Chicago White Sox “three-year plan” in question

It appears as if year two of the Chicago White Sox “three-year plan” has yet to be finalized. Executive vice president Kenny Williams told reporters Wednesday management is still deciding on the direction of the team for next season and whether to sell or add on.

The White Sox are coming off a disappointing 76-86 campaign in 2015 after high offseason expectations following the acquisitions of Melky Cabrera, Jeff Samardzija, Adam LaRoche and David Robertson, among others. With this past season being the 10^th anniversary of the White Sox 2005 World Series title, there was a buzz around Chicago’s South Side.

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According to White Sox MLB.com beat writer Scott Merkin, Williams said general manager Rick Hahn has been having daily conversations and potential plans have bee put together, it is now just a question of which plan to choose.

Per Merkin, Williams said he asked Hahn for a definitive plan heading into the winter meetings, but that Hahn was not able to provide one.

One school of thought is that the Sox, a team that reached the postseason just once in the past decade, must go with a complete overhaul of the organization. Samardzija is the most likely to depart after rejecting a one-year, nearly $16 million qualifying offer. Other key pieces such as veteran middle infielders Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham are also potentially on their way out with Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez getting significant experience last year. Ramirez’s club option for next season was rejected and he is currently a free agent, although the two sides are rumored to be in ongoing talks about a less costly contract. Backup catcher Geovany Soto is another possible casualty of the offseason.

The hottest trade commodity would be Jose Quintana, a talented 26-year-old southpaw who has been the standard of consistency. Over his first four seasons in the majors, Quintana has gone 33-34 with a 3.46 ERA, but has a FIP below the 3.00 mark. His inexpensive contract also makes Quintana solid trade bait and he would be a No. 3 staple in most rotations around the league.

The problem with rebuilding is that the Sox appear to be too deep into this “three-year plan” for a complete teardown. The cornerstones of the team, Jose Abreu and Chris Sale, are under contract through 2019 and 2017, respectively. However, Abreu will have the chance to opt into arbitration after next season and Sale has club options on his contact for 2018 and 2019. Avisail Garcia, who was expected to make a significant jump last season, performed below expectations coming off an injury, but it should be expected that he will turn it around sooner rather than later.

The Sox also have a few up-and-coming prospects, some of whom got the call up to the big leagues last season. Carlos Rodon struggled mightily with command, but seems like a future No. 2 guy in the rotation. Tim Anderson is a blue-chip shortstop prospect giving Sox fans a reason to be excited about after batting .312 and swiping 49 bases with AA Birmingham last season. Flamethrower Frankie Montas and Spencer Adams are other reasons to be optimistic. First round selection Carson Fulmer, who was named the collegiate pitcher of the year out of Vanderbilt, also has tremendous promise.

The other path this offseason is for the Sox to continue spending aggressively, as they did last offseason, and try to piece together impact players and make a run at the 2016 postseason. The problem with that track, however, is the Sox are known for attracting veteran players past their prime (i.e. LaRoche, Adam Dunn dating back to 2011). Clearly, that method has not worked in the past, and Sox fans are worried they could be in for another similar offseason.

The Sox could look in the direction of a corner outfielder, for starters. Cabrera and Eaton have starting spots penciled in, but if the Sox opt to use Garcia as trade bait, while he still has some value, a corner outfielder would be a necessity. Trayce Thompson, who saw playing time in the second half of last season, might fit the mold as a long-term replacement, but for the immediate future, they could at least make a pitch to a guy like Gerardo Parra, Dexter Fowler or Denard Span assuming the top tier of guys (Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes, Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon) land elsewhere. The Sox could also be in the market for a catcher as Tyler Flowers is clearly not the answer at that position.

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The White Sox have no urgent need for a rebuild, with Abreu, Sale, Rodon, Robertson and Adam Eaton in place and aforementioned prospects set to take the next step soon. The offseason will likely leave some fans shaking their heads and others pleased.