All of the talk surrounding the Chicago Bears going into 2017 will be about how they can improve. Whatever it takes to avoid another debacle like this season was. Going 3-13 for the first time in franchise history. Everything from free agency through the draft will command the full attention of the front office and coaching staff.
Easy to understand too. The common knowledge at Halas Hall is another failed year could result in jobs being lost. No doubt the urgency will be kicked up a notch. This includes the point of possibly seeking upgrades through the other primary method of trading. Thus far the Bears have been in selling mode, shipping out older veterans or failed high draft picks.
Now the conversation is shifting to the idea of acquiring players. The big name that has dominated media and social media circles for weeks is Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Not hard to see why given their quarterback needs. However, the likelihood of that happening is remote at this point.
If the Bears were to make a move on the market though, there is one name that people should get to know.
Mike Montgomery is a weapon disguised as a busted-first-round-pick who’s numbers make most people believe he’s nothing more than an above-average lefty bullpen arm. The 27-year-old has played for three teams prior to being traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 20th this past season, after making his official major league debut with the Mariners in 2015.
Montgomery was regarded one of the best pitchers in the 2008 draft, leading the Kansas City Royals to nab in the first round with the 36th overall pick. However, after five inconsistent seasons in the Royals’ farm system, he was included in a trade packaged that sent James Shields and current Cubs closer Wade Davis to KC with Montgomery and a slew of players heading to Tampa Bay.
Montgomery would be traded once again, this time to Seattle, at Montgomery was beginning to flounder in the minors. The lefty would be given the opportunity to start in the Mariners rotation come 2015, but after posting a 4.60 ERA, a .290 opponent batting average, and a whopping 1.10% HR/9 rate in 16 starts, he was pushed to the bullpen in 2016.
Montgomery saw success in coming out of the pen, deflating his ERA 2.34 in 32 appearances in Seattle, while also increasing the speed of his four-seam fastball from 90 to nearly 94 MPH. On top of this, Montgomery’s curve ball was missing more bats than any other pitch in baseball (according to Brooks Baseball), which when paired with his 58.4% groundball rate, made the left-handed reliever one of the hardest pitchers to hit in baseball.
Of course, Theo Epstein was well aware of this and saw an excellent fit with Montgomery and his Chicago Cubs. So, Epstein sent 1st baseman/DH prospect Dan Vogelbach and pitcher Paul Blackburn to Seattle in exchange for Montgomery and pitcher Jordan Pries, as once again Epstein got his man. However, while most people saw the next potential Andrew Miller in Mike Montgomery, Theo Epstein saw the next Jake Arrieta.
The Chicago Blackhawks have reportedly been looking at some Detroit Red Wings players to make a playoff run. You heard that right. The teams are in separate conferences and the Red Wings 25 consecutive playoff appearance streak will likely come to an end. These appear to be good reasons to work together.
The names being thrown around to play LW with Toews and Hossa are Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar. Both players are about the same age with Nyquist being 27 and Tatar 26. Their numbers season to season are also quite similar with both players hovering around the 20 goal and 30 assist mark.
The biggest difference between the two is their contracts. Tatar is an unrestricted free agent following the season with only a $2.75m cap hit to Nyquist who is tied up trough 2019 with a $4.75m cap hit.
Both players would make a good fit but Tomas Tatar has game changing abilities that allow him to take over a game when he’s on. His contract would also allow the Blackhawks to use him as a rental if it doesn’t work out this season. For these reasons, Tomas Tatar would seem like a great move for the Blackhawks Playoff run.
Take every name you hear this time of year with a grain of salt, but I'm told #Blackhawks have at least sniffed around Nyquist and Tatar.
In just one year’s time, the Chicago White Sox went from a probable bottom-five system to the border of the top 10 thanks to a great draft and two enormous hauls in trades of major leaguers, giving them the strongest farm system they’ve had in well over a decade.
Carson Fulmer and Zack Collins were the only two players the South Siders could point to in the Top 100. Fast forward a year, and the White Sox now have six of the top 100 prospects with a Jose Quintana trade still very much a possibility. If that happens, the team will have at least eight of the top prospects in all of baseball.
Here’s a good breakdown, by John Sickels of SB Nation, of the talent they have worked hard to acquire: Top 20 White Sox Prospects.
