Here’s how the White Sox’s payroll breaks down going in:

• Obligations: $126.85M to nine players.

• Options: $22 to two players ($1M in buyouts)

• Arb-eligible: $19.1M to seven players.

If we re-signed everyone we’d be at our limit. But what fun is that kids? The good news is that the Sox should win the division. As Atlanta showed, you can win your weak division with less than 90 wins, go 31-37 against winning teams, and still win the World Series. However, you can’t win if you don’t get there so let’s not blow up the team that got there. A tweak here, a push there, a kick in the ass here, and presto, you have a world series.

Arbitration-eligibles (Spend $12.9M)

Jimmy Cordero (Non-Tender) Nothing left of this project.
Adam Engel $2.2 million. Tender
Jace Fry $1 million. (Non-Tender) No room for soft throwing lefties.
Lucas Giolito $7.9 million. Tender
Brian Goodwin $1.7 million. (Non-Tender)
Reynaldo López $2.8 million. Tender
Evan Marshall $2.3 million. Non-Tender. Offer Minor league contract.

Impending Free Agents (spend $0)

Leury García (2021 contract: $3.5 million). No..second coming of Marwin Hernandez
Billy Hamilton (2021 contract: $1 million). No..
Ryan Tepera (2021 contract: $950,000). No..
Carlos Rodón (Spotrac market value is $24.1 million). He won't get $24M AAV, but someone will give him $9-$10M for 2 or 3 years. No we'll spend elsewhere.

Team Contract Options (spend $16M)

Pick up, decline, or rework the deal — and explain any tough or complicated calls.

Craig Kimbrel $16 million (or a $1 million buyout) Pick Up and Trade
César Hernández $6 million (Decline)

Free agents Add ($9M)

Collin McHugh (RP - two years $6M) Was underpaid in TB at $1.8M and consistently pitches 50+ innings with swing and miss. Perfect for using for the 6-7 inning role.

Jonathan Villar (2B/SS/UT - one year $4M) Replacement for Luery Garcia with more pop and better speed.

Billy Hamilton (OF - one year $2M) Were going to be a little thin on defense in the OF with the trade below, so Billy will get a lot of late inning playing time.

Sean Doolittle (LH RP - one year $2M) Another one year flier. With the rotation all RH adding a 3rd LH reliever makes sense.

Trades (Remove $10.25 million)

Craig Kimbrel (Phillies) Dave Dombrowski has traded for him before and is in a win now scenario having Harper's contract and Giraldi as manager. That being said, while they can absorb the $16M and have a desperate need for a closer, this deal needs to be a little more appetizing. The White Sox include Adam Engel to patrol CF now that Philly let Herrera walk. While I hate letting Engel go, there's just to much talent between Vaughn/Sheets/Cespedes and if we sign Oscar Colas etc. CWS gets in return the #21 prospect RHP Christian McGowan and #25 LHP Jordi Martinez both projectable starters that will be in AA Birmingham with a 2024 timeframe.

Micker Adolfo and Jake Burger to Oakland for Chris Bassitt former CWS draft pick has $8M due in 2022 before headed to FA. Oakland always conservative gets two players back that they can put in the lineup in 2022 full time. CWS looses excess in Burger and potential Jorge Soler type in Micker Adolfo, but as I stated above the Sox are loaded in the OF and Moncada isn't going anywhere. Bassitt a late bloomer has figured out how to pitch and has swing and miss. He'll be 3-4 in the rotation.

Summary

Lineup
1. Anderson SS
2. Robert CF
3. Jimenez DH
4. Abreu 1B
5. Moncada 3B
6. Grandal C
7. Vaughn LF
8. Sheets RF
9. Villar 2B

Bench: Collins, Rutherford, Hamilton, Gonzalez, Mendick

Rotation: Giolito, Lynn, Cease, Bassitt and Kopech/Keuchel

Bullpen: Hendriks, Bummer, McHugh, Kopech/Keuchel, Lopez, Crochet and Doolittle

We continue to be a very flexible team in the field with multiple starting and bench players able to play multiple positions. We add a little more pop and speed at 2B along with alternating right/left handed bats adding Sheets full time. While we exposes ourselves defensively with Sheets in RF we can balance that out with Hamilton. Finally promote Rutherford for a LH bat off the bench, I think he'll be the same type of player on the MLB level as in the minors .260 average power and a tad better than average defense.

The rotation is heavy on the right handers, I see a way to platoon Kopech and Keuchel protecting both of them by rotating them some how from starters to pen work. The bullpen adds some two/three inning guys with McHugh/Lopez and if Keuchel is coming in the 6,7 innings or earlier. We would still maintain Ruiz, Foster and Lambert on the 40 man roster in case of injuries, which is great depth in addition to adding future arms to the system that is short on quality pitching prospects.

TOTAL 2022 Salaries = $154.25M about $10M under 2021. This allows for some last minute free agent deals if the market turns in your favor or adding salary at the trade deadline in a quality starter or position player due to injury