Rival Roundup, Vol. 54: Winter Is Coming

Well, we’re a week removed from the World Series, which means the offseason is officially upon us, and with the absence of baseball comes that all-too-familiar unfettered nihilism and unadulterated rage (or was that something else?)

As is tradition, I’ll be keeping tabs on the other division rivals around the American League Central this winter, as even though our niche is home to the 41-121 Chicago White Sox (lmao), the rest of the cadre has suddenly returned to relevance all at once, with four legitimate playoff contenders rounding out the ranks of the AL’s five-team central sect.

Much like the cash register behind the bar, the tabs will be kept here. Come along on this offseason journey as we see what’s around the corner on the 2025 schedule.

• In a move described by many as “the final piece,” the Chicago White Sox have moved on from their Pedro Grifol/Grady Sizemore coalition, and have hired former player Will Venable to steer the ship from here on out. It’s a rare move for the Sox, who are hiring not only from outside the organization, but are getting a candidate who has studied directly under Theo Epstein (as special assistant while with the Chicago Cubs), Alex Cora (as bench coach of the Red Sox), and Bruce Bochy (as an associate manager for the Texas Rangers).
• Additional Sox moves include hitting coach poaches from the Baltimore Orioles, a common theme in the division this off-season so far.

• Notably, the White Sox declined team options on 34-year-old Max Stassi and 30-year-old Yoan Moncada, the latter of which will test free agency for the first time, ahead of his 10th (!) major-league season.
• The consolation prize for the Cleveland Guardians is — so far — a series of Gold Glove wins and a returning free-agent catcher. Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez each took home some hardware this week, winning defensive awards for one of the teams around the league most known for their fundamentals. Plus, catcher Austin Hedges returns on a one-year deal:

• And for you folks still repping Thanos references out there in 2024 A.D., it will come as no surprise that the baseball gods demanded a soul for a soul.

• James Karinchak, Alex Cobb, Matthew Boyd, and Shane Bieber are all officially free agents.
• The Royals liked what they saw in Michael Wacha one of their many offseason acquisitions that was met with a general sentiment of “a few free agents does not a 100-loss team unmake,” until, of course, they did just that and made it into the ALDS. They’re doubling down, or whatever one plus three is.

• The club also saw Bobby Witt, Jr. and pitcher Seth Lugo dust off some trophy case space for their own Gold Gloves (Golds Glove?)
• The Tigers have been quiet so far in the wake of their stunning 2024, with a cash trade of reliever Devin Sweet and a declination of Casey Mize’s 2025 club option the only real moves so far.

It’ll be a long, cold, lonely winter peppered with wishful thinking, Boras-ian puns, and flight-tracking. Until then, we’ll keep those rivals rounded up right here for you every Saturday morning. Enjoy your weekend!