[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, hello, White Sox fans, and welcome to another edition of the Future Sox podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: My name is Ian Eskerj, joining me as always, Mr.

James Fox.

[SPEAKER_00]: Are you James, you doing well?

[SPEAKER_00]: Good man, what's up?

[SPEAKER_00]: Not a whole lot.

[SPEAKER_00]: So last White Sox game today, season is over.

[SPEAKER_00]: Good series.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they managed to grab a couple of games, which I was [SPEAKER_00]: worried.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we're going to get another win this year.

[SPEAKER_00]: But the great great time to recap the season here.

[SPEAKER_00]: So tonight joining us, we have Kyle Williams from the Chicago Sun Times.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let me go ahead and bring him on here.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hello, Kyle, how are you?

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going well, guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: How are you guys?

[SPEAKER_00]: Doing all right.

[SPEAKER_00]: So before we get started here, why don't you go ahead and tell the listeners a little something about yourself, a little background?

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so, you know, I write for the Chicago some times.

[SPEAKER_03]: I've been there for two years now, two, four years.

[SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, there's a lot of white socks covers this year, taking over for Darrell, and I'm a Chicago guy through and through, and it was, I feel like it was a good year to cover the socks, you know, after the, you know, infamy of the previous season and that you see the acceleration of the prospects throughout the system to the majors.

[SPEAKER_03]: And it was a good first year for me, just acclimating to the beat.

[SPEAKER_00]: very nice.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, how did you feel about the season this year?

[SPEAKER_00]: What was it like covering the White Talks?

[SPEAKER_03]: It was, you know, at first in the beginning of the year, April, May, it was a lot of veterans were on the team that aren't on the team anymore.

[SPEAKER_03]: So it was weird, finding story ideas because you're like, okay, you know, fans want to know what's next, why who was there on this team to kind of look forward to for when this team is good again?

[SPEAKER_03]: And [SPEAKER_03]: It was a little challenging at first, you know, so I kind of latched on to the starting pitches at the time.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, Martin Perez started off really well.

[SPEAKER_03]: Burke had a good opening day star.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so you latched on to those guys.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then, um, but then it got, you know, as like the Edgar carols come up to chase my draw.

[SPEAKER_03]: So Kyle Teele's didn't kind of shift the Colson.

[SPEAKER_03]: Then it kind of shifts it's like, okay, whether these guys contributing, how are they contributing to winning?

[SPEAKER_03]: And then obviously, you know, we'll [SPEAKER_03]: you know, his any game decisions, his work with the staff, work with the players, how did they feel about them?

[SPEAKER_03]: And so it was good, like, you know, getting to get both sides of the experience, you know, from the beginning of the season, it was more, how are the starting pitchers doing to the later season?

[SPEAKER_03]: It was like, okay, here are the players that they acquired and the, you know, Gary crochet trade, and this is how they're performing.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so on this show, Kyle, we talked a lot.

[SPEAKER_01]: I guess the beginning of the year, and as it went on, like what a successful season would look like essentially, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: And I think part of that was establishing, at least a few guys, right, that could be like a young core that could be here the next time you're good, potentially.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you've been there for most of the year.

[SPEAKER_01]: Who do you think, like if I asked you, what constitutes like a young core for them?

[SPEAKER_01]: Who would some of those guys be?

[SPEAKER_03]: So Kyle Teele, of course, it'd probably be one of the top guys, Colson, you know, with his power and defensive sort of stop you have to put them on that list at this point.

[SPEAKER_03]: Um, I would say Chase, I think Chase really, you know, his versatility being able to handle sort and second at like at least the league average level is valuable, you know, no matter if he's your starting second base, man, he can always pitch in at sort and it gives you just more optionality when it comes to your line of configuration.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then I hesitate to put Edgar and the Edgar's a really good player.

[SPEAKER_03]: I really enjoy Edgar, really enjoyed covering him.

[SPEAKER_03]: But I don't know how far you can do with the him and T.O.

[SPEAKER_03]: kind of split and catching in D.A.

[SPEAKER_03]: studies.

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't will, then it seemed like a big fan of it at first.

[SPEAKER_03]: He seemed to kind of open up to it more because of just kind of they had to.

[SPEAKER_03]: They were two of their best hitters quite frankly.

[SPEAKER_03]: But I would say Edgar is [SPEAKER_03]: You can put them in there for now and just kind of see how they operate in the off season, but I mean with teo Montgomery my drop, those are three really talented young players that I can see being here when this team is good again.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then, you know, Brandon Montgomery, at least from what we've seen in the minors, he's, you know, been phenomenal.

[SPEAKER_03]: He seems to handle the spotlight well.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then, you know, hey, get smith.

[SPEAKER_03]: Really good playoff run.

[SPEAKER_03]: Noah shows got shut down, but I'm always wary with pictures, especially, you know, young pictures in the minors, because of this injuries and attrition, things of that nature, but, you know, with colson, teal, my draw.

[SPEAKER_03]: If you have three really solid young players at [SPEAKER_03]: Keep positions for you.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's just a matter of building around them and adding to it, and you know, break them, of course.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so speaking of Cole's in Montgomery is 21st home run yesterday.

[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't have that on my bingo card for the year.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was pretty spectacular watching him just kind of slowly mature over like a couple of months here with the whole Arizona thing of him being sent down to work on a swing and then he comes back and [SPEAKER_00]: started swinging the battle a little better in Charlotte, and then he gets promoted pretty quickly.

[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, just seeing that power surge when he came up to the White Sox, what's it been like covering Cole's in Montgomery this year?

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, whenever you bring it up, you have to bring back to the whole, you know, him getting sent to Arizona just randomly, because I'll never forget it.

[SPEAKER_03]: It was, we were talking with Gets and after the scrum was over, you know, we all kind of just seeing how long the scrum was and trying to tweet out whatever information we acquired from him.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then he just kind of just added, hey, Colson is going to be sent to Arizona to work with Ryan Fuller.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then that's when like alarm bells go off.

[SPEAKER_03]: Wait, what do you mean?

[SPEAKER_03]: Like we all knew he was struggling.

[SPEAKER_03]: We asked him questions about Colson's struggling, but he didn't add that information at the time.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so it was one of those things here just like, oh, are we going to see him at all in the majors?

