WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 “Hanson's clutch HR not enough for White Sox” … Shane Jackson and Rhett Bollinger, MLB.com “Abreu, Anderson rest minor injuries” … Shane Jackson, MLB.com “Lopez returns to White Sox rotation vs. Rays” … Bill Chastain, MLB.com “Gonzalez traded to Rangers for Minor Leaguer” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Pipeline Preview: Gerber to make Triple-A debut” … Mike Rosenbaum, MLB.com “Why rebuilding White Sox have something to play for down the stretch” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox surprised that nobody has acquired Miguel Gonzalez” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox trade Miguel Gonzalez for minor league infielder” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “'Crazy and kind of unique:' Decision-makers discuss 'Year of the Trade' in Chicago sports” … Chris Hine, Chicago Tribune “White Sox rookie Lucas Giolito learning on the job” … Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune “Miguel Gonzalez posts solid effort in loss to Twins — his final White Sox outing” … Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune “White Sox trade pitcher Miguel Gonzalez to Rangers for minor leaguer”… Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune “Gonzalez gives White Sox another quality start”… Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox coach blowing the whistle on Adam Engel”… Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “White Sox trade Gonzalez to Rangers for minor-league infielder”… Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times “Rangers acquire right-handed starter Gonzalez from White Sox”… Associated Press “Twins top White Sox 5-4”… Mike Cook, Associated Press “Who says you can't teach an old White Sox pitcher new tricks?” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Avisail Garcia has massive power, but he isn't a power hitter” … James Fegan, The Athletic “By the numbers: Walk-off hit-by-pitch ends Juan Minaya's save streak” … James Fegan, The Athletic “White Sox finally find a suitor for Miguel Gonzalez” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Friday Insider: Rodon showing the changeup his teammates always believed in” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Texas Rangers trade prospect to White Sox for Miguel Gonzalez” … ESPN.com News Services Hanson's clutch HR not enough for White Sox By Shane Jackson and Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com | August 31, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- It was yet another show of resilience from the red-hot Twins, who are surging into September after one of the best months in club history. After trailing by a run in the ninth, Max Kepler served as the hero, as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Twins a 5-4 walk-off win over the White Sox on Thursday at Target Field. It helped notch the team's third walk-off of the season, and it completed a three-game sweep over Chicago to extend Minnesota's win streak to four games.
Minnesota now has a 1 1/2-game lead over the idle Angels for the second spot in the American League Wild Card race, and it trails the Yankees by one game for the No. 1 spot. The Twins (70-63) now have at least 70 wins by Sept. 1 for the first time since 2010, and they won 20 games in August for the first time since 1967. They went 20-10 despite being sellers at the Trade Deadline, and they ended the month in an unusual fashion with just the second walk-off hit-by-pitch in club history.
"I've had three, and the last one I had against Cleveland was on an error, so they come in all different shapes and forms," Kepler said with a smile about his game-winner. "A walk-off is a walk-off, so I'll take it. I tried to get out of the way, but I would've regretted it if I did get out of the way."
Ehire Adrianza began the rally with a pinch-hit single, and he came around to score the tying run on an RBI single by Eddie Rosario. Three batters later, Kepler was plunked by White Sox right-hander Juan Minaya with the bags full to send Target Field into a frenzy. It was the first walk-off hit-by-pitch by the Twins since Paul Molitor was hit in the bottom of the 10th on May 1, 1996, against Kansas City.
"I don't remember it," Molitor said with a laugh.
Kepler spoiled Alen Hanson's late-inning heroics. Hanson hit a ninth-inning solo shot to break a 3-3 deadlock, as he launched a 1-0 fastball from closer Matt Belisle over the right-field wall. According to Statcast™, Hanson's third homer of the season went an estimated 390 feet with an exit velocity of 100.2 mph. It was Hanson's first home run since July 26 and just the second homer hit off Belisle by any player over the past two months.
"He got a pitch that he could drive, was able to put it out over the right-field wall," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "I wish we would have been able to score a few more runs for him. Just wasn't meant to be." Because of the late-game dramatics, neither starter factored into the decision despite each lasting six frames. Minnesota right-hander Bartolo Colon was charged with three runs on 10 hits while recording a season-best eight strikeouts and no walks. Chicago righty Miguel Gonzalez notched his fifth straight quality start, as he allowed three runs on seven hits with five punchouts and two free passes.
The White Sox struck first with a pair of runs in the second on an RBI single by Rob Brantly and an RBI double via Adam Engel, which marked their first advantage of the series. Yolmer Sanchez drove in another run in the fourth on a base knock. Meanwhile, the Twins scored a pair of runs in the fifth on consecutive doubles by Jorge Polanco and Kepler, while Zack Granite delivered an RBI single in the second.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Double trouble: After trailing for the first time all series, the Twins evened the score at 3 with a trio of doubles in the bottom of the fifth. Brian Dozier opened the frame with a double into right off Gonzalez, who proceeded to retire the next two batters he faced. That's when Polanco and Kepler delivered back-to-back RBI doubles to erase an early two-run deficit. Minnesota finished with five doubles on the afternoon -- all off Gonzalez -- to bring its August two-bagger tally to 49.
"I wasn't as crisp as last outing," Gonzalez said. "It helped us early in the game they were swinging right away, and then after that, they were pretty patient. That's a good team, they are playing really good."
Rock solid: Granite contributed to a key run early in the absence of Byron Buxton, who was on the bench with a left hand contusion. After the White Sox scored a pair of runs in the top of the second, Eduardo Escobar recorded a one-out triple in the home half. Three batters later, Granite smacked a two-out single into center to halve the deficit, 2-1, at the time. It was Granite's first RBI since he drove in two on July 29.
QUOTABLE
"I'm not thinking about it, honestly. If something happens, then it's meant to be. If it doesn't, then I'm here all the way with the White Sox." -- Gonzalez, on pitching with the possibility of being traded
"The most important thing is we keep fighting. When we fall behind, we're able to come back and win games, and that's important. The young players gain confidence in those situations, and they know to perform in tight games." -- Colon
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Kepler's run-scoring double in the fifth served as his 20th RBI in August, becoming the fifth Twin with at least 20 RBIs this month. It marked the first time in club history that five players have driven in at least 20 runs in a single month. Minnesota had four different players accomplish the feat in May 1964.
The Twins struck out 38 White Sox batters during the series, which is the most punchouts in a three-game set in Twins history.
REPLAY REVIEW
Escobar tripled high off the right-field wall in the second inning, and it was reviewed to see whether the ball cleared the wall. But after a short review, the call was confirmed by replay, and Escobar remained at third.
WHAT'S NEXT
White Sox: Chicago will return home for a three-game weekend set with Tampa Bay starting on Friday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez is slated to return from the disabled list after missing a couple weeks with a back strain. Lopez has allowed eight runs on nine hits over 10 1/3 innings in two games this season.
Twins: The Twins remain home to host the Royals in a three-game series that begins on Friday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Right- hander Dillon Gee (1-1, 3.53 ERA) faces his former team, and struggled last time out, allowing four runs in four innings in a loss to the Blue Jays.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.
Abreu, Anderson rest minor injuries Renteria expects both to return for series vs. Tampa Bay By Shane Jackson / MLB.com | August 31, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- The White Sox were without two regulars for the 5-4 series-finale loss to the Twins on Thursday at Target Field.
Both Jose Abreu (right elbow) and Tim Anderson (left hamstring) sustained minor injuries during Wednesday's defeat. As a result, White Sox manager Rick Renteria gave both of them the day off with a quick turnaround. However, Renteria does expect both to return on Friday against Tampa Bay.
"Actually, just giving them a little bit of time," Renteria said. "We figured we would give them both an opportunity to get treated and get them ready to get moving forward once we get back home."
Renteria said Abreu injured his elbow early in the game during a cutoff play. Abreu is batting .301 with 80 RBIs and 26 home runs in 518 at-bats this season. In 130 games, Abreu has recorded 278 total bases, trailing only Houston's Jose Altuve (280) in the American League.
"I think he's one of the better hitters in the game right now," Renteria said. "I don't know that he can do anything more than he's doing right now, to be honest. His at-bats have been unbelievable."
Meanwhile, Renteria said that Anderson had a minor tweak in his hamstring, though Renteria doesn't anticipate that to sideline Anderson for too long. Anderson is hitting .241 with a .260 on-base percentage in 474 at-bats this year. He has drove in 45 runs and clubbed 14 homers through 119 games.
Matt Davidson started at first base on Thursday, while Tyler Saladino held down the shortstop position.
"I would hope," Renteria said, regarding Abreu and Anderson returning for the series opener against Tampa Bay. Worth noting
• Yoan Moncada continues to rest from home after being placed on the disabled list with a right shin contusion on Aug. 25. Renteria said the team will discuss the possibility of him resuming baseball activities when the team returns to Chicago this weekend.
"From all signs, he's continued to improve and feel better," Renteria said.
