Will White Sox work to keep prospects who make it or sell them off?
MESA Ariz. — This has been a rebuilding period for the White Sox and their 25th-ranked MLB player payroll of $105.2 million this season is a pretty good indicator of where they’re at.
They’re building the team from the international level, player development, the draft, research and development and with a splash of major-league free agents.
“Going into my third year as the GM, my commitment from the beginning was to improve the infrastructure of the organization,” Sox general manager Chris Getz told the Sun-Times in a wide-ranging interview Monday at the club’s Camelback Ranch complex. “Knowing that we’ve got the right people running these departments and we have the financial resources, we think that’s going to help us at the Major League level.”
Getz, manager Will Venable and staff are immersed in the present right now, which is the right place to be after disastrous 121- and 102-loss seasons. But with Jerry Reinsdorf about to begin his 46th season as team owner, the big question for loyal Sox fans is: Where is this all going long term?
Reinsdorf, whose only World Series title as Sox owner came in 2005, declined to be interviewed for this piece.
Are the Sox going to utilize the Tampa Bay and old Oakland models of dumping talented players as soon as they become arbitration or free-agent-eligible? Or as the young players start sorting themselves out, will the Sox sign them to projected under-market long-term contracts and build a base of talent as the Athletics are doing now?
In the past year, the A’s have signed DH Brent Rooker, right fielder Lawrence Butler, left-fielder Tyler Soderstrom and shortstop Jacob Wilson to long-term deals that are scheduled to pay out $43.7 million this season and $67.1 million in 2028, the year they’re scheduled to move into a new Las Vegas ballpark. And they’re trying to lock up other young players such as first baseman Nick Kurtz and catcher Shea Langeliers as well.
“What does the future hold? I can’t answer that, obviously,” Getz said. “There’s collective bargaining on a new Basic Agreement this upcoming season. That usually brings adjustments to the system. But I do know we’re in a very good spot to maneuver wherever those new rules and regulations would bring us. We’re still open-minded. We’re still accessing.”
The Sox would benefit from a salary cap and floor, but the players and their union are ardently against linking those two concepts, which could lead to a long lockout on Dec. 1 when the current agreement expires.
A quick analysis of the Sox’s 40-man roster reveals only eight players earning in excess of $1 million this season, with Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami leading the list at $17 million. They are $138.8 million below this year’s luxury tax threshold of $244 million. In contrast, the two-time defending World Series-winning Dodgers lead the league with a $396 million payroll and are facing a $142.6 million dollar tax bill, higher than the total payrolls of the bottom 12 teams, including the Sox.
That’s largely because the remainder of Chicago’s roster is under control and earning just above the Major League minimum of $780,000 on one-year contracts.
Noteworthy on that list is opening day starter Shane Smith at $820,000, and third baseman Miguel Vargas, who said no to their offer and was recently renewed by the club at the same $820,000.
“No hard feelings at all. I let my agents handle that. I feel good here. I love here. And everything’s good,” Vargas said, explaining that decision.
“We’ve got a formula for zero to three-year players,” Getz responded. “There are certain ingredients that go into that. It’s fairly strict and we have conversations with the agents. We have a good relationship with Miguel and his agency. They wanted to renew at the end, and we decided to do that. That’s just part of the process we’ve established here.”
To be sure, there are monetary resources pending. Reinsdorf has been lobbying again for the city of Chicago to pony up $1 billion in public funding for a new ballpark. But the days of tax dollars being used to build baseball stadiums around the country seem to be over.
In Vegas, for example, A’s owner John Fisher is footing the bill privately for more than $1.5 billion to build a new 33,000-seat yard. The state of Nevada allocated $380 million.
Reisdorf has already sold 35% of the Sox to the Ishbia brothers — Justin and Mat, the owner of the NBA Suns and WNBA Mercury. Reinsdorf, who just turned 90, still has a controlling interest. But that will change during the next eight years. And if what’s happened under Ishbia in Phoenix is any indication, the coffers will open.
Will there be money to spend?
“Right now, or in the future?” Getz responded with a question to a question. “There’s going to be money that can be spent. We’re just at a point right now where we don’t know where to spend that money in particular on the early stages of a developing team.”
The White Sox have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming amateur draft. That will be a good place to start.