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mmmmmbeeer
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Reading through the board, I can't help but get the feeling that many people actually expected the Sox to compete for a ring this season.  Be it the idea of overpaying for starting pitching, dropping a record contract on a player not fitting a position of need, comfort with trading young prospects, or just getting upset that Hahn hasn't "spent the money".  

2020 should have never been the season we Sox fans expected a truly competitive team.   We're going to be several weeks without Madrigal and/or Robert, and then likely have to wait for them to adjust to ML pitching.  A month or several months without Rodon and Kopech.  Cease and Lopez need to find consistency.  Collins is still learning how to hit in the majors.  

This was a 72 win team last season.  I don't blame Hahn or Jerry for not going all in this offseason.  We may be competitive for a WC slot this season or, best case scenario, everyone performs as we hope, win the division, and get shellacked by the Yankees or Astros in the playoffs.  This would be the case even if we'd gotten Wheeler or Rendon.  

If Hahn fills RF with a Mazara platoon partner and can get a decent stopgap SP, I'd call this offseason a success.   Give us this season to win more games, let guys mature, let Kopech and Rodon get healthy and back in form, and see what happens.  Next offseason is when we go all in, imo.  

 

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15 minutes ago, mmmmmbeeer said:

Reading through the board, I can't help but get the feeling that many people actually expected the Sox to compete for a ring this season.  Be it the idea of overpaying for starting pitching, dropping a record contract on a player not fitting a position of need, comfort with trading young prospects, or just getting upset that Hahn hasn't "spent the money".  

2020 should have never been the season we Sox fans expected a truly competitive team.   We're going to be several weeks without Madrigal and/or Robert, and then likely have to wait for them to adjust to ML pitching.  A month or several months without Rodon and Kopech.  Cease and Lopez need to find consistency.  Collins is still learning how to hit in the majors.  

This was a 72 win team last season.  I don't blame Hahn or Jerry for not going all in this offseason.  We may be competitive for a WC slot this season or, best case scenario, everyone performs as we hope, win the division, and get shellacked by the Yankees or Astros in the playoffs.  This would be the case even if we'd gotten Wheeler or Rendon.  

If Hahn fills RF with a Mazara platoon partner and can get a decent stopgap SP, I'd call this offseason a success.   Give us this season to win more games, let guys mature, let Kopech and Rodon get healthy and back in form, and see what happens.  Next offseason is when we go all in, imo.  

 

I believe I read this comment all across Soxtalk last offseason, too. 

How exactly do we plan on going “all in” ? With the weak FA market? By trading whatever is left from the minors? 

It sounds like you’re trying to reassure yourself, and maybe a few others, this was all part of the plan. 

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14 minutes ago, mmmmmbeeer said:

Reading through the board, I can't help but get the feeling that many people actually expected the Sox to compete for a ring this season.  Be it the idea of overpaying for starting pitching, dropping a record contract on a player not fitting a position of need, comfort with trading young prospects, or just getting upset that Hahn hasn't "spent the money".  

2020 should have never been the season we Sox fans expected a truly competitive team.   We're going to be several weeks without Madrigal and/or Robert, and then likely have to wait for them to adjust to ML pitching.  A month or several months without Rodon and Kopech.  Cease and Lopez need to find consistency.  Collins is still learning how to hit in the majors.  

This was a 72 win team last season.  I don't blame Hahn or Jerry for not going all in this offseason.  We may be competitive for a WC slot this season or, best case scenario, everyone performs as we hope, win the division, and get shellacked by the Yankees or Astros in the playoffs.  This would be the case even if we'd gotten Wheeler or Rendon.  

If Hahn fills RF with a Mazara platoon partner and can get a decent stopgap SP, I'd call this offseason a success.   Give us this season to win more games, let guys mature, let Kopech and Rodon get healthy and back in form, and see what happens.  Next offseason is when we go all in, imo.  

 

All in on what SP that is available via FA?  Bauer at 31, Stroman at 31?  Minor at 34? Kluber at 36?  Quintana at 33?  Ray at 29 (is this Wheeler all over again)? It's the same type of level B pitchers available this year that no one wants to spend for (at least not the length of years that people want).  One of the big two OF?  or do we settle going after Joc if Mazara doesn't work out?  If it really seemed like there was a plan I would get it, but I'm not sure that they know what their plan is besides hope all of the kids hit before the big addition gets made?  That way if somehow the team only gets a little better this year (maybe up to 80 wins) they say we are still waiting?  I hope not but I start to think at this point they are going to wait and see for another year to decide if they are going to spend or not

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14 minutes ago, Hatchetman said:

Well we won 72 last year and added Grandal and Mazara. I figure we should be good for about 95 wins this year.

And Madrigal and Robert for 130 games or so.  And 15-20 starts from Kopech.  And a full season from Cease.  

These things help.  I don't think its outrageous to expect this team be be around .500 even if they just add two meh vets on 1 year deals for the rotation.  

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If the fans had too high of expectations, that blame can be put on the FO. After the Grandal signing, Hahn talked big. He acted little.  My assessment of the White Sox is this: the team will never be at the table for big free agent signings. Fans better hope the rebuilding from within works. It's not going to come from the free agent market. In the meantime, look forward to more losing. How's that for expectations?

