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White Sox making serious run at record for modern baseball futility
The Chicago White Sox enter play on Friday night against the Minnesota Twins riding a 17-game losing streak and have yet to win a single game in the second half of the 2024 season (0-14 since the All-Star break). Going against one of the top American League playoff contenders for a weekend series after trading several of the top players off of its roster prior to Tuesday's trade deadline is not likely to help matters for them.
This losing streak has not only been a chore for White Sox fans to watch, it has also put the team on a pace to set a new record for futility in the modern baseball era.
With a 27-84 record on Friday, the White Sox' .243 winning percentage would put them on a pace for 123 losses over a full 162-game season. If they maintain that pace, that would set the modern-era record (since 1900) for most losses in a season. The record is currently owned by the expansion 1962 New York Mets, a club which lost 120 games. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders lost 134 games, but just missed modern era cut-off.
With that context in mind, the White Sox are rapidly approaching nearly uncharted territories for losing. The only recent teams that has even come close to this level of futility were the 2003 Detroit Tigers (119 losses), the 2018 Baltimore Orioles (115 losses) and the 2019 Tigers (114 losses).
Regardless of whether the White Sox actually set the modern record for losses, this has been a stunningly bad season for the franchise. It is quite possible Chicago reaches 90 losses before winning their 30th game. They have already clinched a losing season (82 losses) before the start of August. They have 14 more losses than the league's next worst team (the Colorado Rockies have dropped 70 games).
After playing three games in Minnesota, the White Sox will play three games in Oakland against an A's team that is also near the bottom of the league standings. That might represent their next best chance to pick up a couple of wins. If they do not get them there, this season could really start to turn into a mess.
It was only a couple of years ago that the White Sox looked like an on-the-rise team with some promising young talent. They made back-to-back playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021, reaching the ALDS during the latter season. They then lost 81 and 101 games, respectively, in the seasons that followed. And now, the White Sox are on pace to lose more games than any team in the modern era.
More must-reads:
- MLB trade-deadline losers: White Sox miss big opportunity
- Former All-Star SS traded from White Sox to Royals mid-series
- The 'Chicago Black Sox Scandal' quiz
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Orioles claim pair of players
The Orioles have claimed infielder Vidal Brujan off waivers from the Cubs and right-hander Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Giants, according to a team announcement. Brujan is out of options and must be added to the big league roster but has not yet reported. Ragsdale, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ 40-man roster now stands at 37, so no corresponding 40-man moves are necessary. Brujan, 27, was a top-100 prospect in the Rays’ system for many years. He failed to establish himself at the big league level in Tampa, however, and hit just .157/.218/.221 across 99 games (272 plate appearances) between 2021 and 2023 for the club. Prior to the 2024 season, Brujan was shipped alongside reliever Calvin Faucher to the Marlins in a trade and he was able to take on a larger role with a rebuilding Miami club. With regular playing time available to him, his performance modestly improved. He remained a below-average contributor overall, however, with a 73 wRC+ despite a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 9.0% walk rate. Those solid discipline numbers were outweighed by a complete lack of power, less impressive speed on the basepaths than his days a prospect would’ve otherwise indicated, and a lackluster BABIP. While Brujan was versatile enough to hold onto a bench role for the Marlins, he was shipped to the Cubs last offseason in the Matt Mervis trade. He held onto a bench role with Chicago throughout the first half and had value on paper as a player who could help hold down third base while Matt Shaw developed in the minor leagues while also spelling Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. Unfortunately, the fit didn’t work out as well in practice as Brujan posted an atrocious 43 wRC+ in 36 games and was designated for assignment just before the trade deadline. Ragsdale, meanwhile, is a 27-year-old right-handed starter. He was added to the Giants’ 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after he posted a strong 3.49 ERA in 14 starts at the Double-A level that year, but a career ERA north of 5.00 at Triple-A in conjunction with a 19.9% strikeout rate against a 13.0% walk rate at the level this year left Ragsdale as little more than a depth starter for a club with a number of viable young arms. San Francisco designated him for assignment to make room for top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt on the roster prior to the trade deadline. Now, both players are ticketed to join the Orioles organization. Brujan figures to join the club’s active roster within the next couple of days and could serve as a versatility utility option for the infield after Ramon Urias was traded to Houston prior to the deadline this past week. Ragsdale, meanwhile, could make his big league debut at some point down the stretch to help the Orioles eat innings amid injuries to key arms like Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez, particularly after Charlie Morton was shipped off to Detroit.
