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I'd like to take this opportunity on Thanksgiving to thank all of Soxtalk for giving me a forum to write about my favorite team. I know this place can get wild and crazy a lot and I mean a REAL lot but I wouldn't be coming here for the last 15+ years if I didn't love this place. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart and have a great Thanksgiving ! Now let's continue the craziness and get some reinforcements and win a World Series !

it's sad the Sox could literally plug every hole without trading away a single player, but they would rather pinch pennies this has been the Sox M.O. since I started watching this team I might not be in agreement with everyone with my next comment but imo the Sox are closer to a world series by keeping the farm intact and landing some top tier FAs than trading for guys who aren't valued by their team anymore and signing some lower tier guys

I'm breaking 15 years of lurking status on this site to agree with this thread. Glad to sanity start to break into the hypothetical trade talks.

All you have to do is google "church COVID deaths" to disprove this bullshit. This is absolutely a problem not that you would actually do research

The Cubs traded Eloy the year after winning the World Series, so not sure how much basking Theo was really doing about that move

Patrick Newman is legit, looks like Tomoyuki Sugano is going to be posted for sure: Sugano is arguably the best pitcher in Japan, and is certainly the most polished. He sits low 90's but can touch the mid-90's when he needs to. Like Darvish, he has a lot of different breaking pitches that are variations on sliders/sinkers. He's got elite control -- he gets lot of strikeouts by tunneling his various pitches and making the hitters guess which way they'll break. He's extremely competitive, carries a lot of swag and he's earned it. The raw stuff is a tick below where Tanaka was when he came, but the control is better and the arsenal is wider. He's been the ace of Samurai Japan for a while now, and has performed well against international competition, including the relatively stacked 2017 Team USA squad. The downsides: he's 31 years old, missed most of last year to injury, and has apparently been pitching with a partially torn UCL for many years. It hasn't been a performance problem for him, but you have to wonder if the TJ could come at any moment. I think this guy is a solid #3 in the MLB with less performance risk than the typical NPB import. Ohtani notwithstanding, he's the best to be posted since Tanaka.

All we need is Bauer. Let the roulette wheel keep spinning on 1 yr. stop gaps in RF ,a reliever to replace Colome or Colome himself, and run with that. Let Cease and Dunning be 4 and 5 . See who's non tendered and see what else we can come up with. If we can't sign Bauer divide what we were willing to pay Bauer among 2 other starting pitchers.

Madrigal isn't an untouchable for me and neither is Cease. Cease has wicked stuff but has no idea where any of it is going. Looking at his delivery, it's hard to see how he can gain enough control and command, because you can't pinpoint a delivery issue with him like you could with Giolito. I think Giolito would have been good a lot earlier in his career if the Nationals would have just let him be and not changed his delivery after dominating AA. Madrigal is an interesting case. He wasn't as good of a defender and baserunner as advertised during his first stint in the Bigs, but as a hitter he was as advertised. I guess, with all of the position players that the Sox have, I'd be most willing to move him.