Lopez returns to White Sox rotation vs. Rays By Bill Chastain / MLB.com | August 31, 2017
The Rays will finish off a nine-game road trip, while the White Sox will be starting a 10-game homestand as they square off in the opener of a three-game series on Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Rays are 3 1/2 games back for the second American League Wild Card spot. Of their 27 remaining games in the regular season, all but three are against teams in serious contention for postseason play. Those three are against the White Sox, who will look to play the role of spoilers. They finished their last homestand from Aug. 21-27 at 5-3 against the Twins and Tigers.
Left-hander Blake Snell (2-6, 4.29 ERA), who is on a bit of a roll, will start for the Rays. After struggling to get through five innings for most of the season, Snell has gone at least six innings in four consecutive starts. He has a 3.31 ERA over his last nine starts, compared to a 6.75 ERA in his previous six starts, and a 5.36 ERA in his first nine starts this season.
Rays manager Kevin Cash pointed to Snell's improved strike throwing for playing "a big part" in his recent success.
"There's a lot of parts we've talked about," Cash said. "The mental approach that he's taken. But at the end of the day, you're not going to have success in this game as a starting pitcher if you don't throw strikes. So it's fair to say that him throwing strikes and the intent behind them has helped."
Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (0-1, 6.97 ERA) is slated to make his return to the mound on Friday. Lopez has been on the disabled list with a back strain since mid-August. Prior to the injury, Lopez allowed eight runs off nine hits over a combined 10 1/3 innings. He made just two starts with the White Sox, but he has posted a 3.79 ERA in 22 starts with Triple-A Charlotte this season.
Three things to know about this game
• Snell has won just two times in 20 career road starts.
• Snell, who was averaging 4.5 strikeouts through his first 16 starts this season, has notched 15 over his past two outings. It's helped that Snell has posted swinging-strike rates of 15.8 percent and 15.2 percent, his two best marks of the year. Of his 32 total whiffs in that span, 20 were on pitches chased out of the strike zone.
• Jose Abreu is the first White Sox player to begin his Major League career with four seasons of 25-plus home runs, and the 10th in Major League history to do so. He is attempting to join Albert Pujols and Joe DiMaggio as the only players to record 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in each of their first four-plus seasons.
Gonzalez traded to Rangers for Minor Leaguer White Sox receive outfielder Forbes in exchange for veteran righty By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | August 31, 2017
CHICAGO -- Miguel Gonzalez's almost two-season tenure with the White Sox came to an end shortly following his quality start during Thursday afternoon's 5-4 loss to the Twins at Target Field, as the right-hander was traded to the Rangers.
In return for the 33-year-old free agent-to-be, the White Sox acquired Minor league infielder Edward Ti'Quan Forbes. A corresponding move will be made by the White Sox prior to the start of their series against the Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field Friday night, a move which is most likely to be the activation of right-hander Reynaldo Lopez from the disabled list to start the opener.
Forbes, 21, has appeared in 130 games between Class A Advanced Down East and Class-A Hickory, batting .234 with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, 56 runs scored and 25 walks this season. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Forbes has played in 90 games at third base, 20 at first base, 17 at shortstop and five as the designated hitter.
The right-handed hitting infielder opened the season with Hickory before promoted to Down East on July 5. He is a career .245 hitter with 46 doubles, nine triples, 15 home runs, 124 RBIs and 158 runs scored in 357 games as part of four seasons (2014-17) in the Texas organization after originally being selected by the Rangers in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Columbia (Miss.) High School.
This move of Gonzalez was not a surprise, as he has been the model of consistency since returning from the disabled list on July 18. He allowed three runs over six innings Thursday, marking his fifth straight quality start and eighth quality start in his last nine. Over that recent five-start stretch, Gonzalez has yielded seven earned runs in 34 innings with 28 strikeouts, 10 walks and only one home run.
Gonzalez is 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA and 85 strikeouts over 22 starts this season. He has gone 12-18 with a 4.02 ERA in 46 appearances (45 starts) in two seasons with the White Sox and now moves to a team in contention for the second American League Wild Card spot. On Aug. 20, in the Arlington, Texas heat, Gonzalez hurled six scoreless innings during a 3-2 White Sox victory over the Rangers.
Since the start of the second half to the 2017 season, the White Sox have traded Jose Quintana, David Robertson, Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings, Tyler Clippard and Gonzalez. The move opens up a final- month rotation spot to go with Lopez, Lucas Giolito, Carlos Rodon and James Shields. That spot figures to go to Derek Holland, who is 7-14 with a 6.16 ERA in 28 games (26 starts).
Pipeline Preview: Gerber to make Triple-A debut By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | August 31, 2017
Here's a look at top prospects to watch in today's Minor League action:
Hitter to watch: Mike Gerber (Tigers' No. 8), Toledo vs. Indianapolis (7:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Gerber is set to make his Triple-A debut on Friday, one day after he connected on his 13th home run of the season, a three-run shot for Double-A Erie. The 25-year-old outfielder slashed .291/.363/.477 over 92 games during his time in the Eastern League, totaling 62 runs scored, 37 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases.
Pitcher to watch: Rogelio Armenteros (Astros' No. 23), Fresno at Salt Lake (8:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Armenteros has given up just one hit in each of his back-to-back scoreless starts for Triple-A Fresno, completing seven and eight innings, respectively, while piling up a total of 17 strikeouts. That dominance extends across his past five starts, during which the 23-year-old righty has pitched to a 0.88 ERA with a 45-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30 2/3 innings. Overall, Arementeros has put himself firmly on the big league radar this season by posting a 1.97 ERA with a .202 opponents' average and 142 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings (10.8 K/9) across two levels.
Duel of the day: Kolby Allard (Braves' No. 3) vs. Jordan Guerrero (White Sox No. 22), Mississippi vs. Birmingham (7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Allard, MLBPipeline.com's No. 25 prospect, turned in one of his best performances of the season last time out, scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a win for Double-A Mississippi. It was a continuation of what has been a hugely impressive 2017 campaign for the 20-year-old lefty, who has posted a 3.34 ERA with 124 strikeouts over 143 innings (26 starts) in the Southern League in his age-19 season.
Guerrero, 23, was a Southern League All-Star for Birmingham after he posted a 3.89 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 17 walks over 78 2/3 innings (13 starts) in the first half. The left-hander has struggled down the stretch, however, pitching to a 7.58 ERA with a .363 opponents' average and 10 walks across 19 frames (four starts) in August.
Why rebuilding White Sox have something to play for down the stretch By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | August 31, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- Who says the rebuilding White Sox don’t have anything to play for in September and October?
Of utmost importance is the potential for development of White Sox rookies who have reached the majors, a group that includes Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Nicky Delmonico, amongst others.
But beyond that is another critical aspect: With 30 games left on the schedule after Thursday, the White Sox are locked in a battle for first. At 52-79 overall, the White Sox are well within striking distance of the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst record in baseball and the privilege to make the first overall pick in the June 2018 amateur draft.
Currently, the White Sox own the third-worst record in the majors. The San Francisco Giants — who come to Guaranteed Rate Field for three games on Sept. 8-10 — have the second-worst mark at 53-82 overall. The Cincinnati Reds (56-77) and Oakland A’s (58-75) round out the top five prior to Thursday’s results.
While it’s nowhere close to as significant as winning a division or, there’s little question about how much impact possessing a top pick and the larger signing bonus pool attached to it can have on an organization. Given the early talk about the 2018 draft class, the White Sox appear to be in great shape to add more impact talent to an already loaded farm system.
“It’s a better draft all around from a depth and impact standpoint,” amateur scouting director Nick Hostetler said, adding it’s potentially the best class since 2010.
The potential for adding a top-three talent via the amateur draft could leave White Sox players and coaches and a portion of the team’s fan base at odds for the final month of the season.
With a team full of inexperience, White Sox players are hungry and looking to sew up future roster spots by showing off their talent. The Giolitos and Lopezes and Moncadas are intent upon improvement and highly unlikely to put their own careers in jeopardy in order to secure the franchise a better draft pick. They want to win and do everything they can to make themselves a prominent part of the club’s future.
“Everybody wants to come out, as far as the players are concerned, you want to come out and play to win,” manager Rick Renteria said. “I think the word rebuild adds a connotation of it doesn’t really matter what goes on and it couldn’t be further from the truth. These guys are trying to go out and exemplify what they’re supposed to be as a team and individuals as trying to continue to perform the things that are necessary to win ballgames.”
On the other side of things, many White Sox fans have fully embraced The Tank. They want a high pick so the team can select Seth Beer, Jarred Kelenic or Brice Turang or any other number of players.
One hundred losses and a first pick? Many fans say bring it on.
It’s yet another strange position in a calendar year full of them.
At the same time, this is exactly where the White Sox have been headed all along. You don’t trade Chris Sale and Adam Eaton off a 78-win roster and expect to improve.
General manager Rick Hahn made it clear this spring that the White Sox would keep the big picture in mind all along in 2017. If the White Sox were going to win, they would have to do it with the players they already had. No short-term trades would be made and prospects wouldn’t be rushed to fill voids at the major league level.