[SPEAKER_03]: Is this just a lost cause?

[SPEAKER_03]: But just for him to turn it around after the work were fuller in Arizona and just till your point.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, absurd, I believe he ended the season with above 800 OPS, which I didn't have in my car [SPEAKER_03]: after hearing that he was in Arizona, but, you know, he established himself.

[SPEAKER_03]: He just seems like one of those guys who, the pressure of getting to the majors, just kind of was superseding performing in the majors.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like he just seems like a gamer for lack of a better term.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like I don't have any, you know, stats behind it.

[SPEAKER_03]: He just seems one of those guys who can handle the spotlight well.

[SPEAKER_03]: Handles wanted to be in the majors for so long.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then once he got his opportunity, you just saw him really taken and strived.

[SPEAKER_03]: you know, perform.

[SPEAKER_03]: And what I was really most impressed by with him was his defense.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I, you know, I think everybody has a question of, oh, can he stay at shortstop?

[SPEAKER_03]: And he made some incredible, like, diving stops, diving catches.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, and it's one of his first games in Colorado.

[SPEAKER_03]: He had that, you know, diving, well, leaping catch.

[SPEAKER_03]: And it's just one of those things where he's a good athlete.

[SPEAKER_03]: And [SPEAKER_03]: it's he seems to really be putting it all together.

[SPEAKER_03]: I know we'll talk to him about like getting more impact with his at best besides the home runs and I mean he had a couple of like key backdoor singles down the stretch of the season that I may sure to keep a track of going forward just because [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, the powers that his best attribute at the moment, so he doesn't necessarily need to get like the average up as high, but that's the next step for him.

[SPEAKER_03]: But I mean, just for him to have 20 homers in a rookie season after it looked like he wasn't going to be in the majors at all this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: That's a tremendous step forward for him.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so for just September, he, you know, his carate was up near 30% but he walked in a 12% clip was a 144 WRC plus in September, obviously the defense was pretty good.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, again, half it, you know, [SPEAKER_01]: Was it half a season or was it a little under.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I feel like I don't know.

[SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was a little under, but yeah, it was 70 games.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, but even like traditional stats, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Like 21 homers and 50 some RBIs.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, like the expectations going into next year, like, you know, when fans think this is like a 30 Homer 100 RBIs shortstop, like, is that is that a fair expectation?

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, yeah, I think he's set the, I think this is the forefront, like, you know, 21 homers 55 RBI, I think this is the floor for him because the values are always going to be with him and his power.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's going to need to be, you know, one of those guys who supplies the power, like that's one of the things that we'll talk about down the stretch with.

[SPEAKER_03]: They just don't have a lot of, [SPEAKER_03]: thump in the lineup.

[SPEAKER_03]: They don't have a lot of extra base power in the lineup.

[SPEAKER_03]: But Colson, you saw just how much he changes games with one swing.

[SPEAKER_03]: And it just, it really makes it glaring just how much they like that over, you know, before him.

[SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, even when he's not on, you really see it throughout the lineup.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, they don't have many guys that can hit homers or change games.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, it's just him, Linine.

[SPEAKER_03]: I believe Ben Atindi finished with 20 home runs, but you don't look at him as like a 20 home run type of guy, but I mean, I think it's fair to, you know, say a Colson 20 home runs next year, you know, more RBIs obviously in a 55 and I think the team's going to probably expect that from him.

[SPEAKER_00]: So this has been kind of a thing that's been bandied about on white socks Twitter quite a bit.

[SPEAKER_00]: What do you think the odds are that the white socks are going to discuss an extension at this point in Colson's career?

[SPEAKER_03]: I wouldn't think yet, I think they're probably going to at least talk to him and gaze like what he's looking for in terms of extensions.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, you saw the red socks with Kristen Campbell work out that extension.

[SPEAKER_03]: You've seen it around the league, but I don't think the socks are going to be particularly like trigger happy to do so with Colson yet, especially given the [SPEAKER_03]: You know, the team and like the ownership thing is, you know, not in flux, but, you know, there's going to be that transition on power at some point.

[SPEAKER_03]: So I think it's going to be more so about like, how can they add to the team around, you know, this establish young core rather than, you know, locking them up for the foreseeable future.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then like staying on this topic just for a second.

[SPEAKER_01]: So like when he came up right he played short he played some third and there were like some questions I think like some of you guys on the beat were pretty clear about like you know it was just kind of a way to have so so play second not have to play first right but.

[SPEAKER_01]: then you hear whispers that there are some in the award code you weren't totally sure Colson could play shortstop and they were going to get some reps at third.

[SPEAKER_01]: I always thought it was kind of crazy to not let him play short at least now and then you know like if you get somebody that's better like by all means like move him to a corner or whatever do you think like they're they're more convinced now because he seemed to play shortstop pretty much every day like down down the stretch.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, looking at it now, I believe he played 50 games of short and the majors or like 494 and NC played at short and the majors.

[SPEAKER_03]: And like, he views himself as a short stop.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think I don't think that's not in consequential detail to mention.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, he views himself as a short stop.

[SPEAKER_03]: He wants to play short stop.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I think, [SPEAKER_03]: I, you might as well, and it seems like I always viewed this season through the lens of, what is it going to mean next year for the future?

[SPEAKER_03]: And Colson, whether or not he could handle short, was like one of the biggest questions, because if he can handle short, now you have a six, you know, six, three, six four sort stop with plus power and prove to be a pretty, you know, impressive fielder.

[SPEAKER_03]: That is an incredibly valuable commodity for this team to have and, you know, as short-stop will a need.

[SPEAKER_03]: I saw some, you know, the question about where do you play the need?

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean.

[SPEAKER_03]: The question is like, he has the 20 home run power is this where do you plan to play a mess second?

[SPEAKER_03]: He's not going to play second is most because of Chase, but do you play in my DAs?

[SPEAKER_03]: Do you play on my first?

[SPEAKER_03]: But I mean, I think Chase, I mean, I think, excuse me, I think Colson really showed that he can handle.

[SPEAKER_03]: Source, I mean, he has seven defensive runs say that sort.