Reading various threads talking about trading this or that guy is distressing to me, because I think the White Sox shouldn't be thinking about trading any core player, and they have a lot of them. This is my untouchables list. Tim Anderson, 27, signed through 2024 Luis Robert, 23, signed through 2027 Eloy Jimenez, 24 (in 2 days), signed through 2026 Yoan Moncada, 25, signed through 2025 Andrew Vaughn, 22, with full control, including when his service date starts Nick Madrigal, 23, with only one year of service time used Jose Abreu, 33, MVP in 2020, signed through 2022 Yasmani Grandal, 32, signed through 2023 That is 8/9ths of your starting lineup. The reason they should all be untouchable is because: A. All except Abreu and Grandal are on the upswing of their careers, with a high likelihood that they will all get better over the next few years. B. All except Abreu are signed or controlled for the next 3 years, and most are controlled through 4 years (Anderson), 5 years (Moncada and Madrigal?), 6 years (Jimenez and Vaughn?), or 7 years (Robert). C. There is no one in the Sox farm system that could reasonably take over for ANY of these players. So if you trade any of them, you then need to find someone to replace them, and it will most likely be a far lesser player. D. Andrew Vaughn, who often comes up in trade comments, is the core offensive player under the longest control (he could tie Robert if the Sox start him late this year to add a service time year), and with tremendous upside. There is no way the Sox would get his value back in trade because he's still an unknown. Plus, not only does he anchor the DH spot that has been a huge hole in the Sox lineup, he can help extend Abreu by splitting time at 1B. I would also add some pitchers to the untouchables list Michael Kopech, 24, under control through 2024 Dylan Cease, 24, under control through 2025 Garrett Crochet, 21, under control through 2026? Lucas Giolito, 26, under control through 2023 Why am I adding these pitchers? A. Michael Kopech is an unknown at this point, but should be ready in 2021. Because he's an unknown, he will not bring back value equal to his upside, which is considerable. B. Dylan Cease has been a disappointment, but has electric stuff. Like Kopech, he won't bring back value equal to his upside. I want to see if our new pitching coach can do anything close for Cease for what he did for Giolito. He also doesn't need to improve as much as Giolito did to be a very solid 3-4 starter. And he might be better than that. C. Garrett Crochet might become the Sox' best pitcher. D. Giolito may end up not staying, depending on his contract demands. But if you ultimately have to trade him, this year is too early. Better to try to extend him before he puts together another excellent year. My overall opinion is the White Sox have one of the best young cores in MLB. (I don't follow other teams closely enough to say exactly where we rank.) It's taken years to assemble this group, but they've done so, and they've locked most of them up for a very nice run. The Sox need to supplement them to complete the team, but they can't rob from Peter to pay Paul. They must find ways to add without subtracting.

Maybe this shouldn't be a new topic but what is with all this talk about trading our young players away? I just don't understand the thinking behind it. it hijacks every thread with ridiculous trade ideas. Why does Vaughn's name come up in every trade and why are some posters in such a hurry to get rid of the guy? I heard it all last year and now this year as well. It's not a stretch to think he might end up being our best hitter down the road. Madrigal looks like a 300 plus hitter and all that with a bad shoulder. And I wouldn't trade Kopech until I see him for a full year without or without him being a possible head case. And I even saw Garret Crochet name come up along with Robert. INSANE. I will be sooooo pissed if we trade any of these guys. I don't care who we get in return like Snell or Marquez. And don't even get me started on Lance Lynn. Please!!! I don't post a lot but just felt I had to say it because I get nauseous every time I see these names come up. just saying

When they do bullshit like this it makes me wonder if Samson is right about Jerry wanting to finish in 2nd every year.

I second this. You all are great people and fun to have good times and bad times with. I hope we can all get behind this team and support them because they need it. We are in a once and a sports lifetime here and should enjoy every minute of it. Happy Turkey Day my fellow Sox Fanatics.

This thread is terrible

The good old American fable.

Whatever. I can sleep well knowing I have worn my mask throughout and have basically only put myself at risk on a handful of occasions eating with a buddy or relative at a restaurant (usually outdoors, always with mask), going to Mass, going to the barber. Yes I can hold a discussion about how unfair I feel and felt it is for government officials to say 'Do as I say not as I do.' And the ilk. You are very wrong that I have not taken this seriously. I have basically been a recluse working remotely, declining travel, wearing my mask. Nothing I can do to change anybody's opinion on a message board so I won't try. I don't think I'm evil; if you think I am evil, peace. I'm going to try to start posting less because my opinions evolve, certainly evolve in a span of nine months. And I don't do a good job of expressing my feelings. As far as the governor, she did a better job when she actually started seeking other people's opinions, medical opinions, rather than making dictatorial decisions on her own. Remember back in March/April, governors were out of line huffing and puffing in harsh language. As this thing continued, the governor "lightened up" a bit and actually stopped talking down to people. I'd never vote for her again but she improved her demeanor. As a citizen and taxpayer I have a right to feel this way about her.

