Chicago White Sox: While We Waited Part 6 – The Rebuild

After waiting for more than a decade, the White Sox inch closer towards the contending phase and they have the rebuild to thank for that.

As the 2010s came to an end, many reflected on different events that transpired in the past decade. A popular meme that went around was one calling out professional sports teams that did not make their sports’ postseasons at all in the past 10 years. The Chicago White Sox were on the list. Many mocked and pointed their fingers laughing at the Sox. Who can blame them? It is embarrassing to not have made the playoffs since before Instagram was created.

For many years the White Sox remained in limbo. For about three years the team was desperately holding onto what they had built. They almost had the right pieces for a moment, but frustration between fans and ownership and the lack of will to open the checkbook became apparent. Then issues between the front office and some of the team leaders began to surface after a situation involving a player’s son and his presence at Spring Training.

An outburst from one of the leagues best out of frustration with the general manager would send the team to a place there was no going back from. Since after the 2016 season, we have seen the first two stages of a rebuild, selling, and development. With the 2019 off-season concluded, it is safe to say the development phase is about 90% done. After some key players make their debuts and have some MLB experience under their belt, the team will begin the third and final stage: contention. What led to the fall of the White Sox?

Before the Rebuild

In the 2014 off-season, the White Sox made some big moves. At the time, missing the playoffs for the sixth year in a row opened the eyes of the front office. Notoriously known for not signing the check, owner Jerry Reinsdorf surprised many and opened his wallet.

In December of 2014, his second full year as GM, Rick Hahn and company brought in star closer David Robertson for four years $46 million, star outfielder Melky Cabrera for three years $42 million, solid back-end bullpen arm Zach Duke for three years $15 million and powerful lefty Adam LaRoche for 2 years $25 million.

These contracts may not be exactly bank-breaking. But considering the biggest free-agent acquisition in 2013 was Jeff Keppinger for three years $15 million, they were a step in the right direction. Fans went into the 2015 season with a different type of hope in the team that had not been seen in almost a decade. Despite having a first baseman put up Paulie Konerko-level numbers, a clear leadoff hitter that moves the lineup and also has a fantastic glove, arm and can run like no tomorrow and one of the league’s best pitchers, the team still finished in fourth.

This is where the team begins to lose some of the fans’ faith. The team finished in fourth, yes, but still had a solid core that needed just a few upgrades in specific places. Going into the offseason, the team needed two starting pitchers, a catcher, a DH, one strong bat to plug into the outfield, a second baseman and a couple of better arms in the bullpen.

It seems like a lot, but it takes a lot to build a contending team. With that said, the messages the front office sent to the fans in the 2015 off-season were “we are content with where we currently are and we’re hoping for the best.” This was put on display when the team signed Alex Avila and Dionor Navarro for a combined $6.5 million while Jacob Turner, Matt Albers, Mat Latos, and Austin Jackson all signed for a year each for a combined $11.75 million.

They also acquired reliever Tommy Kahnle and Brett Lawrie, and Todd Frazier in that three-team trade. They did upgrade where they needed to, but not significantly.  Going into 2016, fans were not as excited about the team’s chances as they were a year before. Some minor upgrades in spots that need more than just duct tape were not a lot to get excited about.

Where it went wrong

Days before Opening Day, the story around the Sox was not the lack of quality acquisitions, but the loss of first baseman LaRoche. The White Sox as an organization asked LaRoche to limit his son’s access to the team’s clubhouse during Spring Training. Upset with Kenny Williams, LaRoche announced his retirement before the season started.

After a decent start to the season, the team fell below .500 on July 17 and were never able to break that invisible wall. On July 23, Chris Sale was scratched from his start just a few hours before the game. At first, it came out that he was sick but everyone knew that was a lie. During the rain delay in that game, the news finally broke that Sale cut up the throwback jerseys. The situation itself and how the front office handled foreshadowed the beginning of the rebuild.

All hope was lost for the core of players to contend after the 2016 season. When the team finished in fourth yet again and failed to reach 80 wins, the manager Robin Ventura resigned. As we all know, that off-season Hahn stripped the team down to the bones and rebuilt the infrastructure. It might be a good thing in the end, but it was tough in real-time.

Looking back

Over the last six years, the White Sox saw a bunch of players come and go like a revolving door. Some were fantastic and could have been something special under different circumstances, but they needed to be traded to start the rebuild. Some were solid in playing the bridge role and will be missed by fans. Some stunk it up and quite frankly were an embarrassment.

One player worth highlighting again is Todd Frazier. He was the first to be brought in not only because of his stats but because of his leadership and experience. He only had five games of playoff experience, and they were not pretty, but the type of leadership Frazier provided was deeper than just playoff experience. He was a leader in the clubhouse who was there for not only up-and-comers but all of his teammates.

Off the field, Frazier was the face that every reporter turned to. He was one of the faces of the franchise after the trade. On the field, Frazier was brought on to hit home runs and that he did. He hit 40 in 2016 and had 16 in 2017 before he was traded to the Yankees in July.

He only spent a year and a half on the south side, but the Frazier era was an important time for the front office to realize they want to be moving forward. He was supposed to be the last big piece the team needed to contend. When it was clear they were not going to, the rebuilding began.

Signing him was a signal that they were ready to win but trading him symbolized the end of that dream. The Sale trade truly signified the end but all the trades happened within a year so it is close enough to connect them.