Jack Parkman

It does actually, because I think a lot of teams weren't interested solely because of the QO.

No, Grandal had a QO attached last year, and he doesn't this year. Big difference for a player like him. Same with Keuchel. Odorizzi and Abreu are going to have a depressed market. I wouldn't be surprised if both accept the QO. Will Smith is going to be close.

I've heard players complain about GRF being half empty. It makes a negative impression on opposing players. There have been multiple reports of this.

National reporting. From what I heard, 2/3 of the teams in the league are expected to be active participants this year. They want to get Tony Clark to STFU a bit. Really, only the hard rebuilders are going to be out. (KC/Detroit/Seattle/Miami/Toronto/Pittsburgh)

You know, If the Sox offseason consisted of the following moves: Trade for Greg Polanco Sign Edwin Encarnacion Bring back Abreu and finally..... Sign Gerrit Cole That would be a huge, massive success. I couldn't be happier because they finally broke the mold, even though they went bargain hunting elsewhere.

Just to clarify, I don't think it's going to be hard for them to compete for FA because they're cheap or anything, I think it's going to be hard because there are going to be a lot of teams in the market this winter, unlike last winter. I hope they'll spend in the $ 160-175 range when they're trying to compete. I really do. Is it ok and allowed to think that Hahn and Kenny are clowns?

Only for the highest profile players. What happened with Machado seems to happen to the Sox a lot. It happened with A-Rod, Torii Hunter, and then Machado, just off the top of my head. There are many more instances of that happening to them than them turning down more money to play elsewhere.

It isn't that. I think they might land one guy, whether that be a pitcher or a hitter. I don't see any one team getting more than one tier A or B free agent this winter. There are too many teams in the marketplace. The one exception might be the Angels, because Moreno can't let Trout waste his entire career.

I can't prove it because most of the time, with the exception of major free agents like A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Harper and Machado, the losing offers are never known. There's no way to prove or disprove your point. The only offer that is ever public knowledge is the one the player signs. The others remain private.

I don't think it always comes down to just money. I think a lot of times, there's similar offers and it comes down to where the player is most comfortable. Especially in the age of analytics, I think the industry almost has a consensus on the value of players. There is going to be a point where money is no longer as much of a factor because all of the offers are similar. At that point, it's going to become a lot like the NBA where players are going to choose based on weather, market size, and other factors. I don't necessarily think that the Sox will or won't land players because they don't want to take their money or anything, I think the big issue is that half of baseball is going to be fairly active this winter. I expect Arte Moreno to spend like a drunken sailor.

Let me re-phrase that: I think that once players have been here, they really like it with the Sox. However, I have no idea why their reputation isn't that great among free agents, because the only major FA from another team that the Sox have signed since I was in 8th grade is Adam Dunn, and he was a tier B free agent. I think they're more likely to get their good players and stars to re-sign than they are to grab good players from other teams. It wouldn't shock me at all if Moncada and Giolito signed an extension that took them to their age 30 season this winter. They'd still reach FA at a decent age, and they'd make money in the meantime. If it were up to me, Grandal, Wheeler and Bumgarner would be at the top of my list. I'd talk to Boras about Cole/Strasburg.

I found a picture of @Chicago White Sox and @Look at Ray Ray Run But seriously people, let's just let the offseason play out, and we can b**** or be excited in February when Pitchers and Catchers are reporting. I'm being a bit of a Pessimistic Peter because I don't want to be disappointed yet again. Really, though, just let it play out.

I think their internal budget is around ~130M and I don't expect them to exceed that over the next 5 seasons. It's kind of why I don't think they're going to add much, because in a year or two they're going to reach that easily just with Moncada/Gio arbitration. They're going to try to piece things together like they did in 2015-16 with short term deals. (1-2 years)

I think the Sox have their top dollar where they feel comfortable with a deal, and absolutely refuse to take any sort of risk. If the dollar amount on a player exits their comfort zone, they're out on that player. I also believe that their player valuations are outdated, and as such their top dollar is way below market value.

Because I can't stand all of the people who walk around like a unicorn farting rainbows. That's a terrible way to exist as well, being disappointed daily with reality.

What matters more is TV ratings and the Sox are among the bottom 5 in MLB TV ratings year after year. The eyeballs might as well not exist if nobody's watching the games. I don't even think advertisers blink an eye in Chicago for an endorsement deal for a Sox player.

The. Sox. Are. Not. A. Large. Market. Team. Despite playing in Chicago. Anyone who can't acknowledge that the Cubs own at least 65% of baseball fans in this city just has their head in the sand. The Sox area is the south side of the City proper and the south/near SW Burbs. That might be 1/4 of the population of the Chicago metro area. The Sox are closer to the remainder of the AL Central in market size. You could argue Detroit having a larger market than the Sox. They're on the mid-market/small market border at best.

Vehemently disagree. Like more than you can think.

Of course the players care about money first, but if the money is close other factors come into play. If I was a player I'd much rather play for Tampa than the Sox because I'd be more likely to get another contract after playing with the Rays. Tampa will help me maximize my talent and idk wtf the Sox are doing.

That too. The Sox have a sorted recent history of players who have had productive careers signing here and their careers just die.

For the Cubs, sure. Not for the Sox.

You also have to take into account the fact that the Sox are one of the least desirable places to play from a players perspective in baseball. Players would rather play almost anywhere else. The Sox are right there with Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati on the "worst places to play in MLB" list. I'm sure that people would rather play for the Rays or Marlins because at least it's Florida.

Players that shouldn't be traded: Moncada Jimenez Giolito Kopech Cease Robert Vaughn Anderson I could be convinced to trade Madrigal or Lopez. Other than them, it's hard to see what they're going to trade to get someone decent.

Yep. It's hard to see how they're going to improve much this winter. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they land any top or mid tier FA. Just too many teams out there that actually have a current valuation of players.

I think they're betting that Abreu declines the QO. It would be incredibly stupid for him to do so, but whatever either way.