Cutting Off and Possibly Spiting

The White Sox made a series of moves yesterday that were either very savvy or cause for worry.  Catcher Omar Narvaez went to the Mariners for reliever Alex Colome while outfielder Avisail Garcia and infielder Matt Davidson were not tendered contracts, making them both free agents.  Whether the glass is half-empty or half-full, it means more moves are on the way.  Since the end of the regular season, the Sox have turned over one-fifth of their 25-man roster.

I don’t care about pitcher James Shields, but the other players give me pause, especially in the clubhouse-presence department.  Narvaez was part of a catching tandem with the also-departed Kevan Smith, both in 2017 and last season when Welington Castillo was serving an 80-game PEDs suspension.  So, the gung-ho guys—both of whom could hit, if not for power—get the boot while the ex-doper stays.  Some message to the fans, that.

Garcia being let go I understand; salary arbitration put him in line for an $8 million pay day.  Plus you have the injuries, plus you have the yearly frustration of watching an obviously talented athlete unable to put it all together, 2017 excepted.  Still, Garcia never caused a problem in the clubhouse, and he offered the kind of textbook hustle out of the box that Manny Machado is sorely in need of.

Last but not least is Matt Davidson.  Have I ever liked a career .226 hitter more?  I doubt it.  Davidson was equal parts thoughtful (if a little esoteric), humble and funny, his barefoot cavorting around the field before games being an example of at least two out of three.  If only he could lay off the outside slider.  Maybe with his next team.

So, the Sox have plenty of roster spots to fill.  I can only hope they know what they’re doing.  Regardless, I’ll have plenty of ex-Sox players to follow in the box scores next year.