Nicely, of us! After a commerce deadline that had extra fireworks earlier than the precise deadline than on the precise day and on this awkward interval the place practically each staff is adjusting to having newcomers on their squad, I remorse to tell y’all that it’s time to speak in regards to the Chicago White Sox as soon as once more. I did this earlier this season after they had been within the midst of what was a franchise-record 14-game dropping streak. Now, right here we’re a few months later and never solely have the 2024 White Sox damaged that document that had been set by the 2024 White Sox, they now have a reasonably good shot at smashing that document to bits and becoming a member of the ranks of a number of the most really terrible baseball groups of all time.
Yep. For a state of affairs that appeared to be impossibly bleak not even all that way back, issues have in some way gotten even darker for the Pale Hose. They’ve now misplaced 17 straight video games, with the Fifteenth-straight loss specifically was yet one more painful second the place they served because the background characters in what may very well be Bobby Witt Jr.’s MVP spotlight reel.
After getting a merciful time without work at the moment, they’ll must go north and face the Minnesota Twins. I’ll begin this off by saying that it’s all the time very precarious to foretell a sweep in any given Main League Baseball sequence and in Minnesota’s case, they’re in a tiny little bit of a tough patch in the mean time after they misplaced a sequence in New York in opposition to the Mets after which had what was described in a headline from The Athletic as a “disheartening” commerce deadline. With that being mentioned, Minnesota’s nonetheless proper in the course of the Postseason dialog and the Twins have gone 9-1 in opposition to the White Sox this season — together with a four-game sweep at Goal Area again in April.
Additionally, if the Twins had a “disheartening” commerce deadline then what the White Sox did was simply flat-out miserable. Whereas Chicago did handle to carry on to each Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. (at the very least till the winter, more than likely), they despatched out Paul DeJong, Tommy Pham, Erick Fedde and Tanner Banks on the deadline. They even managed to get Baltimore to tackle Eloy Jiménez (which was trigger for precise celebration for his or her official RSN!), so this wasn’t an entire catastrophe of a deadline for the White Sox. With that being mentioned, this is how Andrew Mearns described how the deadline went for the South Siders:
It’s an terrible time to be a White Sox fan. They’re the worst staff in baseball by a mile, they’ve damaged their franchise document for longest dropping streak twice this 12 months alone (their present 16-gamer is the brand new low), and even in any case that, they gained’t even decide larger than tenth in subsequent 12 months’s draft. So it’s simply one other poke within the eye that their gross sales on the Commerce Deadline had been uninspiring. Congrats to 88-year-old proprietor Jerry Reinsdorf on dumping the Eloy contract although, I’m positive that he actually, actually wanted the cash and can completely reinvest it.
Oof! That is truthfully the perfect and rosiest strategy to describe how the 2024 commerce deadline went for the White Sox (and a lot of different groups, if we’re being fully sincere). So far as Baseball America’s prospect rankings are involved, not a single Prime 100 prospect was traded on the deadline — which is to say that Chicago followers most likely will not be a future so vibrant that they’re going to have to put on shades. With that being mentioned, we’re speaking a few 27-win staff that’s led by Luis Robert Jr. with a grand complete of 1.1 FanGraphs WAR on the season. Garrett Crochet is a star-caliber pitcher as evidenced by his 4.1 fWAR on the season however each the second-and-third positioned pitchers on the White Sox’s pitching fWAR leaderboard are all out of city now which implies that the second-best pitcher on this staff is now Chris Flexen. I am saying all of that to say that the White Sox most likely should not have anticipated any offers that will’ve rocked their group to the core.
As a substitute, they’ve gotten worse within the short-term for what could also be negligible long-term acquire. As soon as once more, “miserable” is the phrase that involves thoughts. This additionally implies that historical past could also be beckoning for this staff right here within the canine days of summer time and heading into the house stretch of the season in September. Ought to the Twins handle to get well from their deadline woes and decide themselves again up with a sweep of the White Sox this weekend, that’ll push the streak to twenty and put them in league with the likes of the inaugural Montréal Expos from 1969 and two separate Philadelphia A’s groups. Talking of the A’s, that’ll most likely be the “greatest” probability within the close to way forward for the White Sox breaking this streak.
The scare quotes are there for a cause. Right here’s a enjoyable truth for everyone at house: Whereas the Oakland Athletics are certainly in final place within the AL West and the second-worst staff within the American League at 47-65, they’re 18.5 video games forward of the White Sox within the AL standings. That’s completely mortifying! So whereas the A’s themselves are fairly dangerous, they don’t seem to be moribund just like the White Sox are and that would very effectively flip right into a sweep as effectively. Twenty-three video games would put them up there with the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies and provides them a tie for the worst dropping streak within the fashionable period. Historical past is effectively and really inside the grasp of the White Sox at this level however their woes may even get even deeper than that!
If the White Sox are certainly on a 23-game dropping streak by this time subsequent week, then they will must metal themselves for what is going to absolutely be the combat of their baseball lives. If the streak continues to be intact, then the document shall be on the road at Assured Charge Area in opposition to none apart from the Chicago Cubs. Whereas the Cubs did not essentially purchase or promote on the deadline, one factor that is for sure is that they are not punting on 2024 simply but. They will want each final win they’ll get in the event that they wish to maintain on to what’s already a really tenuous shot at stepping into the Postseason and you realize that everyone in that constructing carrying Cubbie Blue would love nothing greater than to place the nail within the coffin and deal the White Sox their most embarrassing defeat shortly.
If this dropping streak will get to 24 video games then the White Sox could be on their own within the fashionable period and would be a part of the 1899 Cleveland Spiders. By that time, it’s possible that this factor may even get all the way in which as much as 30 contemplating that the Pale Hose would then must face the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. It is extremely unlikely to get near 30 however the truth that it is even inside the realm of chance is terrifying!
Ought to this dropping streak proceed to worsen, then the streak will not be the one piece of historical past that the White Sox could be making. They’d even be “chasing” the notorious 1962 Mets for the worst common season document in a season that went at the very least 162 video games. They’re already behind these Mets when it comes to profitable proportion and if this streak will get as dangerous because it presumably may then they may find yourself being a digital lock to “surpass” the ’62 Mets and go down in historical past because the worst staff to ever set foot on a Main League Baseball area.
This can be a staff that was already an entire catastrophe earlier than the deadline and now they’ve shipped out a number of the only a few productive members of this staff. If I used to be a White Sox fan then I would truthfully be rooting for the streak to proceed. No person talks a few staff that merely wins or loses 100 video games however all people could be speaking a few staff that gained or misplaced 120 video games. Historical past beckons for the 2024 Chicago White Sox and now it is as much as this group to both reply the decision and change into a really memorable five-alarm tire fireplace or only a pretty notable midway crooks in inglorious baseball lore.
