wrathofhahn

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 08:30 PM) Next offseason? That's exactly what they should be doing. Saddle up on the long term deals, lock and load. 2018 should be the year of shaking things out. Try out the guys who need tryouts, limit yourself to as few of holes as possible. Make your major splash before 2019. Leave a little bit of room to do damage in 2020 if needed, but whatever hole we say is the worst hole on the roster, next offseason we should fill that. Maybe the worst 2 - this team could easily afford 2 huge signings next offseason. Then roll with it, and our window is 2019-2022. If the guys are young enough sure but at this point it's kind of hard to even know where the holes are on the roster. It's all projection and wishful thinking

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 08:23 PM) If they have a lower payroll in 2019 than in 2018 you may brag and consider yourself vindicated because I'm going to be seriously pissed off too. I do not believe that will happen at all. I'd be more pissed if they are not taking advantage of opportunities of buying prospects whether that be trades or IFA. I don't really want them saddled with long term deals with FA yet.

Pretty awesome article here how Boras is trying to hold MLB FA hostage and why he will fail: https://www.athleticsnation.com/2018/2/9/16...ony-clark-mlbpa

QUOTE (oldsox @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 04:08 PM) Then Arrieta is a fool. This sounds like postering by Boras Heyman is a well known Boras mouthpiece. Boras doesn't want Arrieta to end up with less then Darvish.

QUOTE (soulfly @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 01:52 PM) It wasn't very clear, but he was referring to Loaiza's ex wife, not Halladay's. There was no fake news there. Oh that makes more sense. Just wanted to be clear because Halladay was by all accounts a family man and was only married once from 1998 till his death.

QUOTE (SleepyWhiteSox @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 11:04 AM) Kinda random but it's a really strange coincidence that Roy Halladay, who he lost the Cy Young to, died in a plane crash as did his wife who he was in the process of divorcing, the singer Jenni Rivera. Jenni Rivera died in 2012. Brandy Halladay was his wife.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 11, 2018 -> 08:09 PM) Nope. After draft. Ah for some reason i thought it was ST did a google search but couldn't find info thanks for clarifying that

I mean sure but after ST doesn't FA lose any draft pick compensation attached to them? At this point with how much Boras has dragged things out why wouldn't you wait another couple of weeks? Prices are going to only continue to go down plus the draft pick penalty will soon be gone I doubt the cubs ever get a pick for Arrietta Edit: I was wrong

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 10, 2018 -> 10:57 PM) How many teams haven’t regretted a contract of six years or more in length? Probably only the Angels with Trout. Cubs still well under luxury tax...$158 million across roughly 20 players. And they still have Almora, Happ, Baez, Schwarber, etc. Problem isn't the money it's the length it will eat past the arb years of their top guys. Basically in Bryant is a FA in 22. Rizzo 22. Schwarber 22. Russell 22. Basically they have two guys now in Heyward and Darvish locked in past that date for over 50 million both likely at that time in their significant decline phase. Hell Heyward is already there. Also remember Q becomes free agent in 22 as well.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 10, 2018 -> 06:27 PM) Yu has a ton more mileage on his arm and as I mentioned a while ago, the list of Japanese pitchers who perform well in their 30s is very small. Agreed clearly there is a very remote chance of him playing all six year or even five years. But if you look at it through the confines of 4/120 million stretched to 6 years for cap/tax purposes it makes more sense. Basically thats what top FA pitchers make now (30 million) though in my opinion he entered FA well below Price.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 10, 2018 -> 06:16 PM) I dunno, if it was me I would rather hand that money to Arrietta Arrietta though lost a bunch off his fastball last year. Same thing happened to shields. Doubt he performs at a high level for more then a cpl of years unless he regains lost vo Darvish still throws the heat even if he gets too careful as Japanese pitchers do still 6 years is crazy. Maybe the cubs are looking at it more like a 4/120 million dollar deal stretched for tax purposes I dunno

Anyways back on top to Darvish 6 years seems crazy for a pitcher with a spotty arm track record. He's also only really been an ace level pitcher for two years but moving to the NL should make his numbers look much better.

Yu Darvish to cubs 6 yrs 126 million.

I have very little interest in next years FA. For one they will be grossly overpaid as all FA are. Two, it forces us to go all in when I don't think we will be ready.

