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Holy fucking shit this thread. I'm not easily offended but I'm an atheist that has multiple gay friends. To me, the mere suggestion that a higher being created us at all makes me chuckle but still believing that being a homosexual is some sort of choice is absolutely absurd. It's like being on the other side of the vaccine "debate". For some things, there just isn't another side to argue.

It’s the kind that sucks.

Trying to use reason and logic to understand the Sox front office is a waste of time. They are clearly outmatched when it comes to free agency and trades. The Padres have both of the cornerstones that should be in Sox uniforms. Hahn should be embarrassed and go into hiding.

You want to pay Verlander $37 million a year?

Loved the Stan Lee open. Gonna really miss those cameos, two left

South Side Sox is in trouble for a bunch of reasons. Vox is one. Sox not doing well is another. But the biggest reason is the quality of the site went into the toilet when Jim left. Most of their content is just trash now. Their guy who writes on the minors steals content from FutureSox and others without credit too, just to make things more obnoxious (I can only assume the MLB content does this too, but I don't read it enough to say for sure). They are foundering because there is very little money in team-centric blogs, and to perform in that space you need to be at the top. The current SSS is just not there right now. I am sure Brett is doing the best he can. He's been recruiting away writers from other sites because they DO actually pay their writers, which I salute by the way. But he's doing that because he knows he's got to find something that will get the site back up to a higher level of quality.

He is not throwing 97 mph sinkers. The launch angle is much more effective against high fastballs. Low fastballs are much more likely to be hit into the ground.

Got this notification just now. Thought of ron

Those terrible views from 378 on gay people are about as ridiculous as people talking about "God" as if that's real

It's true, you just refuse to believe it. You are wrong, I'm sorry you are because it is a terrible way to go through life projecting your bigotry on others and using a 2000+ year old book as the basis

Here's the deal: Now that the Sox can't get Machado, they need to use that money to get other quality free agents or else they risk losing much of their fan base. However, they don't seem interested in doing anything to improve the team free agent wise. The kicker is that Hahn, JR, and KW all give the impression that they are perfectly satisfied with the team as it is right now and don't see the need to do anything constructive.

The complainers never need spring training to get in shape

Cease dunning madrigal eloy kopech robert collins hansen Ruthetford Basabe/Micker/González (pick your favorite) Obviously no order to that...but feel good about 5 of them being at least above average players for the White Sox in 2021? Make a good enough core to make the Sox at least perennially in the playoffs?

Horrible. My favorite pitcher growing up. Loved the fact he came to the Sox. My heart goes out to the Seaver family.

I can't believe how many people are actively tuning in to complain about spring training games and results. At least the game threads are in mid season form.

Most people I know are cheap and no way they'd pay for tickets to see a team this lousy. Free tickets? Sure, they'd go but still they'd be so cheap they wouldn't want to pay for parking. I personally don't mind spending a buck on good seats, but my concern is comfort. I don't wanna go if there's a good chance of rain or if it's below 45 degrees over above 90 degrees if the team blows chunks.

Much harder to catch up to high gas than to drop your bat on a lower one.

Dude had 1 inning coming in, don't expect him to be in mid-season form.

Palka is having a weird game... first AB he looked like he just rolled out of bed... second AB he completely obliterated the baseball.

FTFY

Abreu still is a disgrace defensively. Besides that, Giolito's mechanics don't look good. Falling off the mound to his left a lot again, causing him to pull the ball glove side.

I eagerly await playing my part in this hopefully successful endeavor. More excited for the attendance totals than their actual baseball season.

Why the fuck are they calling for low fastballs??? This isn't 1985 anymore. Low fastballs might as well be right down the middle unless they're painting the corners. It is like the Sox haven't heard of launch angle. Low fastballs get crushed in this day and age.

Any deal for Verlander will be heavily impacted by his performance this season. Needless to say his decline could happen any time now and might even be as early as this year (his ERA after his first 10 starts were 3.35 last year). Say if he regressed to 4.5 WAR and 3.20 ERA, would you still pay him $37 M AAV? If he somehow comes near the elite production in his age 36 season. I might go for 1/$37 M deal for his age 37 season, but certainly not a 2 year, high dollar value deal unless it's a vesting option in year 2. Probably the max I'd go for JV (and Sox for that matter) for a non-vesting contract is 2/$60M. That's still sound pretty crazy for a pitcher's age 37/38 seasons.

The worst year in terms of attendance in Reinsdorf’s 38 years of fan-nauseating ownership was 1989, when the team just barely drew over a million fans. Last year they drew 1.6 million, which was the lowest since they drew 1.3 million in 1999. So the fact it’s a year ending in the number “9”, coupled with a very disappointed fan base at the moment after this horrendous offseason, you just may get your wish for even further depressed attendance in 2019.

I think the Pederson trade gets done before Opening Day.

Sox need that wave of prospects in the lower minors regardless if its trade bait down the road or for the future. Sox are deep in the higher levels, not much so the lower. I like Hostetler agreeing with that premise as well. It's essential in all of this.

