CLEVELAND – The White Sox opened a vitally important road trip heading into the All-Star break Monday with a game against the Cleveland Guardians two games under .500, pushing toward a much needed recovery after a poor first half and pushing back against reported issues in the clubhouse.

“You always wonder who the sources are, where the information came from,” manager Tony La Russa said of a USA Today report of whispers of unrest, cliques and lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse. “Not really worth much unless you know that. I’m closer to it than to whoever the sources are.”

La Russa said playing below expectations puts the team under the microscope. The issue for his team, he said, is playing better and winning games.

Closer Liam Hendriks, saying the report “couldn’t be further from the truth,” agreed.

“People are trying to find chinks in the armor,” Hendriks said Monday. “They’re trying to understand why we haven’t been doing what we’re supposed to be doing this year. I don’t think it’s anything tangible, we just haven’t been able to fire. We’ve had the spark but haven’t been able to turn the flame into an inferno.

“That was something we did last year. But we can catch fire at any point in time and be one of the most dangerous teams in this league, I have no doubt about that.”

The Sox have been one of the worst defensive teams all season, have made multiple baserunning blunders and rank in the bottom tier of offenses after being a top-tier team last year when they won the AL Central. They’re 12th in the American League in home runs. Those would be the causes of concern above all else.

Hendriks said there’s too much “talent, pride and passion” in the clubhouse for the Sox to be playing this way.

“That’s why we have no doubt what can happen and God willing will happen in the next couple of months,” he said.

Clubhouse chemistry became a talking point when a video released by the Sox showing coach Joe McEwing telling the team Tim Anderson made the All-Star Game as a starter was a stark contrast to last season’s video of McEwing doing the same when Anderson was named an All-Star for the first time.

Elated players, led by Jose Abreu jumped up and down and surrounded Anderson at his locker in Baltimore last season. This year, the scene was more subdued with players seated at their lockers.

The Sox were coming off a rough stretch, which is why Anderson steered his feelings in the moment toward the team. Anderson was subdued but he hugged everyone in the room, including training staff, which was not on the video.

In any event, the Sox celebrate wins and personal achievements in the clubhouse with player of the game honors, and in the case of pitchers and hitters achieving personal firsts, beer showers and the like.

After losses, the atmosphere can be intense — players are upset after losses and have let it be known before media are let inside.

That said, not everything is seashells and ballons within the team. Mainly because it can’t get on a sustained run of success.

Right-hander Dylan Cease, who will face the Indians in the second game of a day-night doubleheader Tuesday, said the clubhouse is close.

“Oh yeah. Oh, definitely,” Cease said Monday. “It honestly makes coming into the clubhouse and to the park a lot more enjoyable. I consider this a pretty close-knit group, so, yeah it’s definitely not an issue on this team.”

“My comment would be if you haven’t been in this clubhouse don’t talk about this clubhouse,” Hendriks said. “You don’t know what’s going on. The people he’s talking to are obviously ill informed and don’t know what’s going on in here.”

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The Chicago Blackhawks did not pickup the qualifying offers on two players

The Chicago Blackhawks have really torn it all down so far this offseason. It started with a questionable return for Alex Debrincat on draft day, followed by trading another young talent in Kirby Dach during the draft. They weren’t done there as now they have made the wrong choice in not qualifying two more young players who could at the very least bring back something in return.

You look around the NHL and see the types of players not receiving qualifying offers from their teams. No players are near the talent of Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik and the Blackhawks are just letting them walk and become unrestricted free agents.

As far as decisions go, I can understand trading DeBrincat to get assets that should come to fruition down the line when the team is trying to come out of a rebuild, but not getting anything for young players with skill and offensive ability is something nobody should be happy with. There’s no doubt that both Strome and Kubalik will get solid offers right away and be effective players in their careers.

Blackhawks Wasting Solid Talent

As noted above by Mark Lazerus, Strome would have had to have been qualified for $3.6 million next season. From a team that is rebuilding, if they aren’t going to keep their young players around, they can at least sign them for solid deals and get some picks back in return. Strome put up 22 goals and 48 points in 69 games, well worth the $3 million he was making last season and even $3.6 million. He isn’t a top centerman like the Blackhawks used him at times, but he is a solid middle-six forward that can be used at center and the wing. That is a very fair price for that kind of offensive production.

