White Sox Lack of Desire Fault of Front Office, Not Players
White Sox have been mired in mediocrity for a number of seasons. With a struggling front office, the team’s cited lack of desire is the fault of management, not players.
The Chicago White Sox have dealt with controversy throughout this season, but it might have reached a tipping point on Monday. After the Sox 8-3 loss to the Royals, Jose Abreu cited Kansas City’s desire to win as making them tough the beat.
However, Abreu mentioned not everyone on the Sox had a desire to win games. This was troubling for Sox fans to hear, but Abreu didn’t absolve himself of any blame. Although Abreu didn’t lay the blame on the front office, they should take the blame for team’s recent struggles.
The Sox front office hasn’t been able to build a contending team in nearly a decade. Patchwork efforts hasn’t led to successful seasons on the south side. If ownership had chosen to start a rebuild in 2013, the Sox could have been in a better situation at the moment. As a baseball fan, you don’t have to look far to see results of having a complete teardown. The Cubs decided to rebuild in 2013, and now they’re one of the best teams in MLB.
Instead of committing to a rebuild, the Sox attempted to build a contender through free agency after the 2014 season. The results were terrible in 2015, and the Sox still haven’t recovered. After losing 7-6 to the Phillies on Tuesday, the Sox are close to getting a protected draft pick for 2017. This would be the fifth consecutive season they would have a top 10 draft pick.
The Sox front office has not only failed to build a contender, they’ve also allowed Robin Ventura to continue managing this team. Ventura continues to fail at keeping the clubhouse together as evidenced by controversies this season. If Ventura was as good as a four star general Ken Williams alluded to, why have the Sox had so much negative publicity this season?
The first step in improving this team should be for the Sox to not extend Ventura’s contract after the season. The Sox need to move on from Ventrua, as his managerial tenure has seen the franchise experience lows they haven’t seen since the early 1970’s. The next step for the front office is allowing general manager Rick Hahn to effectively aquire talent with minimal limitations.
The free agent class after this season isn’t particularly strong, but the Sox can’t limit themselves financially because Jerry Reinsdorf wants to make a profit. Last year, the Sox didn’t sign Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon, Ian Desmond, or Justin Upton, although each player would have addressed a glaring need for the team.
If the Sox want to win back its fanbase, they have to stop opperating like a small market team and spend money. There should be no more excuses for them as they’re already wasting money on James Shields. Sox fans are well aware of the main culprits of the team’s medicority, and its not the players.
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