Offseason Review: Chicago White Sox

What the fuck is going on in Chicago? I usually like to quiet the impulse inside of me that wants to scream that I'd be more capable of managing a team then the current staff, but the White Sox are testing me. So let's review.

The White Sox traded excellent breakout closer Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays for prospect Nestor Molina. That's fine because they spent like $180 trillion dollars on a losing team last season and are rebuilding as a result. So what's the next logical step? You guessed it, signing one of their most tradeable starting pitchers to a five year extension, after his worst year... 

John Danks, reflecting my bewilderment

?!?!?!!?!?!? WHAT?! HOW CAN THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! Look, I'm not particularly opposed to either of these moves on their own, but Kenny Williams, PICK A DIRECTION! Last year was the epitome of a confidence crushing season. The Sox threw together what looked like a more than competent offensive gauntlet to match the more than more the competent seeming pitching staff, and everything went to shit. I can't imagine a worse way for a front office to recover from that then cultivating the appearance of having no idea what's going on.

It hasn't been entirely disastrous. Returning to the rebuilding motif, the Sox shed reliever Jason Frasor and declining outfielder Carlos Quentin for a handful prospects. These mild concessions to logic aside, the future doesn't look good for the south side of Chicago. The White Sox have what is widely acclaimed as the worst farm system in all of Major League Baseball. The team has done a monumentally bad job acquiring and developing young talent and the time is coming up fast where that backwards strategy is going to bite them in the ass.

Not that they had much of a choice with Detroit emerging as the divisional powerhouse, but the Sox set themselves up for futility for 2012, and beyond. I smell pink slips.