SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-After hearing White Sox general manager Rick Hahn joke about a "fake rebuild" Sunday on the radio, it seemed like a good time for a trip to Salt River Fields to check out the real deal.
The Sox were taking on the Diamondbacks, and Michael Kopech, the phenom with the triple-digit fastball, was scheduled to make his second Cactus League appearance after a disappointing debut.
But the Sox decided to throw Kopech in a simulated game Tuesday instead of facing major-league hitters in a packed ballpark.
"I think Coopy just wanted to have a more controlled environment and see if he can hammer things out a little," manager Rick Renteria said.
"Coopy" apparently is the new nickname for pitching coach Don Cooper, who was known as "Coop" under the previous three managerial regimes. It makes him sound more cuddly than crusty, so it may take some getting used to.
Prospect Reynaldo Lopez, acquired in the Adam Eaton deal, got the start and pitched well over three innings, allowing one run on three hits, including a double down the line that first baseman Jose Abreu could have gloved.
The Sox Twitter account claimed Lopez "reached 100 mph," but three scouts told me he topped out at 95. "Fake news," one scout said. "That's how rumors get started."
Misleading tweets or not, Lopez looked good and the rebuild is off to a rousing start.
The decision last week to waive second baseman Brett Lawrie, the so-called high-energy guy whose batteries were usually dead, was a good sign things have changed. The Sox could have non-tendered Lawrie in December and saved the estimated $600,000 termination fee on his $3.5 million salary, but at least the move opened the door for Yoan Moncado, the No. 2 prospect in the majors, according to Baseball America.
Well, not yet, of course. Moncada has to start out in Triple A whether he's ready or not. Ditto for Lucas Giolito, the key to the Eaton deal, who tossed three shutout innings Saturday with five strikeouts. Renteria said Sunday the plan for Giolito hasn't changed.
Too bad. Remember it was only two springs ago that the Cubs sent Kris Bryant back to Triple A despite proving he was ready. He spent a few weeks at Iowa until the Cubs were assured he would have to wait seven years for free agency, then began his Rookie of the Year season.
No two rebuilds are alike, except when it comes to service-time issues.
Like many Chicagoans, Bryant is watching the Sox rebuild with great interest.
"Theirs may be a little different compared to ours," he said. "We got to where we are through the draft more so. They're making a lot of trades, getting some really good players and some really good pitchers.
"It's going to be fun to play them for the next however many years. They've obviously had a really good offseason."
Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija, who never saw eye to eye with "Coopy" and bolted the Sox for a $90 million deal after the 2015 season, also is paying close attention. He believes the Sox might have made a mistake by trading his friend Chris Sale.
"I'd assume after they saw what happened with the Cubs, they might give (rebuilding) a shot," Samardzija said. "They still need to draft their Kris Bryant for it to work. We'll see if that happens. I know they got some good arms for Eaton, but when you get rid of a guy like Sale, it's hard to replace him. ... He's an untouchable player on my team. I'd go build around him.
"Obviously they have different plans. They went for it there for two, three years, trading for me, trading for (Todd) Frazier and a few other guys, signing Melky (Cabrera). So maybe they want to take a little different approach, knowing Detroit is probably getting a little older and Cleveland is hot right now, so maybe let that train die down a little bit and then come in (and contend) in a couple years.
"It's tough losing Sale, though. ... When you have that guy that gets you a win no matter what, anytime you need it, that's an important card to have."
Sale's harsh criticism of executive vice president Ken Williams during the Drake LaRoche saga and his uniform-slicing incident last summer may have factored into the decision. Samardzija believes the latter simply showed Sale was frustrated with the Sox's losing ways.
"The reason Sale is as great as he is is because of that mentality and that attitude he has," Samardzija said. "He wants to win, and he was fed up with the way things were going.
"By trading him they (showed) who's making the decisions. So instead of finding guys that maybe you can mold around Chris and build off what he has, they took a different direction, went a little younger and are trying to get a different crowd in there.
"Obviously it worked with the Cubbies, so maybe they're trying to do the same thing."
Different strategies, perhaps, but the Sox are hoping for the same results.
