Your Offseason Plan

[ron883]

13 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

Says everything about who you are as a person that your instinct also included the comment about the haircut.

Would it be ok for me to rip on Yuri Gurriel's haircut circa the 2017 world series if the Sox were thinking of signing him? That was such a bad hair style. Just awful.

[SonofaRoache]

16 hours ago, soxfan49 said:

Yeah, why bring aboard a guy who doesn't hustle when you can trade for homophobes like Daniel Murphy and wife beaters like Aroldis Chapman?

The two guys you listed weren't long term pieces making more than everyone else. You can hide their issues because they were far down the pecking order. Machado would be front and center even on that team. 

[Dick Allen]

14 hours ago, Whitesox27 said:

Another thing to consider as far as Machado goes is that the Sox would not have to forfeit a draft pick if they were to sign him. Being able to land a player of his caliber while keeping the draft pick has to be appealing from the Sox perspective, especially since they're still in the process of the rebuild.

That is correct, but if a second round pick is the reason a team wouldn’t sign Harper, that second round pick better be a really good player. Most don’t make it at all, let alone be really good. 

[ChiSox59]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

That is correct, but if a second round pick is the reason a team wouldn’t sign Harper, that second round pick better be a really good player. Most don’t make it at all, let alone be really good. 

Yah, I am not going to fret over a 2nd round pick if the Sox sign Harper or Pollock. 

[he gone.]

I haven't done nearly enough research on this, and I'd like to caveat that I am doing this plan as semi-realistic. This is the footnote version with a full version maybe some weekend when I have time.

a) I would explore bad contracts out there on teams close to the luxury tax or that are near the hump - but lack payroll flexibility. Who comes to mind off the top of my head?

Rusney Castillo, Jayson Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond, Robinson Cano, Chris Davis .... last one is a very tough one to take on though. I feel like all the others on that list have something to add to a team. You could probably acquire Castillo for nothing and have half or more of his salary paid by the BoSox. Heyward - Addison Russell at 3B - and Happ in your OF for .... nothing? Now I hate Addison Russell and think you stay as far away from him as possible, but just throwing it out for thought. All of a sudden your lineup is rounded out pretty quickly. You have Heyward in RF, Happ in CF and Jimenez in LF. Addy at 3B, Anderson and Moncada up the middle and Abreu at 1b. All you did was take on a bad contract and a terrible human being. Dexter Fowler could be a nice add as a veteran presence. Cano is interesting at 3b? Again, just throwing out names and would explore this angle. You can maybe pick up a decent ball player and/or add a prospect. We have the money, so we should look into it.

 

b) sign a pitcher. I don't care how many arms you think you have, you never have enough. Giolito, Kopech, Hansen, etc. etc. theres always going to be pitchers who you think slot in and then don't. Cease may throw out his arm this year. So could Lopez or almost anybody. I can't take watching Covey out there again. I personally like Ryu versus the others due to his relative cost, but I'd explore thorugh trade and FA to bring in 2-3 arms.

 

c) Sign a few veterans. Last year we didn't do this. We wanted a bare bones roster to see what we had coming up. Well... it worked out how I thought. it's a bunch of AAAA players. I think you sign a McCutchen or an Adam Jones or the likes. I don't care about the roster crunch. I'd rather have guys who have done it right for 10 years show these guys the ropes a bit.

 

that's my basic plan. more detailed one to come.

[steveno89]

5 minutes ago, BrianAnderson said:

I haven't done nearly enough research on this, and I'd like to caveat that I am doing this plan as semi-realistic. This is the footnote version with a full version maybe some weekend when I have time.

a) I would explore bad contracts out there on teams close to the luxury tax or that are near the hump - but lack payroll flexibility. Who comes to mind off the top of my head?

Rusney Castillo, Jayson Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond, Robinson Cano, Chris Davis .... last one is a very tough one to take on though. I feel like all the others on that list have something to add to a team. You could probably acquire Castillo for nothing and have half or more of his salary paid by the BoSox. Heyward - Addison Russell at 3B - and Happ in your OF for .... nothing? Now I hate Addison Russell and think you stay as far away from him as possible, but just throwing it out for thought. All of a sudden your lineup is rounded out pretty quickly. You have Heyward in RF, Happ in CF and Jimenez in LF. Addy at 3B, Anderson and Moncada up the middle and Abreu at 1b. All you did was take on a bad contract and a terrible human being. Dexter Fowler could be a nice add as a veteran presence. Cano is interesting at 3b? Again, just throwing out names and would explore this angle. You can maybe pick up a decent ball player and/or add a prospect. We have the money, so we should look into it.

 

b) sign a pitcher. I don't care how many arms you think you have, you never have enough. Giolito, Kopech, Hansen, etc. etc. theres always going to be pitchers who you think slot in and then don't. Cease may throw out his arm this year. So could Lopez or almost anybody. I can't take watching Covey out there again. I personally like Ryu versus the others due to his relative cost, but I'd explore thorugh trade and FA to bring in 2-3 arms.

