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The money we saved from not hiring a decent manager should afford us more flexibility in signing Harper and Machado.

Over/under Machado getting benched for not hustling in 5.5 times in 2019

The more I think about it, the more I want Harper. Signing him adds a huge left handed power bat into the lineup and solidifies right field long term. If Eloy is as good as advertised, he would occupy left, leaving Robert, Rutherford, Gonzalez, Walker, etc to compete for the center field job. Whoever doesn't win that competition can be traded for positions of need, like a 3rd baseman. Not to mention the star power Harper brings. He would put the Sox back on the baseball map immediately.

I am not talking about in life I am talking about in the clubhouse.

In before Kenny gets his guy post.

Definitely. It's ridiculous to say that Bryce Harper isn't a fit on a team that lost 100 games and currently has no OF's locked in long-term going forward (minus Eloy but he isn't really here yet).

I actually really like a structure like offering an 8 year / $325M to both Harper and Machado with the first 5 years at $50M, next three at $25M, with an opt out after 5 years. So basically a 5 year $250M deal. Therefore both players can still hit FA one more time while they're both ~31 assuming they opt out after 5 years. Sox add $100M to the payroll each year the next 5 seasons, and should still have plenty of money to fill out the roster if they're serious about being good. Really no "surplus value" in those contract, but you're never going to sign a superstar FA and get surplus value. As I've said before, you just hope they stay healthy and you're paying them what they're worth. Go win a couple a championships in the next 5 years and its all worth it. This would require Jerry to OK the payroll going into the $180-$200M range, but if he's not willing to do that, then this team was never going to good for long anyway.

At this point, literally no one should be questioning whether or not the White Sox will be “going for” Machado/Harper, especially the former. The question is are they ACTUALLY ready to outbid every MLB team. They’re consistently willing to offer what consensus seems a reasonable, median contract for even big money players - the types of offers that we fans say we are “comfortable with.” Thus far, they have not been willing to say “this is too much for this guy, but I need this guy and so I’m spending it.”

LeFlore was acquired by Veeck right before he handed the keys to the estate over to the current owner in late 1980. Otherwise, you are right - the exciting, big-name acquisitions of Fisk and the Bull came under the current owner’s watch when he began his tenure as owner some 38 years ago. Since then, there’s been one and only one “big name” free agent acquisition during the ensuing 38 years, that of Albert Belle back in the mid 90s. So while the cicadas appear more frequently than the White Sox acquiring an A-list talent on the open market, there is some historical precedent for it to happen, albeit on rare occasion. Let’s hope that sighting of a comet passing occurs this offseason!

Also congrats @The Beast for helping with Casten, @Reddy your race looks solid too

Harper is just as good a fit, if not potentially better than Machado. He's a power bat from the left side, and has amazing OBP instincts. That is something this team hasn't had since Thome left. It also allows the Sox to deal from their glut of OF prospects to further improve other areas of need. Either way, I'll gladly welcome either of the two, haha

Fuck this organization.

I hope Machado isn’t very tight with Chris Davis.

I will be so angry if the Sox use their limited financial resources on Corbin instead of Machado or Harper.

I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said, but given Cruz played only 4 games out of 144 games in the field and Abreu plays first as if he has his shoes tied together I am not sure having them in the same lineup is the best lineup for the team even if the offensive potential is there. Alternatively, I may be a bit more patient with the rebuild than you. Where I don't want to have Abreu's value expire you want the best team possible. It can work either way just my 2 cents.

I don't really care who plays 1st. Abreu does it about as well as any outfielder could in a pinch. I do like the idea of keeping Abreu's relative production and cashing in on Abreu in the trade market. I'd imagine Cruz is looking at something like 1 year 16-18 million or 2 years somewhere around $28-35M. If Hahn can get a crafty 1+1 mutual option and cash in on whatever Abreu is worth I think that's the best of both worlds. Cruz is revered as a leader if memory serves too.

