WEBVTT - 2026 White Sox Roster Quiz 0:00:00.310 --> 0:00:03.550 Howard, my dad was T-boned by a utility vehicle and 0:00:03.690 --> 0:00:06.900 is in surgery now. What should I do? 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:08.580 I'm sorry to hear about that. 0:00:08.940 --> 0:00:11.040 It's really great that you're getting him the medical care 0:00:11.060 --> 0:00:13.420 and treatment that he needs right now. These are three 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:15.940 important things that I think you need to know. Injuries 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:19.630 are unexpected and turn lives upside down. I'm Howard Ankin, 0:00:19.790 --> 0:00:20.489 and I'm here to help. 0:00:20.970 --> 0:00:22.409 If you or a loved one have been hurt at 0:00:22.450 --> 0:00:24.630 work or in a car, truck, or ride share accident, 0:00:24.890 --> 0:00:29.390 call 312-6-MILLION. Injury law made personal. That's Ankin Law. 0:00:43.490 --> 0:00:48.970 From your favorite source for Chicago White Sox talk, delivering news, interviews, analysis, 0:00:49.130 --> 0:00:53.010 and more. This is the Sox Machine Podcast with your hosts, 0:00:53.190 --> 0:00:54.990 Jim Margulis and Josh Nelson. 0:00:55.270 --> 0:00:57.290 Hello, folks. Welcome to a new episode of the Sox 0:00:57.310 --> 0:01:00.710 Machine Podcast, part of the Foul Territory Network. I'm your host, 0:01:00.870 --> 0:01:04.150 Josh Nelson, and we are recording this episode Wednesday night, 0:01:04.730 --> 0:01:06.170 October 21st, 2026, and we are excited about this episode. 0:01:09.060 --> 0:01:11.759 Because we have a World Series matchup. It's going to 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:13.980 be the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. I'm 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:17.480 really excited for this World Series. I think this is 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.220 going to be a phenomenal matchup. Between the two teams 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:24.490 that have been playing the best baseball, yes, yes. Small market, 0:01:24.810 --> 0:01:28.030 heavily analytics. They don't spend a lot of money. I 0:01:28.069 --> 0:01:30.670 get all those storylines. But with a game on the 0:01:30.730 --> 0:01:33.280 field and the players that are participating... I think this 0:01:33.330 --> 0:01:35.210 is going to be a great matchup. We'll talk more 0:01:35.610 --> 0:01:39.630 about the World Series. Also, we have a rumor concerning 0:01:39.650 --> 0:01:43.050 the Chicago White Sox. According to Chandler Rome, who is 0:01:43.090 --> 0:01:46.990 the Houston Astros beat reporter of The Athletic, current White 0:01:47.010 --> 0:01:50.580 Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield is in the running 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:54.620 to become the Houston Astros coach. General Manager, are the 0:01:54.660 --> 0:01:57.640 White Sox at risk of brain drain, which would be 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.220 a first in a while. We'll talk about that, but 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:05.020 we're excited because it's our annual quiz of trying to 0:02:05.100 --> 0:02:08.020 name all of the players who appeared in a game 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:10.859 for the Chicago White Sox in 2026. That's how we'll 0:02:10.900 --> 0:02:15.300 end today. this show so you get all yell at 0:02:15.419 --> 0:02:20.070 us whether you're watching or listening to the car players 0:02:20.090 --> 0:02:22.869 that we are forgetting about we aced it last year 0:02:22.910 --> 0:02:25.810 we got all of them there's 59 players that we 0:02:25.850 --> 0:02:29.340 have to guess And we'll be attempting that task later 0:02:29.500 --> 0:02:31.960 in the show. But joining me now is Sox Machines 0:02:32.340 --> 0:02:37.100 Managing Editor. It's Jim Margulis. And hello, Jim. We have 0:02:37.220 --> 0:02:40.340 a World Series matchup. It is the Tampa Bay Rays 0:02:40.650 --> 0:02:44.150 and the Milwaukee Brewers. How are you feeling about this 0:02:44.210 --> 0:02:46.630 World Series? I know it's kind of chalkish because both 0:02:46.650 --> 0:02:47.890 teams were the number one seeds. 