The Philadelphia Phillies make the Chicago White Sox look foolish

The Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies started out the season as the most disappointing teams in baseball. The White Sox continued to disappoint while the Phillies did something to turn things around.

The Phillies fired manager Joe Girardi on June 3rd after a 22-29 start. Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf choose to remain loyal to his friend Tony La Russa despite being 23-27 on the same day Girardi was fired.

He ignored the “Fire Tony” chants and mediocre play because he had to make up for the regret of firing La Russa back in the mid-1980s.

Both teams started the year with World Series aspirations. The Chicago White Sox thought they had an easy path to October just by putting on the uniform.

The team’s talent alone would automatically mean a division title in their eyes. The Phillies knew they had an uphill battle to win the NL East with the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets in their way.

The Phillies made a bold move and are now four wins away from a championship. The White Sox dealt with mediocrity from its players and head-scratching moves from their manager.

The Phillies won seven in a row after they dismissed Girardi. They never spent a day under .500 after June 15th. The Chicago White Sox spent the entire 2022 season bouncing back and forth between being a few games under or above .500.

Making a managing change in early June allowed the Phillies to be shaken out of their doldrums. Sure, Philadelphia needed a last-week-of-the-season collapse from the Milwaukee Brewers to get into the playoffs. They did just enough to be in that position.

The Chicago White Sox needed La Russa to have a medical situation to get him out of being in charge of the lineup card. In the end, it was too little, too late.

The White Sox won 13 of 19 games after La Russa left the team on August 30th to briefly get back into the AL Central Divison race. If the Chicago White Sox decided that the game had passed La Russa by in June, the Sox might have been spurned to play better baseball.

The Phillies’ decision to cut bait on a name-brand manager shows how the Sox missed an opportunity to follow their lead.

The Philadelphia Phillies made game-changing moves, unlike the Chicago White Sox.

Philadelphia went out and signed Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. The White Sox had lacked a left-handed power bat and used two first basemen to play right field. The Sox could have used Schwarber’s left-handed power and Castellanos’ play in right.

Instead, general manager Rick Hahn went on the cheap and an 81-81 record was the final result. Hahn assembled a talented core but by not using free agency effectively his team missed out on the playoffs. Dave Dombrowski made the necessary off-season moves to put the Phillies in their current situation.

The Chicago White Sox did have a decent-sized payroll. It was not enough to pay the luxury tax. The Phillies were willing to go into that territory. Sometimes you got to pay the tax to raise a banner.

The Chicago White Sox also watched Bryce Harper make his first World Series. Harper liked his free agent visit with Chicago White Sox back in the 2018-2019 offseason.

The Sox have yet to give out a free-agent contract that involves nine figures so they were not about to give Harper the contract he was seeking. The Phillies did not blink an eye to bring in the generational talent.

The Phillies did not make any splash trades at the trade deadline but they did acquire four players that helped get them to World Series. Noah Syndergaard is no longer an ace but he pitched solidly for Philadelphia’s rotation. He was the opener in two of Philly’s postseason wins.

Brandon Marsh helped solidify centerfield for the Phillies. Former White Sox and Cubs closer David Robertson provided a high-leverage arm to Philadelphia’s bullpen. Edmundo Sosa upgraded the defense off the bench.

The Chicago White Sox had a ton of holes but only acquired reliever Jake Diekman at the deadline. That type of midseason acquisition is not going to get a team into the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Phillies made smart, bold moves, which is why they are in the World Series. The White Sox made bizarre moves born out of dysfunction. That is why the Chicago White Sox are sitting at home.