I think you've confused being on social media with working hard to accomplish goals.

Yea keep your guys in these uncertain times. Spend a little dough and buy Kopech some time to develop into a free ace. Trading these guys is beyond insane. And for Snell??!? Good Lord. Get deGrom with Vaughn and Kopech. I wouldn’t like that but I guess I’d understand at least. Blake Snell? GTFOH

Or the Padres with the Clevinger trade to a lesser extent. We need to add a #2 or #3 starter, but we also have to smart about it because pitching is volatile. Giving up a Kopech or a Vaughn is a big deal and should be avoided unless it’s for a perfect piece. Not sure Snell qualifies as that as much as I like him.

It's an honor good sir. I have to serve as the beacon of sanity here from time to time

You only have time to post every one of their rumors?

The Bush-style immigration bill could probably get 52-53 votes, including extra border security and a path to citizenship with a large fee and an expanded guest-worker program. But it would never come to the floor with Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader. If the senate is 50/50 with Harris as the deciding vote for a Majority Leader, a bill that would have been seen as a compromise in 2007 could pass. If the Senate were 50/50, the DREAM act will pass easily within weeks, eliminating the need for DACA. There's already probably 60+ votes for it, maybe more. It could have passed any year for the past 8 years if McConnell wasn't in charge.

I hear you. However no deal is a sure thing. Let's say we give up Vaughn and Dunning for Snell and Snell hurts himself in spring training. Snell sits out a season and Dunning starts 25 games. Sure its outlandish and sometimes you need to take risks but it is still premature for the Sox to be trading prospects. Perhaps come July if we're sitting 10 over .500 and the perfect piece is out there but free agency is where 100 % of the focus should be right now.

It's not the FA options that our limited. There are sufficient options that we could fill all of the team's needs. It is the team's willingness to spend that money that we expect to be limited.

Yea I’d be hard pressed as well. Not for a one year wonder boy ( or burley man ).

One thing for sure...Snell is not Sale. Don't pay a Sale like price.

Just think of it... every one of us has a circle of friends and family that think we are the most crazed Sox fan in the World. They obviously are not familiar with this site. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

1. Absolutely the DREAM ACT should be signed into law. 2. Increase the number of refugees allowed in. 3. Bar/deport serious criminals who enter. 4. Pathway to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants otherwise not covered by other legal statuses; if you get a hair up your ass to enforce some sort of penalty, make it a fine of some sort, proportionate to an immigrants means. 5. No wall; its a complete fucking waste of time and money. 6. End the travel ban. Did I miss anything?

100% agree. I’m not worried in the slightest and a random beef Twitter account doesn’t change that. Now, I’d be slightly more concerned if Portillo’s tweeted this lol.

Unacceptable is an MO for this organization.

This feels like the only true White Sox forum on the whole damn internet. Love you guys.

We all know he has a dynamite fastball. He hit 101 in spring training this year. The dude has 3 pitches that flash plus, and he started to command them as well. This guy will be a bonafide ace if he stays healthy. Trading this guy would be a HUGE mistake. I don't think the Sox will trade him, either.

Many people here think the Chapman trade Theo made was atrocious. I think it was worth it, but many here call it a loss for the Cubs. Also, the Eloy trade didn't result in them winning another WS. I don't understand what you're getting at.

Trading Kopech would be insane. He's a legitimate TOR guy would could win 400 games for us over the next 17-18 years. If anything, extend him and lock him into a long term deal. It's crazy to talk about trading a future HoFer before he even gets to pitch a full season for us.

We already have a TOR starter and two more in training. Spend the money on Springer and a couple #4 types along with a good RP. With that lineup we aren't going to have many 1-0 games.