[SPEAKER_03]: He played a, I mean, until you get somebody better than him to like, [SPEAKER_03]: take over.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think he's your source stop for the foreseeable future and less, you know, Billy Carlson, I know is a very, you know, slick defensive sort stop that could potentially down the line, but that's a ways away.

[SPEAKER_03]: But for now, I think Colson's your source stop for the white socks.

[SPEAKER_00]: Agreed.

[SPEAKER_00]: So let's move along from this one.

[SPEAKER_00]: What kind of, what kind of topic, [SPEAKER_03]: Who is in the rotation next year?

[SPEAKER_03]: That has been the question that has been banied about, you know, on the B in my mind, just since, you know, it's funny, because the rotation started off, you know, not, I don't wanna say strong, but they, you know, we're holding their own, you know, with Martin and Canon and Burke, and then it just kind of fell off a cliff.

[SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, so you have Davis, next year, you have Shane Smith, of course, who's your all-star?

[SPEAKER_03]: After that, I mean, Martin has the option, the mutual option that I'm not, you know, that can the team can decline their end of it.

[SPEAKER_03]: He can decline his end of it, but they have rotation spots, but they don't have any, you know, guys ready available to just come up and take those spots.

[SPEAKER_03]: So how do you fill them?

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, whether or not it's through free agency, through trade, but they have anything to fill.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I mean, as you saw this season, like, [SPEAKER_03]: Burke ended the seat.

[SPEAKER_03]: I always feel like in September, Sean Burke has his best outings for whatever reason.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like last year, you know, he came up and had what like a 1.42 ERA during September last year.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then this year, he ends it with a career high 10 strikeouts.

[SPEAKER_03]: But the end between is where he has to go.

[SPEAKER_03]: I know he was really focused on, you know, staying healthy this year and just getting through this season to be able to build on it for [SPEAKER_03]: you need to see improvement from him, you need to see that consistency.

[SPEAKER_03]: Jonathan Cannon is more of a question mark than ever, you know, he doesn't have plus stuff, but he was able to pitch to contact and induce a lot of ground ball, ground ball's doing his work a year.

[SPEAKER_03]: that hasn't it didn't really you know show up this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: He really wasn't that good of a picture this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: So you want to find guys that can you know give you reliable quality innings because the bullpen they didn't put nearly enough you know resources as they probably should have but they were also over attacks given you know their starter is not going deep.

[SPEAKER_03]: Their starter is going short you know [SPEAKER_03]: because there's not, there weren't many guys that you could rely on on a consistent basis to provide you the necessary length.

[SPEAKER_03]: So that's the question that I have going into the offices and just who's going to take the ball next year?

[SPEAKER_03]: Like you know, Shane Smith's going to be your opening day starter, but besides him, who else is going to fill out their rotation?

[SPEAKER_03]: Good question.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, it seems like what him and like if Davis Martin's here, those two guys are definitely in the rotation, but other than that, I just don't really know, you know, it doesn't there was like a question in the chat about Hagen Smith and no one.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think in a perfect world, those guys were we're going to be on the team at the start next year.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think there's any chance either of them are now, but I do think we see both of them at some point, basically.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I think you see them at some point, but just, you know, given the fact that no assault was shut down due to injury, and I mean, Hagen rebounded after his rough start, but I think just given the nature of their seasons, [SPEAKER_03]: It just makes it hard for me to believe that they're going to start the season like just, you know, untethered in just like on the major league team.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's just they, you know, they could be a midseason addition, but I don't think the team is counting on them, you know, breaking spring training with the club.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I don't expect like obviously like a, uh, a number here because I know you don't know and I know you guys have kind of talked to these guys like what do you like what do you think they spend because they they have to add a little bit and I've heard the like you know you pick up Roberts 20 million dollar options you don't have any money to spend I mean I think they have to add a little they're not going to add as much as any of them any of us want them to like that that's fine, but I mean you just you need to fill a couple spots and you need to give these kids a chance to like [SPEAKER_03]: When some games because of the second half, I feel like yeah, like I so I'm looking at their 20 26 active roster payroll.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so, you know, the Louise options 20 million, the Martim usual option is 10 million Andrew Benitindi 17 million.

[SPEAKER_03]: The active roster 47 million approximate, you know, I don't think they're going to spit I may obviously I'm not going to put a number out there, but [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I don't think it's, I think they spend a little bit just to give these guys a chance to be competitive next year.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I don't think, you know, they lost 100 for three years in a row.

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think the team is looking at this as like another, okay, we're gonna have another tough season.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think they're looking at it as more so, like, how can we compete, how can we be more so fighting for 500 for the entire season rather than, you know, just a second half when they were more competitive than they were in the first half.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know the starting staff how much are they invest in the bullpen.

[SPEAKER_03]: Do they at least get you know one established bullpen or more how many starters do they get and Is this one of those things where I don't want to put a number on it, but also you know whenever it's be it takes over he didn't hire gets [SPEAKER_03]: So how does guess feel any pressure with that?

[SPEAKER_03]: It's a kind of speed up what his rebuild was or accelerated.

[SPEAKER_03]: Those are fair questions to ask.

[SPEAKER_03]: Given the, I'm just going to say the unusual way they announced the transition of power, but from Jerry Ryesor, too, you know, ispia.

[SPEAKER_00]: For there to even be an option for an option for them to force him to sell it.

[SPEAKER_00]: detailed anywhere is to me is just absurd.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's no concrete data.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, if he doesn't do it by this day, they can petition to force him out.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, what are we doing here?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's the thing to me is just really weird.

[SPEAKER_01]: Well, in the first out, and that's the one everybody kind of assumes.

[SPEAKER_01]: It'll be like 2029.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's when the stadium leaves expires.

[SPEAKER_01]: Conveniently.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it was a very weird press release to get right before a game, by the way, like that was right before I believe is the tiger series I want to say and it was just like, oh, okay, this is happening, you know, like, yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it was like well reported by very respectable dudes, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Like this was happening, even if they were like telling us, you know, on the record and off the record, like, oh, you guys jumped the gun or whatever.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like, okay, well, I don't, I don't think John Greenberg and Dan Hayes jumped the gun, but okay, that's fine.

[SPEAKER_03]: So you can, you can wait five weeks if you'd like, yeah, like John, yeah, especially, I, you know, love John's work, love Dan's work.