Kubalik is a player who had a down year last season but shouldn’t be written off. He finished third in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie season (2019-20) and has regressed each of the two seasons since scoring 30 goals. Sometimes goal-scorers get snake-bitten more often than playmakers of two-way players as offense/goals are the most difficult aspect of the game to consistently produce at a high level. That’s why the players who can make the big money. He is still young and even scoring 15 goals last season isn’t nothing. Kubalik can be another good middle-six option for a team and the Blackhawks could’ve taken advantage of any interest rather than letting him go for nothing.

It’s one thing to break it down, but it’s another to make bad decisions while doing so. Not qualifying Strome and Kubalik was the wrong decision and will be looked back upon at a later date.

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Zach LaVine didn’t need to take a formal sit-down with another franchise.

When the free agent period began for the Bulls guard late last month, he and his agent Rich Paul admittedly did their “due diligence” on the landscape, but a formal sit-down with Portland or Detroit?

Not LaVine’s way of doing business.

“I went into the offseason with an open mind,” LaVine explained on Monday, when discussing his recently signed five-year, $215 million max contract. “Once I was able to meet with [Bulls general manager] Marc [Eversley] and [executive vice president of basketball operations] AK [Arturas Karnisovas], and they came to me with everything that I wanted, there was no other reason for me to go outside and look at any other teams.

“I think that would have been, for me, disrespectful on my end because they gave me everything that I asked for.”

So much for a tough negotiation.

Not that one was ever expected. The Bulls were very transparent in their desire to bring LaVine back at whatever cost, and as the Sun-Times reported, LaVine had informed his core Bulls teammates that he would be back.

Of course, contingent on a max deal truly being offered.

“Being able to come back as a cornerstone piece and allowing them to get some of my insights, some of my input in pretty much constructing the roster to help me and help us win was really big for me,” LaVine said. “Chicago is my home.”

One that he can now afford even higher real estate in.

Playing under financial pressure has never been an obstacle for LaVine in the past, but then again there wasn’t a lot of weight on his shoulders under his last deal.

Arguably, LaVine out-played his contract in three of the last four years after he signed it, and as far as he was concerned, the day he signed it.

This is different.

LaVine is going from making just under $20 million per season to jumping up to $37 million this upcoming season, over $40 million in the 2023-24 season, and then $43 million and $46 million. The final year of the deal is LaVine’s option at just under $49 million when he will be 31 years old.

With that max contract comes responsibility, and ideally responsibility on both ends of the floor. LaVine knows that, but wasn’t blinking.

“I was striving for it when I was on my rookie deal,” LaVine said. “It’s just who I am and what goals and what things I want to reach with and how much better can we get as a team. But there’s no added pressure, it’s just a compliment of a lot of hard work and showing what kind of player I am.”

LaVine was blessed with an ability to fall out of bed and be able to score 25 in an NBA game with little effort given, but the knock has always been his defense.

For a max contract player to work, especially a shooting guard, LaVine would not only have to continue being that elite scorer and solid play-maker, but would have to be the defender that he showed last summer with Team USA and then into the first six weeks of the regular season, before his left knee began to swell up on him.

By the time the 2021-22 campaign came to an end in a first-round loss to Milwaukee, LaVine was back to a very familiar role of being a liability on the defensive end.

The good news was he quickly had a clean-up surgery on the knee, and no structural damage was found. That news has only gotten better.

“Just had a run-of-the-mill knee scope,” LaVine said. “I feel way better. I’ve been rehabbing, working out, playing, lifting, doing all the good stuff and boring stuff too.”

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Top 5 Cubs players since World Series win

The Cubs’ World Series victory was a legendary feat in the sporting world. Defeating a 108 year drought. Currently, the Cubs are in a rebuilding phase. However, I’d like to take a look at some of the best players that have come out of Wrigley since being crowned World Series Champions to now.

First, I’ll start with an honorable mention:

Honorable Mention. Kyle Hendricks

Hendricks has played for the Cubs his entire career spanning from 2014. His career stats are a record of 87-61, 3.45 ERA, and over 1,000 Ks. Hendricks has one of the most interesting sinkers that has grazed the modern game. In 2016, his ERA was 2.13, finishing 16-8, through 30 starts. Let me tell ya, I wouldn’t want to face that 88 MPH sinker. Too nasty to handle. He is one heck of a pitcher, and tends to get the job done.