Top 10 Farm System
Just yesterday, ESPN’s Keith Law released his personal farm system rankings and to no one’s surprise, the White Sox came in at No. 10 overall. Perhaps a little low in the eyes of the White Sox faithful, but Law provides the following justification:
Well, once you get past those eight guys, it falls off fast. Of their top 10 from last year, No. 1 graduated, and the next nine guys all had poor to lousy seasons. Some of the younger guys on the list still have promise but just haven’t performed. There’s no sugarcoating the lack of progress — which I think made Rick Hahn’s decision to rebuild all the smarter, given what was on the way. And perhaps the infusion of older prospects will let the White Sox give some of their youngest prospects more time in low- or high-A to develop physically and mentally.
Now, if Quintana is in fact traded, you can expect a haul that will undoubtedly vault the White Sox near the top of the best farm systems in baseball.
Eight prospects in the top 100 is almost unheard of in today’s MLB; however, come February, when MLB.com comes out with new rankings, the Sox might find one more player creep into the top 100.
His name?
Luis Alexander Basabe.
Basabe was the “throw-in” part of the Chris Sale deal. Although, calling him a throw in might be selling him short. A potential five tool player, Basabe has plus speed and a plus arm, while profiling average to slightly above average in the field, along with decent power. If he can fine tune his swing and start to generate more hits and raise his OBP, there is no reason to think that this kid can’t crack the top 100 and be the team’s center fielder of the future.
Future Looks Bright
All White Sox fans are in unfamiliar territory right now. Having so much young talent has not happened on the South Side since, well, ever to be honest. If even half of these prospects pan out the way they are projected to, the White Sox shoulld be in the postseason once again in a few short years.
Let’s focus on seven White Sox pitchers, all age 23 or younger. Three were acquired this offseason, the other four early in the past three drafts:
Lucas Giolito, 22 (acquired via Adam Eaton trade)
Reynaldo López, 22 (acquired via Adam Eaton trade)
Michael Kopech, 20 (acquired via Chris Sale trade)
Carlos Rodon, 23 (drafted No. 3 overall, 2014)
Carson Fulmer, 22 (drafted No. 8 overall, 2015)
Zack Burdi, 21 (drafted No. 26 overall, 2016)
Alec Hansen, 22 (drafted No. 49 overall, 2016)
These pitchers have two things in common to varying degrees: Outrageous raw stuff, and a scouting report that ends with “… if he can throw strikes.” — The Ringer
As Law said, “everything’s coming up roses on Chicago’s South Side right now, but there’s still more work to be done.”
The agenda for the Chicago Bears in 2017 is an extensive one. Not only must they forge a plan of attack at fixing the quarterback position, they also have problems to sort out on defense. Depth at outside linebacker is a concern and their secondary is a mess. Both the cornerback and safety positions are sorely in need of upgrades.
This has made it somewhat easy to forget arguably the first and most important issue on the docket. What exactly do they do with Alshon Jeffery. The 26-year old wide receiver will be a free agent come this March. His attempt to gamble on himself with the franchise tag in hopes of scoring a bigger long-term deal met with mixed results.
Though he did put up over 800 yards in just 12 games, he didn’t score many touchdowns and also got suspended four weeks for PEDs. If anything his status with the team is more confusing than ever. What does the future hold? Jeffery has said he wishes to stay, but it’s not up to him. Some believe his destiny lay elsewhere.
The “All In” days are over on the South Side. With a Chris Sale trade here and an Adam Eaton trade there, the Chicago White Sox have announced to the baseball world that they have seen the light and winning now has to wait. Rick Hahn doesn’t appear to be done unloading either, as Todd Frazier and Jose Quintana continue to pop up on the Hot Stove. That being said, it’s no secret that they are going to be horrible next season. And by horrible, I mean like, really really horrible.
Struggles Ahead
With a starting rotation consisting of Miguel Gonzalez, James Shields and Derek Holland, it sure seems destined to give up dingers for days. Jose Quintana, if they choose to hold on to him, along with an improving Carlos Rodon would give them a solid 1-2, but leaves a lot left to be desired. You have a rather raw Omar Navarez currently listed as the starting catcher, and we will have another full season of Avasail Garcia in right field. I throw up in my mouth just thinking about it; however, there is light at the end of the tunnel, White Sox fans.
While they are going to be a very bad team in 2017, they will still be fun to watch.
For every player on the big league roster that makes you shudder with disgust, there is one waiting behind the scenes that will make your hair stand on end.