0:02:49.090 --> 0:02:54.650 Good. For a lot of reasons. One is that as 0:02:54.850 --> 0:02:58.030 a fan of regular season baseball, I do like seeing 0:02:58.070 --> 0:03:01.669 the teams that were the best through 162 games rewarded 0:03:01.770 --> 0:03:06.380 for their depth and the ability to solve problems during 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:10.399 the season and add talent, whether from within or from outside. 0:03:10.419 --> 0:03:14.940 When you have number one seeds advance all the way, 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:18.410 the two best records... You know, American League and National 0:03:18.450 --> 0:03:22.550 League and no flukes happening to where like an 83 0:03:22.550 --> 0:03:27.010 win team upsets them feels like rewarding, feels like the 0:03:27.030 --> 0:03:30.190 process of baseball is rewarded by that. You also have, 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:33.300 you know, I guess to a lesser extent, the whole 0:03:33.380 --> 0:03:38.190 salary cap thing of just, you know, the. to non-big spenders, 0:03:38.290 --> 0:03:41.060 small markets, getting to be in the World Series and 0:03:41.300 --> 0:03:46.280 having that not flukish story behind it to where they 0:03:46.300 --> 0:03:48.120 were the best teams all season and they're in the 0:03:48.140 --> 0:03:50.730 World Series now. That's kind of cool. But I think 0:03:51.810 --> 0:03:57.290 more than that is just that they play watchable brands 0:03:57.350 --> 0:04:00.130 of baseball like pleasing brands of baseball they can win 0:04:00.170 --> 0:04:02.850 in different ways they can pitch to victory they can 0:04:02.890 --> 0:04:05.530 hit to victory they can run to victory defend a 0:04:05.590 --> 0:04:10.760 victory uh i think the brewers are especially impressive with 0:04:10.780 --> 0:04:13.120 the way they can kind of they are hitting for 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:14.880 power now didn't hit for power over the course of 0:04:14.900 --> 0:04:17.800 regular season didn't have to then kind of shape shift 0:04:17.900 --> 0:04:20.480 based on what they need or what opportunities present themselves 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:23.940 And when you're watching the White Sox, and these are 0:04:23.980 --> 0:04:27.220 two teams that are emulating, it's worth watching closely just 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:30.920 to see what kind of opportunities they create for themselves, 0:04:30.980 --> 0:04:33.570 what kind of opportunities they seize when other teams give 0:04:33.589 --> 0:04:36.470 it to them, and just the way they're able to 0:04:36.670 --> 0:04:41.950 manufacture victory and whether they can manufacture victory against an 0:04:41.990 --> 0:04:44.760 opponent that's really just as talented and as resourceful as 0:04:44.779 --> 0:04:45.180 the other one. 0:04:45.890 --> 0:04:48.740 And I'm excited about the game one pitchy matchup. The 0:04:48.779 --> 0:04:51.659 Brewers have announced it's going to be Jacob Mizorowski. The 0:04:51.779 --> 0:04:55.700 expectation is that it'll be Drew Rasmussen for the Tampa 0:04:55.740 --> 0:04:58.460 Bay Rays. I think that's a phenomenal way to get 0:04:58.500 --> 0:05:01.539 the World Series started between these two teams. 0:05:02.100 --> 0:05:02.740 No openers. 0:05:03.580 --> 0:05:07.330 No openers, at least to start the World Series. And 0:05:07.730 --> 0:05:10.770 if they were to see Freddy Peralta, maybe even in 0:05:10.810 --> 0:05:15.370 game two, coming back to Milwaukee, that's a fascinating storyline. 0:05:15.490 --> 0:05:18.550 And Freddy Peralta has been doing a phenomenal job pitching 0:05:19.150 --> 0:05:21.450 in the postseason, ever since he's joined the Rays, really. 0:05:22.029 --> 0:05:25.110 That trade really worked out for Tampa. And one quick 0:05:25.210 --> 0:05:28.229 fix for the Rays and Freddy Peralta's back, Jim, to 0:05:28.270 --> 0:05:30.980 his all-star form when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers. 0:05:31.010 --> 0:05:34.140 Just amazing work by the Rays. The thing that I 0:05:34.220 --> 0:05:37.669 really want to push back against, and you're hearing it 0:05:37.730 --> 0:05:42.469 from other baseball shows, is this whole idea that, well, 0:05:42.550 --> 0:05:44.670 the Brewers and Rays could do it. Now every team 0:05:44.750 --> 0:05:46.890 wants to be able to do this, where to be 0:05:46.970 --> 0:05:50.370 able to win the pennants of the respective leagues, to 0:05:50.450 --> 0:05:54.920 be a 100-win team with $ 125 million payroll. So I 0:05:54.940 --> 0:05:57.799 know that you said that it's not fluky in how 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:01.040 the Brewers and Rays got to where they are today. 