Though the White Sox had plenty of zest in the season’s first two months and hung around longer than most suspected they would, Hahn had no qualms about ripping apart the 25-man roster in July with a series of trades.
Still, as much as Hahn might like to hold the first pick come next June, he doesn’t want to sacrifice critical development to get there.
“There’s been no secret made about what we're trying to accomplish as an organization,” Hahn said earlier this month. “That's been clear since well before the start of spring training, and the players have understood the opportunities that are here for them, in the now, based on that long-term approach that we're taking. Again, I can't say enough about the work that Ricky and the coaches have done in terms of preparing this team on a daily basis and making the most out of what they have on a given night on their roster.”
Should make for an interesting month.
White Sox surprised that nobody has acquired Miguel Gonzalez By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | August 31, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- The White Sox remain in let’s-make-a-deal-mode, Miguel Gonzalez has pitched well for six weeks and yet he’s still here.
If you’re surprised by that development, you’re not alone.
Even the White Sox starting pitcher’s manager reflected his astonishment about the status of Gonzalez roughly 90 minutes before he took the mound on Thursday. Gonzalez pitched well yet again, though the White Sox ultimately lost to the Minnesota Twins 5-4 at Target Field. It was the eighth quality start produced by the free-agent-to be in nine outings since he returned from the disabled list on July 18. The waiver trade deadline for Major League Baseball falls at 11 p.m. CST on Thursday night.
“A little bit (surprised),” Renteria said. “He’s pitched against some of the top clubs in the big leagues in his last four or five starts and has done a nice job keeping us in ballgames and minimizing damage, to a run or two in some or most of the starts. But I am surprised. He has done a great job. I wouldn’t be surprised (if he’s traded). It’s still not midnight yet so if today is the day, I wouldn’t be surprised if something would happen.”
The market for Gonzalez has been relatively quiet with few exceptions. Given that Gonzalez has a 3.27 ERA since he returned from a shoulder injury in mid-July and is affordable (he’s owed a little more than $1 million), the White Sox had to believe their asset would drum up more interest.
Though he doesn’t overpower hitters with the fastball, Gonzalez has a nice mix of pitches and has proven to be consistent and likes attacking the strike zone. Gonzalez posted a 3.45 ERA between 2012-2014 for the Baltimore Orioles. He struggled in 2015 and did so again earlier this season after a shoulder injury limited his ability. Prior to the injury, however, Gonzalez pitched well for the White Sox in 2017, posting a 3.18 ERA in his first six starts after he finished 2016 on a good run. Gonzalez posted a 2.72 ERA over his final 13 starts of 2016 (79 1/3 innings).
But for now at least, a run of seven poor starts from mid-May to mid-June in which Gonzalez had a 7.15 ERA and eventually landed on the disabled list has tempered the interest. Since returning, Gonzalez has only had on rough outing on Aug. 3 at Boston as he got chased after 1 2/3 innings.
“I saw him throw in Boston and he didn’t throw well, but he still has good stuff,” one American League scout said. “I’d like to have him. He could at least pitch out of the bullpen.”
Gonzalez said he has tried to avoid thinking about the potential for a trade even as the White Sox traded a boatload of players over the past six weeks.
Anything that isn’t nailed down has been on alert to the possibility of a trade since the White Sox began to offload players last December with the trades of Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. The process included a series of trades in July that saw the departures of Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Dan Jennings, Anthony Swarzak and later Tyler Clippard.
But Gonzalez, who was stunned to be released by the Baltimore Orioles at the end of spring training in 2016, has enjoyed his time with the White Sox. He’s 12-18 with a 4.01 ERA in 45 games (44 starts) since coming over and credits the White Sox for giving him a chance after a rough 2015 season.
Gonzalez has been one of the team’s steadiest pitchers since he returned in July. On Thursday, the right-hander said he wasn’t as crisp as normal but got by in the early innings because the Twins had an aggressive approach. The Twins doubled three times off Gonzalez in the fifth inning to score twice and tie the game. But Gonzalez stranded the go-ahead run with a strikeout of Eduardo Escobar and retired four straight to get through the sixth. Gonzalez allowed three earned runs, seven hits and walked two while striking out five in a 110-pitch effort over six innings.
“Not thinking about it, honestly,” Gonzalez said. “If something happens then it’s meant to be. But if it doesn’t than I’m here all the way with the White Sox.
“It is what it is. Nothing that we can control. We’ve got to keep pitching, keep going out there every fifth day and try to make things happen.
“I’m happy (with my recent performances). A lot of positives. Been able to go out there until the sixth, seventh inning, even to the eighth. That’s a blessing in disguise. Struggling for a lot of months and to be able to come back and do that has been great.”
White Sox trade Miguel Gonzalez for minor league infielder By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | August 31, 2017
The White Sox traded one month of Miguel Gonzalez’s services late Thursday for a long shot.
General manager Rick Hahn snuck in one more deal before the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline at 11 p.m. CST when he shipped Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers for Single-A third baseman Ti’quan Forbes.
A second-round pick in 2014 who has struggled in the minors, Forbes is “a low-level prospect that has potential to contribute,” according to one American League scout.
Forbes, 21, is hitting .221/.276/.304 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 197 plate appearances at Advanced-A Down East in the Carolina League. He has a .245/.304/.329 career slash line and 15 home runs in 1,424 career plate appearances.
Gonzalez also reportedly drew interest from the Baltimore Orioles, who found the asking price for a one-month rental to be too high, according to the Baltimore Sun. The right-hander pitched six strong innings in Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins, posting his eighth quality start in nine tries since he returned from the disabled list on July 18. A free agent after this season, Gonzalez is 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA in 133 2/3 innings this season.
Gonzalez is owed a little more than $1 million on his one-year, $5.9 million contract.
The deal is the latest from the White Sox, who traded seven players in July and also moved Tyler Clippard earlier this month. Before Thursday’s start, White Sox manager Rick Renteria said he was surprised someone hadn’t yet acquired Gonzalez, who has a 3.27 ERA over his last nine turns.
The trade also potentially re-opens a spot in the team’s rotation for Derek Holland, who appeared to be headed to the bullpen after his start Wednesday in order to make room for Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez is set to come off the disabled list on Friday. Renteria said after Wednesday’s game there was a possibility Holland would move into the bullpen to make space for Lopez.
'Crazy and kind of unique:' Decision-makers discuss 'Year of the Trade' in Chicago sports By Chris Hine / Chicago Tribune | August 31, 2017
Chicago sports fans will look back at 2017 as the "Year of the Trade." During the spring and summer all five of the city's major professional teams made franchise-altering deals.
The Bears started the madness April 27 by moving up in the NFL draft to take quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the No. 2 pick.
The next day, the Blackhawks made two paradigm-shifting deals that became official 51 minutes apart. Three-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson went to the Coyotes in a multiplayer trade, then they sent winger Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets for former Hawks winger Brandon Saad.
On July 13, the Cubs and White Sox shocked the city when they swung a deal that put pitcher Jose Quintana in a Cubs uniform in exchange for four prospects, including outfielder Eloy Jimenez and pitcher Dylan Cease. The Cubs locked up a contract-controlled starting pitcher through 2020 while the Sox continued their rebuild after the major offseason trades of Chris Sale and Adam Eaton.
"It's crazy and kind of unique that all the franchises have done something like this in the same city," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said.
The Tribune spoke with key decision-makers from the five teams — Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer, Hawks GM Stan Bowman, White Sox GM Rick Hahn, Bulls executive vice president John Paxson and Pace — about how they negotiate major trades and what goes on behind the scenes. Responses are edited for clarity and space.
Describe the emotions during negotiations and after making the deal.
Hahn: There's a little sorrow as you see them walk out the door. That's not fun. The phone call to Jose Quintana to inform him he's been traded was very tough. That hurts a little bit. But there is a bit of excitement that comes with a major trade. I don't know if it's adrenaline or (another) chemical reaction, but you do find yourself in the days after a big trade, after it's died down a little bit, sort of itching for that next one. There has to be some sort of chemical reaction to it because you do feel that missing — that feel of making a major transaction. You have to catch yourself of falling into the trap of "We have to do something. We have to do something" for a while. You're Jonesing for it a little bit. You're Jonesing for a prospect fix. In July we were getting that fix every few days and now we're coming down from it in August.
Pace: It's almost like satisfaction, hugging it out or whatever you want to call it. We talk about something, and then we've been aggressive and we've done it. There are too many times you look around the league and you're targeting a player you really like in the draft, for example, and he goes one pick in front you. That can be demoralizing. If you're in a position where, "Let's get a guy we want, a guy we have conviction on and recoup some of these picks," the satisfaction of getting a guy you want instead of just being passive, it's more of a celebratory, happy moment.
