So What?

Scott Merkin did a story on the White Sox website today about all the pitching the Sox have. Really? How does a 5.58 team ERA, second worst in baseball, qualify as good pitching? Or a .274 opponents’ BA, third worst? Or a 1.58 WHIP, worst? I wonder if Merkin looked at himself in the mirror after writing, “There is some depth within this mound crew,” a conclusion I certainly wouldn’t reach. But let’s say he’s right. Dylan Cease, Garrett Crochet and Michael Soroka have all looked good so far (part of the inflated ERA coming from Touki Toussaint’s 59.40 and Bryan Shaw’s 27.00). And let’s say Michael Kopech figures it out and/or Eric Fedde proves to be the bargain of a lifetime. Then what? If, by some miracle, the Sox get off to a hot start, trading Cease would stop things, posthaste. And the Sox really don’t want to keep Cease. A., he’s a pitcher. B., he has Scott Boras for an agent. He gone, sooner than later. In this scenario, where GM Chris Getz addresses reporters about the importance of long-term gain over short-term advantage, fans will voice their unhappiness, and Jerry Reinsdorf dislikes fans almost as much as he does pitchers. Nothing here strikes me as cause for optimism. But, hey, I’m a Sox fan.