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The White Sox rolled out a $128MM payroll on opening day this year, already the highest in franchise history, but don’t expect Chicago to curb their spending now. Team options for the newly acquired Cesar Hernandez and Craig Kimbrel would bring their payroll for next season up to $150MM — and that’s before arbitration raises – but owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Rick Hahn have prepared for this payroll spike and they’re ready for it, per The Athletic’s James Fegan. If Hernandez and/or Kimbrel aren’t part of the 2022 Sox, it won’t be because of their impact on the payroll. Elsewhere from the flyover states…
- On the other side of the Chicago, the Cubs are looking towards the future, and that means increased opportunities for young arms in the rotation, writes Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times. Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson, and Adbert Alzolay are key names to watch as they make starts between veterans Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills. For the Cubs to have a quick turnaround, they need some of these young hurlers to develop as rotation arms, despite their overall lack of prospect pedigree.
- Niko Goodrum could be back with the Tigers as early as Tuesday, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Goodrum has been out with both a finger tendon injury and a calf contusion dating back to mid-June. Daz Cameron, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his own rehab. He had to be sat down for a couple of days, so there’s no timetable at present for his return.