2045 Chicago Black Sox Preview

[FuzzyRawley]

It starts with a C, ends with an O, and in the middle is hicag. This is the team from Chicago that might as well change their name from Black Sox to Made-The-Playoffs-and-Not-Much-Else. But in all seriousness, GM Vic Caleca has cemented his status as one of the shrewder GMs in the BBA by assembling a team that has posted .500 or better for the last 5 seasons. Unfortunately for Vic and the Black Sox fans, this isn’t good enough when you play in the BBA’s toughest, some say best, division, the Heartland. If it wasn’t for the likes of Madison, Des Moines and the entire Pacific Division to beat up on, the Black Sox could likely be sub .500. But enough with the snark, let’s get into the 2045 preview.

2044 was yet another solid season for the Black Sox winning a solid 84 games and finishing 2nd in the Heartland. It looks like GM Caleca is largely content with his squad from last season and hasn’t made any major FA signings, even letting a few players walk. This looks like the smart play since the squad was solid and the payroll is sitting at a healthy $97 million. The offseason moves have been largely targeted to fix weaknesses and if this helps improve the club’s record in 2045, it wouldn’t be surprising for Caleca to make some shiny moves ahead of the trade deadline to finally push Chicago to the championship.

Here is a brief summary of the Black Sox’s offseason moves:

• Traded 26-year-old left fielder Jose Figueroa, retaining 45% to the Twin Cities River Monsters, getting 23-year-old third baseman Jose Benavidez and 19-year-old minor league closer Ryan Harmon in return.
• Let C Diesl 'All Star' Dave and SP Juan Nicto walk and enter free agency.
• Signed SP Amayas Moelling to a 6-year contract extension worth a total of $104,500,000.
• Signed 2B Rocky Wattson to a 6-year contract extension worth a total of $73,500,000.
• Signed free agent LF William Wood to a 1-year contract worth a total of $7,000,000.

The loss of Diesel Dave initially looks like a loss for Chicago, but the reality is that the Black Sox have a plenty capable replacement with Spencer Hillson and this should not affect the club at this position. Losing Nicto should also not be a factor since 2044 was the 33-year old Panamanian’s worst season.

The two contract extensions of Moelling and Wattson are long and potentially pricey, but provided they continue to play at their previous levels, these extensions could end up being steals.

The signing of William Wood adds depth to the outfield that lost Figueroa in the Twin City trade. 1 year for $7 million for a good defensive player who may still have something left at the plate is a good bet.

For 2045, the starting rotation looks solid led by Moelling, Tameiro, Bates, McClain and German. This is as good as any rotation in the BBA and as long as they stay healthy, its likely that Chicago has another winning season.

The bullpen is also in great shape. Anchoring the ‘pen are Purssell, Sosa and Salgado. Chicago likes to use these players as stoppers as opposed to tradition Setup and Closer, but this seems to work with each player recording low ERAs in 2044. One to watch though is Sosa who carried the Sox through 147 innings in 2044. The 25-year old certainly has the stamina for this many innings, but will all that work lead to injury in 2045? Only time will tell.

The rest of the bullpen is the usual mix of good (like Cordero), average (like Rivera ) pitchers and specialty left handers. Not much here is different than any other team, but with the all star stopper rotations, they don’t need to be much else.

One interesting note is the use of LF Paul Kemp in the bullpen. Kemp had 153 PAs and 100 IP in 2044. Looks like the Sox have themselves a poor man’s Shohei Otani. It’s a good thing Kemp can pitch because the 1.3 WAR he put up throwing the ball is what is keeping him in the BBA after a below-replacement value season at the plate.

Overall, the starting rotation and bullpen are definitely this club's strength as it is for any club that puts up consistent winning seasons. If the injury bug stays away, opposing hitters are going to look forward to not playing Chicago on any given day.

Catcher is in okay shape with Hillson taking most of the games. Hillson was barely above replacement level in 2044 but only caught 63 games. He could improve in 2045, but if he struggles, this could be an area that Chicago trades for near the deadline. The backups at this position are...well backups, not worth putting much thought into.

The infield is good with 2B Wattson and 1B Budding/Hebneron the right and average with 3B Benavidez and SS Jaime 'Wolverine' Ramirez. For the most part, their defense is what stands out and if Wattson can rebound from a sub par season with the glove, the pitching staff will be happy. Tomas Duran is a good back up for 3B or sparingly at 1B and a below average pinch hitter. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him included as a trade piece later in the season.

Finally, the outfield is good, not great with CF Niccolo Machiavelli, RF Fradesso, LF Hangand the aforementioned Wood. A power bat out here would be needed, and Chicago may have that with Hang or Wood. If those two can’t produce, the Black Sox may want to make a deal for someone who can (say Lucio De La Cruz of Des Moines…cough, cough).

2045 will definitely be an interesting season for the Sox. One of the problems with putting up perennial contenders who leave empty-handed, is that the fan base gets restless which puts pressures on GMs to go all in, possibly sacrificing a healthy, winning franchise for short-term glory. The trick is figuring out when to go for it or when to cut bait and start again. 2045 could be that season where Chicago makes a choice between those.

[Dington]

Didn’t realize Chicago signed Wood. Death to Wood and all those he plays for.

[HoosierVic]

Hey, hey ... we had 88 wins in 2044, buckeroo. I'll have you know we hounded Yellow Springs all the way to the end, climbing to within a mere ... uh ... well ... 28 games ... But it was a close 28 games!

Seriously, excellent preview. You're too kind. Way, way, way kinder than I ever was to Des Moines.

Take a bow, sir.

[sjshaw]

I love Wood. William, that is.

Thanks for the read!