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:06.660 But looking at the history, especially the last decade of baseball, Jim, 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:09.730 it is a bit fluky of how little they've had 0:06:09.770 --> 0:06:14.450 to spend. But these are really young teams taking advantage 0:06:14.670 --> 0:06:20.460 of pre-arbitration opportunities, and they've done a phenomenal job. developing 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:25.000 talent in-house. I think this World Series demonstrates that when 0:06:25.060 --> 0:06:28.940 you build a core and you reach your peak in 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:31.870 the development and they're in their second or third year 0:06:31.950 --> 0:06:36.289 playing together, this is the outcome. And to your point, 0:06:36.330 --> 0:06:38.810 like the White Sox trying to emulate both the Brewers 0:06:38.870 --> 0:06:42.910 and Rays, We saw a little bit of that in 2026, 0:06:42.910 --> 0:06:46.909 and maybe we'll see more of it in 2027 to 2028. 0:06:46.910 --> 0:06:51.740 But I don't want Jerry Reinstorf to get the idea, Jim, that, oh, well, 0:06:51.779 --> 0:06:53.780 now we don't have to spend because look at the 0:06:53.820 --> 0:06:58.160 Brewers and Rays. The Dodgers were the back-to-back World Series champions. 0:06:58.580 --> 0:07:00.980 They made it back to the National League Championship Series. 0:07:01.100 --> 0:07:02.800 I don't think that's necessarily true. 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.950 Yeah, I mean– You can make it easier on yourself 0:07:06.990 --> 0:07:10.730 by spending money. The Brewers and the Rays, this is 0:07:11.050 --> 0:07:14.950 all years in the making, decade plus in the making, 0:07:15.110 --> 0:07:20.210 and just perfecting those engines. And you watch the Pirates, 0:07:20.550 --> 0:07:23.830 for example, our team that has had fits and starts 0:07:23.940 --> 0:07:26.840 while trying to always spend so little. I would put 0:07:26.860 --> 0:07:29.240 the Guardians. I would say the Guardians are tier below 0:07:29.260 --> 0:07:33.030 the the Rays and the Brewers in terms of, they're 0:07:33.050 --> 0:07:34.530 what you look like when you could really use a 0:07:34.530 --> 0:07:38.530 little bit more money. The Guardians, just one outfielder, one 0:07:39.470 --> 0:07:42.450 corner infielder, or first baseman, I should say, since Jose 0:07:42.550 --> 0:07:45.250 Ramirez is on the other corner. But just somebody hit 0:07:45.270 --> 0:07:49.390 for power where guys for power usually play. That's where 0:07:49.410 --> 0:07:51.510 you can look at money and say, that would really 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.860 help to have an extra $ 20 million, $ 30 million to 0:07:54.900 --> 0:07:57.200 be able to drop on one or two players that 0:07:57.580 --> 0:08:01.390 the Dolans are never... willing to provide to their front office. 0:08:01.410 --> 0:08:03.930 So I think that's probably where you look at the 0:08:03.990 --> 0:08:07.130 money and say, like, if you're the razor brewers grade good, 0:08:07.170 --> 0:08:09.690 then sure, you can do that. But yeah, if you 0:08:09.870 --> 0:08:12.670 are just missing something, that's where the money comes in. 0:08:12.710 --> 0:08:16.290 That's what the money's for. And, uh, you can just 0:08:16.330 --> 0:08:18.850 make it so much easier versus having, you know, like 0:08:18.870 --> 0:08:20.990 the pirates were like, you know, you, you hope that 0:08:21.010 --> 0:08:24.570 everything clicks into place. And if it doesn't, uh, and 0:08:24.610 --> 0:08:27.130 if you just have like one setback with one key player, 0:08:28.020 --> 0:08:29.989 You're kicked back down the chain. The Reds are like this, too, 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:33.170 I think, just where all it takes is one injury, 0:08:33.550 --> 0:08:40.130 one player who was on the cusp of greatness falling backwards. 0:08:40.190 --> 0:08:42.850 Then you're back where you started, and your fan base 0:08:42.890 --> 0:08:44.030 is completely demoralized. 