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This absolutely should be a competitive year. We are wasting years of control of all our young guys the more we "wait til next year." Last year we couldve gotten a couple pieces to help this year but according to all the comments made this was suppose to be the year we started our run. Our front office has fallen on their face once again and sadly I have lost hope that they will ever get it right in FA. Our team will get better and more exciting but I dont think we will ever make that move or moves needed to get over the top. It will always be guys that the front office has to try to convince us will be "that" piece.

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1 hour ago, mmmmmbeeer said:

Reading through the board, I can't help but get the feeling that many people actually expected the Sox to compete for a ring this season.  Be it the idea of overpaying for starting pitching, dropping a record contract on a player not fitting a position of need, comfort with trading young prospects, or just getting upset that Hahn hasn't "spent the money".  

2020 should have never been the season we Sox fans expected a truly competitive team.   We're going to be several weeks without Madrigal and/or Robert, and then likely have to wait for them to adjust to ML pitching.  A month or several months without Rodon and Kopech.  Cease and Lopez need to find consistency.  Collins is still learning how to hit in the majors.  

This was a 72 win team last season.  I don't blame Hahn or Jerry for not going all in this offseason.  We may be competitive for a WC slot this season or, best case scenario, everyone performs as we hope, win the division, and get shellacked by the Yankees or Astros in the playoffs.  This would be the case even if we'd gotten Wheeler or Rendon.  

If Hahn fills RF with a Mazara platoon partner and can get a decent stopgap SP, I'd call this offseason a success.   Give us this season to win more games, let guys mature, let Kopech and Rodon get healthy and back in form, and see what happens.  Next offseason is when we go all in, imo.  

 

Where have you been seeing this?^

I see way more doom and gloom than optimism lately from the fanbase. 

We just need to be patient and wait to see how this offseason unfolds

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1 hour ago, mmmmmbeeer said:

2020 should have never been the season we Sox fans expected a truly competitive team. 

You must mean "truly competitive" as a World Series Championship team.  Yes, that we dont know, but I never count our chickens out, in baseball, you never eva know. No one thought the Nationals would win the World Series last season. Baseball is good.

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My expectation is that they don't waste the careers of Moncada, Giolito, Eloy, Robert, Kopech, Cease and all the other guys.  Well, actually that is my hope.  I'm trying to fight the negativity of my actual expectation.  

Part of not wasting those guys is subsidizing them with veteran players.  Grandal was a great addition.  Mazara is an upgrade who is cheap and doesn't preclude them from upgrading (either from within or without) in the future.  

Is Keuchel a perfect addition?  No.  But he makes the team better.  He buttresses the rotation.  He relieves pressure on the bullpen.  He is a huge upgrade over what they have had.  If they have to eat a bad year on the backend, well that's the price to play.  I bet the Yanks aren't expecting ace performances out of Cole for the last 3-4 years of his deal, even though they will be paying him like an ace.  

I don't think competing this year is out of the question.  I think the Twins played as well as they possible could have last year.  They have regressed already.  Their pitching is questionable.  The Indians are getting worse.  Their lineup is soft, even with Lindor.  

The Royals and Tigers are bad.  There are a lot of wins up for grabs from those 42 games.  Adding to the rotation should be a priority.  Whether it is Keuchel or Ryu or Bumgarner.  They all fit the mold.  Will they all be over paid?  Maybe an extra year?  Yeah probably.  But it is time to wear the big boy pants.  Maybe if injuries didn't occur they could have avoided overpaying.  They happened.  You need to adjust.  Maybe if they drafted better and developed guys better they could have avoided this.  They didn't.  They have to adjust.  

Then they should add another backend guy with some ceiling.  Wood.  Or to a lesser extent Walker or Sanchez.  

Edited by turnin' two
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1 hour ago, mmmmmbeeer said:

Reading through the board, I can't help but get the feeling that many people actually expected the Sox to compete for a ring this season.  Be it the idea of overpaying for starting pitching, dropping a record contract on a player not fitting a position of need, comfort with trading young prospects, or just getting upset that Hahn hasn't "spent the money".  

2020 should have never been the season we Sox fans expected a truly competitive team.   We're going to be several weeks without Madrigal and/or Robert, and then likely have to wait for them to adjust to ML pitching.  A month or several months without Rodon and Kopech.  Cease and Lopez need to find consistency.  Collins is still learning how to hit in the majors.  

This was a 72 win team last season.  I don't blame Hahn or Jerry for not going all in this offseason.  We may be competitive for a WC slot this season or, best case scenario, everyone performs as we hope, win the division, and get shellacked by the Yankees or Astros in the playoffs.  This would be the case even if we'd gotten Wheeler or Rendon.  

If Hahn fills RF with a Mazara platoon partner and can get a decent stopgap SP, I'd call this offseason a success.   Give us this season to win more games, let guys mature, let Kopech and Rodon get healthy and back in form, and see what happens.  Next offseason is when we go all in, imo.  

 

Sox won 72 games last year. Wild Card Teams won 97 and 96 games. You think the Sox are going to improve 25 games? Have you seen this pitching staff or lack thereof? 

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1 hour ago, NWINFan said:

If the fans had too high of expectations, that blame can be put on the FO. After the Grandal signing, Hahn talked big. He acted little.  My assessment of the White Sox is this: the team will never be at the table for big free agent signings. Fans better hope the rebuilding from within works. It's not going to come from the free agent market. In the meantime, look forward to more losing. How's that for expectations?

About now I feel like the kid on Christmas Day who was hoping for the Red Ryder BB Gun, but didn't get it!

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