Gordon Wittenmyer wonders if there is about to be a shift to the south side in the world of Chicago baseball:
Now, with the close of this week’s general managers meetings in Carlsbad, Calif., the Sox are in position to make a serious run at generational free agent Manny Machado, have a restocked farm system poised to start testing impact prospects in the big leagues and have the manager they want to take them there extended through at least 2021.
If anything, the buzz surrounding each of Chicago’s two teams this week was as strikingly different as their finishes in the standings the last two years.
And, yet, it was the 100-loss Sox brimming with optimism and big ideas heading into the meat of the offseason — while the 95-win Cubs try to tinker with fixes under payroll constraints and a field staff in flux.
I don’t believe the situation for the Cubs is as dire as it sounds. They are still a young team with a solid core of talent. The White Sox may have the potential, but realizing that potential is another matter. Yoan Moncada is a perfect example. He’s a big, young second baseman, and the White Sox traded Chris Sale to get him. He’s striking out a ton with limited power compared to other players who strike out a ton. He’s Joey Gallo without the tremendous power. He’ll be seasonal age 24 in 2019, so there still is plenty of upside, but the White Sox will need to do better with their emerging prospects.
from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2zG35x1
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