 

c) Sign a few veterans. Last year we didn't do this. We wanted a bare bones roster to see what we had coming up. Well... it worked out how I thought. it's a bunch of AAAA players. I think you sign a McCutchen or an Adam Jones or the likes. I don't care about the roster crunch. I'd rather have guys who have done it right for 10 years show these guys the ropes a bit.

 

that's my basic plan. more detailed one to come.

ABSOLUTELY NOT^

[YouCanPutItOnTheBoardYES!]

Russell is never happening but I agree with his premise. Exploring bad short term contracts in order to get prospects/other MLB players isn't a terrible idea.

[turnin' two]

1 hour ago, ChiSox59 said:

Yah, I am not going to fret over a 2nd round pick if the Sox sign Harper or Pollock. 

I don't get the Pollock love.  He will be 31, has played in an extreme hitters park, and has numbers that are declining.  

His last 2 seasons he has a .261/.323/.477 for an .801 OPS.  He has 54 2B, 11 3B, 35 HR 114 RBI and 33 SB.

Just for reference, Avi Garcia has .292/.339/.478 for a .818 OPS with 38-7-37-129-8.

There is a difference of 20 plate appearances between them.

Different players for certain, and Pollock can play a respectable CF.  But one guy everyone wants to non tender, the other, the older by 3 years, people want to give 15 million per season.  One guy has been derided for being injured, the other deserves a giant FA contract apparently.  I don't see how people can want to DFA Avi over 8 mil and sign Pollock to well, a heck of a lot more than that.  Along with a multi year commitment.  

 

Anyways, Harper and Pollock don't belong in the same frame of mind, let alone sentence.  

Edited November 2, 2018 by turnin' two

[bmags]

Yes, when you include the last two years, which feature Avi Garcia's lone good offensive year, they do look like comparable players.

Pollock can probably still play center. there is no CF for a few years in our system. It's the perfect place to supplement. 

That doesn't mean "make playoff teams now", but it does allow sox to support young players with not garbage and encourage competition. It also allows possible value if a young prospect forces issue and vet looks good. 

[he gone.]

1 hour ago, steveno89 said:

ABSOLUTELY NOT^

hahaha.  I did preface that plan saying I hate Addison, but strictly between the lines baseball? it does sadly make sense. You're getting two guys for free for taking on heyward. With those three guys in the fold you actually have a formidable team in the AL Central this year... like Minnesota Twins 2017 formidable. A team that has a chance w all going right to sneak into a WC and get blasted.

I for one, wouldn't do it - I hated Chapman. I hated Osuna on the Astros. I just generally hate characters like that, but strictly between the lines it's a good baseball move.

[ChiSox59]

5 minutes ago, turnin' two said:

I don't get the Pollock love.  He will be 31, has played in an extreme hitters park, and has numbers that are declining.  

His last 2 seasons he has a .261/.323/.477 for an .801 OPS.  He has 54 2B, 11 3B, 35 HR 114 RBI and 33 SB.

Just for reference, Avi Garcia has .292/.339/.478 for a .818 OPS with 38-7-37-129-8.

There is a difference of 20 plate appearances between them.

Different players for certain, and Pollock can play a respectable CF.  But one guy everyone wants to non tender, the other, the older by 3 years, people want to give 15 million per season.  One guy has been derided for being injured, the other deserves a giant FA contract apparently.  I don't see how people can want to DFA Avi over 8 mil and sign Pollock to well, a heck of a lot more than that.  Along with a multi year commitment.  

 

Anyways, Harper and Pollock don't belong in the same frame of mind, let alone sentence.  

Well, Pollock is the top CF on the market, a position that is a glaring black hole for the Sox, so that's why he was mentioned.  

Pollock would be a giant upgrade for the Sox.  He can fill the hole in CF for a season or two, or then slide over to a corner if need be when the kids arive.  When healthy (which to be candid, hasn't been that often over the past 3 years), Pollock has been very good.  He's certainly not as big of a splash as Machado or Harper, but IMO, he'd be a great fit depending on how expensive he gets.

[Eminor3rd]

I’d be shocked if the Cubs gave up Happ like that. But also that Heyward contract still has some length to it. Yeah, we have the payroll, but it won’t help us if we don’t save enough of it to get actual good players when we need them. 

If you could actually get Happ then sure, but otherwise, if we’re willing to be inefficient with the big payroll gap to get better, I think I’d rather spend that Heyward money overpaying Machado by enough to get him here. 

[Jose Abreu]

Only 11/2 and we've already reached *this* point of free agency, but I'm not complaining

[southsider2k5]

THOSE ARE OUR COLORS!!! IT IS HAPPENING!@!!!

