Somebody is trying do something!

Go ahead and think big for 2020, White Sox fans. You’ve more than earned it.
Luis Robert’s six-year, $50 million contract extension is another nugget to get excited about in an offseason that has felt like a gold rush.

The White Sox and their fans are expecting big things from center fielder Luis Robert, who recently signed a six-year, $50 million contract extension. Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images

Rick Hahn was asking for patience or perspective or some such thing Thursday and HAHAHAHAHA! Good one, Rick!

The White Sox and their general manager had just announced the six-year, $50 million contract extension for hotshot prospect Luis Robert, further stoking the passions of fans already in need of a six-alarm dousing.

“There will be growing pains [for Robert],’’ Hahn said. “It’s going to be a learning process. We saw [it with Eloy Jimenez] in the early part of [last] season, the way big-league pitchers treated him, and we’re going to see a similar treatment with Luis and a similar evolution of the skill set over his time at the big-league level.’’

If I know fans, and I think I do, they’re thinking: “Growing pains? What do growing pains have to do with Robert dominating the major leagues in 2020 the way he did the minor leagues in 2019?’’

There’s a slight temptation to tell Sox fans to relax, to take it easy there, tiger, but then you recall all the bad baseball they’ve had to put up with during the team’s rebuild. So you snap out of it. It’s Hahn’s job to squirt water on the idea that Robert will lead the world in every positive category, from batting average to diseases cured, and it’s parched fans’ job to believe as hard as they can.

When Hahn talks about the goal of sustained success, it’s not that your standard Sox fan has trouble envisioning it. It’s that your standard Sox fan already has donned goggles to keep the champagne out of his eyes during the team’s 2020 celebration for winning the division. And during possible postseason celebrations, as well.

Maybe the Sox are lined up for a five-year stretch of major success, but that’s for later. With an offseason of big signings, Hahn and the rest of the front office have changed the trajectory for the upcoming season. Robert’s extension is just a reinforcement of the idea that the Sox are ready to do big things in 2020.


The center fielder was going to be with the big-league team this season whether he received the extension or not, either right from the start of the schedule or soon after. But this was another nugget to get excited about in an offseason that has felt like a gold rush.

Last year, Robert ripped through minor-league pitching like a 5-year-old dealing with Christmas wrapping paper. He hit a combined .328 with 32 home runs and 92 RBI at three levels. That earned him USA Today’s minor-league player of the year award. And it earned him that boatload of money.

All the purposeful losing of the last three seasons has given the Sox a lot of cash, and they used some of it this season to re-sign first baseman Jose Abreu, sign All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal and 2015 American League Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and agree to a one-year deal with Edwin Encarnacion, who hit 34 home runs last season.

Sox fans have every right to think big about 2020. A young team with Jimenez, Abreu, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, James McCann and Lucas Giolito went 72-89 last season. Now comes Robert. Second baseman Nick Madrigal won’t be far behind. Imagine if Michael Kopech and Carlos Rodon return healthy from Tommy John surgeries.

The Sox haven’t had a winning record since 2012, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008 and haven’t won a World Series since 2005. Most Sox fans wear those unfortunate truths like scars.

Is this the Sox’ time? I don’t know. But believing such a thing isn’t as outlandish as it would have been three months ago.

Trying to predict the Sox’ lineup is kid-in-a-candy-store stuff. Robert’s new contract only ratcheted up the conversation. Where do you put him in an order that very well could begin with Moncada, Anderson, Abreu, Grandal . . . good Lord, this is fun. Robert batting eighth? Wow. Imagine if he hits anywhere close to what he did in the minors.

“People are understandably focused on what this potentially means for our Opening Day roster, but . . . the motivation for a deal like this is to put us in position for the long term,” Hahn said.

His lips were moving, but I’m not sure anyone really heard him. The Sox begin their season March 26 at Guaranteed Rate Field against the poor Royals, who will be the backdrop as a portrait begins to be painted.

Sure, there are questions about the Sox, most of which have to do with the pitching. But the Keuchel signing answered some of that. Maybe another signing, veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez, will help.

But the biggest question is being asked by those of you who live in the moment: Why not this year?