I think it would be a complementary move to a Machado or Harper

Surprised no one mentioned the Orioles connection.

Cruz would probably be the dh

Under.. Aaron Boone won’t care.

Nice bucket of cold water after some fun news.

this seems more like a blip than a trend, he spent a fair amount of time in CF this year and i'm sure that didn't help

Joe Maddon sits across town having to endure a lame duck year after being to the playoffs four years in a row and winning a world series but Ricky gets the comfort of an extension? Strange world. I doubt there was anyone beating down the door to get him if he didn't have an extension. Maybe they think it gives them an advantage in FA to let a player know there is a consistency in management

Or Machado benched for doggin it.

I can't wait until he has Bryce Harper bunting

Truthfully I'm not too concerned about that right now. Worst case scenario is that you get a burner like Engel who can cover the gaps, but I'll take a worst case scenario in which Bryce Harper is playing right field for the Chicago White Sox all day long.

Does this really matter all that much? Sox can fire him if they decide to go in a different direction, and I doubt Renteria is expensive. In fairness he deserves a better roster to prove himself with

Gross

Just imagine Harper and Eloy in the heart of the order for the next 5+ years...how amazing would that be

How is Cruz better? You guys should have primaried that clown.

They won 89 games, and didn't have Cano half the season. Middle isn't nearly as bad in any sport except the NBA.

I live down here and Beto is a complete fraud. He just blurts out the same idealistic shit over and over. “We aren’t republicans, we aren’t democrats, we’re americans and Texans, all of us, together! It doesn’t matter where you are from, your race, your sex, your sexual orientation, we’re all human beings and you’re in the right place, right here! People deserve a good education, good healthcare and a good job! I met Barbara Stevens-Lopez, single mother of 65 kids and her job isn’t enough to support them...Cindy Thompson from (obscure Texas city) has a disease that needs curing.” Great, man. Nobody disagrees with that shit. Now what are you going to do about it? I just can’t wait until tmrw when it’s over and I don’t have to see anymore videos on Facebook of him with rolled up sleeves, sweating and spewing this garbage. It’s not even policy. You should be forced to talk SOME policy. I would prefer only policy, but at least some. He’s really just running for president. It’s coming. Don’t let his sweatiness fool you in 2020.

And both of their defensive play took big leaps forward this year. Anderson was really good almost all year long, and Yoan improved as his bat improved.

These are the two things I think the board is greatly split on. 1) Anderson was a 2.5 WAR player, basically in the top 150 of all players. He had an OPS 10 points higher than 2017 despite a BABIP 39 points lower. Given his BABIP, what did you exactly expect him to do, offensively? 2) Moncada showed improvement on strikeouts after August 16th. He only struck out 45 of his last 161 plate appearances (27.9%) as opposed to the 172 times in his previous 489 plate appearances (35.1%). His OPS in September was .767. I still think he's a year behind many people on development, if not more, due to the time he was compelled to sit out to get over here. He essentially didn't play pro ball for the better part of 18 months at a crucial time. Over the next 1000 PAs I expect a significant improvement from him. I still think he'll be a .790 OPS player with 25 homers, 30 2B, 70 BB, and 150 Ks. If Moncada and Anderson continue to improve, and if Kopech comes back healthy and Eloy performs as expected - and if Madrigal and Robert have significant ML value - the rebuild can only be termed a success. 2019 is the crucial year that will determine it.

Honestly, having nothing to do with party... are you saying that the fact that one race has two bad candidates (happens too often sadly), you aren't going to vote for anything at all? That makes me sad. Go vote! Pick a 3rd party or whatever. Don't let that 60% use the power of your vote that you gave up!

