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Could Cannon throw a meatball so perfectly down the middle that even Gallo could make contact?

Love seeing Baldwin in the OF. I’d like to see Ramos get some reps in LF. There is going to be a major glut at 3B & 2B, so good to see if any of these infielders can fill a part or full time OF role. Baldwin can obviously handle LF, but being able to start occasionally in CF without killing you would be a huge plus.

I saw Thorpe in person in his debut and then watched most of his innings after. The problem isn't his velocity the problem is his command and control and lack of a 3rd pitch coupled with his velocity. . When he's got his command of his changeup he can pitch at 90-92. When he doesn't, he's going to get lit up. He's got a couple paths to being a very solid 4th starter: gain velocity or gain command and control. He does all of those maybe he even turns into a 3rd starter type. If he only does one of those things he'll be a solid 4/5. He was always a low ceiling but decent floor guy, which whatever. Trade is done and dusted.

As a former radio guy you don't get paid to come on as a guest. You're "paid" in exposure. Nelson seems to be in about the same spot he was career was as 5 years ago. I dunno, maybe he does alright for himself but it doesn't offer value to the fan to listen to a strident blow hard.

Josh is whatever but I'd say Margalus is more objective than the average poster here.

With the lack of front line position players, and the doors mostly closed to get anymore, I think I am being pretty optimistic.

I just don’t think there is a need to rush Colson to be on the Opening Day roster. It would be different if the team was competing for something and/or he was lighting up spring training. Neither of those things are true. They might as well take their time with him.

DeBartolo said he would move to Chicago and spend 20% of his time and business interests there. He was turned down for bogus reasons, the fact that he owned race tracks (i.e. so did Steinbrenner but that didn't seem to be an issue) and because he "supposedly" had connections with some Italian "families" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink SAY no more!) A big reason he was turned down was because he was going to spend big money on the franchise and the other owners were horrified at that prospect. He had already given Veeck money to sign LeFlore and Essian.

The Dodgers optioned Hyeseong Kim. If they move Edman to 2B they're gonna need a CF'er.

I think they made a decision to have that type of "analysis" as their brand. He goes on Bernstein/Holmes shows on 670 and its like "this is a smart fan's take" but he never says anything interesting or insightful. Its always the same old easy second guessing crap. I remember one time they were obsessing over some minor roster transaction like leaving Jake Peter off the 40 man roster before a rule 5 draft and that's when I decided to unfollow all of them. I also hate his voice. Jim isn't as bad. And Fegan is good... but I have no interest to subscribe to the patreon just for Fegan.

It's infuriating. I want to support Fegan and Jim but Josh Nelson is dreadful.

Cannon just gives up way too much contact

I’m pretty sure Mr. Nelson knows what he’s doing and it’s all intentional. Of all the White Sox bloggers, he gets the most radio (The Score) and TV time (GN Sports). He’s winning the game by being off-the-wall and weirdly opinionated.

Cease is a bum.

How the hell could you be upset about Colson going to cook in AAA? The last thing you want is to put that MLB pressure on a guy coming back from a spring training setback. Good lord. This is the smart decision and one frankly I'm shocked they made. Hold up he's also complaining that the Sox should have signed a "vet stopgap"? Bro, just stop. Yea, spend 5 million on a zero WAR or .5 WAR SS so you can what, waste 5 million in a year we project for 50 wins? WTF kind of sense would that make?

Is there really no one else that can be getting these Gallo at bats?

Jim Margalus and James Fegan are great reporters and have fine insights. Josh Nelson is a rung below the typical sports radio dolt.

They are morons on that site who just like to b****. This is the least shocking news ever.

If the best example of a quality free agent signing happened a generation and a half ago, I think that makes that argument for me.

Josh Nelson not thinking Sosa would make the OD roster until recently is quite the miss as well. At least Fegan & Margulas outlined why he should get a shot.

I don’t think he will ever be Bobby Witt Jr. either. But like you said, he doesn’t have to be Bobby Witt Jr. to be a productive player and integral piece on this team. I’m hoping that they rely less on these prospects with the revamped farm system and Ishbia potentially coming in. That was the problem with the last rebuild. They were banking on Moncada, Eloy, etc to all be stars for it to work. When that didn’t happen, they were screwed.

Good. Let Colson earn it.