Anyways, now that I’ve done my honorable mention, here is the top 5:

5. Javier Baez 

Baez played for Chicago from 2014-2021. I’ve never seen such sharp reflexes on a shortstop than I have with Baez. He played a significant part for the Cubs these past couple seasons. With strong reflexes and great speed, he is an absolute threat to other teams. He was the cover star for MLB the Show 20. In 2018, he played nearly every game, batting .290 at the plate. He is a beast.

4. Jon Lester

Lester was the pinnacle of the 2010s Cubs’ Pitching Rotation. With a career record of 200-117, 3.17 ERA, and nearly 2,500 Ks, Jon Lester carries an outstanding repertoire under his belt. Just retiring last season, he played in the league for over 15 years. From 2015 to 2020, he had many great outings for the Cubs. He is one of the best playoff pitchers in the last few decades. In the 26 postseason games he played, he retired 133 batters. That’s a little over 5 SOs a game. Lester was straight filth.

3. Willson Contreras

Contreras is one of the few remaining players still on the team that got a ring. He is the staple in the current Cubs organization. I don’t know about you, but when I think about Chicago Cubs in recent years, the 1st player I think of is him. He is the veteran of the current youth foundation. Chicago’s core looks up to Contreras and what was accomplished in 2016, so it can be repeated. He has played for the Cubs his entire MLB career. Hitting a career .260 batting average, Contreras is more likely than not going to get a hit per game. He is one of the better hitting catchers in the MLB today, which makes him completely unstoppable to opposing teams.

2. Kris Bryant

Do I really need a reason for why he is on this list? Bryant was a straight weapon for the Cubs. He played for Chicago from 2015-2021. With a career batting average of .279, he could get on base with ease. He was one of the biggest offensive threats the Cubs had. In 2016, he hit 39 homers and batted in 102 RBIs. Not only that, but Bryant can play 3rd Base and the entire outfield with his eyes closed. All I am going to say is dude can play.

Ah, yes. Numero uno. This one does not need much of an intro. Anthony Rizzo. Probably one of the best 1st baseman to ever grace Wrigley Field. Before getting traded to the Yankees, Rizzo was Chicago’s star attraction.  Playing for the Cubs for nearly a decade (2012-2021), he played over 1,300 games in blue pinstripes. Rizzo is the complete package. Anthony Rizzo hit straight bombs for Chicago and his behavior on and off the field is what makes him #1.

Let me know your top 5 in the comments!

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The Blackhawks’ player exodus continued with fervor Monday.

Forwards Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik did not receive qualifying offers before the deadline, as had long been expected, making them unrestricted free agents come Wednesday.

Of all of the Hawks’ potential restricted free agents, only forward Philipp Kurashev and defenseman Caleb Jones did receive qualifying offers. AHL forwards Andrei Altybarmakyan and Cam Morrison, defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and goalie Cale Morris were not given qualifying offers.

Kurashev, still only 22, could potentially be deployed as a top-six winger on next year’s Hawks team, given the total lack of talent remaining up front. Jones, 25, will presumably stick around for another season with his far-more-famous brother, Seth.

Kalynuk showed some promise in his 2021 rookie season, but he is already 25 and the Hawks do have a number of other defensive prospects similar to him. Altybarmakyan, a 2017 third-round pick, had been moderately productive in his two AHL seasons. Morrison and Morris were never relevant from an NHL perspective.

The Hawks not qualifying Strome and Kubalik will be the Monday decision analyzed the most for the longest time, though.

Both players are younger than 27 and can be very impactful scorers when playing well. The Hawks did try to trade them for assets at both the deadline and draft, but nothing ever materialized. General manager Kyle Davidson’s unwillingness to even consider bringing either of them back, however, is a clear sign that tanking is the No. 1 goal for next season.

Meanwhile on Monday, the Hawks also began buyouts for forwards Henrik Borgstrom and Brett Connolly.

Those moves continue Davidson’s rapid shift away from ex-GM Stan Bowman’s reclamation projects and waive a white flag on Bowman’s ill-advised 2021 trade that acquired Borgstrom and Riley Stillman from the Panthers in exchange for Lucas Carlsson, Lucas Wallmark and taking Connolly’s contract.

But Borgstrom, the centerpiece, never did much of anything with the Hawks, tallying just seven points in 52 games. The Hawks could’ve buried his contract in the AHL next season to eliminate the cap hit, but instead wanted him gone altogether.

Borgstrom’s buyout will inflict the Hawks an $83,000 cap hit in 2022-23 and $183,000 cap hit in 2023-24. Connolly’s buyout will give the Hawks a $1.17 million cap hit each of the two seasons.

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