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For Burke and Kay I think their ceilings are #4's. Thorpe obviously has a weirdly high ceiling, but he HAS to be pinpoint in his control for it to happen, and so far he hadn't been able to do that. Add to that this being his first full year off of TJS, and I wouldn't look for much from him at least this year.

For Burke and Kay I think their ceilings are #4's. Thorpe obviously has a weirdly high ceiling, but he HAS to be pinpoint in his control for it to happen, and so far he hadn't been able to do that. Add to that this being his first full year off of TJS, and I wouldn't look for much from him at least this year. EDIT: Best case scenario isn't really those three, but Dutch and Smith coming back towards their ceilings and pitching like front end guys. Those are the two who can front a rotation, not the other three.

This should tell you how far behind the pen is, not isn't. We have one guy who might be a back end, if everything goes right (last year it did not) shut down guy, and none who are really the classic 7th/8th inning guys and definitely no big time lefty shutdown arms. Vasil seems to be a bridge guy who covers innings in the middle. Leasure is a middle guy. Maybe we get the big arm out of the one Rule 5 guy who can bring it, but the odds are pretty small there too.

You're much higher on them than me/baseball then IMO. The median 3 year outcome for all of those pitchers is being out of MLB baseball. Kay has literally already been out of MLB. Thorpe had a very very thin line with his velocity. He has an elite pitch though, so maybe he has a shot to stick in the pen. Burke doesn't fool anyone.

No Jerry, that is Japanese for David Eckstein.

Yes it has nothing to do with how many games the pen has given away. It has to be something else.

clown ass article and a perfect example of why legacy media is dying. You get better analysis here in one page of this thread of random sox fans.

I am happy to read this. Murakami will learn that Sox fans have a special place in their heart for players that choose them. I hope it works out for both of us, but if he struggles I’ll still have this dudes back. edit: d’oh “read this” meaning all of his comments and the responses.

I agree it is not necessary, but the owners are going to do it anyway in a bizarre attempt for the nth time to try to get a salary cap. It will work out just like all the other times too!

Is that a fact? WihteSoxDave is not enough proof in my opinion.

Even if you want to dream big on the positional side, there’s just not remotely enough pitching for an actual run.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/12/22/white-sox-munetaka-murikami-has-team-talking-big-but-will-this-work-out

I like things about all of them, but if we’re being honest, the median outcome for each of them is a #4

Yeah over half that current rotation should be depth or at least one in a long relief role. Maybe one as a 5th starter.

I also saw earlier that the Red Sox are reportedly out on Marte after the Contreras deal

I'm happy to get into why each guy is not a viable MLB starter (Kay has that veil of mystery at least... I guess), starting with Burke but when I'm not on mobile. I had some optimism about Burke entering last year, saw his first few starters and did a complete 180. Rest of the year wasn't any better.

Too early to count on Berroa after TJS. Let's see how his stuff bounces back first. 2-3 years ago, Walker Buehler and Dustin May looked pretty darned great, too.

Try fixing Raiders Dolphins Browns...especially the latter two. $99 million cap hit with Tua. Browns are determined to have D.Watson on roster next year. And only Moore/Mendoza at top of most draft boards.

There has been massive turnover in the bullpen. Watching Taylor, Leasure, Vasil, and eventually Berroa won't be as tragic as the group from 2024. The lefthanders are another matter entirely, of course, but I can imagine the Sox having a decent pen in games where they have the lead, and sort of a disaster pen for the blowouts. Not exactly Cleveland or Milwaukee, but not the sole reason for the club losing 100 games either.

Happy days are here again. The Sox got tired of losing. Add 2 KC Royals type starting pitcher hacks for 7 mill a year apiece and I may buy mlb.com again. As Harry would sing: "The Sox got tired of losing tra-la tra-la."

Maybe I'm wrong but the finances of baseball seem pretty healthy if this sort of deal is happening. No 2027 lockout necessary.

Mets going all 2023/24 White Sox, excising almost all of their veteran leader core in terms of position players except for Lindor and Soto...who supposedly detest or even hate each other. Maybe it's Magglio CLee and Valentin out in 2004 for the Sox and restructuring around Lindor/Soto with young pitching and all that freed up $$$.

Want to compete? Robert in 2023 form and the Murakami of that first half of his historic NPB career. It's going to take a lot more than a #2/3 veteran added to the rotrotation. Smith and Schultz...at least one of them, has to be pretty darned close to great or at least very good. Same with Braden. 3-5 fWAR level. Let's not forget that Chase Meidroth is projected to lead the team in a decent number of projection models.

Royals a couple of years ago. 106 losses to playoffs...but that required a boatload of FA signings and career years from Witt Jr. and Perez.

JR must have been confused between the Brooklyn Dodgers/Rickey signing Robinson/Clemente and the LAD signing Ohtani/Matsumoto/Sasaki. Well at least he knew who Shohei was because he "joked" derisively about never signing him and got scolded by Manfred.