Colome's Hat

Knock on wood, I think it's less of if Buehrle stays on the ballot but more if he gains ground. I don't see him not staying on the ballot. He's not going to lose that many people who voted for him last year.

Buehrle won't make it this year but I think if he can hit 20-25% this year, I think he's got a decent chance of making it by the sixth or seventh year. I'm just glad that people are starting to reckon with his career and take it seriously. His numbers put him in a pretty elite class of pitchers. And I just don't think in the future we will see pitchers like him ever again. To be honest, in five years, the average innings starters throw is going to start to be somewhere around 160-170. You might see one pitcher hit 200 innings. Buehrle was truly a historic pitcher and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I kind of thought before he retired that he and maybe Kershaw were the only two pitchers who could seriously make a run at 300 wins.

Eh. We have signed Boras client in the past and will likely continue to do so. It really doesn't mean that much in the long term.

YES. Perfect birthday gift for me.

I'm down. And I think people are underestimating the Sox willingness to spend major money and get over $200 million in payroll.

Oh man, White Sox strikeout totals are going way up!

If Scherzer is not drunk and shirtless in his press conference, I'm tuning out.

Who besides Giolito is arbitration eligible? I think my point being is that the teams who are spending like drunken sailors are doing so because they have huge holes and are desperate.. They also have no money on the books. I do think that if the Sox have the chance to get Schwarber, they won't pass it up. If it pushes them to $200 million, so be it. Iit's very possible that one of the stipulations put in place moving forward is that there be a floor for team's payrolls. Which means we might make what qualifies for the luxury tax to be higher. Although even when the White Sox were rebuilding, their payrolls were still somewhat high.

Cesar sucked but he actually hit a home run against the Cubs that I saw in person (believe he hit two in that series). He actually had a great first two weeks with the Sox before proceeding to suck.

Because contracts will likely favor the players moving forward. This is pretty damn team friendly for a utility player.

Right now, the White Sox have the second largest payroll in the AL. I don't have the exact number but it's north of $170 million I believe. And this isn't taking into account the players like Lucas who are arbitration eligible who likely will receive a hefty pay increase this year. Stop complaining the White Sox are cheap. They aren't. The Yankees also aren't spending money right now. The teams that are are doing it because they aren't as good as the White Sox were last year. The White Sox have a damn good team. The Rangers suck. And will likely be lucky to be in Third place next year. The White Sox will spend money but they need an upgrade, not a complete overhaul. And their payroll, when all is said and done, will almost be north of $200 million and likely be one of the top two in the AL. Because, given what Lucas will cost next year and also what some of the other arbitration eligible players will cost, there is just no way it won't be at $200 million or above. They are going to be in the top 2 in payroll in the AL. They don't have to spend money like drunken sailors. They will get one of the big fish in free agency, just like they did last year (Liam). But given the way the Sox operate, we likely won't find out till the day before it's done. Mets made some big upgrades and they still don't have as good a team as the White Sox.

He's going to be a utility player. He's pretty valuable and bailed the Sox out last year and has shown the ability to come through in the clutch. I have no problem with them locking him up now. It would have become much more difficult after the lockout.

And also he needed a change of scenery.

I want Semien as much as the next person but we have a bigger need. We badly need a lefty Power hitter. Our right handed big bats got badly exposed in the playoffs. Thus I have a new free agent crush. Kyle Schwarber. This dude had a monster year last year and is capable of possibly having an MVP type season. Plus his versatility allows us to put him at DH, 1B, and in the outfield, which he's actually surprisingly solid. He's also just a dude that I think the fanbase would embrace. I would rather see us spend 4/85 on Schwarber and get Escobar or maybe even someone like McNeill than go all in on Semien and get stuck with a right handed power bat in the DH or outfield.

Neither. Let's stop this foolishness.