Chelsea’s €140m U21 spending surge puts them at top of interesting table
Chelsea’s new ownership have focused on buying young players, and the figures from this summer show just how strong that commitment remains. According to TransferMarkt, 4 of the top 20 most valuable under 21 transfers of the summer were to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s young Brazilian ready to take the league by storm Top of the list at €60m is Estevao Willian. The Brazilian sensation signed over a year ago, and we’ve been waiting patiently to see him in action. It’s been a while since we were so excited to see an attacking player debut at Chelsea – you might have to go back all the way to Eden Hazard in 2012. Estevao is due to report for training at Cobham tomorrow. Amusingly, joint top with Estevao is Dean Huijsen. He was actually the first target Chelsea chased this summer, making serious moves to bring in the Bournemouth centre back before Real Madrid swooped in to pay his release clause and leave us in the dust. The rest of the Blues’ impressive imports Next comes Jamie Gittens at €50m, another thrilling one on one winger who we can’t wait to see taking on Premier League defenders after coming in from Dortmund. Further down the list we have Dario Essugo, who looks a smart pickup at €20m from Sporting. The tenacious ball winner will be supporting Moises Caicedo as a much needed defensive-minded body in midfield. He is being overshadowed a little by more glamorous attacking names, but don’t sleep on the Portugal international. Finally, also at €20m we have Mamadou Sarr. The defender has signed for the Blues from their sister club Strasbourg and then been loaned back. We won’t see him in action for us for a year at least, but we’re excited to see him continue his development.
Caitlin Clark's Expected Return Date Could Bring Good News for Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever have found a way to keep winning with star Caitlin Clark on the sidelines with a groin injury, improving their record to 17-12 with a win Sunday over the Seattle Storm. While it remains unclear exactly when Clark could take the floor again, her expected return timeline could match up well with a critical stretch in the Fever's schedule. ESPN's Holly Rowe reported in late July that while Clark remained day-to-day, it would be realistic for her to return sometime around the third week in August. That could put the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year back on the court for what could be the team's most important stretch of the season -- a back-to-back set with the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on August 22 and 24. The Fever are looking to climb up in the crowded playoff standings, and getting at least a split from the home-and-home series with the Lynx could be critical. Fever coach Stephanie White stressed after Sunday's win that the team was not going to rush Clark back onto the court. "I know she wants to be out here on the floor, we want her out here on the floor, but making sure that she's ready is the most important thing," White said. "I still don't know how far we are, we're gonna take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and go from there."
Lakers Receive Unfortunate Report on $60 Million NBA Star
The Los Angeles Lakers have tried to address their frontcourt issues this summer. They signed Deandre Ayton following his buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers and then re-signed Jaxson Hayes. However, they apparently are still looking for more help. One player they have their eyes on is Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. According to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints, the Lakers were closely monitoring the situation with Vucevic and the Bulls (h/t Bleacher Report). Vucevic is a two-time All-Star who plays for a team that has done major retooling over the past year. The most favorable way for the Lakers to add Vucevic is via a buyout. Vucevic is owed almost $21.5 million for the 2025-26 season. A buyout would prevent the Lakers from having to trade any valued players on expensive deals to acquire Vucevic. Bulls Won't Buy Out Nikola Vucevic Anytime Soon Despite the Lakers' reported interest in Vucevic, he isn't going anywhere. At least, a buyout is not on the table for the time being. NBA Insider Marc Stein reported via his Substack that the Bulls will not buy out Vucevic between now and when training camp starts. "As we explained in Monday's around-the-league notes, Chicago's Nikola Vucevic should be no means be considered a buyout candidate this summer," Stein wrote. "He will open the season in Chicago unless a trade materializes between now and the start of training camp in late September." So that rules out the possibility of the Lakers adding Vucevic the easy way: signing him outright after a buyout. However, Stein's wording suggests that a trade isn't off the table for Vucevic. The Lakers could offer multiple players on expiring deals to match contracts with Chicago in a deal for Vucevic. That includes Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million). They could also dangle Jarred Vanderbilt (11.5 million this season), but he has three years left on his current contract, which may not appeal to Chicago. Because the Lakers are below the NBA's second tax apron, they can aggregate contracts. Vucevic may also get bought out during the regular season, but the Lakers can't sign him even if that happens, as they are currently hard-capped at the league's first tax apron. Teams above the NBA's first tax apron cannot sign players who make more than the non-taxpayers' midlevel exception. This coming season, that would be $14.1 million. The only way they could is if they make a trade(s) to get under said apron. Teams above one or both of the NBA's tax aprons can sign any player bought out, no matter what they make during the offseason, but not during the regular season. For Vucevic to become a Laker this season, the most plausible way for that to happen is via trade.
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