[SPEAKER_03]: And like, yeah, those guys weren't just reporting out of nowhere.

[SPEAKER_03]: whenever they're reporting something as detailed as they were.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like.

[SPEAKER_03]: They're smoke there and so for it to just be like, okay, yeah, like, maybe by 29 or whatever, it's like, okay, all right.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, but yes, I think, but it's just that hovering over this team, I think is like a very important thing to note when discussing like future transactions, you know, because we don't, we know who's gonna be in charge for like next year, but you still don't know.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so next year as far as the pitching staff goes, I just want to throw this out here.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm fully expecting for them to start pushing some of these young guys up from the miners.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think that, you know, maybe you see Martin Perez, he said that he wants to come back.

[SPEAKER_00]: but you know, you also missed him for half the season, more than half the season.

[SPEAKER_03]: So any exited his last start with an injury, too.

[SPEAKER_03]: I know he said he just didn't want to push it, but kind of have to be realistic just about his age.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I know he's beloved in the locker room.

[SPEAKER_03]: They all love him.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's been a great resource for everybody.

[SPEAKER_03]: Just got to talk to a guy to, you know, for the young pigeons to talk pitching with.

[SPEAKER_03]: But like you said, you kind of have to be realistic [SPEAKER_03]: He's a great locker room guy and then when he is out there, he is, you know, for the most part productive, but how, like, how much can you rely on a, you know, aging picture at this point.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yep.

[SPEAKER_00]: I want to do that.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, go ahead.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's just going to say I wanted to just thank Mike for popping into the comments here, uh, Tanner McDougles dad.

[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's one of those guys that I am fully expecting to get a, uh, [SPEAKER_00]: a real good luck in spring training this year, not that they necessarily take him right straight out of spring training, but I would not be it all surprised if he ended up being one of those guys in the rotation.

[SPEAKER_01]: But anyway, as far as some of the pictures, like just like Grant Taylor obviously, the situation was very interesting.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, when you first hear the movement to relieve me and Ian, I feel like did multiple shows on it, not really understanding, you know, [SPEAKER_01]: But there's been some weird stuff with him where it's like they've been very deferential to his representatives and oh, we're going to talk to his reps and see what we're going to do and the kid clearly wants to start.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think most of the fanbase would prefer that he starts.

[SPEAKER_01]: We just talked about how they have two guys in the rotation Kyle.

[SPEAKER_01]: You think he comes to spring training, competing for a starting job, where you think he's back in the bullpen?

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, he wants, I mean, he's he talked to me on the record about wanting to, you know, work on being a starter again in the offseason, [SPEAKER_03]: I think a lot of this season and moving him to the bullpen was also just him.

[SPEAKER_03]: They just want to him to get through this season.

[SPEAKER_03]: healthy because you know at LSU he blew out his arm I believe it was his junior season I know was 2023 and he just you know missed the entire year so he's kind of behind the April and that regard and I know they just cut he wanted to just get through the season but he's looking himself as a starter I mean and when you look at the white success track record with you know transitioning guys to the bullpen then convert them back into starters you know the track record is there [SPEAKER_03]: you have somebody with just with so much talent in his right arm.

[SPEAKER_03]: My his velocity just jumps off the page.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's one of those guys just like, why not see if he can be a starter through spring training?

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, because at the end of the day, he, the worst comes to worse.

[SPEAKER_03]: You put him back in the bullpen and you have a, you know, a fire thrower coming out of the bullpen.

[SPEAKER_03]: But why not see if he can work out as a starter just with that much talent in the right arm?

[SPEAKER_03]: And he has to craft.

[SPEAKER_03]: He's shown that he has to craft to like navigate, [SPEAKER_03]: Muddy situations.

[SPEAKER_03]: I know this year wasn't it particularly, you know, pretty with a four point 90RA, but you saw a glimpse is here and there what he could be and I just think you might as well see what you haven't him going forward.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it gets Vip, is this FIP still one something?

[SPEAKER_01]: I think it might be.

[SPEAKER_03]: That's what I was going to bring out.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's crazy.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like it's, and Ian, something that we've often kind of talked about is the amount of pitching they have, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: And look, we're not saying they got a bunch of one and two starters, because they don't.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's a lot of back end types that maybe could elevate themselves to [SPEAKER_01]: like number three starters, but even if Grant Taylor can only throw 100 innings next year, right, and that's your reasoning behind putting him in the bullpen.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think you'll have plenty of options at midseason to like piggyback him or skip stars or like Grant Taylor's going to start for three, and then like Mason Adams is ready and he's going to throw four like you're slowly bringing back true Thor per Kai Bush or like one of these guys, I just I don't think the fact that he can't throw 160 innings like should be a deterrent as to like why you wouldn't let him try to start.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, but yeah, no, that's a great point.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, you know, with Tanner, he's a guy who can be intriguing throughout spring training.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then does he break with the team?

[SPEAKER_03]: Does he come up, he can provide you innings.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I think just getting through a season, you're not gonna get through with, you know, five starters making, like the days of like, what was it, 2016 Cubs when those guys may like 32 stars each?

[SPEAKER_03]: That just doesn't happen anymore anyway.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, injuries are gonna occur, you know, guys aren't gonna, [SPEAKER_03]: You know, they're going to miss starts.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, with Grant Taylor, like you said, you know, why not you got like Tanner Mason Adams, you know, there's they have guys throughout the mine.

[SPEAKER_03]: There's like it come in and a pinch and like provide some innings, you know, hopefully, you know, getting through Thorpe back, you know, Drew Thorpe coming back around midseason two is going to be a boost for the team.

[SPEAKER_03]: and just another valuable arm.

[SPEAKER_03]: I just think they're in the position where they just need to get guys who can contribute anything to this team.

[SPEAKER_03]: You just don't want to be in a situation where especially like down the stretch of this season where Will was like piecing together his bulletin almost on a game-by-game basis just because he didn't know how the bulk of the game was gonna turn out.

[SPEAKER_03]: It was an untenable, but it was a difficult situation for him to deal with.

[SPEAKER_03]: At this thing, they're going to be in a situation where, you know, how can we get through this entire season as best as we can?

[SPEAKER_03]: And Grant Taylor being, you know, a guy with potential, they thought highly enough of him to draft them as high as they did.