Paxson: It's hard because over time you invest a lot in the players as people. You try to get to know them. You try to understand them, the backgrounds they come from. You invest a lot of time and resources in them. In Jimmy's case, we watched him develop into this outstanding player from a guy who didn't play much his first year into a top 10 to 20 player in the league. It was really difficult. What you learn is that when we moved Jimmy we did that based on our circumstances and the direction we felt we needed to take. … I have a perspective having played and I never was traded, but I can guarantee you every trade deadline I was nervous. You know the implications on your family, friends, everything. So we understand that and even though you have to put that aside to a degree, it is present, the element of how that affects a person's life and the change involved.
Bowman: When a trade is announced, I think it's a shock to people because it was never on their radar. But now here we are over a month later, it's not sort of as shocking as it was. So it's sort of the same thing for me. When we're talking about things we might be doing, internally we've been talking about it and thinking about what it would mean. It didn't just happen overnight, so that adjustment process takes time, but time passes.
When do you know you have a deal? Is it a gut feeling?
Bowman: Really not until around when it's actually consummated. You have a lot of talk. We've talked with other people in the past on deals that never happened because when it got right down to it, the price either didn't work for us or for them. It doesn't feel right. With these deals, we weren't 100 percent sure it was going to happen until you get that phone call to say "OK, we've gone back and forth for the last day here, and this is what we'll do to make it happen." When you get to that phone call, that's the only point when you're confident you have a deal. Up until then, you're still negotiating and you start off talking about different components to a deal, and when you have multiple players in it, the ending of the deal is not how it always started or was in the middle.
Hoyer: The challenge you have with getting a deal to conclusion is that it's harder for teams to match up than you might imagine. There's no question you realize certain people have certain breaking points. As you have more experience talking to different GMs, you realize what those points might be, you develop a scouting report on each person. Some people you might realize start really low with their offer and build up a lot. Some people might start very close to their final offer and not be willing to negotiate. You learn those things over time. That's the nuance. "I want to ask for one more player in a deal but I like the current structure. I hope this doesn't blow up." You have to learn how to massage that.
Hahn: There's a ton of background that goes into it, whether it's work by scouts, objective analysts or conversations we have internally. When you're having a conversation with another club and you get above that line, so to speak, there is a bit of a gut or visceral reaction: "This one has legs," or "We're getting close." Even after that, there's still enough time where you come back — whether it's conversations (executive vice president) Kenny (Williams) and I are having or having with (Chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf), recheck with our scouts, there's still sort of that fail-safe of having further conversations internally to make sure everyone agrees we're on the right track. But there is that one moment where you say, "This one is real" and it's worth pursuing and chasing down.
Paxson: It's probably different in certain instances but one of the things that happens, and one of (general manager) Gar (Forman's) big responsibilities for us is keep that contact with teams all the time, all year long. And during that process you can float ideas or concepts to teams. Sometimes those get traction. Most times they don't. But it's a consistent dialogue. A lot of times you don't know you have a deal until both sides have gone back to ownership and said this is what we'd like to do and the owners sign off on it. There are a lot of times where you really don't know until that process happens.
Specifically with the trades this year, how did those go down and what were the thought processes behind them?
Hoyer: Before that deal we talked for 18 months about wanting to acquire young, controllable, high-quality starting pitcher, and that was a priority for . So, you can pretty quickly figure out in the baseball landscape which player might potentially be available in that kind of transaction. You narrow the list and you scout those guys like crazy. You analyze those guys like crazy. You really spend the resources and you continue to whittle down that group. It's definitely not something that's happening in the weeks before. It's happening well before, and Jose was right on that list of guys who were really desirable players to acquire in that kind of deal."
Hahn: We knew with Quintana, by taking him into the season, that we were bearing a fair amount of risk. At the same time in the offseason we just never got near that threshold we had previously set for what was appropriate in order to move Jose. It was a fairly easy decision. If you get close to that line, it's a little more art than science. It's not like, "They're not giving us this fourth player from A ball, so screw it, we're not doing it." But we weren't close where that was a jump ball. Then the market changes and you deal with different teams and different needs. In the Quintana situation, it was unique for a couple reasons. One, it was obviously such a good complementary fit between our two clubs in terms of what Jose could provide them in the present and near future and what the prospects we were receiving could do for us on our timelines. Two, we spent a fair amount of time vetting the Quintana market. So by the time we had our conversations with the Cubs, it was very refined in terms of what their give was going to have to be in order for it to work.
Pace: You're probably two weeks out from the draft, that's when we're conducting mock drafts and going over trade scenarios. … We go back 15, 20 years and study draft-day trades to know what's there and what's not there. You've gone over all scenarios and I guess there's adrenaline. Maybe some of it is tempered by the work you've done beforehand, but to visualize it all and then when you reach the moment where you're, like, "OK, this is going to happen," and you visualized it and now it's coming to fruition … Honestly I never had the emotion of "Aw, man, I hope this works out." It's more "Hell, yeah." We visualized this and the moment has finally arrived.
Bowman: (Bowman said the timing of both trades was coincidental). We had a lot of discussions internally about ways we can try to improve not only for next year but for two, three and four years down the road. From that perspective, you give it some time to breathe, and that's why over time you realize sometimes you have to make decisions that you know at the moment they're announced are going to be difficult for everybody. The deals came together rather quickly, but we had been talking about a lot of things for the weeks leading up to the draft.
How important a role do scouts play, not just in analyzing players but in obtaining information?
Hoyer: Tremendous. Information is not just about whether the guy watching a guy's pitch mix or hitting tendencies. That's obviously very important, but so much of it is being able to find out through the right sources what kind of teammate a guy is, what are his off-field habits. … Just like in the draft, I think the best scouts not only pound the table when they love a player but they pound a table when they want you to stay away from a player. Sometimes the deal you don't do is equally important, or the player you don't trade for is equally as important as the player you do. Good scouts are really good at steering you away from problems.
Paxson: It's critical. That's why you have the dialogue with teams and have people out at games, talking to people from other organizations. Your scouts are not just scouting talent. They're out there getting information. They might hear something from someone in some organization that allows you to think there might be something you can do. … It's also knowing where every organization is in terms of their cap space, tax situations. We have those up on the board all year. It's a constant reminder to us of the situation each team is in and you can hopefully at times take advantage of it.
How delicate can negotiations be? Is it true you don't have a trade until it's official?
Hoyer: To use the football analogy, until you're in the end zone, until the replay has happened and the extra point goes up, you're definitely not celebrating a touchdown because there are so many things that happen through the medical process, through the ownership process that have to be done.
Pace: How many teams are trying to get up in the top of the draft? If not a lot of teams are moving, then it might not require a lot. But if there are a lot of teams clamoring to get up there, the price drives up. It can change year to year. … When we're talking with teams, you're going back and forth on different scenarios or ideas or ways to pull this off, but you really don't know it's done until both clubs agree and you ... submit it to the league and the league says you guys are on. Then it's official. The longer you're in this, the longer you realize some of these things can fall apart rapidly at the last second on both sides.
Hahn: That happened to us twice last offseason where we had two deals that were essentially on ownership's desk and in both instances the other side's ownership wasn't comfortable doing it, whether it's because of economic considerations or prospects the other club was surrendering. There's not a deal until every box is checked, whether it's financial considerations or medical review or ownership approval that's a part of it. You never really feel like something is done until you have that final phone call.
White Sox rookie Lucas Giolito learning on the job By Chris Kuc / Chicago Tribune | August 31, 2017
Lucas Giolito was 2 years old when Bartolo Colon made his major-league debut April 4, 1997, with the Indians.
Now 23 and the youngest starter on the White Sox staff, Giolito can only imagine what it would be like to still be pitching at Colon's age of 44.
"That would be pretty cool," Giolito said with a chuckle before Colon took the mound for the Twins against the Sox on Thursday at Target Field. "That would be an awesome career if I can make it to 44."
Giolito, who is scheduled to make his third start when the Sox face the Rays on Sunday, said he always pays attention when veterans such as Colon and teammates James Shields and Derek Holland are pitching.
"I try to soak up as much information as I can, especially from guys who have been doing it a lot longer than I have," Giolito said. "Whenever I get the opportunity, I like to watch and learn some things."
Meanwhile, the right-hander said he has made a "seamless transition" from Triple-A Charlotte to the Sox.
"I'm very settled in," Giolito said. "I really feel like I'm a part of the team. I'm just enjoying my time up here and learning a lot and having a lot of fun."
Not close: On the disabled list since Aug. 25 with a bone bruise on his right shin, rookie second baseman Yoan Moncada "has been at home resting, trying to stay off his … leg" according to manager Rick Renteria.
"We're hoping he'll continue to feel better," Renteria added. "Once we get back (Friday) we'll see how the irritation is and if he's able to start baseball activity. If he is ... it will be measured. We want to make sure we don't aggravate it. From all signs he's improving and feeling better."
Limited options: Renteria said the Sox will call up "very few" players when rosters expand Friday.
"Most of the guys are already here," Renteria said.
Party time: The Sox announced two-night hotel packages at the Hilton Chicago for SoxFest 2018, along with weekend passes to the event (Jan. 26-28), will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Sept. 7 at whitesox.com/SoxFest.
