The White Sox Need To Call Up Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal Right Now
In my opinion, the White Sox talk on this week's episode of Red Line Radio was the best it's been in a while. Over the course of a 162 game season baseball can get redundant, especially when you cover a rebuild. But we're unofficially/officially on to the offseason. I'm going to call it the fulcrum of the rebuild. The winter that will make or break the entire White Sox front office and scouting department's tenure with the team. I'll even time stamp it out for y'all:
1:06:30 - the White Sox are ready to compete in 2020 because they didn't trade Aaron Bummer or Alex Colome, their two most valuable trade chips
1:07:00 - will the White Sox allocate the money they planned to allocate for Machado?
1:07:40 - Revisiting the Chris Sale for Yoan Moncada trade
1:08:08 - Is Moncada soft?
1:09:35 - Carl breaks down Nick Madrigal. Can he change the entire culture of the White Sox?
1:10:10 - Will we see Nick Madrigal and Luis Robert this season?
and that last question consumes 99% of my brain. I want the White Sox to call them up RIGHT NOW for two reasons, and what they combine for is the end goal of the 2020 White Sox making the playoffs. Let's discuss:
- Both players will probably experience growing pains seeing big league pitching for the first time. I'd rather that happen now so they can start 2020 already having dipped their toe in the MLB waters.
2. Yoan Moncada is the best player on the team and still improving. A quick glance at his contract shows he is a free agent after the 2023 season. I do not expect the White Sox to be able to sign him to a Chris Sale/Eloy type pre-arb extension because he already signed a massive signing bonus. Guy's already got 'fuck you' money. He can play for the big pay day. If the Sox wait until mid/late April 2020 to call up Madrigal and Robert, they're burning 20+ games without them in the lineup. If they miss the 2020 2nd wild card, division title, or 1st wild card by a game or two because they were playing service time games in April, that'll piss off everyone from fans to players on the 25 man to Madrigal and Robert themselves. Fast forward to 2021, there would only be a 2 year overlap with all of those guys under team control before Moncada hits free agency and could be do a billion dollar pay day, and we all know how the White Sox do with billion dollar pay days.
Hahn talks about maximizing the team's competitive window. Not having Madrigal and Robert in place of Sanchez/Cordell/Tilson/Engel/etc. on opening day next year does not do that.
I will be hosting a candlelight vigil for the last White Sox game this year. To me, that day represents the death of the rebuild. It was born on 12/6/2016 with the Chris Sale trade. We will be slaughtering that bitch in cold blood on the last day of the 2019 season, because the 2020 White Sox are making the playoffs. We as fans should all be hellbent on holding the organization to that.