Winning the Offseason

Is there any prize in baseball of more debatable worth than winning the offseason? The White Sox supposedly “won” in 2014 when they traded for starter Jeff Smardzija in addition to signing closer David Robertson and outfielder Melky Cabrera.  The team went from 73-89 in ’14 to 76-86 the next year.  Then, in December 2015 they traded for third baseman Todd Frazier and infielder Brett Lawrie.  That resulted in a 78-84 record, along with the decision to start rebuilding.  So, how exactly do you really win the offseason?  That’s easy.  You win. 

Maybe Sox GM Rick Hahn would do well to study his team’s past.  In January 1965 the Sox acquired slugger Rocky Colavito, whom they immediately packaged in a deal to the Indians, netting outfielder Tommie Agee, pitcher Tommy John and catcher John Romano in return.  John was good from the start, while an injury delayed Agee’s debut on the South Side by a year.  He won AL Rookie of the Year in 1966; slumped in ’67; and was traded to the Mets for Tommy Davis in December of ’67.

That was one of two deals that made it look like the Sox had won the offseason in ’67 (as opposed to December 1965, when the Reds turned down their offer of players for Frank Robinson, who instead went to Baltimore).  Not only did they get a proven hitter in Davis, they also reacquired future HOF shortstop Luis Aparicio.  A team that went 89-73 without Davis and Aparicio went 67-95 with them.  So much for the offseason carrying over to Opening Day.

Davis was gone after a year, but Aparicio hung around for another two miserable seasons, and by “miserable” I mean team records of 68-94 and 56-196.  But here’s the weird thing.  The Sox trading Aparicio to Boston in December 1970 signaled a rebuild that was about to show fruit in the not-too-distant future.  All that losing made possible the drafting of Bucky Dent, Terry Forster and Rich Gossage.  As for Brian Downing, well, he was an undrafted free-agent signing.

Forster arrived first, in ’71, followed by Gossage the next year and Dent and Downing the year after that.  In December 1971, the Sox traded John to the Dodgers for Dick Allen, whose bat turned the team into instant contenders in ’72.  The moral of the story here is that what you do in the offseason counts, just not always how you might want.

Oh, and it pays to draft smart.