TCS Morning 5: OHH MY GOD IS THE WHOLE OFFSEASON THIS BORING?!?
/1. Just to add to the sense that the White Sox could struggle to rope high-level candidates into this bench coach gig, Doug Padilla confirmed that Sandy Alomar Jr. did not even agree to interview for the position. This was kind of the indication already, since it would have been poor form to speak publicly about misgivings about the opening after interviewing for it. Padilla's piece does include this telling line:
“Alomar still could end up as the White Sox’s manager one day. He just didn’t want to approach that potential job from the inside.”
If they want Alomar to be their manager, they're going to have to hire him for it. Oh well, there's always next year.
2. In perhaps Tuesday's newsiest moment, updates were provided on offseason surgeries carried out on returning members of the Sox, all of which were had shortly after the end of the regular season.
Adam Eaton's nerve decompression in his left shoulder - Feeling fine.
Tyler Flower's right knee after loose pieces of cartilege were removed - Almost full range of motion.
Micah Johnson's cleaned up left knee - Structurally fine.
Rob Brantly's left knee after parts of his meniscus were removed - Feels great.
I would feel better if both of the catchers likely to make the 2016 roster didn't have pieces of their knees being removed, Micah wasn't averaging a leg injury/surgery per year and I knew what the hell actually just was done to Adam Eaton's body, but you really don't want to be in the business of questioning whether your team's injury situation can get worse.
Flowers, by the way, is speaking like a man blessed with the job security that comes with playing on a team with countless more pressing problems than his dead bat.
3. I'm choosing to believe that Scott Merkin's emphasis on the White Sox focusing on the core for 2016 improvement is a reflection that it's unlikely that it gets shaken up via trade. Jose Quintana is the most likely of the main group to be made available for a major deal for a big bat--Carlos Rodon in a blockbuster is always a dream to think about--but it doesn't sound like any reporter is feeling momentum of that variety. Taking Quintana out of that rotation does make it pretty average for Opening Day 2016, and the offense has a long trip back to average itself.
Without some true bellyaching about budget or declaration that they won't be major players in free agency, I am keeping hope alive for the Sox to realize they need a big bat addition this offseason to be serious about their three-year-window talk.
4. If you need anymore indication of that, SweetSpot Godfather David Schoenfield gave a pretty telling condemnation of the Sox roster as is, rating them 23rd in his early 2016 power rankings. Schoenfield gives indirect praise to the core by saying they could be a sleeper if they fill their roster holes, but he writes it more as a shot across the bow more than a piece of solace.
“A reason the White Sox could be a sleeper is that they have obvious holes to fill: Their second basemen had the worst wOBA in the majors ... and so did their third basemen. These were holes going into 2015 and weren’t fixed in 2014, either.”
Needless to say, I loved this write-up, even as a Conor Gillaspie fan.
5. Dusty Baker is going to be managing the Washington Nationals in 2016, and will bring with him the experience of making the playoff with three different organizations, and successfully ameliorating some of the most infamous egomaniacs in the sport. So yeah, a highly mockable hire.
Besides reupping a decade-old trope about Baker being responsible for the independently compromised health situations of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, he's not a revered strategist or particularly well-versed in involving the wisdom of advanced statistical analysis of his personnel into his decision-making, but the saber community really looks foolish when they dismiss or are openly perplexed at how a guy who has had regular success keeps getting jobs because he doesn't fit their type.
The discussion hosted here about Robin Ventura, even if he was just as superficially maddening as he is now, would be a lot different if there were some good results actually associated with him.