Minnesota Twins added firepower to their pitching staff with All-Star closer Jorge Lopez, Tyler Mahle from Cincinnati, and even made a trade with Detroit for Michael Fulmer.

The White Sox front office has been aggressive in the last few seasons, bringing in names like Craig Kimbrel or Lance Lynn. According to Rick Hahn, it wasn’t about money, it was about how close the playoff contention is between so many teams and how those teams out of the hunt could affect the market.

Even still, it feels like a fart in the bathtub.

Why does this season feel like such a dead fish in the newspaper? Where’s Lucia Brasi’s body? Is it a “can this be over already” moment or what? It’s another year that feels wasted. When optimism was so high, the stands will be half empty again. It’s a sad dance for the Pale Hose, and unless this offseason is a barn burner with moves, it’s doubtful anything will be that much different. Even if the saying goes, “there’s always next season,” ESPN certainly won’t be picking us to win again. Maybe, that sting will be the motivation we need. Do you really see the White Sox suddenly getting red hot and storming the playoffs? Bet you wouldn’t bet a Miller Lite on it.