I don’t agree with Colson being on the opening day roster. He hasn’t played much this spring and they should taken it slow with his back issues. No sense in wasting a year of control on him. If they are going to do that for anyone, it should be Teel.

My point was more around needing to get De Paula or Hope vs. other potential headliners in their system, but I’d certainly push for more than just a single 55 FV prospect for Robert. Cease got us a prospect ranked in the 60’s at multiple publications (55 FV guy) plus two other org top 10 prospects (one who was cracking some top 100 lists) and people are already ridiculing that trade for being light. And yes, a positional prospect of that stature is worth more than Thorpe was at the time, but the point remains the same. Doing a one for one swap with a potential star is a bad practice and we should try to diversify some risk by getting second piece and possibly a lottery ticket.

I think there's the argument that he's old enough and talented enough that he would respond well to being challenged. At this point, I wonder if he hasn't been healthy for the last 2 years and if his back issues are so debilitating that he might not make it. Trainers can't really judge pain. He has a plus eye, and his inability to turn in pitches up in the zone is a major red flag that he's in more pain than he admits.

Yeah, the Sox, even if they're flush on payroll, should always be looking at market inefficiencies. Hitting HRs and throwing Ks cost money. Figure it out.

well i agree but even a broken clock is right twice a day. the sox should be looking to find an untapped market of value in pitching.

Stopped reading at: “The cost of pitching this offseason, it’s skyrocketed as far as the guys that have the high K percentages,” Not something you’d be reading on Dodgers blogs. Thanks, about what I’d expect.

No news is good news here anyways. Dude is rehabbing an elbow issue, if he's throwing that's good.

When Margalus ran SouthSideSox, it was a bit more of a free-for-all, and people were carrying on for days when Jake Peter was traded, or Jordan Guerrero wasn't added to the 40-man for Rule 5 protection. I think Jim has always had interesting and inciteful takes, and the comments at SoxMachine are more intelligent. Josh has always just droned on about the outrage du jour in his lowbrow, meathead fashion. Jim and James Fegan offer the most focused and in-depth analytical discussion of White Sox issues of any blog, I've found. Everybody else just seems to be recitations of the latest press releases and listicles, whereas Margalus will put forth a thoughtful article on how the trade of Aaron Rowand for Jim Thome was the beginning of a decade of ill-conceived maneuvers to fill the gap in CF they created with that trade.

Dude will be OPSing .600 in no time if he makes the Padres roster.

Lol that has to be the worst challenge i've seen all spring

I was joking.

Cannon might be the Opening Day starter… in Charlotte.

yep looks good. Baldwin blown away by high heated Tried to bunt at Machado...who's almost at SS playing dead pull.

I think he meant he looks like a bum

Garth Brooks or Will Ferrell charity at-bats would be a better use of them.

Me likey! Maybe he can become a Leury+

Baldwin in CF. 👀

The interesting thing is that most of the pre-Rule 5-draft prognosticators missed out on Shane Smith. Melissa Lockard of The Athletic is the only one who tagged him as a Rule 5 pick. The MLB draft brain trust of Callis, Mayo and Dykstra didn't even have Shane Smith as the top pick from the Milwaukee org. If he wasn't even on anybody's radar, kudos to pro scouting. Unless McKinven suggested him, in which case, you can't keep hiring new bench coaches each year to get special insight on another team's org. depth. Or maybe you can...

It’s rankings week at FutureSox. We have the Just Missed list today. https://www.futuresox.net/2025/03/03/futuresox-2025-white-sox-preseason-ju/

Enjoyed the Justin Dunn podcast with Chuck.

Mark Prior-esque...

good

Organization continues to lead the world in TJS every year

Can never have enough pitching.

This is why @southsider2k5 and others always say you need basically 2 or 3 times the prospects that you think you need. Many will need surgery and many will bust. Brutal. That Santos trade went from looking good a year ago to pretty bad.

Feels like a good time to strike a deal if it's going to happen any time soon.

I totally get the reasonable expectations for Burke and that's totally right. But as a whole, for this team to take a step forward...someone needs to hit way beyond expectations. Last year a Ramos, a Baldwin, they come up and fall on their face. We need someone to be better, way better, than we thought last year. And this actually happens often on other rebuilding teams. So if it's burke, cool. If it's meidroth...cool. We need one. Last year, i'd say crochet was that. but we need one with 4+ years of control to occur.