0:08:44.650 --> 0:08:50.620 Jacob Mizorowski hasn't signed one of those pre-arbitration contract extensions, right, 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:52.660 that we've seen around baseball? 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.619 No. I don't believe so because I think we'd be 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:57.700 hearing a lot about it. Yeah. 0:08:58.540 --> 0:09:00.439 So there's going to be a day that Mizorowski is 0:09:00.460 --> 0:09:02.400 going to be a free agent. And I can't even 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:05.180 speculate where that price tag is going to start, Jim. 0:09:06.010 --> 0:09:08.110 It's just that with the Brewers and Rays, they're perfectly 0:09:08.190 --> 0:09:13.090 fine with this type of super college baseball program type 0:09:13.130 --> 0:09:15.430 of method where it is a lot of roster churn. 0:09:15.550 --> 0:09:18.860 Every four or five years, it's new faces coming in. 0:09:19.429 --> 0:09:23.670 But both organizations have done a phenomenal job in player development, Jim, 0:09:24.290 --> 0:09:27.570 and doing well in the international and draft front to 0:09:27.610 --> 0:09:30.860 keep feeding the machine. Because that's the only way that 0:09:30.880 --> 0:09:34.179 they can compete is to go through this churn. because 0:09:34.220 --> 0:09:37.739 they know that they're not, other than Christian Yellich, which 0:09:37.780 --> 0:09:41.449 has been the outlier for the Milwaukee Brewers, neither organization 0:09:41.500 --> 0:09:44.949 is ever going to sign guys to eight or 10-year contracts. 0:09:44.970 --> 0:09:47.350 They're not getting the Kyle Tuckers, right? And if they 0:09:47.390 --> 0:09:49.830 do get the Kyle Tuckers and Tucker does perform like 0:09:49.870 --> 0:09:53.179 he did, well, then it's a huge detriment where it's 0:09:53.179 --> 0:09:55.000 not so much for the Dodgers. 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:58.270 Yeah. And like Milwaukee, you know the international component is 0:09:58.340 --> 0:10:00.780 huge and when you look at what the white socks 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:03.820 are missing like they are a great reminder of just 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.300 how much work is left for david keller and just 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.040 getting that uh international department up to speed because it's 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:15.820 it's A third of the talent base, basically. You have 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:21.080 three ways to import talent into the organization. Free agents 0:10:21.620 --> 0:10:25.400 or trades or what have you. Amateur draft and then international. 0:10:25.860 --> 0:10:29.240 And the White Sox just have gotten nothing aside from 0:10:29.340 --> 0:10:35.520 Leneen Sosa from their international department. And it's just hard 0:10:35.540 --> 0:10:36.780 when you look at the depth, when you look at 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:39.450 where they kind of come on the prospect rankings and 0:10:39.490 --> 0:10:43.050 just you know, that they have to trade their way 0:10:43.110 --> 0:10:45.990 into rising up the prospect rankings. And when guys graduate, 0:10:46.010 --> 0:10:47.580 it's hard for them to regain the ground. Whereas the 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:50.520 brewers can just keep refilling that list because they're They 0:10:50.540 --> 0:10:54.740 always have some interesting 19, 20, 21-year-olds who just popped 0:10:54.780 --> 0:10:58.960 on the radar and are flashing impressive tools and are 0:10:58.980 --> 0:11:01.420 the top prospects in their leagues in A ball and 0:11:01.780 --> 0:11:03.380 high A and such. And then it just kind of 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:04.200 starts all over again. 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:04.960 Yeah. 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:09.540 And I think both fan bases are familiar with the 0:11:09.580 --> 0:11:12.600 point of, yeah, these guys will probably be leaving. If 0:11:12.620 --> 0:11:17.479 we don't sign them to a pre-arbitration contract extension, they're 0:11:17.500 --> 0:11:21.750 probably leaving. in four or five years via trade, because 0:11:21.770 --> 0:11:24.990 the Brewers have not been shy about trading, especially in 0:11:25.010 --> 0:11:28.730 the pitching front. Guys away a year before, they become 0:11:28.790 --> 0:11:33.699 free agents. Still, though, a critical bass for both sides 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:37.000 in building their teams. They've done a terrific job. I 0:11:37.020 --> 0:11:38.780 think this is going to be a great World Series. 