Which players do you want back on next years team?

[voodoochile]

This is a poll. It's multiple choice, but not public.

Of the players listed in the poll which ones do you definitely want on the team. By checking the box you are saying, This guy should stay. If you leave it empty, you don't care if the Sox make zero effort to sign them or trade them for a bag of baseballs (though hopefully they get something better).

If you definitely want someone from the farm system on the team then please manually include that answer in your reply. Feel free to explain what role that player should have. For example if you think Carlos Perez should be the starting catcher and Grandal should be sent packing then don't select Yas in the poll and explain in a reply.

It doesn't matter whether you feel any of these players WILL be on the team, this is purely a question about what direction you feel the team SHOULD be headed. If you want to tear it all down and don't care if anyone but Yas and Eloy are left, then only check those two boxes and please give a response

I only included one pitcher because of space limitations. I suppose we could create a second thread just for pitchers, but I'm a lazy lazy man...

I'm hoping to have some good discussion here, so please avoid flame wars if you disagree with the other poster. I really don't want to split this thread. Everyone's opinion is valid and welcome.

[voodoochile]

Well I'm first so everyone can figure out who I voted for. I don't care if they sign Abreu and feel it's time to move on from Yas. I don't think Yas will be gone, but I feel they should explore other options. Personally I'd love Contreras, but I think his pricetag will be too high and they won't be able to dump Yas' money so they will stick with him. Other than that I want most of the players listed back even Gio. I assume whatever is wrong with him can be fixed. Personally I think teams are sitting on his straight change and even if he doesn't have a tell teams are just ignoring anything faster and looking for slow in the zone.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Abreu is a free agent. He’s been a great solider and leader but it’s time to pass the torch to Vaughn at 1B. Sheets is an acceptable part-time DH and backup 1B.

The Sox need help at catcher and I think they should sign Willson Contreras. I doubt they can find a buyer for Grandal’s contract even though he’s only signed through 2023, so if he can’t be dealt, he can be the backup catcher and also get DH ABs v. LHP.

TLR needs to go, and he needs to take Menechino, McEwing and maybe even Boston with him.

Anderson and Moncada have been disappointing this year but they are still young enough to have a good chance to bounce back next year. They wouldn’t be the first players to have a very bad year in the middle of their supposed prime, and then bounce back to have several more good years; Paul Konerko had a miserable 2003 and a lousy 2008 but he recovered from both.

Eloy, Vaughn, and Robert are all too young to give up on, and trading Giolito now would be selling low.

[Noneck]

Vaughn, cease, kopech and crochet are my only players that shouldn’t be shopped. The rest should be shopped to see what can be gotten in return. It’s been mentioned trading giolito is selling low which is false. He is a FA after next year and the most worth he will command is before the start of next year. As I advocated at the time, I wish he was traded at this years trade deadline which would have produced the most return.

Lastly a singles hitting, non run producing aging first baseman should not be resigned to block the future first baseman or be a dh on team that lacks power.

[LITTLE NELL]

I voted to keep Abreu but he needs to be the DH with Vaughn taking over first base, Jose can give him a rest once in awhile.
If the right pieces come along, there are no untouchables on this team except for Cease. These guys really regressed this year and with their lack of hustle and intensity became very unlikable.

[whitesox5187]

This is a tough question, especially when it comes to Abreu. On the one hand, my brain says he's 35 and the Sox experience with Paul Konerko suggests it's REAL hard to continue that level of productivity past 35. My heart though says he's Jose Abreu and he should finish his career with the White Sox.

You can't bring back both Vaughn and Abreu and Vaugh probably gets you back some pieces that will help in 2023, so I went with my heart and said bring back Abreu and trade Vaughn and I'm sure that's a move they'd regret (which is why I shouldn't be GM).

As for the rest, I'm not thrilled with the prospect of bringing back Grandal but there's no other real choice. I think the same applies to Giolito, it doesn't make much sense to trade low on these guys.

Eloy needs to become a full-time DH and maybe with a full off-season's worth of access to the training staff Moncada and Anderson can stay healthy in 2023.

As for Tony, he should never have been brought back in the first place.

[TooManyCooks]

I'm happy to blow this team up entirely and start from scratch.

[notjimrose]

Going through the list...