Miguel Gonzalez posts solid effort in loss to Twins — his final White Sox outing By Chris Kuc / Chicago Tribune | August 31, 2017
It was with an uncertain future that White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez took the mound to face the Twins on Thursday.
The veteran right-hander was traded to the Rangers shortly before the waiver trade deadline, hours after he pitched six solid innings in the Sox's 5-4 loss to the Twins.
Gonzalez was the most-coveted asset left for general manager Rick Hahn to trade in this rebuilding season. The Sox received minor-league infielder Ti'Quan Forbes, 21, who batted .234 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs in 130 games between Class A Down East and Class A Hickory this season. He was a second-round pick in the 2014 draft.
Gonzalez tucked his uncertain status into the back of his mind on a sunny afternoon at Target Field.
Gonzalez recorded his eighth quality start in his last nine games by allowing three runs, seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts. His ERA is 1.85 in his last five starts, which made him more attractive to contending teams. So much so that manager Rick Renteria was surprised that Gonzalez was around to make Thursday's start.
"A little bit," Renteria admitted before the game. "He's pitched against some of the top clubs in the big leagues in his last four or five starts and has done a nice job keeping us in ballgames and minimizing damage, to a run or two in some or most of the starts."
Gonzalez, 33, a free agent after the season, went 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA in 22 starts for the Sox this season. The Sox will make a corresponding roster move prior to their game against the Rays on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Gonzalez said he was not as surprised as Renteria that he started for the Sox on Thursday.
"It is what it is," Gonzalez said after taking the no-decision. "(It's) nothing that we can control. We've got to keep pitching, keep going out there every fifth day and try to make things happen."
The Sox fell Thursday when the Twins rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to sweep the series. The winning run scored when Sox reliever Juan Minaya plunked Max Kepler with a pitch with the bases loaded.
The rally came after Alen Hanson had put the Sox ahead with a solo home run in the top of the ninth. Hanson matched a career high with three hits, while Yolmer Sanchez, Rob Brantly and Adam Engel also knocked in runs.
Facing the ageless Bartolo Colon, the Sox were without two regulars. Jose Abreu suffered a right elbow injury during the Twins' 11-1 thumping of the Sox on Wednesday night, while Tim Anderson tweaked his left hamstring. Renteria didn't believe either injury was serious and said he hoped the two would play when the Sox open a 10-game homestand against the Rays on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
With the Rangers, Gonzalez hopes to continue the roll he's been on since returning from the disabled list July 18 with inflammation to the AC joint in his right shoulder.
"(There have been) a lot of positives," Gonzalez said. "I've been able to go out there until the sixth, seventh inning, even to the eighth, and that's a blessing in disguise. (I was) struggling for a lot of months, and to be able to come back and do that has been great."
Those efforts by Gonzalez amid trade rumors impressed his now-former manager.
"(Gonzalez) has shown he is focused (and) a professional," Renteria said. "He knows he's got a job to do and continues to do it. That (trade) conversation about him and probably most of the guys who have been around the organization has been going on since spring training. ... We're really happy that he came back from soreness in his shoulder and continued to pitch well."
White Sox trade pitcher Miguel Gonzalez to Rangers for minor leaguer By Chris Kuc / Chicago Tribune | September 1, 2017
Rick Hahn had one more coveted asset on the White Sox roster and the general manager unloaded it just prior to the Thursday's waiver trade deadline when he dealt Miguel Gonzalez to the Rangers for minor-league infielder Ti’Quan Forbes.
The 21-year-old Forbes appeared in 130 games between Double-A Down East and Class A Hickory this season and batted .234 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. The right-handed hitter originally was selected by the Rangers in the second round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Columbia (Miss.) High School.
González went 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA in 22 starts for the Sox this season. The 33-year-old right-hander started and got a no-decision during the Sox’s 5-4 loss to the Twins on Thursday at Target Field. Gonzalez yielded three runs in six innings for his eighth quality start in his last nine outings.
The Sox will make a corresponding roster move prior to their game against the Rays on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Gonzalez gives White Sox another quality start Abreu (elbow) and Anderson (hamstring) might return to lineup Friday. “I would hope so,” manager Rick Renteria said. By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | August 31, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS – Rick Renteria said he was surprised Miguel Gonzalez hadn’t been traded to a contender yet, and Gonzalez showed everyone why.
The 33-year-old right-hander with postseason experience entered Thursday’s White Sox game against the Twins with 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his last four starts — the best in the AL since Aug. 4 – and he tacked on a quality start to go with that, pitching six innings of three-run ball.
“He’s pitched against some of the top clubs in the big leagues in his last four or five starts and has done a nice job keeping us in ballgames and minimizing damage,” Renteria said. ” He has done a great job. I wouldn’t be surprised [if he gets traded]. It’s still not midnight yet so if today is the day, I wouldn’t be surprised if something would happen.”
Gonzalez will be a free agent after the season, making him expendable for the rebuilding Sox. The deadline for waiver deals was 11 p.m. Thursday.
“Not thinking about it, honestly,” Gonzalez said after pitching six-plus innings for the seventh time in his last eight starts. “If something happens then it’s meant to be. But if it doesn’t than I’m here all the way with the White Sox. Just keep grinding.”
Abreu, Anderson out
Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson missed the series finale against the Twins, Abreu with a sore right elbow and Anderson nursing a minor left hamstring issue. Abreu banged into second baseman Yolmer Sanchez on a cutoff and relay Wednesday “Timmy has a little minor tweak in his hammy,’’ Renteria said. “Figured we’d give them both a day since it’s a quick turnaround [day game after night] — give them both an opportunity to get treated and keep moving forward as we get back home [Friday].”
Renteria said he was hopeful Abreu and Anderson would play Friday against the Rays.
Abreu fan club includes Tony Oliva
Former Twins great Tony Oliva chatted with Abreu, a fellow Cuban, on the field before the series as he often does.
“I would like to have him on my team,” Oliva said. “He can hit, he can play. He does his job working with the other guys.”
Oliva, a lifetime .304/.353/.476 hitter during his career from 1962-76, all with the Twins, likes how Abreu looks over the infield and often beat shifts or alignments set up to defend him.
“He’s a smart hitter,” Oliva said. “He can hit the ball any place he wants. He can hit it out of the ballpark, too, but if he wants a base hit, he’ll hit the ball in the hole. He can hit the ball to right field, left or up the middle. He makes the adjustment.”
Abreu, who is batting .301 with 80 RBI, is batting .400 with seven homers, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored over his last 18 games.
Moncada resting
Yoan Moncada stayed in Chicago during the brief three-day trip to Minneapolis to rest his bruised shin.
“We want to make sure we don’t re-aggravate it,’’ Renteria said. “From all signs he’s improving and feeling better.”
September call-ups
The Sox are not expected to make many additions when September rosters are expanded Friday. Renteria wasn’t revealing who they would be.
“We have very few. Most of the guys are already here,” Renteria said of call-ups made in the last month or two.
Class AAA Charlotte right-hander Tyler Danish and perhaps another pitcher to add innings down the stretch are possibilities.
Probables for Rays
Friday: Blake Snell (2-6, 4.29) vs. Reynaldo Lopez (0-1, 6.97), 7:10, CSN, 890-AM
Saturday: Chris Archer (9-7, 3.66) vs. Carlos Rodon (2-5, 4.27), 6:10, CSN, 890-AM
Sunday: Matt Andriese (5-1, 3.38) vs. Lucas Giolito (1-1, 2.77), 1:10, Ch. 9, 890-AM
White Sox coach blowing the whistle on Adam Engel Twins walk off White Sox on hit by pitch in ninth. By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | August 31, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS — First base coach Daryl Boston tried everything in an attempt to learn how to whistle, including watching instructional videos on YouTube.
Nothing seemed to work.
A 1981 first-round pick of the White Sox, Boston found his skill set running thin when it came to whistling, which, for a coach in charge of positioning outfielders from the dugout, was a problem.
Enter Sox pregame instructor and winter basketball official Mike Kashirsky, who solved the problem by setting up Boston with a couple of referee’s whistles.
“I had started with a couple of little ones that didn’t work too well, and Kash said, ‘You need to get a real whistle,’ ’’ Boston said.
Throughout the year, Boston’s whistle has been the one heard ’round the American League and not only when positioning outfielders. When anyone makes a good defensive play, it can be heard in the 500 level at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“When I’m trying to get their attention, it’s just a nice ‘beep-beep,’ but if somebody makes a nice defensive play, I hit it hard,’’ Boston said.
There’s no official record of Boston’s whistles, but it’s safe to say rookie center fielder Adam Engel has generated as many as anyone.
“He’s been playing Gold Glove-caliber center field,’’ said Boston, who spent most of his 11-year career playing the position. “He’s relentless. He’s fearless. Anytime a ball goes up in that area, you think it’s going to be caught.’’