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Feb 9, 2018 -> 12:32 AM) I'd be more than fine with the Sox bringing in both CarGos. Huge upside on both at the Rate, and you could either flip them at the deadline or surprise contend with both of them on the roster. I mean I'd love for them to bring a bunch of guys on pillow deals guys like Cargo, Morrison, and Tillman. Some people are focused on tanking and sure whatever but you can get better prospects via trade. Plus it's more interesting to watch real MLB players. It's one thing to not sign a veteran stop gap because you are worried about blocking them but are we really worried about blocking Davidson at DH? Moving shields to the bullpen?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2018 -> 10:22 PM) Carlos Gonzalez, Eduardo Nunez, Jose Bautista (declining for last two years), Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Jarrod Dyson, Carlos Gomez and Cameron Maybin all still available at bargain prices. Yeah I actually wouldn't be opposed to bringing one of them in. Mainly someone like Gonzalez or Duda. I don't think some of the depth we have at OF is going to hit enough to DH and that leaves Sanchez or Davidson which really haven't hit enough either. Gonzalez would be intriguing because you could spell him in the OF and platoon him at DH with Davidson or Sanchez. He only hit .762 OPS overall last year but had an .832 OPS against RHP. His three year splits are even more pronounced with a .909 OPS against RHP .635 OPS against LHP/ This lineup doesn't really have a LHB of note either. Not sure he'd be willing to settle for that kind of role though but with the way this offseason has went who knows.

Now we just need a couple of high upside arms this year so they can work their magic. No point of wasting them on Shields. If I'm Tillman I'm calling the Whitesox and begging to sign a pillow deal

QUOTE (oldsox @ Feb 7, 2018 -> 06:50 PM) Agent for DJ Martinez PO'd at Red Sox, shifting talks to other teams. Supposedly. I always find these "reports" humorous like they weren't talking to other teams before. Nightengale reported earlier today that the only other formal offer that Martinez had received outside of Boston was a one-year pact to return to Arizona. Take it JDM that will show Boston I don't need your stinkin 150 million.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 2, 2018 -> 08:56 AM) Chicks dig the fastball! He was pretty good in 2016. 11.9 K/9. 2.9 BB/9. 2.79 ERA, 0.96 WHIP. Let Cooper work with him see what he can do. Could have some value at the deadline should he rebound got three years of control. Remember Kahnle was a big part of the Rutherford trade. In alot of ways he was worth more then Frazier.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 7, 2018 -> 01:23 PM) It seemed like the talk all off-season was also that they would trade JBJ after signing JDM. The longer the JDM signing is put off, the harder it is to trade JBJ since teams that could have traded for him have already signed/traded for other options or dealt pieces away for other areas of need. Unless they have no issue with Hanley being platoon DH or 1B. They'll platoon Hanley. His option vests with 497 PA. No way they want to pay him 22 million next year

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 7, 2018 -> 01:14 PM) https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/ Interesting I think the bullpen will be better then that. Also no way the OF looks like that. If Delmonico hits he's our everyday LF. Moncada should hit better then .233 with a .740 ish OPS. Hard to see Anderson hit .265 with a .289 OBP. He may hit .240 with a .289 OBP lol.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 6, 2018 -> 03:57 PM) I think with ALL of the top 10-15 or so free agents, there is a place where the price gets low enough that it makes sense. However, I think that the price that makes sense for the White Sox is lower than the price it makes sense for a bunch of other teams. So you're right in theory, but I don't think these guys will practically fall down to us. Also, it sounds like Boras/MLBPA seem to be dead set on forcing a strike rather than accepting that this free agent class is simply weaker than average and they just aren't going to demand the same type of salaries as recent classes. There seem to be multiple reports saying that Hosmer has two 7yr/120-140mm offers on the table, but Boras is holding out for 10 years. Darvish has multiple 5yr offers on the table, but he's holding out to see if the Dodgers will clear space for him. Martinez has a 5yr/100-125m offer from Boston on the table, but he wants 200m. So I fail to see how this is the teams' fault -- these guys have very reasonable offers, they're just insisting on being treated like superstars instead of the flawed-but-above-average players that they are, simply because there aren't any true superstars available. As such, the Moustakas'-tier player is left holding the bag because no one is shopping down there until the top guys sign. I think a guy like Moustakas will just take the opportunity side with the union in their publicity stunt rather than settle for a pillow contract. IMO, this is a bold, all-in push by the players to gain ground in a year where they really don't have a lot to justify the gain. They're doing this to themselves. Let's see if no one is willing to pay up for the generational talents next year before we start yelling for collusion. I mean part of the problem is Boras also is the agent for other players so he really doesn't have them competing against each other. It's sort of hard to use other players as leverage when the other agent for the player is Boras. In the past it's worked Boras could wait out the market because he held all the cards. He didn't need to worry about other agents coming out from underneath him to snatch one of his offers because he was the other agent for top fa's. Now with teams rebuilding he's lost control of the process because teams can say well you aren't taking my offer? Well I'll trade for Ozuna instead. I'll trade for Yelich. I'll trade for McCutchen. I'll trade for Cole. He;s lost the power. It's actually funny to listen to Dombrowski say what I've been saying all offseason we have a number for JDM but there is no urgency on our end. Other options (also Boras clients) are not coming off the board and there are still trade opportunities.

The longer this JDM situation drags on with the Sox the more likely I think we could see them offer whats left of their farm for Abreu.