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The White Sox spent about as much money as they could possibly spend on the draft. Their bonus pool was $11,565,500. They spent an additional $510,700 to take them up to $12,076,200. They will also spend an additional $383,035 for a total close to $12.5 million. I think this type of spending should be expected because it's peanuts to an organization but not every team does this. In looking at the totality of this draft class, it helped them add 8 prep talents. According to bonus amount, these would have been the White Sox's top 10 picks. 1. Andrew Vaughn 1B $7.2 million 2. Matthew Thompson RHP $2.1 million 3. Andrew Dalquist RHP $2 million 4. James Beard OF $350K 5. DJ Gladney 3B $225K 6. Chase Krogman OF $190K 7. Misael Gonzalez OF $185K 8. Victor Torres $175K 9. Logan Glass $170K 10. Caleb Freeman RHP $150K

It will look similar to this, except with McCann instead of Brees

Jason...

Reed is literally a zero risk move for the White Sox to test out at this point. I'm not sure how fans can view this as anything but a positive. If he sucks we can easily cut him, and if he's good well then great news. For Reed this is probably his final MLB opportunity to show he can stick, hopefully he makes the most of it.

Why were people b****ing when McCann was signed for $2.5 million? What's his arb number next year? These extension numbers are crazy. You really think his BABIP will continue over .400?

I’d shoot for a 2/$25M extension but would be willing to go 2/$30M given the intangibles he brings to the table.

Um, when has a high walk inflating an OPS ever been bad?

Yes, alot of awful takes for sure.

I knew there'd be some consternation about Collins, but man this is something.

Dude. Cmon. He had irregular ABs. And 22 of them. He is also 24 and was in his first taste of MLB baseball and didn't get a chance to get in a rhythm at all. This is completely bonkers.

No it doesn't

Greg's emotional rants aside, I'm still in the school of thought that Jose is more valuable than he's given credit for. And that's both on and off the field. He's certainly more valuable to remain a Sox player vs. being traded now. There's not huge demand for power hitting 1B/DH guys with 1/2 year control. I don't see the Sox getting much for him if they were tempted to trade him. The real question will be whether he is a White Sox after this season. I believe he will be, and a 2 year deal at $12M per or so seems reasonable.

What in the hell are you talking about? Is any of what you wrote there legitimately reality to you?

I don't know about you but I think his .000 BABIP is sustainable

Remember when everyone was whining about how bad White Sox development was becuase Collins couldn't produce with a new swing and went back to his old one and started producing? Well this is why they wanted to make that change.

Don't kid yourself, we'll have clinched a spot already.

the guys in MLB FOs that get paid to do more than mindlessly flip cards like an 9 year old at his first family gathering do.

Eugenix baby.

#phrasing

I tuned in to watch a minute or two and watched the whole thing. Pace of the game was excellent and I really enjoyed the miking Our pitchers would do well to realize working fast is in general a characteristic of good pitchers.

Yes, because this group is so emotionally stable during the season.

When did this White Sox forum turn into a financial advice forum?

I agree with most of this post. The term should be two or three years IMO. Jose is an All Star in this years class. The idea he is a fossil in some fans minds is just hard to understand. We honored Konerko with final year tours and staying at least two years to many. Jose is still productive and we take this attitude of don't let the door hit you on the way out.

The way I look at Abreu, is first, I think he is a perfect mentor for the younger players on the team, chew notwithstanding. He is a professional hitter. Works every AB. He seems to be very professional in the way he carries himself and how he approaches his business. He is consistent and reliable. He seems to work hard. He hits. He hits good pitching. He is an XBH machine. But let's leave that aside. It doesn't matter for the analytics. The question that needs is does Jose Abreu make this a better team. I think the answer to that is clearly yes. With Anderson, Moncada and Eloy, Abreu is the best hitter on the team. The most dangerous hitter on the team. He is the anchor in the middle of the lineup. I think he clearly makes this team better. The second question, is does keeping him around make the team better? I think yes. Now, obviously there are some caveats here. First of all, the question becomes with whom would they replace him. There doesn't seem to be an in house option at the ready for next season, and maybe the season after. When you look at the list of FAs for next season, I don't think there is anyone close to as good as Jose at 1B. In terms of a DH, there could be JD, but he is really the only clearly superior option. Guys like Cruz and Encarnacion are there, but if people have am issue with Abreu's age, those guys are dinosaurs. I think the team would be better in 2020, with Jose Abreu. Especially if they plan on contending, which I think they can, it would be a huge risk to replace Jose with someone like Sheets. The FA list for 20/21 is equally uninspiring. For the most part the names there are older and worse than Jose. But, by 2021, maybe guys like Sheets and Vaughn are ready to contribute. The good news, is the Sox should have 2 spots in the lineup for Jose, 1B and DH. Now there could be other extenuating circumstances, but I think for the most part, this team looks better this year, next year, and the year after with Abreu in the lineup. He certainly fits for the next 2 years. And if the price of keeping him for 2 is signing him for 3, then I take that. If it is 4 years, I think that still makes sense. Abreu will decline with age. That is certain. But he doesn't look like he is going to Ryan Howard and completely fall off a cliff. But I see this as a better team with Jose than they are without him. Now and for the next couple of seasons.