Before the Sox bolstered their farm system with prospects via numerous trades, Engel entered the season as their 12th- ranked prospect. Baseball America tabbed him as the best defensive outfielder in the system.
“It’s all instinct,’’ Boston said. “We’ve had guys like Adam Engel who could run as well as anybody but didn’t have the same instincts and reads and routes that this kid has. It’s a joy to watch.’’
Engel, 25, doubled in a run against Bartolo Colon, walked and stole a base in the Sox’ 5-4 loss Thursday afternoon against the Twins at Target Field. It was a needed shot in the arm on the offensive side for Engel, who’s batting .175 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 233 plate appearances.
“He’s a work in progress,’’ Boston said. “He’s going to compete. He might not have it figured out now, but he’s going to find a way to figure it out and survive.’’
The Sox, using a lighter-than-usual lineup with Jose Abreu, Nicky Delmonico, Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada out nursing injuries, got six innings of three-run ball from right-hander Miguel Gonzalez and a tiebreaking homer from second baseman Alen Hanson against Matt Belisle leading off the ninth.
But the Twins scored two in the ninth against Juan Minaya, getting the tying run on Eddie Rosario’s single to right and the winning run when Minaya hit Max Kepler with a down-and-in breaking ball on the first pitch with the bases loaded and two outs.
Minaya appeared to have a shot at escaping with a tie when he caught Jorge Polanco’s soft liner for the second out. He looked at third with a chance to double off Brian Dozier, who was diving back, but did not throw.
The Sox (52-80) finished August with an 11-18 record.
As good as the defense has been for Engel, he knows he won’t survive in the majors unless his hitting line gets closer to what he produced in the minors (.260/.341/.400). Injuries to Charlie Tilson and Leury Garcia and the demotion of Opening Day center fielder Jacob May opened a door he hopes to keep open.
“I’m struggling a little bit at the plate, but it’s a very valuable time for me to feel what I’m going to feel and work on the things I’m working on,’’ Engel said. “And go out and play defense to help the team win.’’
White Sox trade Gonzalez to Rangers for minor-league infielder The White Sox traded right-hander Miguel Gonzalez to the Rangers for minor league infielder Edward Ti’Quan Forbes. By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | September 1, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS — The White Sox dealt right-hander Miguel Gonzalez an hour before the deadline for playoff eligibility Thursday night, sending the 33-year-old to the Rangers for minor-league infielder Ti’Quan Forbes.
Forbes, 21, a second-round draft pick in 2014 with some raw power and versatility, played in 130 games between Class A Down East and Class A Hickory, batting .234 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles, 45 RBI and 25 walks this season.
He played 90 games at third base, 20 at first base and 17 at shortstop. He was rated the top defensive third baseman in the South Atlantic League in 2016. Forbes is a career .245 hitter in 357 games in the Rangers’ organization.
Gonzalez will be a free agent after the season, which made him expendable for the rebuilding Sox. He has been very reliable of late, going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four starts before pitching six innings of three-run ball in the Sox’ 5-4 loss against the Twins.
Gonzalez was 12-18 with a 4.02 ERA in 45 starts and one relief appearance in two seasons with the Sox.
“Not thinking about it, honestly,’’ Gonzalez said after pitching at least six innings for the seventh time in his last eight starts. “If something happens, then it’s meant to be.’’
Abreu, Anderson out
Jose Abreu (right elbow) and Tim Anderson (left hamstring) missed the series finale against the Twins.
Abreu banged into second baseman Yolmer Sanchez on Wednesday, and “Timmy has a little minor tweak in his hammy,’’ manager Rick Renteria said. “Figured we’d give them a day since it [was] a quick turnaround — give them an opportunity to get treated and keep moving forward as we get back home.’’
Renteria said he was hopeful Abreu and Anderson would play Friday against the Rays.
Abreu fan club includes Oliva
Former Twins great Tony Oliva chatted with Abreu, a fellow Cuban, on the field before the series, as he often does.
“I would like to have him on my team,’’ Oliva said. “He can hit, he can play.’’
Oliva, a lifetime .304/.353/.476 hitter during his career from 1962-76, all with the Twins, likes how Abreu looks over the infield and often beat shifts or alignments set up against him.
“He’s a smart hitter,’’ Oliva said. “He can hit the ball any place he wants. He can hit it out of the park, too, but if he wants a base hit, he’ll hit the ball in the hole. He can hit the ball to right field, left or up the middle. He makes the adjustments.’’
Abreu, who’s batting .301 with 80 RBI, is hitting .400 with seven home runs, 12 RBI and 14 runs in his last 18 games.
Moncada resting
Yoan Moncada stayed in Chicago during the brief three-day trip to Minneapolis to rest his bruised shin.
“We want to make sure we don’t reaggravate it,’’ Renteria said. “From all signs, he’s improving and feeling better.’’
September call-ups
The Sox are not expected to make many additions when rosters expand Friday.
“We have very few; most of the guys are already here,’’ Renteria said of call-ups made in the last month or two.
Rangers acquire right-handed starter Gonzalez from White Sox By Associated Press | August 31, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have acquired right-handed starter Miguel Gonzalez from the Chicago White Sox for a minor league infielder.
Texas made the deal Thursday night, adding a veteran starter to bolster the staff. The Rangers (66-67) were four games behind the second wild card spot with 29 games left.
Gonzalez is 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA in 22 starts this season. The 33-year-old righty was 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA in last five Chicago starts, including a no-decision earlier Thursday when he allowed three runs over six innings in the White Sox's 5- 4 loss to Minnesota.
The Rangers sent minor league infielder Ti'Quan Forbes to Chicago, and made room on their 40-man roster when right- hander Anthony Bass was designated for assignment.
Twins top White Sox 5-4 By Mike Cook / Associated Press | September 1, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- Max Kepler took one for the team - and wound up with a hop-off winner for the Minnesota Twins.
Kepler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Twins rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 Thursday for their fourth straight victory.
Trailing 4-3 entering their final at-bat at Target Field, the Twins came back and held their slim lead for the second AL wild- card spot. They completed a three-game sweep with their first game-ending HBP since current Minnesota manager Paul Molitor was plunked in the 10th at the Metrodome in 1996 to beat Kansas City.
"A win's a win. It's a good way to finish a good month for us," Molitor said.
And nope, Molitor said he didn't remember that game from 21 years ago.
Finishing with a major league-leading 20 wins in August, Minnesota won 20 games in a month for the 10th time in team history and second time in 25 seasons. The Twins went 20-7 in May 2015.
Pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza opened the ninth with a single to right off closer Juan Minaya (2-2). After a one-out walk, Eddie Rosario hit a tying single.
Joe Mauer then walked to load the bases and Jorge Polanco lined back to Minaya.
With the crowd on its feet, Minaya's first pitch hit Kepler in the shin for the winning run. Knocked to the ground, Kepler got up quickly and trotted to first.
"They come in all shapes and forms, but a walk-off's a walk-off," Kepler said. "We'll take it."
Closer Matt Belisle (1-2) got the win despite giving up the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth.
"It feels like something good's going to happen and if we don't win, they got lucky," Belisle said.
Alen Hanson homered earlier to put the White Sox ahead 4-3.
"Just wasn't meant to be," manager Rick Renteria said.
Both starters - Chicago's Miguel Gonzalez and Minnesota's Bartolo Colon - allowed three earned runs in six innings. Colon gave up 10 hits and struck out eight; Gonzalez gave up seven hits and fanned five.
Chicago, 4-19 in its last 23 road games, scored three runs on nine hits between the second and fourth innings, but left two runners on in each frame.
An RBI single by Rob Brantly and RBI double by Adam Engel gave Chicago a 2-0 lead in the second. Yolmer Sanchez singled home a run in the fourth for a 3-1 lead.
Polanco and Kepler had RBI doubles in the fifth to tie it at 3.
TWINS SET TEAM RECORDS
Kepler's double made him the fifth Twins player with at least 20 RBIs in August, the first time that has happened in team history. Rosario (25), Byron Buxton (22), Polanco (22) and Brian Dozier (22) have also reached the mark.
Minnesota pitchers struck out 38 batters in the three-game series, the most in team history.
GONZALEZ GONE?
The deadline for waiver deal trade is Thursday night. Renteria is a bit surprised Gonzalez is still with Chicago considering how well he's pitched since coming off the disabled list for right shoulder inflammation July 14. In his previous four starts, Gonzalez allowed four earned runs in 28 innings.
"I haven't been thinking about it, honestly. If something happens, it's meant to be," Gonzalez said. "But if it doesn't, I'm here all the way with the White Sox and just keep grinding."
ANGRY VARGAS
Twins first baseman Kennys Vargas struck out three times. After leaving a runner stranded at third base in the eighth, Vargas broke his bat in half by slamming it over his knee.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: 1B Jose Abreu (sore elbow) and SS Tim Anderson (hamstring tweak) missed the game. Both may return Friday.
