Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Transition: Do the White Sox have a shot at making the playoffs?
08 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the initial thoughts on the White Sox playoff chances?
Cheers to the freaking weekend.
Yeah, we're here. It is the weekend for Team Rahimi Harris and Brody. Thanks to our producers, Ray Diaz, Tyler Bearderbaugh. Thanks to Tyler Ferengel, Baby T, for helping us out with audio as well today. And thanks to Connor O'Donnell, Jacob Stutz, Max Curtis, Cody Westerlin. Thanks to our guests, Bruce Levine, Brett Boone, Kevin Fishbane.
And thanks to Ben Johnson for having Rookie Minicamp today. Does that count, Mark?
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Because that means we got to talk about the Bears, and it's always cool to talk about the Bears.
Bears. Transition is brought to you by TORQ Coatings. High performance coatings for your home or business. TORQ, T-O-R-Q, coatings.com. And thanks to Matt Spiegel and Ryan McGuffey. What a baseball-y day to get to talk to you two.
They're here. It's the Spiegel at home show.
Is it the Matt Spiegel baseball corner? I know we have a feelings corner.
But this is the thing about Guff, though, is that Guff can talk about anything. He can. This is why I love working with Guff. I often request it because the man... You know, it's been around like, you know, what was that station? NBC Sports Chicago for a million years and a million shows and a lot of things that Guff has been a part of. So we can go everywhere and we will go everywhere today.
It's a widespread show. Some Bryson Graham thoughts. I have not had a chance to really weigh in on that since that went down on Wednesday and lots of bears, as you say, as well.
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Chapter 2: How are the Bears impacting the White Sox discussions?
Longtime Cincinnati Red, former Padre.
What a tool. That guy was a tool. I was interviewing Carson Fulmer once. We had the lock. Oh, triple clutch. Carson Fulmer was like the hot prospect at that time. And I was like, hey, Carson, I just want to catch up on a feature. He literally stops the interview and goes, why the hell are you talking to him? What? And I just go, way to welcome in the new guy.
Yeah, great tools in White Sox history.
That year, I saw Matt Perk, who had had a very circuitous path to the big leagues. He was a former first-round pick, didn't end up signing with the Texas Rangers when he was drafted out of TCU. So I was like, hey, I followed your career. This is really cool to see. Congratulations. What has it been like? And then Latos just like... Basically scoffs. No, no.
He was scoffing at me for like pointing out. They didn't do that with me, fortunately. So he just like scoffed at me instead. I just like stared at him and I was this close from going, throw strikes.
You want to go back and wait? I did not do that. Brett Boone, your guest. Yeah. I think he had two home runs in 2002 when Mike Cameron had a four-homer game. Jim Parquet pitched that day for the White Sox. He was in AAA, and he was complaining that he was sick of eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches down in Charlotte. He was complaining he had to keep doing starts down there.
He comes up, serves up a four-homer game to Cameron and two to Brett Boone and some fan. There's about 5,000 at the cell at the time. They're like... Go back to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So when you had Brett Boone on, I was like the first, and I was at the game, and I was like, that's the first thing that popped into my head, the Brett Boone-Jim Parquet game.
Amazing. The former White Sox, Mike Cameron, too. I keep thinking about that game. Paul Canerico.
How deep do you want to go? Mike Cameron for Paul Canerico?
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Chapter 3: What historical context is provided about White Sox players?
They're decent. There's like legit conversations going on about whether they can be a playoff team or not. Guff, I know you said you just did a pod the other day talking about whether they can win the freaking division. Steve Stone at the end of his appearance with us on Tuesday is like, I can't believe I'm saying it, but they have a real chance to be a playoff team. The American League is bad.
It is bad, and there's always some team that comes forward, and why not the White Sox this year? It's crazy.
It's legit. I mean, 11 teams in baseball have a winning record. 11. That's it.
Five of them are in the NL Central.
Yeah, and three of them are in the American League. One of them is 20-19 Cleveland. So a lot has to go right. I don't think the White Sox currently constructed can win the AL Central, but you should still listen to the podcast. But don't tell me they're not a great story. I mean, Murakami alone has put the spotlight on the south side.
And the way they're pitching, I mean, you go back to April 3rd, they're a top two pitching staff, starting staff in the entire Major League Baseball.
Well, and the starting staff is a little tricky because there have been openers as well. There have been. But if you looked at them through innings one through six and just sorted it that way, they're top eight openers. It's insane. In that way as well. But, yeah, I don't know about the division.
Big, big, big, big homestand. This is a really big homestand for the White Sox. Isn't it nice to have a big, like a 5-4 homestand? You get Seattle, who's playing better and is really good. Kansas City, I still think, is a sleeper to win the Central.
Yeah.
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Chapter 4: What factors contribute to the White Sox's potential playoff run?
I'm a believer in Miguel Vargas. I am too. Especially now with the way that he's shown up this year. And he's got a lot of glue to him. He's a connector of sorts on that team. But they got a stud, man. They got a stud who the whole freaking league is talking about. Jesse Rogers wrote it big at ESPN today. Murakami is a whiff by the other 29 teams in baseball. Isn't it great? A big, fat whiff.
I brought this up to you in the pre-show. The fact that the White Sox capitalized on everyone else's miss is also a story that no one would have believed in three months ago. That the White Sox were the team that got it right. It would have been the thing we're talking about in Chicago. How did the Cubs and Sox miss on this guy?
Chapter 5: How does the current American League landscape affect the White Sox?
No. The White Sox went to him late. They knew the timeline and said, here's what we got. It's lower than what you thought we were getting, but we'll get you acclimated and you can be the guy. And I know they used Seiya Suzuki and Shota. Said, hey, call them up. See how their experience in the city of Chicago has been. Wow. Really?
Well, now I guess the next big step is the Sox were ahead of everybody in getting him. Can they keep him? Will they now go to the next level for a White Sox organization and pay this man, or he'll be the hell out of here fast?
I think they have to. I think they absolutely have to. And to your point about the core, I think their best player hasn't played yet. Kyle Teal, I think.
I said Carroll, but yeah, Teal should have been in that.
Kyle Teal and then Braden Montgomery.
Braden Montgomery.
That guy. He is the prize of the crochet trade. So my draw's been a nice piece of the trade. Kyle Teal's a big part of that trade, and Braden Montgomery. So those two guys are a huge part. Those are two guys that you really are relying on in terms of the next core.
So, I mean, there's a lot of good stuff going on. We've got a draft lottery this Sunday. Oh, yeah.
Hey, Mom, hang on for a second.
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