Write Sox

As I write this post the White Sox are playing the Reds in their Cactus League finale. Following the game they'll take tomorrow off before heading to San Diego to play two final games against the Padres before the season begins in Oakland on Monday. As camp closes, the biggest question remaining is who will win the final roster spot: Travis Ishikawa or Jerry Sands ? Carlos Sanchez was already sent to Charlotte, and Robin Ventura has said J.B. Shuck will be on the team. There may be a new contender in play for that spot, though, following some news out of Tampa Bay Rays camp on Wednesday.

We've only a little more than a week to get through before Opening Day gets here, and as the Sox wind down camp in Glendale, there are still a few roster spots being fought over. Essentially there are two spots on the bench that are up for grabs with Jerry Sands , Carlos Sanchez , Travis Ishikawa , Matt Davidson and J.B. Shuck fighting for them. In reality, however, I believe there's only one spot open and that there are four people fighting for it. J.B. Shuck is going to make the team.

While The War of LaRoches isn't as violent as it was a couple of days ago, as the flames turn to embers, I can't help but look in the fire and see the end of Robin Ventura as White Sox manager. There's been a whole lot of stupid during this entire saga, and it's come from all different angles. From Adam LaRoche , to his teammates, to Kenny Williams, to the media covering the story. Just about everybody has played their role in this confederacy of dunces, but the name that has been absent in all of it is the name of the man who is supposedly in charge of the clubhouse that appears so fractured. What exactly is it you do around here, Robin?

You may have noticed that, in spite it being one of the major sports stories in the country this week, I haven't written a damn word about the drama surrounding the White Sox and Adam LaRoche (well, okay, I did do this ). I wrote about LaRoche retiring , and about how the Sox can go about replacing him , but I didn't touch the soap opera. It's not that I don't have thoughts on it -- I have plenty. It's just that I created this site for my own personal amusement. This is exactly the kind of story I'd cover the hell out of if this site was meant to serve an actual purpose. This is a story that gets dem clicks. That's why the local media, national media, and everything in between are covering the hell out of it. It's a ridiculous story, and one that you can't wait to see what happens next.

Wow, this whole Adam LaRoche situation has gone to a new level , as the White Sox have rallied around their new common enemy. Kenny Williams.

Yesterday's news that Adam LaRoche caught everybody by surprise. You weren't expecting it, I wasn't expecting it, not even Rick Hahn knew it was coming. That's not much of a lede, but it's good enough to serve as my excuse. You see, when I wrote up LaRoche's retirement yesterday , and what it means for the White Sox, I forgot about an option for them moving forward. Thankfully Christina Kahrl didn't . I didn't even think to include Justin Morneau as a possible replacement for LaRoche. Not because I forgot Morneau existed, but because I didn't even realize he's a free agent. I figured he was just still with the Rockies. That's what this weird ass offseason has done. I mean, David Freese , the guy who was probably the top free agent at third base this winter didn't sign with anybody until last week. So I never even considered him an option. That's my bad. I own it.

Tuesday afternoon brought quite the surprise. Adam LaRoche announced his sudden retirement, which typically doesn't happen in mid-March a few weeks before the season begins. Especially when the player retiring is guaranteed $13 million for the upcoming season. My initial reaction to the news, aside from the surprise, was a happy one. I'd already considered LaRoche a sunk cost before the season began after he was horrible in 2015, and was now a year older, with a bat slightly slower. But is this really good news? I don't think we can know for sure right now. LaRoche retiring presents some positives, but the timing also introduces a few negatives. Let's try to figure this whole thing out.

Carlos Quentin is with the Minnesota Twins now. You may not have heard. You see, after retiring last May, a strange thing occurred. The body that was constantly breaking down and betraying Quentin actually began to heal, and the thought dawned on Carlos that he could give baseball another shot. And he is. After working out for teams, Quentin signed with the Twins, and now he's with them this spring trying to earn a spot on the team. He's also saying all the right things. “I decided to take on this challenge, because it’s completely different than anything I’ve done,” Quentin told the Star-Tribune . “If I can help this team, that’s all I can ask. I’m excited for this experience.” You're excited for this experience, huh, Carlos? You sure about that? Because that photo of you up there, it says different.

There I was on Wednesday afternoon, watching college basketball and keeping an eye on all the latest in NFL free agency, and on how things are going with Illinois football as Lovie Smith continues to put together a coaching staff. Oh, and I was working too. I promise. As I was doing this, I began seeing strange things on Twitter. White Sox fans talking about trading for Jay Bruce . This on its own confused me quite a bit because, well, the White Sox just signed Austin Jackson . Adding Jay Bruce at this juncture would seem to be a bit of overkill because you only have three outfield spots to work with, and you already have four outfielders.

Photo credit: Chicago White Sox With the signing of Austin Jackson I believe it's safe to assume that the White Sox offseason has come to an end. At least when it comes to making moves that will have a direct impact on the Major League roster. It was certainly a strange offseason, as it lasted longer than any other in terms of building the team over the winter. The trade for Todd Frazier happened in mid-December, but it feels like a year and 15 transactions ago already. Frazier, of course, was the biggest move Rick Hahn made during the offseason, and he didn't have to pay much of a price to get him. I mean, any time you can get an All-Star third baseman who not only plays excellent defense but has 30+ home run power, and all you do is give up a likely reliever, a fourth outfielder and a player without a position, it's hard to say no.

It appears that a few weeks into spring training, with nearly four Cactus League games under their belt, the White Sox offseason is officially over. Jon Heyman broke the news on Sunday that the White Sox had signed Austin Jackson to a one-year, $5 million deal. It doesn't come as much of a surprise. According to reports, the White Sox were still very interested in adding another outfielder to the mix, and while they had been bandied about as a trade partner for guys like Jay Bruce and Carlos Gonzalez , I always thought signing Jackson to a cheap deal made the most sense. And that's exactly what has happened. So what does it mean? Let's figure that out.