■ Sullivan: White Sox might need to make bold move before trade deadline.
With so many holes to fill, Sox may need to make bold move
White Sox first baseman José Abreu is playing through some general soreness and probably could use a rest.
Manager Tony La
Russa’s conundrum is the Sox’s depleted lineup isn’t hitting, and Abreu is one of only three healthy regulars, along with Tim Anderson and Yoán Moncada, having a productive season.
Before rain suspended the Sox-Seattle Mariners game in the third inning Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field, La Russa asked Abreu if he was good to go.
“He put his hand on a ball, which is the baseball bible, and assured me that he wasn’t being overly heroic,” La Russa said. “So I said: ‘Great, you’re in there.’ ”
Swearing on a baseball isn’t as noteworthy as swearing on a wooden leg, as former Chicago columnist Mike Royko once did when switching allegiance from the Cubs to the Sox, putting his hand on the artificial limb of former Sox owner Bill Veeck.
Royko eventually switched back to the Cubs, and the guess here is La Russa eventually will convince Abreu that taking a day off is preferable in the long run to playing through his aches and pains.
The reigning American League Most Valuable Player is hitting .128 (5-for-39) since June 14 with one home run and four RBIs, while the Sox were in the midst of their first prolonged slump, losing six of seven.
The Sox have no reason to panic, playing in a division in which the only team to beat is the Cleveland Indians. They easily could rebound with two wins Sunday against a perpetually rebuilding Mariners team.
Rain delayed the start of the game Saturday for 1 hour, 8 minutes, then hit again after the top of the third inning. After a lengthy delay, the game was suspended. It will resume at 1:10 p.m. Sunday, followed by a seven-inning game beginning 45 minutes after Game 1.
No matter what happens Sunday, the Sox’s slump is further evidence general manager Rick Hahn needs to make some moves, and the sooner, the better. The needs are many, including a center fielder, right fielder and second baseman to replaced injured starters, a designated hitter to replace Yermin Mercedes and two or three right-handed middle relievers to pick up the slack for the struggling threesome of Matt Foster, Evan Marshall and Codi Heuer.
The Sox obviously don’t have enough prospects available to trade and fill all those holes with quality players, so the priorities should be at second, where Nick Madrigal is out for the rest of the season, and in the bullpen, which hasn’t lived up to expectations outside of closer Liam Hendriks.
The only ones off-limits should be Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet, though not surprisingly, those also are the two guys most likely to draw interest before the July 31 trade deadline.
Perhaps the easiest solution — albeit the boldest and least likely move — would be to deal from the team’s strength, starting pitching, to fill multiple holes. The reasons the Sox would be able to do that are Kopech, an ace in waiting, and Crochet, who also figures to be a top starter down the road.
It’s doubtful Hahn would mess with success.
He’s not the kind of GM who would mortgage the future to win in 2021, or risk watching a young starter succeed elsewhere. But he does have three starters who could bring a lot back in return and a ready replacement in Kopech.
Carlos Rodón, who began Saturday ranked fourth among qualifying starters with a 2.06 ERA and should be headed to the All-Star Game, could be dealt at peak value. Remember, the Sox non-tendered Rodón in the fall and then watched him turn into a shooting star after returning on a one-year, $3 million deal.
Rodón bet on himself instead of becoming a reliever in a new town and now stands to cash in after the season. Are the Sox willing to reward him with a big, multiyear deal? If they’re not sure, doesn’t it make sense to see what they could get for him now?
Lucas Giolito, who has two more years of arbitration before becoming a free agent after 2023, has yet to sign a longterm extension. He’s a team leader and one of the team’s most popular players. Why haven’t the Sox made sure he’ll be here throughout this window?
“There haven’t really been discussions about an extension, which is fine,” Giolito told The Athletic in spring training. “The organization knows that I value myself. I know what I’m worth.”
Maybe it’s more than what the Sox think he’s worth.
And then there is Dylan Cease, who looks dominant at times and might have the most potential of anyone on the staff. But he hasn’t proved he’ll be a consistent starter, and seven of his 15 starts this season have lasted less than five innings.
Any of the three surely would be missed, and the Sox would be making a big gamble dealing any of them.
But they would still have Kopech, who has thrown only 31 ⅓innings after missing the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Kopech is rehabbing from a left hamstring injury but has shown in his 14 appearances he has the stuff and the makeup to become one of the league’s top starters. He’s going to move into the rotation at some point. The sooner, the better.
Hahn’s easiest and most likely choice is to make some minor moves that would fill holes for the rest of the season with adequate players who are not stars, then wait for Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert to return later this season and Madrigal in 2022.
Maybe the “Yerminator” is not yet yerminated, Adam Eaton isn’t cooked and Adam Engel will get healthy and stay healthy. Or maybe the Sox still can get to the World Series with the league’s deepest rotation, a top-notch closer in Hendriks and a bunch of fill-ins to supplement Abreu, Anderson, Moncada and Yasmani Grandal.
The choice is Hahn’s to make, and the clock is ticking.