Twins: Fearing a hamate injury that could have ended his season, an MRI on Buxton's left hand showed a bone contusion. He didn't start in CF. ... 3B Miguel Sano, out since Aug. 19 with a left shin injury, was to undergo more tests Thursday. ... RHP Adalberto Mejia (left arm strain) allowed two hits in three innings at Triple-A Rochester Wednesday. He's scheduled to start there again Monday and throw 50-60 pitches.
UP NEXT
White Sox: Reynaldo Lopez (0-1, 6.97) is expected to come off the 10-day disabled list (back strain) when Chicago opens a 10-game homestand Friday against Tampa Bay. Blake Snell will start for the Rays (2-6, 4.29).
Twins: Dillon Gee (1-1, 3.53) gets the call for Minnesota against Kansas City's Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.76) in Friday's first game of a weekend series.
Who says you can't teach an old White Sox pitcher new tricks? By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 31, 2017
“I love seeing in-season adjustments,” Kevan Smith said with all the enthusiasm of a beat writer desperate for a late- August story angle. “I love seeing guys adapt.”
James Shields is 35 years old. The rotation he was brought to Chicago to shore up has long since been torn down around him, and he hasn't had a season where his numbers approached his previous standards since 2015. But he's still working, he's still in top-level physical condition, and he still burns to get better, even if the fanbase has shifted its mindset to worrying more about Fernando Tatis Jr. than the work going into Shields preparing to pitch every five days.
And Shields is making in-season adjustments. After a pair of home runs in the first two innings of his start in Boston on Aug. 5, Shields decided he was willing to make a fairly significant change, and make it in the middle of the start. He dropped down to a low three-quarters delivery, which always winds up looking like more of a sidearm sling.
“I've always been kind of a three-quarter guy,” Shields said. “A few years back I went over the top a little bit more. All it is, I'm going back down three-quarter a little bit more. I feel comfortable right now and we're just going to go with it and see how the rest of the season goes.”
As a 12-year-veteran, pretty much every part of Shields' delivery has been tweaked or massaged and adjusted several times over the years, so he's not one to draw a clear line of causation for why he changed something. But the immediate results were pretty clear. He finished his night in Boston with four scoreless frames to close things out, and struck out 20 batters over 17 1/3 innings with a 4.15 ERA over his next three outings.
He wasn't quite dominant, but his strikeout rate has spiked to 24.4 percent in August, and his ground ball rate went up to 44.2 percent, both his highest of any month this season. Smith, who has caught him regularly, noted that it gives him more movement on every pitch. Already someone who made little use of straight, four-seam fastballs at this point in his career, Brooks Baseball shows Shields' use of straight heaters dropping to under 30 percent as he shifted to a diet heavy on slider/cutters and his harder curveball. If you can't throw 95 mph, having everything move seems like a decent fallback, and since Shields is quick to say he doesn't think about velocity at all, maybe it's the biggest goal.
What Shields does care about, and made specific note of, is the ground ball spike, though again insists that it wasn't something he had in mind when he made the change. He's bore the brunt of the league-wide home run spike, allowing 52 in his 199 1/3 innings since coming to Chicago, and admitted he's always trying to reduce the number of fly balls if he can. Without going to the point of putting any blame on it, and dismissing it as a motivating factor, Shields did give some observations that would lend credence to the theory that the home run spike is due to differences with the ball.
“I definitely can tell a difference out on the mound,” Shields said. “I mean the balls are denting way more easily. The seams are bigger to me. They actually seem a little bit softer than they used to be. I don’t know if that correlates or not, but they definitely seem different from when I got called up.”
Shields seemed more worried about getting a blister from the balls than being sieged by dingers, but in the absence of a single root cause or reason, it's one of many factors to consider. While providing optimism for Shields at the beginning of the season, pitching coach Don Cooper started by acknowledging that he couldn't be expected to tout the same stuff he had at the outset of his career. If dropping down gives him more movement, more ground balls, more swings and misses, that would serve to reverse that steady bleed of aging.
Of course, Shields' struggles aren't particularly new, so the natural question that follows is why this change didn't come sooner if it's something he feels relatively comfortable doing and gives him more stuff. Because the work of preparing for starts is predicated on routine, consistency and repeatability, changing major elements of the delivery is something not to be done on a whim. Which brings us to Tuesday night, when Shields' run of success ran into five walks and four runs across in five innings in Minnesota.
There's a reason why higher three-quarter deliveries are viewed as safer, as they are seen as providing a better shot at consistent command, as well as deception to left-handed hitters. With 30 walks in 56 2/3 innings and lefties hitting .318/.427/.655 off him coming into the month of August, Shields really didn't have a foothold of success in either aspect that was worth clinging to if he thought dropping down would help. But the new release point still holds those caveats, which were on display as seven of the 15 lefties the Twins threw at him Tuesday night reached base.
One bad night isn't a reason to toss aside the previous four, which featured some of the best work Shields has done this season. But it's a reminder that in-season adjustments are rarely total fixes, or have the ability fundamentally transform a player's effectiveness. That would explain a bit why Shields isn't treating it as a radical transformation, and also gets us to the real reason Smith said he loves mid-season adjustments.
“I think it’s a new thing for him to run with,” Smith said. “I change something in my stance and start hitting the ball, it’s a confidence builder. If he wants to drop down a little bit, get a little movement, build that confidence level up, it’s awesome.”
Avisail Garcia has massive power, but he isn't a power hitter By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 31, 2017
Somewhere in the middle of Avisail Garcia’s very excellent but power-starved month of August, my mind went back to something that hitting coach Todd Steverson said during spring training, back when his faith in Garcia seemed like a strange quirk.
“People put expectations on players and they don’t even know what they’re talking about sometimes,” Steverson said of Garcia. “Because he’s 6-foot-4, because he’s 220 pounds, and he looks like Andre the Giant out there, ‘Oh, he should be hitting balls out of the stadium every swing.' It’s not possible.”
Six months ago, with Garcia coming off a season in which he batted .245, it seemed the only way for him to make progress as a hitter would be to sell out on his approach and instead focus on tapping into his raw power. A huge swinging strike rate didn’t provide optimism that he could hit for average, and patience and walks can’t be simply forced on a hitter. But despite entering 2017 with only 39 home runs in 409 career games, Garcia has always shown the ability to hit the ball out to any part of the park, and that seemed like a reliable ability to fall back on.
Well, that was wrong.
More than ever, at the end of an August that has seen him hit .433/.487/.537 with plenty of hard contact and zero home runs, power seems like an incidental part of Garcia’s game rather than the baseline. His fly ball rate is the 14th lowest of any qualified hitter, and his ground ball rate is 14th highest. Rather than pare down his zone for pitches to drive, he’s swinging more than any other major league regular (58.8 percent) and far more than anyone else on pitches in the zone (82.9 percent). Anything he can square up at all, he takes a cut on, and his near five percent drop in strikeout rate can be almost entirely attributed to shorter counts due to more swinging. Instead of seeing his aggression as a weakness, he’s embraced it as a fundamental element of his offensive identity.
Typically, the players who attempt to put as many balls in play as possible lean on a single standout physical tool — not power, but speed. Garcia has been a solidly above-average runner since Statcast began measuring top sprint speed in 2015, and he hustled out his 22nd infield hit of the season Wednesday night, the third-highest total in baseball.
There’s no diminishing what Garcia has accomplished this season. He’s in the top third of the league in average exit velocity, reflecting a season full of hard contact, and defensively, he's looked as comfortable in right field as any point in his career. He’s a unanimously above-average player by all public metrics.
Not much is particularly reliable in this game, but a power-hitting corner outfielder is a bit easier to project going forward than an average-dependent one. Currently, Garcia's .391 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is the highest of any qualified hitter in baseball. Even the small group of elite hitters who top the leaderboard in BABIP year-in, year-out are regularly 30 points below his current mark. A .350-.360 BABIP would still make Garcia a plus hitter, but that’s a rare breed, and we simply need to see more of him to determine whether he’s that sort of guy now.
“It’s more a matter of giving them the space to perform and show they belong from an ability standpoint in that conversation of being part of that next group that is capable of winning a championship,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said when asked about where Garcia and his remaining two years of team control fit into the White Sox's rebuild. “Then figuring out on the back end when they prove that, contractually how do they make that work.”
If this season and the undeniable success from Garcia has been a lesson about jumping to conclusions about a player, even one with a fairly unique skill set, then the lesson goes both ways. Five months has provided enough time to stop rubbing our eyes and accept that Garcia is an average-reliant hitter whose ability to launch moonshot home runs is incidental to his line-drive, gap-to-gap approach. And with that comes all the need for caution and uncertainty that average-dependent hitters carry.
By the numbers: Walk-off hit-by-pitch ends Juan Minaya's save streak By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 31, 2017
While we strive for perfection in life, humanity is fundamentally imperfect, and thus Juan Minaya's perfect save percentage could not last forever. After recording saves in each of his first three opportunities, his streak ended Thursday in a 5-4 loss in Minnesota. Technically it came to an end when Eddie Rosario ripped a game-tying single to right in the ninth, erasing the 4-3 lead the White Sox (52-80) had taken on Alen Hanson's solo shot in the top half of the inning, but we'll all remember this game by Minaya ripping a first-pitch slider into Max Kepler's knee with the bases loaded, plating the winning run.
