WestEddy

Meh-loy.

I get to dictate how I feel about a person's commitment to their job. I'm probably a workaholic, so there's that. I recognize my politics are different from a lot of athletes I root for. You posted a blurb from Keith Law criticizing Shaw's coachability. I would think that being very present in your kids' life regularly trumps going to a neighbor's rock concert/memorial, and practically every ballplayer sacrifices the former on a yearly basis.

This gets sillier because we all know whose funeral it was, and pretending that's not a flash point for some of us here is provocative, itself. I missed my aunt's 70th birthday (huge deal in my family politic) because the cabinet shop I worked for was burglarized the night before, I lived the closest, and I met the police, and boarded up the point of entrance. I missed most of a cousin's wedding for work. I finally threw down and left to make drinks and dancing. My wife and I have juggled countless wakes and funerals around our work schedules. It was controversial at the time. Nobody makes anything about a player taking time off to be with their child for an operation, birth of a child, or family member's death. Tim Anderson played a whole season after his best friend from childhood was killed, and I remember the response in other online communities being mixed.

And it's not like it was his mother's funeral. It was a memorial for a neighbor he only knew about a year. And really, normal, busy people split up, where the wife hits the wake and the husband hits the funeral, and everybody's checking email and texts at the after-luncheon. Shaw was there to "support" a national celebrity he was a neighbor with for a year at a stadium. His absence probably wouldn't have been noticed, you know, with the President and others attending. Normal people would have sent a card, then called, if they were that close. It was a serious character issue with the choice Shaw made.

Whitaker's got 75 career bWAR compared to Kent's 55. Weird that the Tigers' organization isn't screaming for him to get it.

Nobody wanted Mike Clevenger for reasons that have nothing to do with baseball, either. I would definitely do Ben Cowles for Shaw and cash.

I think Shaw's in a similar place as Quero, speaking only in baseball terms. Former top prospect, has shown they can survive the bigs, but still has more growth to be realized. It's a buy-low/sell-low that doesn't necessarily work for the Cubs. Robert's a bit of a mope. Vargas crashed and burned in real time. I act like Robert and Vargas are the great teammates that their teammates keep saying they are. Neither are uncoachable, as Law said of Shaw.

So the White Sox should do whatever it takes to obtain an obstinate rookie who bails on his team when it's go time?

No, I'm not sure, but TJS takes about 15-18 mos recovery. Thorpe: It’s hard for Thorpe to be patient as he anticipates his return to the mound — which could be sometime next June or July — but he has enjoyed watching the rotation that he hopes to join next year. Right-hander Drew Thorpe joins White Sox as he continues recovery from Tommy John surgery - Chicago Sun-Times I believe Ky Bush and Prelander Berroa are on the same timeline.

Yeah, if they're around 84-85 wins, adding that 5 WAR dude probably puts them up the win curve and into the playoffs.

If Ryan Rolison can't get through waivers, I'd imagine there's always going to be a club who takes a flier on the arm of Iriarte. You also have three guys who hit the 60-day IL at some point in spring training. I was wondering if they have a bead on a guy, and they'd hold off announcing the contract until spring training when they can roster him in place of Bush, Thorpe or Berroa.

Fox was a bit vague, but he hypothesized that Kelenic was one of them.

Dude, somebody break into your car last night or something? You seem cranky. Kelenic - LHH, plays outfield. Available this off-season. McCarthy - LHH, plays outfield, Available this off-season. Gee, I can't imagine what McCarthy and Kelenic have to do with each other. So, then we agree that Barfield made the call (I wasn't sure it was reported that way, and didn't want to look it up) on Fletcher over McCarthy (Fletcher's the better fielder). Yes, Kelenic is basically free. Some here seem to think he's a lunkhead that they don't want around our team. MLBTR estimates McCarthy's arb salary around $1.9M. The Sox are still looking for an OF, and a LHH, at that. James Fox said on last week's FutureSox podcast that he heard there's still a couple guys the Sox are eyeing, one who they feel could turn around with a tweak, and another guy who's blocked. McCarthy would have probably cost them a guy on the level of a Justin Sinibaldi.

Who's excusing him? My point was that I'd rather see Jake McCarthy over Kelenic. We all surmise that Barfield made the call on Fletcher over McCarthy in 2024 based on his own knowledge and experience. And the Sox not pursuing McCarthy now, who was certainly available for a non-elite arm, still probably rests, to some extent, on Barfield's judgement. Therefore, maybe Barfield just doesn't like the guy.

The White Sox certainly have a Josh Grosz in their system, and I'd like McCarthy over Kelenic. Maybe Barfield just doesn't like McCarthy.

If some of the guys like Meidroth, Vargas, Sosa, Quero and Baldwin don't turn into (at least) average, 2 bWAR players, if Colson and Teel don't grow into 4+ bWAR dudes, if they can't develop a couple of 3+ bWAR starting pitchers, then what are we even doing? All I'm describing is natural development. Sure, Colson may play a full season and put up 2.5 WAR. That would be a step back. But imagining that nobody's going to improve beyond replacement level just seems unrealistic. I think this team is roughly a 75+ win team at this point. If the kids continue to develop, as you noted, if some of these young arms become effective or find some success quickly, a .500 record wouldn't surprise me.

I don't really follow college football, but don't Purdue and Notre Dame have a sizeable Chicago fanbases? When I worked retail at a sporting goods store in the 80s, Purdue and Notre Dame merchandise was as prevalent as Illini gear.

Tanner Murray came in the trade that also netted Everson Pereira for Yoendrys Gomez and Stephen Wilson.

Switch-hitter, Albuquerque numbers are probably inflated, 14 HRs in 370 PAs, 2020 1st rounder. 2024 - .297/.339/.499

A nice article at SoxMachine that explains Derek Hill's contract, how and why it works. With Derek Hill's split contract, White Sox are trying to create options where none exist - Sox Machine SPOILER: He's paid well if he clears waivers and goes to AAA - that makes him a hefty claim for a minor league OF.

If he's hitting .100/.200/.230 in the middle of June, I'll bet they can convince him to get optioned.

Do you not understand the meaning of words? He said: He expects Robert to be their CF, but they'll listen. Point out the lie.