WestEddy

Every MLB Pipeline ranked prospect not on 40-man rosters and needing protection: https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/rule-5-draft-prospects-protected-on-40-man-rosters-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Just racking up the off-season awards:

Apparently, a Seattle writer gave Monty his one 2nd place vote, and also voted for Shane Smith 4th or 5th.

Actually, Dick Allen's comment got me thinking. Your's was just easier to find and respond to.

Story at Royals Review and oddly enough, none of the commenters bemoan the hiring of a White Sox castoff. https://www.royalsreview.com/royals-news-transactions-signings/90310/royals-hire-marcus-thames-connor-dawson-to-hitting-coaching-staff#comments

Teams around the league looking at the 2025 White Sox and thinking, "I gotta get me some of dat!"

South Suburban Harvey, IL. Maybe the trick is to fill the team with White Sox fans, so they start screaming about how they should all be DFAed before fans get a chance to?

Offseason budget bin article about the Guardians that probably covers some of the same dudes the White Sox will be looking at - https://www.coveringthecorner.com/cleveland-guardians-analysis/63820/more-bargain-free-agents-for-the-guardians-to-pursue

Enough with the ex, future and maybe never Royals!!!

Actually, here's an article that lays out the labyrinthine options of the Imanaga contract - https://blogs.fangraphs.com/shota-imanaga-has-the-chance-to-do-the-funniest-thing-ever/

They're also looking at 65 years.

During Dallas Keuchel's last season with the Sox, his ERA was around 7.80, he was walking 5.9 per 9 IP, and putting on 2 baserunners an inning. Leury Garcia had an OPS+ of about 42 during a .500 season they were supposed to be competing in when he was released. Jeff Keppinger had an OPS+ of 64 when the Sox ate two years of his contract. Benintendi had an OPS+ of 104 last year, slightly better than average. I understand he's taking up ABs that could go to someone else, but I'm not sure why it's so important the White Sox DFA him and eat all $30M left on his deal.

I thought the Cubs turned down the option. I've seen it spelled out (maybe even here, somewhere) that the Cubs would give a QO, Imanaga takes it, then he can pitch in Japan if the lockout goes longer than expected.

Yes, I said that in response to a remark comparing Bendix' finish after year 2 to Getz' 2nd 100-loss team. And I compare the system they were left by Ng and Hahn, respectively. Bendix had more to work with than Getz, thus a better record in year two. Beyond that, this reads like classic Holden gobble-dy gook. Maybe somebody will have the completely unrelated conversation about whether Hahn was handcuffed by TLR being chosen over his head. I wish you luck.

I wasn't thinking they would.

Bendix took a playoff team and promptly turned it into a 100-loss team. While the White Sox had a top farm system, that was mostly graduated or gone by the time Getz took over. You seem to be comparing Bendix directly to Getz, which really has nothing to do with the 2019 farm system ranking, or TLR. While I'd agree that Bendix is the wonder boy du jour, he did take over a club with an ascendant farm system, and Getz took over a smoldering ruin.

Grisham and Cease would lose them draft picks. They could just go after Giolito and O'Hearn, and all they cost is money.

This looks to be the closest thing short of somebody starting an "offseason free agency" thread.

What's to notice? Getz has already announced how they're going to proceed during the offseason, and that's a cheap innings eater, and a couple of bullpen arms. MLBTR had one writer guess the Sox might have interest in Giolito, and one picked them for Cody Ponce.

I think Kim Ng did a much better job building that organization than Hahn did with his.

Yes, that is the answer, jettison actual knowledge for gut feelings. There's a lot of data that back up 28 being the prime of a baseball player's career, experience and athleticism crossing on separate paths. I'm certainly not saying "yawn" to the time after 30, or calling players under 26 rushed. In the conversation about whether Robert still has the ceiling of his 2023 season, or whether he's now the stats he's put up in the last two seasons, it's not crazy to notice that the upcoming season is his "prime", and if Robert has any upside left, it's in the next year or so he'll have youthful athleticism to pursue it. As far as the Pete Rose part, analytics loved him. I'm not sure how the actual events that get analyzed would "mean nothing". Maybe you should read up on analytics, and you'd learn that BA, OBP and base running are all factored into WAR and RC+. He might have even won more than one MVP and made more money had he paid closer attention to his own trend lines.