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:41.020 There's a part of you, Jim, that wants it to 0:11:41.059 --> 0:11:44.439 go seven games, last as long as possible. I know 0:11:44.460 --> 0:11:47.290 that pushes back some of our plans, but I think 0:11:47.350 --> 0:11:50.750 we're in store of great baseball between the Brewers and Rays. Again, 0:11:50.790 --> 0:11:54.790 the World Series starts on Friday night up in Milwaukee. 0:11:54.980 --> 0:11:58.140 It's going to be a scene in Milwaukee. Can't wait 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:01.199 to watch on Fox. And of course, our friends over 0:12:01.260 --> 0:12:04.280 at Fox One, if you do not have a cable provider, 0:12:04.340 --> 0:12:07.989 you could stream the game on Fox One. We do 0:12:08.030 --> 0:12:09.310 have some White Sox news. 0:12:10.070 --> 0:12:10.970 A rumor, Jim. 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:14.650 Josh Barfield, the current assistant general manager of the Chicago 0:12:14.690 --> 0:12:18.350 White Sox, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, who 0:12:18.390 --> 0:12:22.209 does a phenomenal job covering the Houston Astros. And he's 0:12:22.270 --> 0:12:25.110 also part of a podcast, part of the Foul Territory Network, 0:12:25.330 --> 0:12:27.930 the Crush City Territory. And you can see him on 0:12:27.950 --> 0:12:32.520 the Foul Territory show periodically. And he's reporting all of 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.020 the candidates that are in the running to become the 0:12:35.059 --> 0:12:38.300 Houston Astros general manager. And you can go over to 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.360 the Crush City Territory on their YouTube channel and as 0:12:41.420 --> 0:12:44.000 Chandler did an excellent job breaking down the five candidates. 0:12:44.380 --> 0:12:47.050 And one of them is current White Sox assistant general 0:12:47.090 --> 0:12:52.050 manager Josh Barfield. And it appears that Barfield and Houston 0:12:52.110 --> 0:12:56.610 Astros owner had a conversation pregame during the American League 0:12:56.670 --> 0:13:00.940 wildcard round. So it might have been an actual interview 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:05.700 that happened between Jim Crane of the Houston Astros and 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:11.230 Josh Barfield. But the... The great thing about rebuilding a 0:13:11.270 --> 0:13:14.189 front office is that you bring in all these outside voices, Jim, 0:13:14.210 --> 0:13:17.390 and it can radically change a team's fortune. That's the 0:13:17.429 --> 0:13:21.170 benefit of the 2026 season. The bad side is once 0:13:21.210 --> 0:13:25.290 you start developing really talented people, you have brain drain. 0:13:25.410 --> 0:13:27.699 And we talked about the Rays. The Rays suffer from 0:13:27.740 --> 0:13:30.940 brain drain. The Brewers have suffered from brain drain. The 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:34.180 Cubs have just recently suffered from brain drain. Should the 0:13:34.220 --> 0:13:37.560 White Sox start worrying about suffering from brain drain? 0:13:39.770 --> 0:13:44.250 Potentially. It seems like they could be a year away. 0:13:44.270 --> 0:13:48.320 I think the White Sox have improved dramatically, I think, 0:13:48.890 --> 0:13:51.410 in terms of their processes, not just the wins and losses. 