WestEddy

As I think you intended, I have little idea what you're going on about here. The Dodgers did not develop Sasaki. The White Sox did not develop Abreu or Alexei. Actually, yes, the Dodgers do have a plethora of rotation openings. Because they grind all of their starters down, they'll probably have three more TJS's in spring training, and they'll be rushing this year's TJS's back early. We're talking about the Dodgers. I'm not sure why you keep needing to compare them to the White Sox. Maybe you can compare them to some high school baseball team and "win" even more. LOL. Of course the Dodgers have a very good minor league system. As I've said a few times, I would think they'd have more positional starters than 2 (smith and pages) in the lineup, for as elite as they're supposed to be. They're probably going to make a play for Tucker this off-season. Weird how they don't have someone to step in for much cheaper. I'm avoiding Smith and Pages so much, I've alluded to or mentioned them in every post. Sure, Wroblewski or Sheehan or that "etc" guy would be starting for the White Sox. So is Jon Cannon. Good company. LA's prospects are generally over-hyped. Like the Yankees. I'm not sure who's blaming them for anything. They sent a nice prospect package to the Red Sox, and none of them did much. That should tell you how important minor league rankings are. I don't see many prospect ranking banners flying in the ball parks I've been to.

1) I consider the Dodgers more dangerous to baseball, not AS MUCH because of the free agent spending, but because they seem to be a desired destination for Japanese players. Before you start a "why shouldn't they" argument, that's why we have an amateur draft, and international spending limits, so that all the best players can't just sign with the Dodgers and Yankees. 2) Kim and Sasaki aren't "rookies". You don't generally act impressed with starting pitchers who wind up in the bullpen because they couldn't dominate as starters. Why should that be different with other teams? 3) I would expect a team that is the greatest in drafting, signing and developing players to have more than 2 home grown players in their lineup, and any of their main starting pitchers to be home grown. I understand that they traded from their own farm system to acquire Betts, Edman and others, but that also highlights the folly of ranking systems. Nobody from the Betts return is a significant producer. Vargas in still a work in progress. Michael Busch might be the best prospect they traded in the last 10 years. For every Corey Seager, there's more Joc Pedersons, guys who are just slightly above average regulars. That's great, teams need them, but every player coming out of the Dodgers' system isn't at the level of the best position player they produced in the last couple of decades. I understand that an important function of a farm system is to create players other teams want, regardless of what they become. 4) Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin aren't part of any collection of anything right now. May was a nice prospect who never had sustained success, Gonsolin had one nice year, and is yet another example of how the Dodgers chew through pitchers like rats on your asbestos siding. Kershaw was drafted 20 years ago and isn't indicative of what is going on with the Dodgers right now, just as Chris Sale isn't an example of the current White Sox development apparatus.

Imagine responding to the actual content of a post instead of having to use everything as a vehicle to tell us how you hate a baseball team owner.

I was rooting for the Jays, just because. The Dodgers are now the evil empire, but it's not as much about spending as it's the top Japanese players wanting to sign with the Dodgers. For all I hear that the Dodgers do everything elite, only two members of their offensive lineup are home grown, and their top 4 starting pitchers are free agents.

Sure, the owner gets that honor. But fan perception is that the owner is furniture who spends money. When a team wins, the fans will politely boo the owner at the parade. When they don't, fans actively call for a sale. Peruse any Mariners chat, and, while not the majority, there is a definite sample of people who barrel in and yell that the Mariners will never win until they get a new owner who spends money. And they've got Julio Rodriguez under control through 2034 on a $119M contract, Raliegh through 2031 on a $105M contract, and Luis Castillo through 2028 on a $108M contract. The Mariners have 8 top 100 prospects in MLB rankings, and Bleacher Report just ranked their minor league system #1 in the game this September.

Off-season calendar at MLBTR - The 2025-26 Offseason Begins - MLB Trade Rumors

Well, the off-season starts tomorrow morning. Getz is supposed to name the hitting and pitching coaches by the beginning of the week, as per Fegan.

