Rodon, Garcia news reminder that the future is brighter than the present
/The doom and gloom that came with Wednesday's walk-off loss to the Red Sox, an impressive outing by Chris Sale wasted, was made less doom and gloomy with a couple of bits of news that are great for the future of the White Sox.
1. Top pick Carlos Rodon agrees to deal
Nothing has officially been announced, but Jon Heyman is reporting that an agreement has been reached and all that's left is for him to take a physical. The deal is reported as $6.45 million, or about $750,000 above slot.
No matter which way you spin it, this is good news for the White Sox. While Rick Hahn & Co. never publicly showed any concerns that they'd get Rodon signed, the fact that they were dealing with Scott Boras and went within almost a week of the signing deadline meant that there was reason to worry.
But the wait and the worry now becomes the waiting game. Rodon will likely head to Class-A Winston-Salem, according to a WRAL reporter out of Raleigh, N.C.
What will be interesting at this point is how much work Rodon gets between now and the end of the minor league season. He tossed 98.2 innings this season for NC State, so it wouldn't be surprising for the White Sox to limit his workload over the next few months. But at the same time, if the team's ultimate goal is to get him to the majors in 2015, getting him acquainted with big league hitting would be the expectation, at the very least.
Regardless, the fact that he will soon be an official member of the White Sox organization and begin getting tutelage from a staff that has a good history of developing pitchers is a positive.
2. Avisail Garcia might have his sights set on return next month
Garcia took batting practice Wednesday for the first time since tearing a labrum and avulsion fracture on April 9, and all signs point to positive news regarding his rehab, per Scott Merkin:
"It means a lot, because they say I may be out for the rest of the season, so I feel great," Garcia said. "Happy. My rehab is going good. Working hard every day, so let's see what happens.
"Let's see how I feel. It's something that's going to be every day how I feel. If I feel really good, maybe, I don't know, maybe August? Let's see what happens."
The White Sox have long maintained that they don't plan on bringing back Garcia until he's 100 percent, so August may be a little optimistic, and the fact that the team will have likely slipped farther out of the race by then means there's no reason to rush.
But the fact that his rehab appears to be going smoothly is nice to know. If he does return in 2014, even just for a few token at-bats in September, there's certainly nothing wrong with that — assuming he's 100 percent ready to go.
All of this is a good reminder that, while things seem bleak, there is reason for optimism. The holes currently on this roster remain, but in Garcia and hopefully Rodon, there are two bright spots that should become mainstays on the 25-man roster sooner rather than later.
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