0:13:53.059 --> 0:13:58.040 You had Chris Goetz, unpopular choice to be GM after 0:13:58.220 --> 0:14:01.160 firing Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams, but he at least 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.740 knew what the team wasn't doing. And that goes a 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.880 long way, I think, into putting the first big dent 0:14:07.900 --> 0:14:11.390 in uh, in the, the, the sizable job that was 0:14:11.429 --> 0:14:14.750 ahead of him. But I do wonder about the next 0:14:14.809 --> 0:14:19.550 step and just trying to improve and keep adding to 0:14:19.580 --> 0:14:23.180 the front office, especially with, you know, Jerry Reinstorf and 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.880 his history, at least the public comments of just saying like, Oh, 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.500 being interesting in September is good enough. You do wonder 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:31.250 about his appetite for, you know, for improving and, and, 0:14:31.270 --> 0:14:34.270 you know, the kind of, uh, support he'll give to 0:14:34.550 --> 0:14:36.910 keep building out the front office and keep revising it. 0:14:36.970 --> 0:14:40.200 But I think the White Sox have done kind of 0:14:40.740 --> 0:14:42.859 the easy part or the easier part of the hard 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.420 work and just correcting some things that are really, really bad. 0:14:46.140 --> 0:14:50.760 And now, you know, I was reading Jarrett Seidler's front 0:14:50.780 --> 0:14:54.260 office rankings at Baseball Perspectives just to kind of get 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.880 an overview of what teams do and where GMs come from. 0:14:56.940 --> 0:14:59.820 And the White Sox ranked 19th, which I think is 0:15:00.180 --> 0:15:06.280 pretty fair for... Progress. Yeah, progress in the middle third. 0:15:06.300 --> 0:15:11.080 And showing that their processes have improved and that they 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:15.680 have the right ideas, whether they can continue to improve 0:15:15.940 --> 0:15:19.280 after a breakout season and fine-tune things, that remains to 0:15:19.300 --> 0:15:25.130 be seen. But the Astros... I think they're probably still 0:15:25.270 --> 0:15:28.140 fairly advanced, you know, from the Jeff Lu nowadays and just, 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.600 you know, maybe coasting on inertia, uh, for some of 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:34.020 it's in recently, but I think, you know, Dana Brown 0:15:34.910 --> 0:15:38.150 was trying, you know, after James click, uh, you know, they, 0:15:38.170 --> 0:15:40.410 they let go of James click after the world series win. 0:15:40.430 --> 0:15:43.170 And I think, you know, Dana Brown brought more of a, uh, 0:15:43.730 --> 0:15:45.730 scouting background to it, but it did seem like he 0:15:45.770 --> 0:15:49.390 was trying to avoid the dumb things like just the 0:15:49.410 --> 0:15:54.080 kind of Jeff Bagwell wing of the Astros front office 0:15:54.100 --> 0:15:58.360 decision making. But I wonder if you are trying to 0:15:58.460 --> 0:16:02.760 make the next step or reclaim some of the processes, 0:16:03.760 --> 0:16:07.470 is Barfield the guy yet versus encountering that with the 0:16:07.510 --> 0:16:10.170 White Sox? Because a lot of front offices hire from 0:16:10.190 --> 0:16:13.690 the Rays and hire from the guardians and hire from, uh, 0:16:13.740 --> 0:16:15.880 you know, these, uh, you know, Red Sox to a 0:16:15.900 --> 0:16:18.520 lesser degree, but just, you know, teams that are just 0:16:18.620 --> 0:16:20.560 kind of steeped in knowing how to do it and 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:22.370 do it well over and over and over again, no 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:25.570 matter who graduates, no matter who, uh, uh, gets too 0:16:25.610 --> 0:16:28.710 expensive and just keep doing it. Are the, is the 0:16:28.750 --> 0:16:33.430 White Sox decision-making, um, advanced or mature enough to where 0:16:33.450 --> 0:16:37.100 the the guys that are picked from that process know 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:40.720 how to immediately apply it to another team. I wonder 0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:43.560 if they're still a year away from knowing exactly what 0:16:43.580 --> 0:16:46.720 they're doing once they're good versus just one of the 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.020 worst teams in baseball and two years ago, the worst 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:50.660 team in modern baseball history. 