[SPEAKER_03]: So he wants to be a starter.

[SPEAKER_03]: So let's just see if he can give him the shot.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I know like player stuff like Robert I think, you know, for picking up the options like five days after the world series correct and free agents become the day after they they they give you any they give you guys anything on like announcements of coaching staff moves just because like look I know will inherited a bunch of coaches.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know, you know, like I think what it was a 21 improvement.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's still the second worst team in the league, but like the second half was fun.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's a 21 improvement.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's a success.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just I wouldn't be surprised if like there's a couple of moves and he gets a couple of his own guys.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just didn't know if like that was something that not even like, you know, that it would necessarily happen, but just like a timeline on when any of that stuff could be announced potentially.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I haven't heard anything yet about like a timeline of, you know, extensions for guys on the staff or anything of that nature, but I mean to to your point will then kind of he inherited a lot of the guys so it I mean it would be fair to expect him to you know want to bring some at least interview guys, you know, to be on his staff and [SPEAKER_03]: I, it's going to be interesting to see how that navigation, how, you know, those decisions are made because you saw, you know, the additional Ryan Fuller, you know, Walker and the old guys played, you know, key roles on this team.

[SPEAKER_03]: So it's going to be interesting to see how, you know, Chris and Will, it seems like a genuine partnership between the two and, you know, just and how they operate, you know, Josh Barfield as well.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so it's going to be interesting to see how those three kind of reconfigure the coaching staff and you know take that next step because like you said 21 improvement by the end of the day, you know, context is needed, but you still a hundred lost team and so there's still a lot of room for improvement, but.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, they haven't given us any inclination on what to expect, you know, coaching staffs to, you know, be finalized or like any departures to be announced or a distance to be announced, but, you know, those things usually happen, you know, trickling out once the world series is over.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, because Ian, it does seem like, you know, like, gets in barfield inherited, um, Pedro Riffle, and like they didn't have a choice, and that's fine, like whatever, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: But they did bring in new coaches to put on his staff, and then they kept all those people with will.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll got Walker McKinvitt, you know, and Andy assists in hitting coach, and those were, you know, his hires and everybody else was pretty much here.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I just, I don't know.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know that anything's coming.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just like, wouldn't be that surprised.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's, you know, we, everybody keeps on using that 20 game marker as, oh, we got 20 games improvement.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was 19, just saying.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was just one short, you know, you can then one more game.

[SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, this is, this is the main one that comes to my mind is, you know, when I think of the guys that were like carried over from the previous staff, Marcus Timbs, [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he was gone, not necessarily that he's done anything wrong per se because I don't think that the talent was there in the year where they lost a hundred and twenty one game.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I can I'm not going to throw that on him.

[SPEAKER_00]: That said, you know, when [SPEAKER_00]: will venibles sitting here talking about going after fast balls.

[SPEAKER_00]: And they start, you know, the record slowly starts, you know, at least somewhat improving makes me wonder, well, what were they saying before that, you know, so I wouldn't be surprised.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like, yeah, it's, you know, I mean, you see hitting coaches around the league, you know, those are, they're kind of like, coordinate offensive and defensive coordinators and football, it's like whenever there's a change to be made, they're kind of the first to go and that's the same Marcus, you know, has done anything wrong, but I mean, it's just kind of the nature of just like a new regime coming in, you know, [SPEAKER_03]: gets kind of putting his stamp on the team, will want it to have more sale for his coaching staff.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's just kind of the nature of the business.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's not really the, he did the right thing.

[SPEAKER_03]: He did the wrong things, you know.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right.

[SPEAKER_03]: Guys want their guys in it.

[SPEAKER_01]: Well, yeah, and it's not like Marcus Thames is going to not do what Ryan Fuller wants done, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line is it's not that that's not the guy that Ryan Fuller hired.

[SPEAKER_01]: Ryan Fuller came in after him.

[SPEAKER_00]: So speaking about the front office and the hires and everything, what have you learned this year about Chris gets and his staff, fuller banister and international scouting and all that stuff.

[SPEAKER_00]: The key word that I keep on hearing from everybody is, you know, one of those HR buzzwords of synergy that everybody seems to be working together and everybody has a voice and it's a very happy family.

[SPEAKER_00]: What have you seen being around that this year?

[SPEAKER_03]: I, you know, it's, I try to stay away from those kind of like, you know, this, because there is a synergy, but also you don't want to, [SPEAKER_03]: You know, put too much into that because, you know, we're still talking about a team in the depths of their rebuilding phase, but there is seems to be like a genuine, you know, input from everybody when it comes to decision making.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, will tell, like, we'll say after games like, you know, we're going to go and make a decision about this and then you guys will hear about it.

[SPEAKER_03]: How much of that is just, you know, him telling us that just to play Kitas?

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, but [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, Josh is on road trips, Chris is on road trips.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, Will are always like they're talking there in communication.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so I think that's, you know, a step in the right direction at the least in terms of like all lines of communication are open and then you have, you know, Ryan Fuller and just the addition of him, he's been a big help just in terms of the overall hitting philosophy within the organization and kind of [SPEAKER_03]: line and get up so that there's an overarching like philosophy throughout the organization.

[SPEAKER_03]: There's a, there's a, they're not creating their own style, but there's a, you know, a teaching method that is like familiar as, you know, prospects, you know, go up a level, they're kind of more used to what is required of them rather than, you know, this level is teaching one thing, this level is teaching the other.

[SPEAKER_03]: And then to go to the international, you know, [SPEAKER_03]: uh, the international scouting side of things.

[SPEAKER_03]: You've seen the white talks in the past, have success, you know, Jose Bray, Luis, and, but it's definitely was room for improvement and that regard and I'll get to believe talked about it.

[SPEAKER_03]: One of his last presser just about, you know, putting more resources into that and really like building up that infrastructure.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's one of those things that you're not going to see the immediate results.

