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Funny how in such a short period of time I picked the guy they actually signed and they got the number 1 pick in the draft and they hired an ex TB exec who has a very good resume to continue the good work Getz has already been doing building a foundation based on player development for far less than $160M. The tide has turned and the Fire Getz thread is long gone from the front page despite the many tears of the disenchanted amidst those coaches and players who have all bought into Getz' vision. My own vision was for the Sox to reestablish themselves in the Asian market ( early in this thread) and they did it and it didnt cost nearly as much as I anticipated. 1st time in 20 years. I didnt expect it to happen since it was a fantasy scenario thread with mystery money provided by the Ishbia's. Progress is happening. Everyone is now seeing it .

He’s a big boy.

Playoffs year 1……just wait till Ben gets more of the players he wants in offense.

Here’s the rationale provided by AI: (Oh boy, this feels too much like a caulfield post. I apologize in advance.) The rule feels counterintuitive at first, but it’s really about leverage, player development, and keeping the amateur pipeline stable. Here’s the rationale, step by step: First, MLB wants a clear choice point for players. High school seniors are at a natural decision moment: go pro now or go to college. If they’re drafted, they can sign and start their professional careers immediately. If they don’t like their draft position or bonus, they can choose college instead. That’s a clean fork in the road. Once a player enrolls in a four-year college, MLB wants that choice to “stick” for a while. Making college freshmen draft-eligible would create chaos, with players constantly bouncing between college and pro ball after just a few months. Second, it protects college baseball programs. If freshmen were draft-eligible, top recruits could be drafted again immediately after arriving on campus. Coaches would have no roster stability. Imagine building a team around a freshman ace or shortstop, only to lose him to the draft six months later. The current rule ensures schools get at least three years of development and contribution from elite players. Third, it balances bargaining power between players and teams. High school players have leverage because they can threaten to go to college. College juniors and draft-eligible sophomores have leverage because they can threaten to return to school. College freshmen would have almost no leverage. They’d already be enrolled, already used a year of eligibility, and wouldn’t yet have proven themselves at the college level. MLB teams could draft them cheaply, which is something the players’ union historically wanted to avoid. Fourth, it encourages development rather than churn. MLB prefers that players either: enter pro ball immediately out of high school, or spend meaningful time developing physically and mentally in college. A single freshman year often isn’t enough to evaluate true growth, and allowing drafting after just one college season would push teams toward speculation rather than development. Finally, the three-year rule creates a predictable system. A player at a four-year college becomes draft-eligible after: their junior year, or turning 21 years old. That gives MLB scouts, colleges, and players a shared timeline. Predictability matters in a system that spans thousands of players and dozens of levels of baseball.

What do you got vs a LH?

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-offseason-reactions-munetaka-murakamis-deal-with-white-sox-spells-trouble/ Of course there's this very skeptical view of Murakami. That the White Sox can't be right while 29 teams with bigger scouting depts and better, more advanced analytics departments are all wrong. If it was MIL CLE TB instead...the perception would be quite different. Also, the Dodgers keeping Muncy at his advanced age instead of pursuing Murakami. Lots of factors to consider. If we substituted Colson Montgomery's history for Murakami and made him a FA...the demand might be higher for Colson due to 4 successful months of MLB play and his ability to play above average SS, but not many teams would guarantee more than three years because of the possibility of that floor falling out from under him and him outgrowing the position or having back problems due to the torque created by that violent swing.

That’s my primary lineup against RH starters.

Always trust the Times of India over Bartolo’s butthole

I think the timing is such that Contreras wasn’t their first choice. Although as it turns out, STL is retaining some salary so BOS is only paying him $32mil. Have to think that’s close to what they offered Murakami and then completed this deal after he was off the market. Contreras is “proven” but he’s also pretty old at this point.

1) White Sox give him little to no pressure to produce his first year, adjustment period 2) Ability to experiment at 3B and drive up his perceived market/trade value 3) Marketing opportunities in #2 media market, as already the biggest name player on team 4) Comfort level with Suzuki and Imanaga in town already and adjusted 5) Coverage over 2027 lockout year 6) Ability to go back to FA market at the very start of his physical peak…which is quite rare in today’s game 7) Relatively easy short RF target zone at GRF…been saying that 35 years now…shorter gaps/alleys as well Not to mention ST shared facilities with Dodgers…

Almost assuredly in true baseball fashion he'll be referred to as Moonie when his manager and teammates talk about him.

Add 1 more bat at RF or 3B and figure out who deserves a starting spot between Vargas/Sosa/Baldwin/insert name of fringe player on the roster

The massive difference is that Contreras has been a proven run producer (when healthy) for quite some time…if their scouts were 100% sold on Murakami, they surely would have secured him on a $20-22 million one year deal, or higher AAV two years. Red Sox are not even 100% about Bregman holding up in his 30s, but he’s still a surer thing. Same with Bichette, for that matter. And they still have their young core intact, with the possible exception of moving on from Duran.

Love this move; been following him since the WBC. Let the rosterabation commence.

One of the most upvoted comments suggests that our old friend Shingo advised him on how it is in Chicago. Just a random comment but interesting.

Early nickname candidate - “Money Talks” Murakami.

Benny is a liability in left. Honestly just cut him.

That's on the front page, right now, called "If Ishbia gave us one early present, who would excite you to add to this not ready team" Well, it seems that it was a weird year for teams needing 1B and scouting tanked this kid's value further. $15M per felt about right to establish himself. Somebody answered SS2K5's question about staying in Japan. Like the minors, he's got nothing else to prove there, and he can't solve his issues against 90 mph junkballers. I figured he'd take a prove it contract to get his feet wet, then go back into FA.

The ugly Sox just traded for willson Contreras. Have to think they would’ve preferred Murakami. less money, a decade younger, wouldn’t have to give up prospects.

This is such a weird year. After it looking like nfc was a gauntlet, now the afc looks as dominant record wise. Meanwhile the bottom is putrid. Which reminded me - there has been so few dumb nfl upsets. Panthers over rams is the biggest…and panthers are a playoff team.

Thats strange about college freshmen. Why are HS seniors eligible at presumably 18 yrs old but most 19 or 20 yr olds arent ? You'd think if you're good enough to play for a big time college program at those ages and excel that's more impressive than inflated HS numbers against what is usually far inferior pitching.

Yeah, maybe they decide to spend a few bucks to supplement after the last signing, but they burnt the bridge with Giolito.

I was dead wrong about his contract and you were as close as or closer than anyone when you said 3/$45M. Of course I never thougt the Sox had much of a chance at signing him because I also noted the Sox hadn't given out more than a 2 year contract since JR hired Getz. What puzzles me is there was a thread that talked about if you could sign a certain type of free agent ( I forget the parameters) who would you sign and I know I said Murakami. But despite searching I cannot find that thread. Maybe the whole thread got deleted if it degenerated into Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. It wasn't that long ago since it talked about the off season.

They film NBC medical and police dramas here, thank you very much.

This is basically my lineup. You can rotate Beni, Mura, Teel in with Quero at DH. Kinda a sexy young lineup really. Baldwin has a chance to be a player imo. His fielding was horrific but park in RF and see what he can do to start the year imo. His EV numbers suggest with everyday playing time he could improve to an average regular bat assuming his defense isn't bottom 30th percentile in RF. Chase has something to prove, but so does almost everybody other than Beni, who is just playing out the string. A nice change in this stage of the rebuild.