0:16:51.420 --> 0:16:54.400 Yeah, it's a tough gig, the Houston Astros job, because 0:16:54.420 --> 0:16:58.380 I don't think you can rebuild with the talent that 0:16:58.420 --> 0:17:01.520 you already have, but you don't have a lot going 0:17:01.700 --> 0:17:05.570 on in the farm system. So they're at a tough 0:17:05.630 --> 0:17:10.380 spot right now. It would not surprise me if they 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:13.530 won 90 games next year, Jim, and it wouldn't surprise me. 0:17:14.140 --> 0:17:16.520 If they only won 70, I think there's a wide 0:17:16.580 --> 0:17:20.000 range of outcomes for the 2027 Houston Astros. And this 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:23.030 offseason is going to be really important for them. But 0:17:23.690 --> 0:17:26.030 I imagine as long as you still have Jordan Alvarez, 0:17:26.070 --> 0:17:28.530 you still want to continue winning or trying to win. 0:17:28.550 --> 0:17:31.790 And when you got Jeremy Pena, but you have aging 0:17:32.369 --> 0:17:34.910 players as well in that roster. So it would be 0:17:35.060 --> 0:17:36.820 it would not be an easy job. I don't think 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.320 there's any easy jobs in Major League Baseball as a 0:17:39.340 --> 0:17:43.610 general manager, Jim. But for a first-time GM for Josh Barfield, 0:17:44.230 --> 0:17:47.810 I don't necessarily think that this is an easy gig. Now, 0:17:47.970 --> 0:17:51.710 another job opening is coming up, and that is the 0:17:51.750 --> 0:17:55.790 Los Angeles Angels. They are moving on from their manager 0:17:56.250 --> 0:17:58.899 and general manager. So they need a new front office 0:17:58.940 --> 0:18:01.480 as well, and that front office will decide on the manager. 0:18:02.970 --> 0:18:05.670 I don't know if the Angels job would be more attractive, 0:18:06.130 --> 0:18:09.680 but you have Stan Kroenke now as the new owner. 0:18:10.460 --> 0:18:12.139 So I don't know how much pressure there is to 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:14.379 win or if he would be more open to the 0:18:14.500 --> 0:18:17.760 idea of, yeah, I understand that this is a rebuild. 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:20.060 So do what we need to do to be a 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:25.020 sustainable winner. But Kroenke has won on every level that 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:29.619 he's owned right now recently. So maybe Josh Barfield becomes 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:32.050 in the running for that gig as well. 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:35.870 Yeah, I think like the Angels is more interesting just 0:18:35.910 --> 0:18:38.910 because it could be like a rebuild, but it's more 0:18:38.950 --> 0:18:43.550 like build out the infrastructure– You know, get a couple 0:18:43.570 --> 0:18:45.550 of years to build out the infrastructure of your front office, 0:18:45.590 --> 0:18:47.330 but also he might have the money to make the 0:18:47.390 --> 0:18:51.320 major league roster interesting and take some shots that, you know, 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:54.240 Moreno stopped taking. And, you know, perhaps if he's not, 0:18:55.830 --> 0:18:57.890 if he's more like, hey, we're Los Angeles, we should 0:18:57.910 --> 0:19:01.170 be able to do this, you know, not necessarily. completely 0:19:01.420 --> 0:19:06.020 gut the payroll just to serve the idea of doing 0:19:06.060 --> 0:19:08.980 it right. Like you could see him try to have 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:12.480 it both ways and be willing to sign a bad 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:14.409 contract or two a short term. I don't think he's 0:19:14.430 --> 0:19:16.609 going to sign any like mega deals, but just to 0:19:16.650 --> 0:19:18.929 make the team interesting. And I think that could be, 0:19:18.950 --> 0:19:21.730 you know, when you look at the stability at his 0:19:21.790 --> 0:19:26.170 other organizations versus what the Astros have been doing with, 0:19:26.260 --> 0:19:29.379 it seems like, you know, Somebody else in Jim Crane's 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:33.010 ear giving him advice that you might not want to 0:19:33.070 --> 0:19:36.150 have implemented. I think the Angels might be a cleaner 0:19:36.170 --> 0:19:41.390 opportunity or at least unknown and nothing you can kick 0:19:41.410 --> 0:19:45.109 yourself about if it turns out like Kroenke does baseball 0:19:45.170 --> 0:19:46.350 differently than he does everything else. 0:19:46.970 --> 0:19:49.870 I don't think he'll do baseball differently. 