The governor race in Illinois is going to keep me from voting.....I voted for Trump because i disliked Hillary, don't regret as I really detested Hillary but I am not going to do it again....I actually like Rauner in theory but his execution was terrible. The fact that the democratic constituents felt that JB was the best candidate is unsetteling to me. I believe that 60% of the population is rather uninformed or stupid and vote for whoever they are told to vote for. I live in Chicago and every politician other than US Senate, mayor and President of the United States that I would vote for was either handed their position or won simply because it was their time and they were a good solider for the Democratic party. That is why Chicago/Cook and then Illinois are all f***ed.

I'm curious to know how many votes the Nazi running against Dan Lipinski gets. He will almost certainly lose big, but he should be getting *zero* votes.

No matter what the election results are tonight, we are all winners tomorrow, because we no longer have to watch those disgusting, shaming, polarizing political ads on TV anymore. Everyone has just turned to shame tactics to try and win votes.

Sign 3B Manny Machado 10 years $350 million Sign LF Michael Brantley 2 years $30 million Sign SP Yusei Kikuchi 6 years $60 million (+ posting fee) Sign SP Gio Gonzalez 2 years $25 million Sign CL Cody Allen 2 years $20 million Sign DH Nelson Cruz 2 years $30 million Lineup: 01) LF Michael Brantley 02) 2B Yoan Moncada 03) 3B Manny Machado 04) DH Nelson Cruz 05) RF Eloy Jimenez 06) 1B Jose Abreu 07) SS Tim Anderson 08) C Omar Narvaez 09) CF Adam Engel Bench: UTIL Jose Rondon UTIL Yolmer Sanchez C Welington Castillo Rotation: 01) Carlos Rodon 02) Gio Gonzalez 03) Reynaldo Lopez 04) Yusei Kikuchi 05) Lucas Giolito Bullpen: 01) CL Cody Allen 02) SU Ian Hamilton 03) SU Jace Fry 04) MR Nate Jones 05) MR Dylan Covey 06) MR Zack Burdi 07) MR Ryan Burr 08) LR Manny Bañuelos Seems like a roster that could be competitive in the AL Central. Specifically because it's in the AL Central. Didn't sign any QOs and didn't commit more than 2 years to anyone over 30. Those are intended bridge players to the swarm of talent the team has in High A.

Promises of spending? The front office has stated many times that they will "try to be opportunistic" and will "spend when the time is right to build a winner" With Arenado likely to be resigned by the Rockies, when is better than now to go after a premium free agent in his prime? The fanbase would be irate if they cried poor with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. I fully expect the organization to try as hard as possible to land a big fish.

Good post At the end of the day, none of us know what will motivate Machado/Harper to sign. Is it max dollars? A team they always wanted to play for? Big market? Smaller market? Money tends to talk, but in this scenario the players are getting paid big time no matter what. It might be less about $.

Obviously, the money was different back in the day, but the first big name they signed, they did exact that. They gave Carlton Fisk 3 years. When JR talks about it, he said Roland Hemond figured Fisk had 2 good years left, but they thought paying him the extra year was worth the credibility. Ob course, he lasted a decade longer.

Technically, from a Reds perspective. it would be Senzel for Syndergaard and from a Mets perspective, Syndergaard for Moncada. Breaking it out like that makes no sense for the Mets.

Let's pin this post at the top of the site.

Could not have said this any better myself.

Yep this 100%. They want guys but only on their terms. They refuse to go above what they feel is enough. I hope they prove that wrong this offseason if they truly want one of these guys.

I don't read Nightengale tweets like that. He is Kenny's mouthpiece, but he seems to have been used last 3 years to cool market discussion on sox. When there's a tweet that's like "sox are planning on moving quintana", nightengale will say "sox only looking to move him for right offers". He has basically been an anti predictor for the last 3-4 years with sox after having been a reliable source for a while.

You’re all over the place dude.

What would be the point of signing just Machado or Harper? If you wanted a “superstar” at one position and garbage around him we should’ve kept Sale. A hell of a lot cheaper than 1 of these 2. If the plan isn’t to land both of these guys than scrap this idea. We don’t need a $30 million dollar player to suck 4 games less than we do now.

LMAO