I am more than ready to move on from Yasmani Grandal. Even if we write off the early parts of 2022 as him being limited by injury, he didn't really show any signs of coming out of it when he came back. He'll be 34 on Opening Day and I don't foresee him turning this around. That said, the only way to move him would be to trade bad contract for bad contract and, if they cut him and eat the money, I don't Jerry letting them go above and beyond to replace him, so I wouldn't be too broken up if he's back and used as a true backup.

Jose Abreu is the tough one. Like someone said above, I would like to see him retire with the White Sox and get all the accolades he deserves after his stellar career. But, something needs to be done about the logjam at 1B and DH and, depending on how much of a pay cut he's willing to take, I'd imagine he'll be too expensive for a 36 year old DH who can't/won't hit home runs anymore. So I voted to let him go.

I think it is far too early to give up on Moncada and Jimenez. Both have, in my opinion, MVP potential and I hope that a full offseason with the new training/strength and conditioning staff will help keep them on the field moving forward.

I voted to move on from Sheets simply because he's practically useless away from Guaranteed Rate Field. If he can figure out how to be productive on the road, I wouldn't mind him sticking around as a LH DH and fill-in for Vaughn at 1B.

Given the likelihood that Giolito will leave as a free agent after the 2023 season anyway, and the lack of interest the front office has in playing in the deep end of the free agent pool, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing what they can get for him. My guess, though, is that it wouldn't be enough to make it worth their while, given his performance for most of this year.

[BigKlu59]

Ah, our paper tigers. Not ready to give up on Sheets. Could turn it around next season as well as Eloy and Lou Bob. Grandal over the hill and yes, time to start looking for his replacement. Defense is there, but the body not going to give you any worthwhile production in games played or offense. Say goodbye to The Moncada experiment. Another coulda shoulda woulda go bust. Jose should be given benefit of the doubt. This horse has pulled the wagon faithfully and just a matter of time before he had an off year like this. We’ve given others in the past a pass, he should be no different, he’s made his bones. TA stays for now till he wears out his welcome. Caustic is cool when you’re winning, losing not so much. Vaughn gotta start making his bones or he’s gone as well.

Tony? I thought going in this team was a plug and play and he was a tweaker. This season he tweaked his way out of a job.

BK59

[soxfanatlanta]

Other than Cease...none of them - they have not shown me anything that makes me believe that they can be an everyday, productive player. They are too old, too injury prone, or not talented enough. I am tired of watching poor quality baseball, while teams like Atlanta trot out quality players year in and year out, regardless of who gets injured; the comparison is shocking.

[Noneck]

. I am tired of watching poor quality baseball, while teams like Atlanta trot out quality players year in and year out, regardless of who gets injured; the comparison is shocking.

That has been the number one problem for over a decade. Terrible drafting and weening of position players. But this is rarely brought up here and by the media. The Sox hired a totally inexperienced person to run the minor league system, the system produces very little position player talent and what happens? Does he get let go? No he gets a promotion. Without a minor league system that has good players constantly coming up the pike your team is doomed. And that’s where the Sox are now.

[StanBahnsen72]

I only voted for Vaughn- as much as I respect Abreu- we have way too many 1B/DH types- time to slot Vaughn in at 1st and get him out of the outfield.

I think TA regressed pretty significantly this season- I'm sure he'll be back- but I'm not really a fan based on his mediocre defense, baserunning.

Love Cease and Cueto as well.

[Domeshot17]

I dream of a perfect scenario where Abreu retires and becomes our hitting coach. I’d like to have Robert and Moncada and Eloy back but with a manager who will hold them accountable. They have a ton of talent but they piss it away

[longtimefan]

I left Aberu off the list. I want Sheets and Vaughn to rotate between 1B and DH. Romy Gonzalez gets a shot at 2B. I would keep Robert &TA. But I would shop TA if we had an up and comer behind him. But we don't. We are stuck with Moncada. No team will trade for him at his salary. Grandal is taking up space and I agree with trying for Contreras. I would shop Eloy. He has tremendous power but I have my DH. However I would not give Eloy away. I would only trade him if we got a top return. We need better defense in the OF.

[SaltyPretzel]

Can't believe 46.88% want Moncada back. Looks like a bust to me. More concerned about matching his batting gloves with his shoes in florescent colors than playing baseball.