White Sox have the chance to spoil the postseason hopes of teams within the AL Central division. With 26 games remaining, the White Sox can also improve their chances of finishing season above .500.
The 23-10 Chicago White Sox have long since expired. In fact, watching the current team isn’t that unlike taking a big swig of spoiled milk, so it’s only fitting that Chicago is set to play spoiler.
Spoiler is a term dejected baseball fans often cling to as they look to attach any meaning to the dwindling slate of games. For the White Sox, it’s a very interesting construct as the team is simultaneously gunning for a protected Top 10 draft pick.
For this reason, even the allure of playing spoiler is somehow diminished.
This on-paper roster would seem imposing to playoff hopefuls. Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Carlos Rodon are three arms no contending team wants to see on the docket. Meanwhile, Jose Abreu is exceptionally hot and Todd Frazier is well on his way to a 40 home run season. Adam Eaton and Tim Anderson are pesky hitters at the top of the order while Melky Cabrera is turning in one of his better seasons.
Yet despite a litany of respectable talent, the South Siders are in a downright tailspin.
Teams hoping to shed tears from champagne instead of disintegrating playoff hopes are likely circling James Shields and Anthony Ranaudo starts with thick red pens. Hey, they might even get lucky and get in a little extra BP and face Matt Albers.
It’s always disappointing when the only motivation left to play out the string is to hope that you crush another team’s dreams in the process. It’s the worst type of “carrot” the world has to offer and there’s nothing intrinsic about it. For Chicago though, it’s all that is on the table.
With that said, here are some teams the White Sox can look to disrupt. All of them just so happen to be in the division, which adds to the intrigue.
Next: Detroit Tigers