[SPEAKER_03]: you know, he's hired, you know, David Keller, I believe is a year ago now at this time and, you know, they're just getting brand new systems in place, brand new processes, brand new technology.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, I know Chris was a part of this organization before he became the decision maker, but you really see him investing in the, you know, technology and chess trying to create that [SPEAKER_03]: of data and just teaching throughout the organization but that's probably the biggest thing that I've learned is just how much he's gone in terms of like building up those infrastructures and making sure that when they bring in a prospect like the development doesn't stop at the majorly level you know they're continuing to help guys you know with video and just you know talking with guys at the majorly level because I was part of the problem with the last rebuild was [SPEAKER_03]: You know, you I've really noticed that with him with Josh and, you know, Ryan Fuller, I mean, obviously with bannisters done without with the pitching staff, you know, he's one of the most respected guys in baseball, but there really is, you know, work being done behind the scenes and, you know, overhaul overhauling the, you know, previous systems and everything.

[SPEAKER_01]: Kyle, what did you think about the news leaking about Josh Barfield and the Orioles?

[SPEAKER_03]: I thought, you know, I thought it was interesting, you know, because I believe that news came out, and then I believe it was Rosenthal who reported that their GM had been from Monat promote, but was named like President baseball ops.

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think, I never think it's a bad thing when you're at the number two is being, you know, his name is being floated around for other jobs just because it shows you that there's, there's some interest in what the white sauce are doing, you know, there's some value and what the white sauce are doing like I remember I was in Detroit and.

[SPEAKER_03]: AJ Hench said that he stayed up to watch that that rain delayed twins game.

[SPEAKER_03]: I believe it's the last game of the twin series That was delayed and he stayed up to watch because he knew what the offense had been doing with Colson and been doing and he wanted to his team to be, you know, a breast of like how to best game plan for them [SPEAKER_03]: And so I think you're starting to see just kind of that, you know, the stigma of the 121 isn't as prevalent around the league is like, okay, that happened, but what these guys are doing, they're some positive there now.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so I think with Josh, like, I mean, it's never a bad thing when the number two is getting, you know, it's never a bad thing when somebody from your organization is, you know, wanted for another job.

[SPEAKER_03]: It, I just think overall, I mean, it was basically, it was essentially the same job he's done with the, you know, with the socks just with a different title, but he wasn't going to be the, the lead decision maker, if I'm correcting how their, or orials is like power structure is set up.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you're right.

[SPEAKER_01]: He'd be, he would have been there number two.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's just like classic job inflation, basically.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just, I just thought like the timing of it was interesting, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Because it was kind of reported by Mark Feinsand as like barfield was interviewing for the GM job, but then like decided to stay with the socks as if like it was reported as if he basically could have had the job if you wanted it.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, because it's like, okay, like is that just to like have his name out there for future jobs or is it really a positive that like somebody wants a white socks employee.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just, you know, I just thought it was interesting.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, yeah, I think it's a, I think it can be both.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think it could be his name being out there for jobs and also just, you know, there is, you know, somebody wants somebody from the Y-Saws organization, which isn't, I mean, because when I look over this past year, you look at a guy like them bringing in Walker McKittons, who was highly regarded when he came over here, Ryan Fuller.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like these are, and the most notable thing about them to me is they're from outside the organization, like they're bringing guys in from other organizations [SPEAKER_03]: have a different perspective, a different point of view, and I know like an insular kind of mindset was at least from when I started doing this professionally, it was kind of like the stigma around the socks organization, but it seems like they're going outside the organization to get different voices and not like [SPEAKER_03]: You know, hiring guys from Kansas City, you know, and so yeah, and so, you know, it's not a bad.

[SPEAKER_03]: It was just kind of classic job inflation.

[SPEAKER_03]: No, we know now about the Orioles is power structure, but.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's never, you know, Josh getting those jobs is like, okay, it's the start of like, people being more curious about what the White Sacha doing.

[SPEAKER_01]: Did you guys see that did you see this week that the, the nationals hired an assistant GM as president of baseball ops?

[SPEAKER_01]: So it's a, I mean, it's a big jump, but it seems like where the sport is headed.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, because I think presence of baseball ops are kind of like where most of the sport is headed just in terms of it's funny because remember the general managers used to just be the ruler of the teams.

[SPEAKER_03]: And now it's like they're almost a number two in most organizations now.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, it's fascinating to see just how baseball, you know, front offices have evolved over the years.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like you have the present of baseball ops.

[SPEAKER_03]: You have [SPEAKER_03]: like what is Craig Brussels title and in Boston like it's not it's like the chief baseball officer or something I believe and it's just so like there's so many different titles for basically like oh yeah you're the number one guy you know and but no I think to your point though it's like there is that it is a big leap for a system GM to present baseball ops but [SPEAKER_03]: I think that's the leap that most assistant GMs take.

[SPEAKER_03]: You want to go from being a prominent member in the decision-making process to the chief decision-making decision-maker in the process.

[SPEAKER_03]: And with Josh going from here to another organization to be in the same role, probably with, I don't know about what the pay or what his power would have been, but [SPEAKER_00]: It is this kind of like the way he's probably thinking is just like I want to go somewhere where is my team and my I have the final say I personally found it kind of interesting like even more so interesting usually I mean to to draw parallel to to football usually when somebody like that gets hired it's somebody like a Ben Johnson where their team is like at the top of the sport.

[SPEAKER_00]: and somebody wants to poach them.

[SPEAKER_00]: I found it fairly interesting that Barfield was being looked at for this position coming from a team that despite the fact that they did jump some wins this year and they've improved the infrastructure here in Chicago.

[SPEAKER_00]: I found it kind of odd that they were trying to poach him because of that.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, [SPEAKER_03]: That is a great point because usually you see teens pick off the litter of the Tampa Bay Rays have been a popular one.

[SPEAKER_03]: The Dodgers have been a popular one.

[SPEAKER_03]: Cleveland, you know, a lot of, you know, GMs and front office people come from their coaching tree.

[SPEAKER_03]: So it is interesting that, you know, Josh, who [SPEAKER_03]: I believe he was with Arizona before that.

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, but then also I just think when you look at his resume, you know, the Diamondbacks, you know, he was there for 2020 to 23 during that time.

[SPEAKER_03]: They had, you know, guys like Corbin Carroll come up.

[SPEAKER_03]: They've had, you know, even to this day, they've had a couple, you know, Jordan Lawlers and other players, you know, kind of come up.

