Rick Hahn was one of the first baseball executives to use the verb wishcast. He dropped it into a conversation at least five years ago, back when he was leading the White Sox into the extensive rebuild that produced an American League Central title in 2021.
It will be interesting to see if he can still be as stridently opposed to the practice of painting rosy pictures as he tries to position his team for another 93-win season next year.
The White Sox are heading toward a likely financial reckoning after swinging for the fences and falling short, unless the South Side paradigm changes completely once Major League Baseball has resolved its upcoming labor confrontation.
White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf allowed Hahn and his front office to blow past all previous spending levels in pursuit of immediate success. Suffice it to say the four-game loss to the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series wasn’t what he had in mind when he spent so heavily for pitching.
Hahn imported big-ticket items Dallas Keuchel, Lance Lynn, Liam Hendriks and Craig Kimbrel while holding onto former first-round pick Carlos Rodon on a one-year deal. The result is that he’s currently looking at a 26-man payroll that will be paid $166.8 million next year, per Cots Contracts — almost $40 million more than the record Opening Day payroll the White Sox operated with last season.
Given how the veteran pitchers wore down last season, it’s fair to question if they’ll have sufficient depth if they keep the gang together for last year. Rodon, when he was healthy, was the most electrifying pitcher in the mix but is once again a free agent, leaving Hahn to potentially add another $18.4 million to the payroll if he offers Rodon a qualifying offer.
Given the need to often work with extra rest after the All-Star Game, it seems more likely that the White Sox would try to work out another one-year deal with Rodon and his agent, Scott Boras. This is one of a few negotiations that Hahn needs to have between now and Dec. 1, when the collective bargaining agreement expires, possibly leading to a freeze for signing free agents.
Hahn would love to deal Keuchel, whose 5.28 ERA in his age-33 season caused him to be left off the ALDS roster. He is owed $19.5 million on a three-year, $55.5 million deal (with an option for a fourth season) before 2020, which could make him an immovable object, similar to James Shields at the end of his contract.
The White Sox traded second baseman Nick Madrigal to the Cubs for Kimbrel, an aggressive move that looks dubious with the Hall of Fame candidate floundering as a set-up man for Hendriks. Kimbrel will be due $16 million in 2022 if the Sox exercise his contract option.
Hahn will have to work fast to trade him as the deadline to decide on options is five days after the conclusion of the World Series. There is some speculation the Sox will exercise the option and then look to deal him but it could be wiser to pay the $1 million buyout and admit the trade did not work out.
Sticking with Keuchel would give the Sox a five-man rotation, even without Rodon. Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech are easy names to pencil in. Reynaldo Lopez, who is arbitration-eligible with an estimated cost of $2 million, is available as a depth piece.
It’s an intriguing picture to sort out, for sure. But this isn’t exactly what the White Sox had in mind for late October.
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October 27, 2021 at 02:48AM
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White Sox Face Decisions On Kimbrel, Rodon, Keuchel After Early Exit From The Postseason - Forbes
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