As the 2017 Major League Baseball season is underway, this is surely not the most exciting time to be a fan of the Chicago White Sox.
Our beloved South Siders have traded away one of the best pitchers in the game, changed the logo at their home field to a “guaranteed” downward pointing arrow and watched as the city’s other team brought home baseball’s ultimate prize just a few months ago.
But there could be some light at the end of what is sure to be a long tunnel. That is, of course, if the team continues their plan to tear it all down before building it back up the right way.
That’s exactly what the other team did say five years ago. And exactly what the White Sox have to continue to do.
While you never want to see your favorite team lose, White Sox fans understand that 2017 is going to be rough on the field. Hopefully it is rough enough that the team gets a top five pick in the draft. Actually the number one pick (which would mean the Sox would finish with baseball’s worst record this year) is not out of the question.
But more importantly, it will come down to how much talent the team can get in return for trading the few decent players they still have on their pro roster.
Having already picked up the sport’s number one prospect in Yoan Moncada in return for Chris Sale, the White Sox need to get top value for the likes of Melky Cabrera, Todd Frazier and Jose Quintana this year.
Don’t trade them now, as all three of those names (and perhaps some others on the team) will be worth more to contending teams in July than they are now, but trading them is a must.
Worst case scenario for the White Sox this year is that they actually get off to a hot start and are in contention for the first few months of the season. While the team should never try to lose a game, the front office needs to keep the vision of planning for the future.
The other team in town had to spend a few years in the cellar before building it up the right way and now they are kings of baseball with a real opportunity to have a dynasty.
Come 2020, I’d like to see that on the South Side as well. Forget winning in 2017. If the Sox came become the team of the 2020s, it will be well worth the wait.