[SPEAKER_03]: I think it's kind of when you look at his resume, it is kind of like why you know from a team who lost 121 games not even, you know, almost a full year ago to now you want people from their organization, but it isn't.

[SPEAKER_03]: I guess asked for a fetch when you look at like his past and it's kind of like the work the white socks have done, you know, because I think the most important thing is to there's not a lot of players from that 1121 team still with the team this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so, you know, obviously they weren't, you know, still not that good of a team, but [SPEAKER_03]: Do you saw more like their type of players in and their young players that they are acquired?

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, with teal and chase and I mean, Colson, they inherited but gets and Colson had, you know, history together just gets being in the organization prior.

[SPEAKER_03]: So I think it's something to look forward to just kind of like how much Josh's name is in these conversations going forward.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it made total sense why the white socks grabbed him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Just, you know, I always surprised that somebody else was coming to try and take them from the White Sox after the White Sox just grabbed him.

[SPEAKER_00]: You got anything else James on that.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so speaking of the director of the farm system, now, AGM, so this is Future Sox.

[SPEAKER_00]: We cover the minor leagues.

[SPEAKER_00]: How much do you pay attention to the minor league system, and do you have names in your mind of guys that you want to see coming up here in your future?

[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, you know, like, [SPEAKER_03]: covering a rebuilding team, I feel like you always have an eye on the farm system, just knowing like who's performing, who's not performing, because those are the guys that are going to, you know, that's the future of this organization, you know, through and through is going to be, you know, guys like Bronmer and you know, hey, again, and no assaults and breaking my gummery.

[SPEAKER_03]: And, but the guy, I'm, I'm, you know, going to our earlier conversation, you know, Tanner is somebody I'm, [SPEAKER_03]: You know, going to have an eye on going forward just because they need pitching and frankly like they just need guys who can you know provide and thanks for them and he seems to be a guy who know how to productive year in the in the minor leagues and [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I don't know if he breaks the camp with the team, but he seems to be an entree and guy who can, you know, maybe he can be called a midseason him and Thorpe could provide know some starts here and there for the team, but yeah, I feel like you always have to be a tune to like the, especially the top end of the farm system, you know what.

[SPEAKER_03]: the trade they made to get Montgomery you know until wasn't there your pain detention like you know what is how is he performing how is his frame again proving you know talking with people braiden how is he performing you know and just kind of getting a sense of like how close guys are or you know what's when is when can we expect them so now we're getting to something that's a little bit more fun here [SPEAKER_00]: as you're traveling around what was your favorite road series and ballpark that you got to attend this year.

[SPEAKER_03]: I, I hope I don't sound like a cliche saying this, but Finnway Park, you know, when they play that red socks here, that's probably my favorite ballpark just because of the fans, the atmosphere, like, and it was a weekend series, too.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it was the weekend of the marathon in Boston, too.

[SPEAKER_03]: So you just had all of these factors, and I'm just like, and that was one of the, you know, first [SPEAKER_03]: road trips I was on on the beat and I just kind of had this moment like man, I'm really living out my dream.

[SPEAKER_03]: I'm really like covering a major league team on the road and at Fenway Park, one of the most historic ball parks, you know, like I've covered games that riggly before, but [SPEAKER_03]: I don't want to say you get, you lose kind of that lobster for it, but I've been to really for so many, you know, so many times over the years that is not, I don't have that reverence for it like somebody from out of town might, but with Fenway Park, I was like, this is Fenway, you know, this is where the lovable idiots were, or, you know, Johnny Damon, big poppy, David Ortiz, and you just, like, all of those thoughts were going through my head.

[SPEAKER_03]: I'm going to say my favorite road trip was probably this, you know, Minneapolis to Detroit in, you know, early September, just because I felt I had to got the rhythms of the, you know, the locker room down.

[SPEAKER_03]: I was able to have just conversations with guys.

[SPEAKER_03]: I was just able to, you know, go up and talk like I felt more comfortable in myself than in the beginning of the year.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like I wasn't, you know, bashful aside at the beginning of the year.

[SPEAKER_03]: But, [SPEAKER_03]: You're new.

[SPEAKER_03]: You're just trying to like learn guys and I wasn't there in spring training to like some of the other reporters.

[SPEAKER_03]: So I'm really trying to like on the fly build that camaraderie with people and then at the end of the year, I think I, you know, kind of settled in a little bit more and just kind of was like, oh, you know, I can go up and talk to guys and that was a.

[SPEAKER_03]: That was also the road to But Colson called me old when I told him that I was turning 26 and I just like, okay, this relax here.

[SPEAKER_03]: I, you know, I wasn't expecting to get this just yet, but no, that was probably my favorite road trip.

[SPEAKER_03]: That's a rough room right there.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, he's he and he's also, I mean, Kyle Kyle replaced the legend man.

[SPEAKER_01]: You replaced the Dutchman.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and he's calling you old like dude's been there.

[SPEAKER_01]: That dude's been the Whitex B writer at the sometimes for like over a decade.

[SPEAKER_03]: And that was also my favorite thing in the first half of the season was getting the you're the new Darryl right or you're replacing Darryl right and I just was like all right that is way too big issues for me to feel but I am here now I'm doing this job but no one can replace Darryl like Darryl was yeah he was a great reporter just a great person like [SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, especially early on, he really was helpful for me just in terms of, like, how to handle the road trips, you know, what to expect and just kind of just being a sounding board to and even last year, you know, when I was, you know, filling in here and there, he was very helpful, but now I'm missed there, like he was, you, like, he was really just loved throughout the league amongst the writers and, you know, especially at the sometimes he had been there since the 80s, I believe, like, [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I know he's been on the beat for about two decades now or so, but I know he's been at the sometimes in a, you know, mirrory to roles since a long time.

[SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, he's kind of a institutional figure at the sometimes almost.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think you're, I think you're replace Callie at the something like that was a wild, you know, when Callie was still, Callie was still doing right socks.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it was like, I mean, it was definitely after the O5 team.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, how did you, how do you like that stuff this year?

[SPEAKER_01]: The old five stuff.

[SPEAKER_03]: I thought, you know, for somebody who drew up in this city, but was very, you know, like I was five during that run.

[SPEAKER_03]: So like I wasn't cognitive really of like the magnitude of what was going on, but I thought it was important for this new group.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's kind of serendipitous almost that.