And we arguably have one of the worst GMs in the game at identifying your own home grown talent

They don't need to break the bank. Signing Bauer would probably only add between $5-$10M to next years payroll if he goes from $30-35M per year . Of course it's the willingness to go 5 or 6 years with him that's usually the problem with this organizations view of long term contracts for pitchers. If the Sox are willing to spend very close to that amount of money on Springer then why not Bauer instead ? Unless you think he's getting $35M/year + or a 7 or 8 year contract in the $30M range. It will be interesting to see the total amount difference between the 2 contracts when they eventually sign and if any opt outs are used. If they really want to win a World Series pony up for Bauer and allow him to pitch every 4th day if that is a deal breaker for teams in the running for him.

But there should be no scooping. That’s insane. None of it matters until 5 minutes later when the team announces it. The worst part is when Ken Rosenthal or MLBtraderumors gives “credit” to somebody for scooping the report. “First reported by joeblow”. Who gives a crap. This isn’t citing an academic journal. It’s useless sports. Like you can almost picture this person being proud of first reporting it. What hubris. Just let the teams announce a trade to the press

I'm not sure about this Jack. He was ready to go during spring training, hitting 101 on the gun. We really have no idea how much he has been pitching and training during his off time. The guy has always kept his body in tip top shape. He may not be able to throw too many innings this year, but I think he'll be ready.

You didn't ask me but . . . Documented low wage workers collect more in benefits than they pay in taxes through the Earned Income Tax Credit plus qualifying for other benefits. When someone takes that job, but doesn't qualify for those benefits, taxpayers benefit in a way. Therefore there is a built in tax advantage in not wanting to fix this issue. It's also a nice issue to campaign with every once in a while. Additionally and specifically to a critical industry agriculture, we depend on migrant workers to feed this country. The US has become a net importer of human food products. Many of our imports are fast food proteins and seasonal produce from the south while our fields are frozen. I propose a guest worker program similar to what was used during WW2. Document the guest workers, offer a scaled back benefit program, and a long term path to citizenship. Directly tie the number of workers to available jobs like the H1B visas. We also need to make the system easier and cheaper. Currently economically it makes more sense economically to come here for a mid to higher income job. It seems backwards to me. We spend a lot of time and money protecting the lowest wage jobs while filling our software companies and hospitals with high wage immigrants.

"Check out these pitches from three years and a UCL ago"

I think what he means by sure thing is you know the guy can pitch well consistently in the MLB. Kopech and Dunning have not done that as of yet. There is hope, but it hasn't been done. Trades have to be evaluated based on what is, not what if someone gets hurt next year.

I think Hahn is going to do everything in his power to hold onto Kopech, Dunning, and Vaughn but if an offer comes along for a top of the rotation arm - we have to remember their window to win a title is now open. Kopech, Dunning, Vaughn may be good or great but give me the sure thing over a possibility 9 times out of 10.

You called your governor a dictator for trying to keep you,your family, and your friends healthy and alive. Sorry, you have not always taken this seriously. Not even close.

I don't want to trade Kopech either, but the reality is that he's not going to help much in 2021 after missing 2 years. You can keep him, but if you do realize you're potentially punting a year of the window if you don't land Bauer.

One, Bauer. All the other guys have major question marks. Tanaka and Paxton have injury issues and the other pitchers are back end guys at best. You could say the same about Springer/RF. Only platoon options after that. If you're being real the potential trade acquisitions have issues as well, with control, injury or acquisition cost.

Jim Callis on the latest Pipeline podcast makes it seem like Rays won't be getting very top of the sports prospects from teams. He says it's financially motivated if they trade him. Mariners wouldn't trade Julio Rodriguez or Kelenic for him so I doubt Kopech or Vaughn would be in play either.

I'm waiting on the George Jacobs' M&Ms Jacket Twitter account.

It's funny to see Cease being written off and then looking at Glasnow.

I'm gonna camp outside of the Pfizer factory like people usually do for Black Friday sales. Get that primo vaccine right off the line while it's still hot. e: makes me wonder what the security profile around these facilities and the transportation/storage is going to look like.