Let's take a look at the numbers from the White Sox's 12th, and final, loss to the Twins this season.
8 of 9: Starts in which Miguel Gonzalez has delivered at least six innings with three earned runs or fewer since coming off the disabled list. Thursday afternoon wasn’t quite a masterpiece, as the Twins drilled him for six extra-base hits and Eduardo Escobar missed a home run by only a few inches. But Gonzalez had good armside action with his four-seamer and threw a good changeup, finishing with five strikeouts. He’s not great, but he’s a solid major league starter.
3.11: Gonzalez's ERA over this stretch despite a seven-run outing that lasted just 1 1/3-innings mixed in there. Gonzalez’s continued presence in Chicago considering some of the far more desperate moves teams have made for their starting rotation is truly baffling.
64: Plate appearances since the last time Hanson went deep, with this homer, his third of the year, coming off fill-in Twins closer Matt Belisle. His first home run of his career, which took place back in June, came on his 64th plate appearance of the season.
20: Games since the last multi-hit effort for Tyler Saladino, the veteran Sox utility man who has been hampered by back troubles all year. After he flirted with league-average numbers in 2016, this season is on track to be the weakest offensive campaign of his career. He singled as part of the Sox's two-run second, which also included an RBI double down the right-field line for Adam Engel, his first RBI in eight games.
712: Days since the last time Rob Brantly batted in a run in a major league game, a drought broken by an RBI single up the middle in the second to knock in Matt Davidson. When you can sit half your lineup with injuries and still get production from your third catcher in the designated hitter slot, then you know you’re pressing all the right buttons.
27.1 percent: Leury Garcia's strikeout rate since coming off the disabled list at the end of July. Increased contact was the key to his breakout to the start of the season, but after three more whiffs Thursday, he continues to lag a bit toward his old struggles since his return.
2: Thursday was just the second game Jose Abreu has missed all season, which keeps him alive to surpass last year’s total of 159 games played. He played in 154 games in 2015 and in 145 games in 2014 despite hitting the 15-day disabled list at one point. The man just doesn’t appreciate the comfort of a good day off.
White Sox finally find a suitor for Miguel Gonzalez By James Fegan / The Athletic | August 31, 2017
Someone else finally realized Miguel Gonzalez was worth having, though not a team anyone would have expected.
A month after selling off staff ace Yu Darvish right before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Rangers have decided to patch up their rotation over the last month with Gonzalez, sending former 2014 second round pick Edward Ti'Quan Forbes to the White Sox in exchange for the 33-year-old right-hander.
At a game under .500, the Rangers are four games back of the second wild card in the AL with four teams between them and the playoff spot. Baseball Prospectus gives Texas about a 12 percent chance of qualifying. As strong as Gonzalez has looked since coming off the disabled list, with eight quality starts in his nine outings, he's not Bob Gibson, and he's probably not enough to put the Rangers over the top in a month.
The return reflects that reality. Forbes is still only 21, and at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, is seen as having intriguing raw power, but not nearly enough of it has shown up for him to figure into the Rangers' long-term plans.
He was moved away from shortstop pretty quickly after being drafted, and despite showing only mild progress in his second-straight year in Low-A with a .242/.284/.368 batting line, he was promoted in July to High-A, where he's hit .221/.276/.304 with a 26.4 strikeout rate in 50 games. There's not really a season in his professional career that has looked any better. He will need a big turnaround to become a part of the White Sox's long-term plans, but they and Forbes have nothing if not time to wait.
He's an interesting prospect, and is still young enough to have a chance at developing an approach, which is plenty for one month of a back-end starter. Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reported that the Orioles, who released Gonzalez out of spring training in 2016, lost the bidding war, eliminating any doubt that White Sox general manger Rick Hahn was still working to get everything he could out of an August waiver trade for a starter with a 100 ERA+. It's a wonder what Hahn will do with all this energy when he's not squeezing value out of every part of his roster. Gonzalez was the ninth player traded by the Sox this season.
Manager Rick Renteria suggested Derek Holland could be removed from the rotation after Holland's rocky start in Minnesota on Wednesday, but didn't commit to it, and this explains why. Holland's struggles have been obvious down the stretch, but he had a few more bright spots in August than the month before, and has his old team to thank for getting another shot to finish strong and put himself in a better position for free agency this offseason.
Gonzalez probably has done enough to that end on his own already, and in total, gave the White Sox 262 2/3 innings of above-average ball after being pulled off the waiver wire. You can't win a World Series with nothing but small investments, but they tend to feel the most rewarding when they work out.
Friday Insider: Rodon showing the changeup his teammates always believed in By James Fegan / The Athletic | September 1, 2017
Carlos Rodon sounds he’s been the low man in the clubhouse about the quality of his changeup for a while.
“It’s always been good,” his permanent battery partner Omar Narvaez said. “He just didn’t have that confidence last year so this year we’ve been just throwing it. If you do something, you’re going to get better.”
“He’s always had a pretty good changeup,” said James Shields, who was a premier changeup artist for a decade. “It’s just a matter having confidence, throwing it, and knowing when to throw it, in certain counts.”
“That pitch has taken me awhile to develop and it’s come a long ways,” demurred Rodon, before admitting it’s probably the best it’s ever been recently. “I’m glad I’m throwing more changeups than sliders, it’s a good thing.”
When the White Sox first raced Rodon through the minor leagues in 2015, it was pretty clear which parts of his game he felt were ready to overwhelm major leaguers on arrival, and what was not. His changeup usage hung around nine percent as a rookie per PITCHf/x, but floated near pure show-me status throughout, as his game seemed to float around opportunities to set up his wipeout slider.
Now he’s up over 12 percent for the season, which doesn’t sound like a sea change, but only starts to reflect the proportion to which it’s approached equal footing with his slider. He used it practically in equal measure with his slider in Los Angeles and most recently against Detroit, mirroring his practice down the stretch of last year’s torrid second half, a stretch that Rick Renteria and Don Cooper point to get Rodon back to.
“He’s committed on his own,” Shields said. “We’ve always had talks about committing to the changeup, utilizing the changeup, it’s just a matter of him buying into it and actually doing it. And he is right and he’s really becoming a big league pitcher.”
As much as any offspeed pitch, changeups need to be set up by establishing the fastball, and that’s been the real breakthrough after Rodon bristled at the sight of Cubs hitters daring him to throw strikes during his 11-strikeout, four- inning outing in the crosstown series.
“They were real patient, trying to make me throw strikes which is the way I would have done it if I were a hitter,” Rodon said. “But I’m finding the strike zone earlier it makes a little bit tougher to take that approach.”
Rodon has a 3.07 ERA since that day, even after allowing five runs in five innings in Detroit. And while more strikes seems like a simplified answer for the cause, it really sums it up for someone with Rodon’s stuff. Like any pitcher, Rodon focuses on command and locating within all four quadrants of the zone, but the life on his pitches — especially the run on his fastball — lowers the threshold to success to just getting in the zone at all. Don Cooper set his goal at 60 percent strikes last year, and since his wild day at Wrigley, he’s gone up from 56 percent to 64 percent.
As a result, he said he’s already seen earlier swings become a plan of attack against him. In turn, and with the natural sinking life he gets on his fastball, that has led to some lower strikeout days, but an average of more than 6 2/3 innings per outing in his last six starts, and a 48.4 percent ground ball rate in the month of August.
“When you throw the first pitch for the strike, the other hitters will swing first pitch or at something close to the zone, so that’s why he’s getting weak contact, groundballs,” Narvaez said. “He has a tremendous stuff, he just has to throw the first pitch for a strike and everything will take care of itself.”
Rodon is always going to have the big slider; an overwhelming weapon to trot out whenever he needs a swing-and-miss. But building his consistency is about giving him other weapons to fall back on and lean on when his primary one isn’t working like he wants it to on a given day. The changeup is that weapon for him, and finding the control to set it up with fastballs in the zone is what is giving him the confidence to use it, which is apparently all he ever needed to do.
Texas Rangers trade prospect to White Sox for Miguel Gonzalez By ESPN.com News Services | August 31, 2017
The Texas Rangers have acquired right-handed starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez from the Chicago White Sox for infielder Ti'Quan Forbes, the Rangers announced Thursday. Gonzalez will be eligible for the postseason if the Rangers qualify.
Texas enters play Friday four games out of the second wild-card spot. The White Sox have the American League's worst record and have traded away a number of veterans while continuing a full-fledged youth movement.
Gonzalez, 33, is 7-10 with a 4.31 ERA in 22 starts this season. He is a free agent after the season.
The Rangers designated right-handed pitcher Anthony Bass for assignment to free up a roster spot for Gonzalez.
Forbes, 21, was drafted by the Rangers in the second round in 2014 and has spent this season in Single-A.