I feel the game just swung in LA's favor here.

Fluff piece on McDougal: 'Punched in the mouth' in '24, McDougal counter-punched in breakout 2025

Yeah, he snapped to, and was uncharacteristically good for short stretches this year. I just feel like he's got the big one (the career ending TJS) waiting for him.

Baseball Reference says it's a mutual option. I'm just not sure the White Sox would pick him back up for $10M.

I don't know, Holden. Why don't you introduce a motion to move in committee?

There's a nice round table about an article James Fegan wrote this week about possible free agent pursuits this offseason: Podcast: 2025-26 Offseason Plan Project Kickoff - Sox Machine Fegan article on free agents in Sox' price range: The White Sox need an innings-eater or two; let's pick some favorites - Sox Machine

Breakdown of John Brebbia's 2025 on a Braves' blog, if you dare... 2025 Atlanta Braves Player Review: John Brebbia | Battery Power

That sounds accurate. Vaughn was horrible. Elko deserved a look. Well, that look was "overmatched". In his 2nd look, even more so. I wanted Andy Wilkins to get a shot, back in the day. Chris Curley, too.

Yeah, he could probably get up to Vaughn's OPS+ of 47 if he worked at it.

I think everybody here agrees that Tim Elko is most likely not a major league hitter. Rereading my comments, the worst I said about Tim Elko was that the Sox don't need to see him go to the plate without a plan and strikeout - for 4 months - to say that he had a shot. All I did was put a name on the notion that the White Sox may take a shortstop if they get a high draft pick. They just took 4 shortstops in their top 11 picks in the 2025 draft. I don't think it's a stretch to draw from that a propensity to stick to the most athletic player on the diamond and move the weakest to other positions in next year's draft. I am truly sorry for confusing you with the thought that I might believe next year's draft already took place, and they drafted Cholowsky.

I agree with most of this. They're upgrading everything, beefing up minor league hitting with coordinators and coaches. At some point, they have to develop a power hitter, right?

Is that a "problem"? It's a baseball message board. If you're referring to me, I mentioned two names, then said, "We'll see if they can develop them". You seem to make up things to kill discussions over. Please explain what the "problem" is, because you're pointing out things that didn't happen. Do you not like too much baseball talk on a baseball message board?

Apparently, you don't know the new rule - you can't assume anything about the future because that's not "based in reality". Unless you're a seasoned professional, of course...

So when you say the Sox won't be competitive until 2030, you babbling like some other famous commenter here with no basis in reality? Because in case nobody's told you, 2030 hasn't happened, yet. Dude, you pick the weirdest s%*# to melt down over.

A play in 3 acts: ss2k5: You know you CAN draft power hitters anywhere in the draft right? me: The Sox have drafted guys like DePino and Wolkow. We'll see if they can develop them. ss2k5: So we are in your ridiculous phase. fin

The White Sox have taken power bats they just haven't drafted one dimensional power bats in the top rounds for the past couple years. The Sox have 3 shortstops in the system, and might get a top draft pick this year, where a couple shortstops head the prospect lists. Sorry to confuse you with hypotheticals. I'm glad you think the most important position on the diamond is irrelevant. Maybe that's why you hate GMs who think the shortstop will still be around for a few years. The Sox have drafted guys like DePino and Wolkow. We'll see if they can develop them.

No, Holden, I mean the words that I said. Getz was not GM when those three were drafted, and Shirley wasn't the scouting director. FWIW, you should probably look over the last couple of drafts before your barrel into a convo with non-sequiturs.

No. They've shown their philosophy of drafting up the middle. The shortstops and CFers who can't move the best off those positions will move to 3B, 2B, RF and LF. The guys who can't play those will be 1B then DH. Vaughn has shown it's a waste of a top draft choice to draft a one-tool 1B in the first round. Jac Caglianone doesn't refute that.