[SPEAKER_03]: There's new group that's trying to establish their own dynamic and just really get to their own stamp on the white socks got to witness just the outpouring of love of this world series team.

[SPEAKER_03]: They were, I don't want to say they weren't the most talented, but their superpower was just how much they bought and how much they played for each other, how much they, you know, just had that.

[SPEAKER_03]: those intangibles that aren't, you know, you can't really define them in a number and just how much they were endearing themselves to the city to each other.

[SPEAKER_03]: I thought it was important because, you know, we can sometimes get lost and like, you know, what is somebody's batting average, O BP, slugging percentage and obviously those things aren't important, but.

[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I think when you look through and through of East World Series team, there's a togetherness factor that is hard to quantify, but you just know it when you see it.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I mean, obviously, you know, Western piece of Bobby Janks, but just in his absence from the from the festivities, you saw them almost like recognizing their brother, too, and just seeing like how much he meant to them.

[SPEAKER_03]: And so I just thought it was important for [SPEAKER_03]: Just the outpouring of love from the city to those guys and just the love amongst those guys to each other because, you know, the talent talent, you know, the winning and the talent all of that, you know, is on gets to bring in the right play players and the players to develop, but there's just an intangible when it comes to like, you know, are you going to play for the man next to you that it's hard to quantify, but ever so important throughout any world series scene.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and the socks are obviously like, you know, the second team in town, but it offers a glimpse of like what happens when you win here in like we don't we don't take it for granted because we don't have that many championships, you know, so it's like those teams live on forever.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, like it's it's.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's there, you know, obviously, you know, the whole ESPN for getting the Y socks existing is out there.

[SPEAKER_03]: And it's also just, like you said, like, there, you know, they saw how important that team is to this city.

[SPEAKER_03]: And I mean, even throughout one thing I took note of was just throughout the summer, you saw like Miguel Vargas and Sean Burr, your coalson at like bears game, sky games, [SPEAKER_03]: But it like it doesn't matter the avenue where they were at is just like they were together.

[SPEAKER_03]: Like they were building that camaraderie, which I think is going to be important for them as they continue to build this this thing going forward.

[SPEAKER_03]: Because you know, the 121 lost team, there's not that many guys left from that team and they're in the moment.

[SPEAKER_03]: There wasn't that many guys who were like, okay, they need to keep this guy around.

[SPEAKER_03]: So this team even though they lost 100, I mean, it lost 100 games.

[SPEAKER_03]: You got to see guys like, you know, Miguel Vargas turn around his season and I mean, you like, and I'm not trying to say like, oh, next season play off or buzz, but you, you got to see guys have like development process throughout the year and so, you know, and.

[SPEAKER_03]: there seems to be a good locker room like whenever we walked into the locker room, you saw a guy talking with each other, you saw a like a warm embrace from like Martin, even, you know, through tough games, like I'll never forget at Ridley Field, Sean Burke, I think, had like a rough outing or he allowed like a couple of runs in the game they ultimately lost and before we talked to him, you know, him and Mike Bassler kind of going over the game before he talked to us.

[SPEAKER_03]: and so just those little things like I make sure to keep a note of, you know, going into next.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, starting the, starting the year with a couple of two to three war players isn't, isn't a terrible thing.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, a handful, they might have a handful of, you know, two and a half to three and a half war players, which is a lot more than we could say at the start of this season.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we'll see what they fill it out with in the offseason.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure that there's probably going to be a couple of those, you know, guys that are, you know, filler in pieces that they're hoping to get some minnings out of and we'll see who that ends up being, you know, and see whether any of them can manage to stay healthy long enough to actually matter to the production on the white socks, which was.

[SPEAKER_00]: an unfortunate thing to start the season this year.

[SPEAKER_00]: A couple of guys that they, you know, between jury and Rojas, you thought you were going to get something out of both of those guys and both of them ended up getting injured and so bizarre.

[SPEAKER_00]: Are you good, James?

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, Kyle, do you want to let people know where they can find your work?

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so you can find me, you know, Kyle Williams at the Chicago sometimes can find me on Twitter, K, underscore Williams media and just, you know, yeah, just I wanted also just, you know, thank white socks fans for just kind of welcoming me and to the beat over this year, no, [SPEAKER_03]: You know, whether it's online or, you know, meeting, you know, people from the, I believe it was the socks machine when they came to Pittsburgh, just meeting people from there to just like, I, you know, have felt white socks fans just kind of like, how passionate they are about the socks and how much they, you know, want good, you know, [SPEAKER_03]: cover their team that's best as I am and best as I will try to do, you know, as the years go on.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we appreciate you.

[SPEAKER_00]: We appreciate you doing beat, which is awesome.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for coming on.

[SPEAKER_00]: Appreciate the course.

[SPEAKER_00]: Appreciate the information and the conversation.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I know that listeners do as well.

[SPEAKER_00]: So everybody go ahead and if you guys are on Twitter, go ahead and follow Kyle [SPEAKER_00]: We appreciate it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we will hopefully catch up soon and maybe we'll drop a line around spring training or something.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so James, do you want, are you ready to walk out or what do you think in here?

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think anything we can do a double a Birmingham barons and anything that happens like this week on our next show next week.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

[SPEAKER_00]: Sounds good.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm going to go ahead and walk us out here.

[SPEAKER_00]: one second.

[SPEAKER_00]: You have been watching slash listening to the future socks podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you are listening to this in podcast form, know that you can find us every Sunday night at a p.m.

[SPEAKER_00]: on YouTube and the purple app.

[SPEAKER_00]: You can also find this podcast along with all of our written content at future socks.net.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you are looking for white socks prospect highlight, you can find them on x at future socks.

[SPEAKER_00]: And now also here on our YouTube channel.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you love the content and want to support us here at Future Sox, there's a link to our Patreon and our channel description and at FutureSox.net.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: My name is Ian Eskerch at Daily White Sox.

[SPEAKER_00]: He is James Fox at James Fox 917.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for hopping on tonight Kyle.

[SPEAKER_00]: We appreciate it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you all for coming and hanging out in the chat and listening and watching.

[SPEAKER_00]: We appreciate you guys and we'll catch up to you guys next week.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, have a good one.