New Faces Will Appear
Yoan Moncada will make his Sox debut no later than the end of May. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez will eventually make their way into the rotation. We will get to watch Tim Anderson take the next step in his first full season at the team’s future at shortstop. So, while there’s going to be plenty of bad, but I think White Sox fans can finally appreciate the direction the team chose to take. It was long overdue for a change to the franchise and although it sucks seeing Chris Sale in a red pair of socks, the club’s arrow is pointing up.
With a horrible record, comes a top draft pick, and boy are the White Sox going to have a high draft pick. With a possible top five pick in their future, and a draft in which nearly everyone will most likely be begging their respective team to draft the young phenom Seth Beer out of Clemson, they are not in a terrible situation. If you have not had the pleasure of watching this kid’s highlight reel, stop, watch and admire.
In what should have been his senior year of high school (he graduated a semester early and enrolled in Clemson last January), he set a school record in walks per at-bat (3.27), slugged .700 and hit for a .369 average. He did all this as a 6’2″, 195-pound freshman. This “kid” is an absolute tank and is projected as a right fielder in the MLB.
“I tell people all the time that he’s the best freshman I’ve ever seen, ” said Clemson coach Monte Lee, in his first year as successor to ousted legend Jack Leggett. “It really is pretty incredible.”
If the White Sox can get their hands on this guy, watch out. Also, the marketing ads would basically write themselves.
Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Potentially the best part about the White Sox getting all of the veteran contracts off the books is the money they will have to spend in the loaded 2018 free agent class. With their future rotation right-handed-heavy, they could go out and sign a top left handed starter on the market. Those probable names? Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Dallas Keuchel. And yes, the White Sox will more than likely have that type of money to spend. On the flip side, if Chicago chooses to go offense, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson would surely look nice covering the hot corner for the South Siders.
With their financial in order and a bankroll behind Hahn, the high-end draft pick they will eventually possess and the current and future stud prospects in the system, the White Sox are sure to be a force to be reckoned with 2-3 years from now. We will get a better idea of what they will look like by the time Spring Training rolls around and more trades have been completed, but for now fans need to trust the process. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is growing brighter every passing day.
By now, every Chicago White Sox fan (hopefully) knows that the franchise is in complete rebuild mode. Having witnessed the Cubs complete a successful rebuild in just over five years time, Rick Hahn and Co. were given a shot of adrenaline and appear prepared to try and emulate their efforts by turning over their entire franchise, top to bottom.
With that being said, the White Sox currently still possess a few elite assets which could help net them a return big enough to see the club turn things around in just three years. When that time comes, fans probably would want to see the franchise hire a manager who can get through to the young players similar to how Joe Maddon connected with the youngsters on the Cubs.
This is not a jab at Rick Renteria, as we have yet to see him manage a game on the South Side. He could end up being a great manager, but it seems that he is nothing more than a bridge manager until the White Sox become relevant again. When that time comes, Chicago should definitely consider bringing back a man who was, and still is, loved by every White Sox fan.
His name?
A.J. Pierzynski.
Before anyone has any knee jerk reactions to this proposal, remember this is all hypothetical. A.J. has never managed an MLB game before. That much is known; however, who can forget listening to Hawk Harrelson gush about A.J. at every given opportunity. He, along with many of Pierzynski’s teammates, would constantly point out that A.J. is the smartest player in baseball and knew every rule in the game.
Drop third strike anyone?
When you think about it, A.J. as a future manager for the White Sox almost makes too much sense. He cares about winning, almost to a fault, has that South Side “swagger”, he will stick up for his players, and he is one of the smartest people in the game. Most importantly, he knows what it takes to win a World Series.
The former South Side backstop has made it perfectly clear, he wants to return to baseball as a manager. Having just completed his 19th season, on his seventh team, A.J. is a baseball lifer.
“Well, I mean, if somebody comes to you and says, ‘Do you want to be a big league manager?’ It’s kind of hard to say no to that, especially when you’ve played for a long time, and you want to give back, ” said the 39-year-old Pierzynski.
According to Terence Moore of MLB.com, Pierzynski will lead one of baseball’s 30 teams someday, and that team will be the better for it. We’re talking about a former player who would manage like a bunch of other former players who were hired to handle a Major League roster despite no previous experience. This is quite common nowadays.
“Having played for a guy like Mike Matheny in St. Louis, he never managed before, and he does it the right way, ” Pierzynski said. “Brad Ausmus [of the Tigers], just playing against him and watching him, he does it the right way. Having played for Robin [Ventura of the White Sox], he’s in that same category, and they all join a bunch of guys who didn’t have a lot of experience and have been successful, and it’s encouraging to me that it can happen.”