[wrathofhahn]

21 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Ah, so NOW you CAN see it.  Hopefully that helps you going forward.  There is no need for that stuff going forward.

My point was simply cornrows look ugly on Machado. That's it. That's all I said - that's all I meant.

I  saw your intent clearly from the very beginning you can't deal with my politics so you attempted to smear me as racist. I just wanted see it confirmed in this thread which I did.

The thing is I didn't got to the offseason plan thread to discuss politics. I came to discuss Machado and what the White Sox plans for the offseason if you guys want to go off in your own little world and discuss racial stereotypes go ahead but A) I never said any of those things B) Leave me out of it.

12 hours ago, Hot FiRe said:

Would it be ok for me to rip on Yuri Gurriel's haircut circa the 2017 world series if the Sox were thinking of signing him? That was such a bad hair style. Just awful.

Uh oh you are on thin ice.

 

Edited November 2, 2018 by wrathofhahn

[southsider2k5]

28 minutes ago, wrathofhahn said:

My point was simply cornrows look ugly on Machado. That's it. That's all I said - that's all I meant.

I  saw your intent clearly from the very beginning you can't deal with my politics so you attempted to smear me as racist. I just wanted see it confirmed in this thread which I did.

The thing is I didn't got to the offseason plan thread to discuss politics. I came to discuss Machado and what the White Sox plans for the offseason if you guys want to go off in your own little world and discuss racial stereotypes go ahead but A) I never said any of those things B) Leave me out of it.

Uh oh you are on thin ice.

 

If you don't want to pick up some decency from the world around you, I can't force you to do so.  Stereotype away.

[Dick Allen]

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

If you don't want to pick up some decency from the world around you, I can't force you to do so.  Stereotype away.

I think you are picking and choosing here. I don’t think his hairstyle thing was meant to be racist at all. There was a similar comment by a mod during the playoffs and there was no racist reaction. 

[Jose Abreu]

I could see us signing Brantley for a year or two to complement a big signing 

 

[kevo880]

I'm going to assume we aren't getting any of Corbin, Harper, or Machado. I would love all 3 of them so if that happens then that's amazing, but I am going to go with, what I think to be, a more realistic offseason. As most of us can agree, the Sox are still a couple years away from having a good majority of their talent up in the majors. That is why I would prefer 1-3 year deals for any of these players.

3rd Base: Donaldson or Moustakas
Outfield: Brantley and McCutchen
Starting Pitcher: Ryu and Morton

I think these moves would make us competitive while being infused with our younger talent as they show they are ready over the next couple years. Get the youngsters in the frame of mind to win when they get called up.

[turnin' two]

5 hours ago, ChiSox59 said:

Well, Pollock is the top CF on the market, a position that is a glaring black hole for the Sox, so that's why he was mentioned.  

Pollock would be a giant upgrade for the Sox.  He can fill the hole in CF for a season or two, or then slide over to a corner if need be when the kids arive.  When healthy (which to be candid, hasn't been that often over the past 3 years), Pollock has been very good.  He's certainly not as big of a splash as Machado or Harper, but IMO, he'd be a great fit depending on how expensive he gets.

That still doesn't mean he is a good fit.  He is over 30, often injured, had a terrible 2nd half, has played in an extreme hitters park and will likely command a deal somewhere around 3/45-4/60.  And as you pointed out, will likely have to shift off CF in the not too distant future.  Hopefully a bat like his will not be able to play as a corner OF for the Sox, if it does, well, this rebuild is in trouble if the team can't develop 2 corner OFers.  

[fathom]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2019.html

 

they don’t predict anyone to the WSox

[Jose Abreu]

1 minute ago, fathom said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2019.html

 

they don’t predict anyone to the WSox

And then when they go over the teams that weren't mentioned, they don't even mention that the White Sox weren't mentioned.

[ChiSox59]

49 minutes ago, turnin' two said:

That still doesn't mean he is a good fit.  He is over 30, often injured, had a terrible 2nd half, has played in an extreme hitters park and will likely command a deal somewhere around 3/45-4/60.  And as you pointed out, will likely have to shift off CF in the not too distant future.  Hopefully a bat like his will not be able to play as a corner OF for the Sox, if it does, well, this rebuild is in trouble if the team can't develop 2 corner OFers.  

We can agree to disagree. I’d prefer to 2/3rds of our outfield not be named Engel, Garcia and/or Delmonico. Too many good players in 2020 is a good problem. The Sox can easily afford a $15M AAV contract for a guy like Pollock. 

[Chicago White Sox]

9 minutes ago, fathom said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2019.html

 

they don’t predict anyone to the WSox

Lance Lynn at 2/$16M seems like a fucking steal to me.  I’d also add Allen & Pomeranz on one year deals if at all possible.

[ChiSox59]

16 minutes ago, fathom said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2019.html

 

they don’t predict anyone to the WSox

I’d be all over a bunch of the projections they have on there for the mid tier guys.