For White Sox fans, the NLCS is just a painful reminder of what could have been. This week an old story surfaced that the White Sox missed out on signing Juan Soto as a teenager because of a difference of $50,000.
White Sox Director of Scouting Doug Lauman talked about it on Patrick Jones Baseball, saying, “We lost Juan Soto over 50 thousand dollars. I think we were at 1.2, and somebody came along and gave him 1.25.”
Soto had a handshake deal in place with the White Sox before opting to sign with Washington for the extra $50,000 in 2015. Things like this happen all of the time, but watching Soto blossom into a star doesn’t make it hurt any less, especially considering the White Sox also had Frenando Tatis Jr. in their pipeline before trading him for James Shields.
"We lost Juan Soto to 50k"
Full Episode: https://t.co/2rwW2bZ1sP pic.twitter.com/m6QvZeXKOt
— Patrick Jones (@pjonesbaseball) October 17, 2022
While the Soto deal was not their fault, missing the playoff this season is. That is what makes seeing both the Phillies and Padres excel this postseason hard to swallow as a White Sox fan. There is nothing special about the Padres or Phillies. The White Sox are capable of making the same moves. They play in a significantly easier division and a bigger market than both of them. The difference is both of these organizations operate aggressively. The White Sox are satisfied with having “a seat at the table.”
If you’re wondering why the White Sox are watching from their couch while these two squads duke it out for a World Series appearance, look no further than the lack of moves they have made the last several seasons.
Missing Out On Bryce Harper And Manny Machado
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. The White Sox were in the thick of the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sweepstakes leading into the 2019 season.
Harper said publicly that he liked the White Sox roster and that they had everything he was looking for as far as lineup protection. Machado’s new glove was black and white. It seemed like the White Sox would net at least one of them. Instead, they played it cheap and let them slip through their fingers.
We all know what happened next. Harper signed with the Phillies for 13 years and 330 million, while Machado took his talents to San Diego for ten years and $300 million.
Both teams’ early returns have been positive. Harper was named the National League MVP in 2021 and was named an All-Star in 2022. More importantly, he has raked during the postseason. He batted .500 in the NLDS and has already hit four home runs, including one in Game 1 of the NLCS.
Bryce Harper turns 30 on Sunday. 🎂
Harper before his 30th birthday:
285 regular season HRs, 879 regular season BBsBabe Ruth before his 30th birthday:
284 regular season HRs, 880 regular season BBspic.twitter.com/gMahOMDBpX— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 14, 2022
Meanwhile, Machado has made two All-Star teams, hit 106 home runs, and batted .280 in his four seasons in San Diego. On top of that, he has provided Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base. This postseason he has homered in every round of the playoffs.
At this point, it’s just stating the obvious. The White Sox dropped the ball. Because they weren’t willing to swim in the deep end of free agency, the money that would have gone to Harper or Machado was spread out to a platoon of mediocrity.
Aggressive During Free Agency
After getting bounced from the ALDS in 2021, the White Sox needs were very apparent. A second baseman, left-handed power, and a right fielder. Kyle Scharbwer would have solved two of those needs and just so happened to be available in free agency. As a former All-Star who knows what it takes to win a championship in Chicago, he would have been the perfect fit on the South Side.
Instead, he signed with the Phillies for four years and $79 million and proceeded to hit an NL-leading 46 home runs and drive in 94 RBIs. Those numbers would have looked pretty good on a power-starved team like the White Sox. Despite the apparent fit, there were no reports that the White Sox even made him an offer.
KYLE SCHWARBER SENT THIS BALL TO THE MOON‼️🌙
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/O40BS5FlKc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2022
The White Sox also dropped the ball on Nicholas Castellanos to a lesser extent. He could have provided the White Sox with many qualities you are looking for in a player. He was coming off an excellent season with the Reds, hits for power, and is familiar with the division.
Castellanos had a down year, so it’s easy to say the White Sox were wise for not pursuing him. Hindsight is 20/20. But the fact the Phillies were aggressive in free agency and got not one, but two of the biggest names shows why they are where they are today.
Aggressive During The Trade Deadline
The 2022 trade deadline was a watershed moment for the White Sox. Some even called it the most important trade deadline of Hahn’s career. Despite a horrific start to the season, they still found themselves in the playoff hunt. With a talented core still in place and a division there for the taking, it was time to be aggressive. As the Phillies and Padres have shown, all you need to do is get into the postseason, and anything can happen.
Hahn did virtually nothing, trading their backup catcher for Jake Diekman, who had the highest walk rate in baseball. The lack of activity inspired no confidence in the team, and predictably, they missed the postseason.
• Juan Soto – acquired via trade, 8/2/2022
• Brandon Drury – acquired via trade, 8/2/2022
• Josh Bell – acquired via trade, 8/2/2022
8/2/2022 is looking like a historic day for Friar Faithful. pic.twitter.com/FC2HDKuXDp
— Shawn (@Shawn_Spradling) October 19, 2022
Meanwhile, the Padres were clinging onto a Wildcard Spot and 12 games back of the division lead. It would have been easy for them to rest on their laurels and wait for Fernando Tatis to return.
Instead, they added sluggers Juan Soto and Josh Bell, obtained from Washington in an eight-man swap; versatile Brandon Drury, and a shutdown left-handed closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Talk about being aggressive. Not only did the Padres address their needs, but they also pushed all their chips to the center of the table. It paid off. The Padres eliminated the Dodger juggernaut with key contributions from Soto, Bell, and Hader.
Adding all of that star power gives confidence to the players in the clubhouse, revitalizes the fan base, and translates to wins.
Parting Ways With A Disruptive Manager
The Phillies had a no-nonsense, old-school manager in Joe Girardi. Girardi has a World Series to his name and an impressive resume. But despite having a talented roster, the players weren’t responding to him. Sound familiar? After a lethargic 22-29 start, the Phillies brass fired him and handed the reigns to interim manager Rob Thompson.
Thompson provided the spark the team was looking for and guided them to a 65-46 finish and the Phillies’ first postseason appearance since 2011. Meanwhile, the White Sox stuck with their 77-year-old manager, who made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Even the Padres parted ways with a winning manager. Jayce Tingler had a winning record during his two seasons in San Diego. But the Padres still decided to swap him out with Bob Melvin.
Everyone could see that Tony La Russa wasn’t working out. It is fair to wonder what would have happened if the White Sox had made a change sooner.
As you pointed out hind sight is 20/20. I do not think it would have made a difference getting rid of TLR any sooner. This team was lethargic right out of the gate. As we all saw in 2021… this was not a playoff team. Their weaknesses were glaringly exposed by the Astros. The Sox record against the better teams in the AL was below .500. No improvement was made during the off-season. Sox reverted back to their old ways and went garbage picking in free agency. The 2022 team was built for second best…. just how Jerry wants it.… Read more »