I mean, that’s what it will likely cost on a short-term deal, at least for us. Not many ~7 win pitchers out there and I’m assuming he’ll push to break Greinke’s AAV record. I’m sure a team like the Yankees would happily pay close to that amount and we’d have top them to have any chance. What our alternatives for addressing for the top of the rotation? I think there is no chance in hell we go 7/$200M+ on Cole or Sale. Doesn’t leave a lot of options IMO unless you’re prepared to empty your prospect coffers to acquire one.

Yoan is having the same issues at-bat this year that he had last year. I hate to say he's a bust, but he is trending that direction.

So the HOF voters use WAR as a basis for their votes? This is news to me. You aren't required to tirelessly defend the FOs failure to land Machado and Harper this off-season you know.

Here’s what I’d like to see the Sox do next offseason: Sign J.D. Martinez to 4/$96M deal Sign Verlander to 2/$74M deal Sign Grandal to 4/$60M deal Make QO to Abreu (he’ll accept) Trade Yolmer Sanchez to Dodgers for Joc Peterson Lineup: Madrigal, 2B Moncada, 3B# Martinez, DH Jimenez, LF Pederson, RF* Abreu, 1B Grandal, C# Anderson, SS Basabe, CF# Bench: IF: Rondon OF: Engel UT: Garcia# BC: Zavala Rotation: Verlander Rodon* Lopez Kopech Cease Bullpen: CL: Herrera SU: Burdi SU: Fry* MR: Hamilton MR: Frare* MR: Burr LR: Banuelos* I’m guessing the payroll after all these additions would be around $140M, so theoretically this should work. I also think this team can legitimately win the AL Central in 2020.

Man, a Loyola-Drake game would have been a lot more enjoyable than Bradley-UNI.

Let me find my surprised face

It's been difficult seeing and reading about how Machado and Harper were received at their spring training camps and their first at bats. The adulation from the fans. To wish that could have been us, if only we had a real front office and ownership group.

You do realize it's 2019, right?

This all is still depressing. Going to be ridiculously hard to win a World Series if these guys are too cheap to pay for premium free agents. Even if many of the prospects pan out (which they havent done so far).

I think you’re overlooking that epic KW-Bryce head knod mid meeting. Dude was all in on the Sox if he had the money.

GMAB, if you put $330 million on the table he was serious about you.

Chisox378 - March 1st join date. Anti gay posts within 2 weeks of joining. 🤔

To each their own...but I’m just shocked people in this day & age can believe this nonsense.

I'm surprised that SouthsideSox is in trouble. I've always thought that WSI would go down the tubes before anybody else.

Some fans were not satisfied with Avisail Garcia's defense in RF. OK, but Palka in the OF is a complete joke. That makes his value on the 25 man roster questionable. If the Sox play him in the outfield he could run over a Centerfielder or an infielder and really cause problems. Recall Schwarber's outfield collision a couple years ago, and he wasn't near as heavy as Palka. I'm OK with Palka as LH DH ....if there is room on the roster for a player in that limited role.....or on my 16" softball team.

Seeing these rosters has put me into an early friday Bourbon shopping spree. MUST. STOCK. UP. NOW.

I think this could be the worst opening day OF in MLB history lol

Disclaimer: I am a fan of analytics, and read fangraphs pretty religiously. However, Greg is right when he says that pitchers getting hurt is because of analytics. Pitchers aren't throwing harder because they're better athletes, they're throwing harder because if you can't miss enough bats, you can't make it to the big leagues anymore. Strikeouts are king for pitchers, and to chase strikeouts the pitching mechanics being used these days are pushing the human body to the limit. That is why you see more instances of thoracic outlet syndrome and a lot of Tommy John surgeries. They have found that altering the timing of the arm in the delivery makes a pitcher throw harder. It also puts a ton of stress on the arm, by breaking the kinetic chain. Instead of chasing health and clean mechanics, pitchers now chase velocity, because you're more likely to strike guys out. The decline of the ground ball specialist and pitching to weak contact at lower velocities, is killing careers, and it is a rare pitcher that makes it to FA without losing velo or being completely healthy. There was a reason why it used to be freaky if a pitcher threw mid-upper 90s, and 100 mph was special. It was even more rare that those guys didn't get hurt. Now they're all over the place. Why? Because emphasis has been put on max velocity vs. pitcher health. Pitchers use timing tricks to achieve high velocity, and more tricks to correct their timing. Eventually it breaks down, and the pitcher breaks, as we're seeing with Kershaw. Analytics are a huge part of that, as they have rendered the 130 K/220 IP contact specialist obsolete. Sabermetricians have said those pitchers aren't valuable. This is the market inefficiency that needs to be exploited. Baseball needs more pitchers like Mark Buehrle. This coming from a guy who absolutely loves watching the hard throwing ace, and 15 strikeout games. They are the best part about baseball, in my opinion. I love hard-throwing pitchers being dominant. Verlander is one of those freaks of nature. Strasburg isn't. Verlander hasn't had an arm injury in his career, and is still throwing 97 mph at age 36. Enjoy him as a fan of the game, because he may be the last of a rare breed.