Are you still making this argument? Look at his quality of contact which is still fantastic. Statcast thinks he’s gotten a bit lucky and expects his numbers to improve. Jose may be inconsistent / streaky but overall he’s still been plenty productive offensively. And you were proven wrong on the “unable to catch up to high velocity fastballs” theory last year, so please stop with that narrative.

It's better to have them and never need their use, than it is to not have them, and have someone suffer unnecessarily I think.

Some view the acquisition of Reed as an indictment of Collins

Some warned others that this would happen.

Lol this place cracks me up.

Last night's game was the lowest rated All-Star Game of all-time.

Yep. I don't see much of a future for Collins with the White Sox organization. If he isn't good enough to give at bats to during a tank year then he is most likely not in the Sox long term plans.

I'm not sure if you're really serious here, but the whole line of reasoning that Abreu is somehow resonsible for a losing culture just really sucks, though IMO, because Jose had zero to do with those teams underperforming. The 2016 team underperformed because of so many other things. That whole campaign was an utter disaster. I'm not sure where you think 2017 and 2018 should have been "performance-wise" for the team, given what they chose as the direction. It's also hard to think that Jose somehow "underperformed" in 2014 when he won ROTY. So what does that leave us? 2015 where he had a slash line almost exactly in line with his career numbers? It makes me sort of angry that the only guy we have been able to truly count on for possibly one of the worst 6 year stretches in franchise history is held to this completely unreasonable standard that no one else ever is.

I still wonder how many of the same people who are leery of an Abreu extension were probably crying for the team to extend Paulie for three years at two years older in 2010 for the same money. And no, Konerko didn't win the World Series by himself. Also, just because Reinsdorf make us feel like there are choices to be made about where the money goes doesn't mean there actually is. Pay the man $30-$35 million and let's just have him be a career white sox. There's even a chance he produces roughly the same over the next three years as a DH and we end up with #79 being retired by the team. If he doesn't produce, we just let him go. It's really not that hard.

I would like the game a lot more, haven't really watched it since the mid 80's, just catch highlights if: 1. Like Billy Martin and others have said, not every team should be represented. If your 20 out at the break and flat out suck, it is hard to justify having a player off it with a more deserving one sitting at home just because every team needs to be included. (Part of the justification at one time was so that fans in that market would actually watch to see said player.) 2. Fans are only allowed to vote one time, just like in an election. This eliminates the big market (i.e. Yankees, Red Sox) fans from stuffing and inflating things. One fan = one vote. You can't legislate against fan stupidity but you can also help limit it. Just my opinion.

I disagree. I think people are overthinking this. If McCann expects to be paid like an all star catcher then you don't extend, but he is likely not an idiot. he can guarantee extra years, get a bonus for next year, and sox can cement in place a veteran catcher his pitchers love and can mentor multiple young catchers in place. He's not going to get an extension of 3 years 60 million.

Houston was wrong when they gave up on JD Martinez. They're certainly a well established organization, but they are not without their bumps/bruises along the way.

You guys act like we are going to have a superstar at every position. If that's the case you are right we don't need Abreu and we'll be the best team in baseball history. Some of you are so so worried about age.

It's possible that they've become so efficient in their way of thinking that they ignore other development paths, sort of how Billy Beane ignored player development in a lot of ways because he was so good at acquiring ready made talent. "Well if our plan didn't work, then certainly there is no hope" I'd put the odds on the Sox outsmarting the Astros in any way extremely low, but it's not impossible for the Astros to be wrong.

I saw that Robert is going to be wearing 9 in charlotte. Do minor leaguers have much say in the number they are given? It often doesn't seem so, but this feels like a nod to Minnie.

Agreed on all fronts. I actually look forward to seeing what he can do. Much more exciting than calling up Skole or something.

Dalquist has the highest ceiling of any pitcher in their minor league system. When he gets his man muscles and his stuff catches up to his pitchability he's going to be a top of the rotation guy. He has a chance to be a freakin dude.

I don't see anyone other than Cease graduate that's currently a prospect before next year's lists. The year after you'd lose Robert, Madrigal, Kopech, and probably Vaughn as well. By that time we could see some guys jump up into the top 100 on a few of the lists, but it's okay for your system to be in the bottom half of baseball if you are loaded with good young players all over your roster.

Right, I'm just saying there is some room for error that didn't appear to be there 4 months ago.

To be fair, they didn’t get to face Giolito

I agree! Extend this guy. Get it done.

I don't understand how you even tie the two together. Yonder was a dumb move this one is a smart one. Put it in the ledger however you want but one had nothing to do with the other.

As I've said in many post concerning trading either Abreu or Colome...you don't need everyone to agree on their worth. You only need one team that thinks they are difference makers.

McCann is a true pro. I'd cut Beef Wellington right now. McCann/Collins are the catcher duo the next 3-5 years. Similar to the Fisk/Karkovice waiting situation. Like Karko, Collins will have to be satisfied with about 200 at bats a season and McCann gets 400. then at some point, Collins takes over probably in 4-5 seasons from now.

I don't know how anyone looks at the last free agency period in the NBA and thinks that its fans prefer dynasties to competitive balance. I certainly don't.

I have always hated nets, but with the golf balls they use now coupled with the lack of attention in the stands whether its texting or taking selfies or whatever, it must be done.