The White Sox are on track to be the worst team in major league history, as they are already eliminated from postseason contention, marking it as one of the earliest eliminations of all time. Most fans have checked out at this point, but some are still tuning in on a nightly basis.
Here are the moves the White Sox must make if they want to give the people who are still watching the games a more enjoyable experience.
Currently, the White Sox likely have the worst bullpen in the major leagues. They have blown countless games, a big reason why the White Sox are as bad as they are. Luckily for the White Sox, they have plenty of arms in AAA that could come up and be a significant improvement over some of the current ‘pen members.
The White Sox made the smart decision to add veterans to their bullpen to try and flip them at the deadline, but that has now come and gone. There is no reason to keep veteran players who won’t be on the team next year and have a 5+ ERA.
They should DFA Justin Anderson, John Briebba, Chad Kuhl, Touki Toussaint, and Dominic Leone when he comes back from the IL. They could be easily replaced by younger and more intriguing bullpen arms.
The AAA affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, have many guys in their bullpen that look to be a part of the White Sox future, so why not let them get some extra major league experience when it doesn’t matter?
Guys like Trey McGough, Matt Foster, Adisyn Coffey, Josimar Cousin, Sean Burke, and Prelander Berroa can easily provide a similar 5 ERA, but they would be an ascending player, rather than a veteran hanging on for his major league career.
There is no need for any player to get any significant playing time that won’t be on this team in 2025. The White Sox haven’t prioritized youth, and they need to fix that immediately.
While Nick Senzel has done a decent job filling in on off days, there is no need for him on this roster. Like I mentioned above, if you aren’t going to be on the team in 2025, you shouldn’t be on this roster. Instead, the White Sox should let Bryan Ramos get some quality at-bats as the season winds down.
Ramos has been heating up in AAA, and now would be a perfect time to call him up.
In August, Ramos is hitting .250 with a fantastic .382 OBP. He has added four homeruns and has 13 RBIs. He is taking more walks and has looked much more comfortable in AAA. He would greatly benefit from some major league at-bats, as it is likely he is on the MLB roster in 2025, so let him get acclimated to MLB pitching.
Ramos and Vargas could split time at 3B, while the other slots in at DH. There is no need to mess around with any other combination, as both need consistent playing time.
Something that Grady Sizemore has done a great job of so far is playing the young guys who are on the roster. He has consistently kept Brooks Baldwin, Korey Lee, and Miguel Vargas in the lineup. That is huge for their development, as they need to get into a rhythm.
If Getz promotes more players, I’m sure that Sizemore would make sure they get playing time, as it is likely in his best interest, as it could lead to more wins.
If the White Sox want extra time to evaluate their young guys, now is the perfect time, as the games are practically meaningless.
