One could drown under the avalanche of information pouring out of Carlsbad, California and the White Sox interest in just about everything. Besides the White Sox professed interest in both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, it appears they want Nelson Cruz, Patrick Corbin and J.A. Happ as well.
Sources: #WhiteSox active in starting pitching market, with interest in Patrick Corbin and J.A. Happ, among others. The reason: Reynaldo Lopez is the only current White Sox pitcher who threw 50+ IP this year with a sub-4.00 ERA. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 7, 2018
Chasing Machado and Harper is a stretch, but one that I could dream on a bit and rationalize the payroll to a degree, even though I don’t think Harper fits the White Sox roster. But chasing Cruz, Corbin and Happ as well smells a bit fishy.
Teams on Nelson Cruz: astros, white sox, rays, more
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 6, 2018
Besides the sheer magnitude of the players rumored to be targeted for the White Sox, the fact that these rumors seem to be leaking so early gives me pause. Rick Hahn is far more calculated in his maneuvers than to allow information to hit the airwaves without context. Moreover, the White Sox are notoriously mum on all personnel decisions, plugging leaks out of the executive suite before they become public.
So, yeah, the news that Hahn is pursuing five of the top names on the free-agent market this early sounds a little out of key to me. But don’t get it twisted. If Hahn can pull off Machado, Harper and Cruz while snagging Corbin the White Sox win the offseason and we can start shredding paper for the confetti parade in 2021. We might even start planning multiple parades. I just don’t know if the market will allow such a stupendous talent-grab.
We also can’t discount Jerry Reinsdorf’s role in the signings either. Even though many of us believe Reinsdorf won’t sign anyone for an eye-popping sum, that in and of itself is not true. ESPN‘s Bruce Levine correctly noted today that Reinsdorf isn’t necessarily afraid to sign a big check, rather he doesn’t overpay for talent.
Here's 670 The Score's Bruce Levine on the chances Jerry Reinsdorf will give Rick Hahn the green light to go after Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/JyOJAaOqz9
— Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast (@PinwheelsIvyPod) November 6, 2018
Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Do all those players make the White Sox better? Of course. Can the White Sox afford all of those players? It’s not out of the question. Is Uncle Jerry willing to pay the price? We’ll see.