Again, this is all speculation and hypothetical, but A.J. Pierzynski managing a new and improved White Sox team three years from now seems like the perfect fit. And Chicago would surely welcome him back with open arms.
Question Is, Would Kenny Williams Even Entertain It?
One of the White Sox best remaining trade pieces is closer David Robertson. We all saw this offseason how coveted late inning pitching is with Mark Melancon, Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman all receiving contracts over $60 million.
Before free agency was the World Series. In the seven game set both Chapman and Andrew Miller proved just how important great relief pitching was. As team’s assemble their 2017 rosters, they’re likely looking at the Cubs and Indians for inspiration
Of course, not all teams could have a dominant closer. With Melancon, Chapman and Jansen off the boards, there isn’t much left in free agency. There’s Greg Holland, but he is coming off of an injury-riddled season. Teams may feel uncomfortable signing him to a high-dollar contract.
Which leads us to Robertson.
The White Sox closer has been in the MLB for the past nine years, playing for the Yankees before the White Sox. In Robertson’s 524 career games, he holds a 36-27 record with a 2.97 ERA and a 685/211 K/BB ratio. Robertson has 118 career saves with atleast 34 saves the past three seasons.
Beyond his performance on the mound, teams are interested in Robertson’s team-friendly contract. Robertson is making just $25 million over the next two years. Fairly cheap compared to what the big three received this offseason.
In acquiring Robertson, teams are getting one of the better closers in the MLB at a discounted rate. With relief pitching becoming so important in today’s MLB, any team with a need at the back end of their bullpen could be interested in Robertson.
The White Sox have more than enough reasons to trade him. The South Siders are going through a rebuild, meaning that talented closers are more of a luxury than a necessity. The team is better off moving Robertson for a high price rather than wasting his potential/contract on throw-away seasons. The White Sox also have reliever Zack Burdi waiting in the wings, who has the potential to be the team’s closer of the future.
It still seems likely that Robertson will be traded at some point. The only questions that remain are where, and for what?
The Washington Nationals are one team that has shown interest in the closer. As are the New York Mets and New York Yankees. Teams with known needs at closer such as the Rockies and Royals could perhaps show interest. Robertson’s market should be endless, it all comes down to who is willing to pay for his services.
While Robertson has been available, it has been unclear as to what his price would be. He is one of the better closers in the league, but would teams really trade their top prospects for him?
A new report attempts to shine some light on to how much Robertson may cost.
It’s been a serious problem for decades. While other franchises have adapted to the reality of modern football, the Chicago Bears continue to lag behind. Why, oh why can’t this team successfully draft quarterbacks? It’s certainly not for lack of trying. Since the Super Bowl era began in 1966, the organization has selected 30 quarterbacks. Yet only one of them managed to make a single Pro Bowl.
This has forced them to live off the discarded remains of other teams or pay through the nose to get ones that are any good via trade. It hasn’t worked. Now the team is coming off its most abysmal season in years. A 3-13 debacle filled with rampant injuries and questions of whether this team will ever get the QB position right.
In order to answer that question, it’s important to understand where they’ve gone wrong. Plenty of mistakes have been made in the past, but there are two trends to their drafting that have stuck out the most. Suffice to say they clearly haven’t learned their lessons, and until they do good fortune isn’t likely to come.
The Chicago White Sox are not going to compete in 2017. If the team holds on to Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, Jose Abreu and David Robertson there’s a chance they can reach their 78-84 mark of last season.
However it seems incredibly unlikely that those four players end the season with the Sox. Chicago isn’t necessarily “tanking”, yet fans shouldn’t expect to see the White Sox in the playoffs in 2017.
While the team won’t be competitive, it doesn’t mean they won’t be active in free agency. The White Sox have already signed Derek Holland to a major league contract while signing Cody Asche, Geovany Soto and Everth Cabrera to minor league contracts.
Holland, on the other hand, represents a bounce-back type free agent. He has succeeded in the past, but has struggled due to injuries recently. If he can prove that he still has some gas left in the tank, not only will he be a worthwhile acquisition for the White Sox, but he could become a trade piece at the Trade Deadline.
The White Sox will more likely than not sign at least one more MLB free agent. Fan Rag Sports Jon Heyman reported earlier this offseason that the team was interested in a power bat.
Chicago should be targeting players who have succeeded in the past, and could be traded at the deadline. That way the White Sox could add more prospects towards their future playoff run. While the free agent will perform in 2017, the end goal is adding a talented prospect who could perform greater in the future.
