White Sox Notes: Is This the Good Kind of Bad, or the Bad Kind of Bad?

Even if his ERA regresses by two full runs, we're still looking at a 3.48 ERA. Some regression is inevitable, sure, but if this turns into a win for White Sox pro scouting and pitching development, it's the kind of unexpected upside this team desperately needs.

Is that who I think it is?

Meanwhile, Rick Hahn is back in the news. The former Sox general manager appeared on the MLB Network Podcast to discuss the infamous James Shields-for-Fernando Tatís Jr. trade. 

That's the one everyone remembers, because the San Diego Padres ended up with a generational superstar and the Sox got a few years of "Big Game" James throwing batting practice. What people don't remember is that Hahn made another trade just as bad—possibly worse—but hey, no need to bog down the "lessons learned" tour with details. 

Rick is campaigning for his next job now, and this is just the start of his redemption arc.

Trade Hypotheticals and Other Fiction

Elsewhere in baffling discourse: the "Should the White Sox trade Davis Martin?" conversation has somehow taken off. Mark Feinsand's article merely speculated that Martin could be a deadline trade target. That's it. 

I have no idea why this turned into a serious topic. Martin has five years of team control remaining, and while he's not an ace, he's a perfectly serviceable backend starter, which has real value for a team like the White Sox. More value than whatever low-tier prospect or lottery ticket he'd likely return. 

He's also pitching his first full big-league season after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery. He debuted in 2022, missed all of 2023, and spent most of 2024 rehabbing. Let the man pitch a full year before turning him into a hypothetical transaction.

Baseball That Doesn't Hurt to Watch

Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies are 9–50. That's not a typo. They're nine and fifty. They are now 72 losses away from breaking the modern-day record for most in a single season. I'm just putting that out there for no particular reason.

Elsewhere, Ryan Yarbrough pitched for the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers last night, and I caught some of it. It was a nice break to sit down and watch something that felt like real baseball. Yarbrough was throwing 84-mph cutters and somehow making them work. He felt like a reboot of Mark Buehrle.

Back to the current Sox: Mike Tauchman has been tearing it up since returning from the IL. The Palatine Pounder is 12-for-33 with four doubles, nine runs, two homers, six RBIs, and seven walks over nine games. At 35 years old and already spending two stints on the shelf with a bad hamstring, he's not exactly a long-term solution. 

But he's dirt cheap, he's under arbitration control for 2026, and for a contender looking for a corner outfielder who can actually get on base? He might be the sneakiest value in baseball right now.

Someone Call San Diego

And speaking of trades that do make some sense: White Sox legend Gavin Sheets was spotted playing left field for the Padres yesterday—yes, really—and crashed into the wall in what looked scary at first, but thankfully, Gavin appears to be okay. 

Now, we've seen how this experiment goes. Gavin Sheets in the outfield is… a choice. And the fact that the Padres are even trying it tells me one thing: they should have been on the phone with the White Sox yesterday, asking about Mike Tauchman. San Diego's primary leftfielder, Jason Heyward, is currently sitting below replacement level. 

The rest of their outfield options, excluding Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill, are either at or below replacement level. If you're serious about contending, Gavin Sheets patrolling the outfield isn't it.

Lost in the Sauce

Luis Robert Jr., on the other hand, looks completely lost in the sauce of the 2025 season. The centerfielder had an abysmal May. 

Here's hoping he snaps out of it—not just for us, but for himself. And if you're going to the game Monday, I hope the crowd gives him some love. He needs it.

It's always fun, or maybe not, watching the Sox try to scratch out runs while falling all over themselves doing it. Then, to twist the knife, I'll see a highlight of Jac Caglianone obliterating a baseball on my feed. No offense to Hagen Smith, but I know who I'd rather be watching right now. 

And if the White Sox weren't already having a rough go of it, it looks like the Royals will have Jac in their lineup when they visit Rate Field this weekend for a three-game set. The Royals swept the Pale Hose in four games last month at Kauffman Stadium, outscoring them 19-4. This should be a blast.

One-Year Wonders?

Finally, a word on Josh Rojas. The White Sox signed him to a one-year, $3.5 million deal to help stabilize the infield and provide some positional flexibility. I appreciated his two-hit game on Saturday, but let's be honest—there hasn't been much else to talk about. 

Meanwhile, the Angels are getting decent production from a guy named Yoán Moncada for one year and $5 million. 

I'm not saying what you think I'm saying, although I might be suggesting that declining an option and re-signing a player on a prove-it deal isn't the worst idea anyone's ever had.

Is this fun bad? I'm starting to wonder. But we'll keep watching.