PREAMBLE

The glaring weaknesses from the 2022 White Sox roster were lack of depth, ineffectiveness from their supposed best players, inability to hit right-handed pitching, inconsistent defense, and lack of power.

The goal here is to get some lineup balance and acquire pitching depth. So it’s a slight reset.

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

• Lucas Giolito: $10.8M – tender
• Dylan Cease: $5.3M – tender; offer a 5 yr/$75 mil extension that will be immediately rejected (thanks a lot, Spencer Strider)
• Reynaldo López; $3.3M – tender
• Adam Engel: $2.3M – non-tender
• Michael Kopech: $2.2M – tender & trade (sorry everyone)
• Kyle Crick: $1.5M – non-tender
• José Ruiz: $1M – non-tender
• Danny Mendick: $1M – tender

CLUB OPTIONS

• Tim Anderson: $12.5M ($1M buyout) – pick up
• Josh Harrison: $5.625M ($1.5M buyout) – decline

While this is not a club option, I’d like to re-structure Leury Garcia into a Bobby Bonilla deal so Sox fans can hate him for the next 20 years.

PLAYER OPTIONS

• AJ Pollock: $13M ($5 million buyout) — EXERCISED… and traded.

OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS

• José Abreu (Made $18M in 2021) – offer 1 year, $14 mil [2nd year team option, $16 mil or $6 mil buyout]
• Johnny Cueto ($4.2M) – no offer
• Vince Velasquez ($3M) – no offer
• Elvis Andrus ($14.25M) – no offer

It wasn’t the goal going into the 2022 season to let the Abreu/Sox partnership continue. He’s getting up there in age and the Sox have a 1B/DH logjam. However, Abreu was (at worst) the second-best hitter on the White Sox last season and has shown loyalty to the organization over the years. This is what I can offer him. I think he leaves.

Also, while these two are not impending free agents, I’m cutting Jake Diekman and Joe Kelly unless they want to play in Charlotte.

MANAGER

I’d like a head coach who can keep players focused & happy. Additionally, we need someone who can be forward-thinking and get creative with how and when to deploy people. Would guess someone from Tampa, LA Dodgers, Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, St. Louis, or Milwaukee fits the mold. The only connection to the White Sox who fits this mold is Joe Espada.

Additionally, I would like Justin Jirschele to take over Joe McEwing’s base coach/infield coordinator role.

FREE AGENTS

No. 1: Kodai Senga (six years, $60 million (lets make the last 2 years $15 million team options, so really its four years, $30 million).

“Koudai Senga” on baseball reference if you want to stat count.

He’s…