Chicago White Sox

Yeah, Romo has been very bad offensively since about mid May. He is a rookie and I still like him as a 3rd catcher, but Quero has been picking up a little bit of steam and has passed Romo at this point in my mind.

Agree, this positional group has a chance to be very good as the season progresses. And that’s actually a great idea on Seiya.

I’m not complaining about..this is super exciting news. Just explaining the concern that myself and some others have regarding the timing.

Yes…poor wording there, but I think that’s what it’s going to come to at some point. Once Murakami, Teel, & Pereira are all back (cross fingers), who are the two guys who get DFA’d or optioned? Acuna feels like the one slam dunk IMO. Lineup: 1B: M. Murakami (L) 2B: C. Meidroth (R) SS: C. Montgomery (L) 3B: M. Vargas (R) LF: S. Antonacci (L) CF: T. Peters (L) RF: B. Montgomery (S) DH: A. Benintendi (L) CA: K. Teel (L) Bench options: IF: Gonzalez (L) OF: Pereira (R) OF: Grichuk (R) OF: Hill (R) UT: Acuna (R)

Ground ball rate has ballooned up in AAA and is a legit concern

I don’t think he’ll be here very long. Think he’s a bridge for Hagen.

Grichuk can’t or at least should not be playing CF. Hill is a great defense CF. He put up 8 DRS and 5 OAA over 330 innings in CF last year. I think having two RH outfield bats is very important given the rest of the roster construction and I three works if you plan to use one at DH against LHP. I also think Acuna will eventually get demoted once more guys come back.

Lineup I’d like to see tonight: S. Antonacci, LF (L) M. Vargas, 3B (R) A. Benintendi, DH (L) C. Montgomery, SS (L) J. Gonzalez, 1B (L) B. Montgomery, (S) C. Meidroth, (R) T. Peters, CF (L) E. Quero, CA (S)

Hays is technically playable against RHP whereas Grichuk is a platoon only guy. But with Antonacci, Peters, & Braden your starting OF against RHP, Hays’ ability to be league average against them is far less important.

He has a 119 wRC+ against LHP this year and a 116 wRC+ for his career. He should be Peters’ CF platoon partner as he’s the perfect complement. He also has role player value as a defensive substitute and pinch runner. Don’t see why we are eager to rid of him.

There are very few guys at AAA with much value. Regardless, the nine guys I picked all should have some value, you aren’t selling low on them (assuming Bergolla is healthy), and aren’t critical for our near-term future. Adams is the one possible exception, but given the 40 man congestion he might be a guy the Sox look to sell. As for who is the best of the guys mentioned, I think Davis is probably the most valuable chip given his ceiling. Bergolla is a top 10 guy by many publications, but he’s much more floor than upside. Shelton had some real helium after his torrid start in W-S, but his AA debut so far has probably cooled things down a bit. To me, those are probably the three guys I expect to have the most trade value come the deadline, but a lot could change between now and then.

Because this positional group is legit and you need to augment it some with a few pitching additions. Build some momentum and try to sneak your way into the playoffs. The goodwill from doing so will pay off immensely come this offseason. There is certainly a way to buy without crippling your long term plans.

Kudos @ron883 for being all over this. Dude is on fire right now with his predictions.

Fully agree

Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if we don’t see Hayes until the very end of the season. I liked the signing as a placeholder given the price, but at this point you can’t rely on him and just move forward like he’s not part of the plan.