0:19:49.890 --> 0:19:49.950 No. 0:19:50.100 --> 0:19:53.359 He's done everything else. But to your point, he spent 0:19:53.400 --> 0:19:56.869 cash and he's let his front offices do what is 0:19:56.920 --> 0:20:00.970 necessary to win. So that is a pretty interesting GM 0:20:01.030 --> 0:20:03.689 job that will be opening up. in Anaheim. I think 0:20:03.710 --> 0:20:06.030 that's the first time we could say that in more 0:20:06.050 --> 0:20:08.830 than a decade when it comes to Los Angeles Angels. 0:20:09.410 --> 0:20:11.649 But we're going to take a quick break for a 0:20:11.670 --> 0:20:13.689 word from our sponsors. But coming up next, Jim and 0:20:13.770 --> 0:20:17.070 I are going to try to name every single White 0:20:17.090 --> 0:20:18.290 Sox player that played in 2026. 0:20:18.270 --> 0:20:18.450 Just. 0:20:20.470 --> 0:20:23.860 How good of experts were we? And how good is 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.619 our memory of all the players who played for the 0:20:26.660 --> 0:20:30.040 White Sox this season? We can't wait. Again, that'll be 0:20:30.060 --> 0:20:32.500 coming up next after a quick word from our sponsors. 0:20:34.500 --> 0:20:36.699 Hey, Howard. In case you need a lawyer, here's my 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:39.140 business card. I'm attorney Howard Ankin. 0:20:39.180 --> 0:20:39.960 Oh, hey, Howard. 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:42.320 If you or someone you know has been hurt at work, 0:20:43.000 --> 0:20:45.980 Ankin Law can get the medical bills paid, the lost 0:20:46.030 --> 0:20:50.070 wages reimbursed, and the compensation you deserve. 0:20:50.690 --> 0:20:51.149 Hey, Howard. 0:20:51.230 --> 0:20:53.190 We're one of the largest filers throughout the state of 0:20:53.230 --> 0:20:59.480 Illinois of workers' compensation claims. We're here to help. Call 312-6MILLION. 0:21:00.180 --> 0:21:03.020 Injury law made personal. That's Ankin Law. 0:21:03.980 --> 0:21:07.510 Visit the new Sox Machine store at SoxMachineShop.com to pick 0:21:07.550 --> 0:21:11.720 up your new white socks and Sox Machine gear. Sam Antonacci, 0:21:11.740 --> 0:21:16.460 Munitaka Murakami, Tristan Peters, Chase Maidroth, and the celibate for 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:19.640 Sean Burke shirts are available in the store, plus new 0:21:19.700 --> 0:21:25.459 Sox Machine three-quarter zip-ups, sweaters, coffee mugs, and Sox Machine shirts, 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:31.570 officially licensed gear from the MLB Players Association. Visit SoxMachineShop.com. 0:21:33.540 --> 0:21:37.040 Welcome back to the Sox Machine Podcast. And we did 0:21:37.060 --> 0:21:38.980 it last year, so I guess you could say this 0:21:39.020 --> 0:21:45.160 will be our annual activity, the White Sox Roster Quiz. 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:48.169 59 different players played at least one game for the 0:21:48.170 --> 0:21:52.619 2026 Chicago White Sox. And thank you to our quiz 0:21:52.680 --> 0:21:56.830 master at Sox Machine, Ted Mulvey. He does a fantastic 0:21:56.869 --> 0:22:01.429 job with the Saturday Sporacles. So you can participate in 0:22:01.450 --> 0:22:03.430 the link in the description if you're watching this video 0:22:03.490 --> 0:22:06.800 on YouTube.com slash Sox Machine. We'll have the link again 0:22:06.820 --> 0:22:10.180 available on SoxMachine.com. I know some of you have already 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:14.380 partaken in the quiz. So Jim and I are going 0:22:14.440 --> 0:22:17.470 to try to name every player who played for the 0:22:17.510 --> 0:22:22.730 White Sox this season. And we have the Sporacle up 0:22:22.730 --> 0:22:27.580 59 players. We get 25 minutes. You guys could scream 0:22:27.660 --> 0:22:31.340 at us while watching the video or listening in your 0:22:31.400 --> 0:22:35.880 car during the listening to the podcast. So if you're 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:38.020 ready to rock and roll, Jim, I'll click play and 0:22:38.060 --> 0:22:38.900 we can get started. 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:40.640 Let's go. 0:22:40.660 --> 0:22:45.609 All right. And 25 minutes to name all 59 players 0:22:45.980 --> 0:22:48.890