WestEddy

Okay, fuggit. Andrew Vaughn - Cub Killer. Now go have a career.

I predict that Tauchman is traded and Wilson takes less than that.

Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026 - MLB Trade Rumors White Sox have some work in front of them: White Sox (2) Mike Tauchman (5.143): $3.4MM Steven Wilson (3.166): $1.5MM

I believe a group of these guys are getting together in Nashville to train and work out together.

And at this point, it's the regional fanbase teams try to cultivate, not part of one city. The Cards' base stretches well into KY, TN and AK. Cubs draw from IA, MI, IN. When the Cubs had a team in Peoria, there were lots of Cub and Cardinal hats at the game. The Sox get into the South, SW suburbs, and Indiana. They really have to grab fans' imagination to battle with the Tigers, Brewers, Cubs and Cards to get households.

I'm a Miller Lite man. Tried to think of a cheap beer. Used to bring a case of Black Label to a party back in the day, then drink the good stuff from the fridge.

No. Save the bullpen, don't let the Cubs get in any kind of groove. Shut them down.

Finishing my list of Cheapest Organizations I’ve played for. This is also my absolute worst experience playing professional baseball. 1 on My List of Cheapest Organizations: Mexico’s LMB Our story again goes south of the border. brings us to Mexico’s Sultanes de Monterrey. In the LMB, Mexicos version of MLB. I wasn’t expecting the same level as the majors, but even so, the level of “cheap” and what I would consider sub-standard took me by surprise. I started the 2013 season in Monterrey with a full spring training. First of all, the spring training fields were at least a 45 minute drive from the hotel, and we were jammed in the vans well past legal capacity. (If Mexico even has a legal capacity). When we got to the “facility,” it was just open fields. No clubhouse, nothing just dirt, and way too many rocks in the infield to be remotely safe. Shade? Only if you found a tree. Some dugouts didn’t even have a roof. It was brutal. No hiding from the Mexican sun. You might find a table or two with fruit and water, but that was gone in 45 minutes, tops. Occasionally we got sandwiches for lunch, but more often we waited till we got back to the hotel to actually eat. Dinner at the hotel was decent, it was just repetitive, pretty much the same thing everyday rotated between three entrées and you had to be early, or you wouldn’t eat at all. As far as gear, 1 shirt, 1 pair of shorts, and a trucker hat. That was it. The shirt was 100% cotton a midriff by the end of week 1. No spares, no extras, just running it into the ground. Spring training games? We used “official league” balls, but they were more like high school balls. The seams were so high I couldn’t keep my slider in the zone. I remember the pitching coach telling me that I “had to throw it for a strike.” I asked if we’d be using real baseballs for the season. Thank goodness we did. The regular season wasn’t much better. Lockers and training rooms? Dirty and bare and there was definitely mold. Forget about finding anything healthy to eat. In terms of gear, I had one undershirt for the whole season. I did like the uniforms, but apparently, getting a second hat was out of the question. But the cheapest move of all came after they released me. Honestly, I thought I was about to be told I’d made the all-star team when they called me in. Nope—released. And here’s the kicker—they held my passport and kept me in Mexico for another three weeks with no pay. I told them, “If you’re going to keep me here, you’re going to have to pay me.” They didn’t. So I sat in a hotel, basically held hostage, for 24 days, just because they didn’t want to send me home. (For whatever reason) and my agent at the time was absolutely worthless. Seriously I was stuck in mexico and this guys advice was he would pray about it. Pick the Damn phone up Van Horn and get me home. Needless to say I parted ways with him and that agency after that. There’s a lot more. Playing for there was a nightmare. Not just cheapness everywhere, but it felt like literal children were running things. Nothing was ever organized, nothing felt planned, and as players we were often just dropped into dangerous situations or places with zero guidance. It was up to us (me) to just figure it out and survive. Here’s just one example: Before I signed, I specifically asked if I could bring my first wife and child with me to Monterrey for the season. The contact I had said yes, but told me to wait until after spring training. So once I got there, again, I brought it up. That same contact looked me dead in the eye and asked, “Can I see a picture of your wife and child?” Proudly, I showed him. He laughed and goes, “No, don’t bring them here. They’re too pretty. Someone will take them.” I laughed, kind of awkwardly, and said thanks. He looked at me seriously and goes, “No, I mean it. Don’t bring them here they’ll be gone.” Honestly, there’s so much more.

Monterrey, Mexico at #1:

It's almost like you have some skin in the game.

This guy was once the #4 prospect in the game for Baseball America and MLB. That probably helped elevate Seattle's organizational ranking. Nick Madrigal's lifetime 2.7 fWAR dwarves Kelenic's 0.9.

My 40 year old nephew has no pride in SuperBowl XX. It barely happened in his lifetime.

Okay, next 8 cases.

Yikes. Dude, it's a chat board. I've certainly gotten into my share of SoxTalk tiffs, and still do, but casually looking over the "78" thread, it's like you're picking fights with everyone over everything. While I disagree with the "lost a generation of Sox fans" idea, the Cubs make inroads into a citywide fanbase when they win, the Sox lose, and players like PCA capture the imagination of kids. That's important as us seniors shift to fixed budgets and die off/forget that baseball exists. I'm certainly not choosing a Shane Smith jersey over my next case of Busch Light.

My thinking is that you have about a half dozen systems that are elite. Not that they had just had 3 top 5 draft picks, but who fire on all acquisition methods and develop them. Then you have 10 or so that do most things well, 10 that just do okay, then 4-5 that really suck at all aspects. I think the Sox were in that last group a few years ago and might be in one of the middle 2nd groups now. They end up getting ranked based on having the next sure-fire starting shortstop, or Paul Skenes. A system shouldn't drop from 8 to 19 because they just graduated 3 top 100 guys and promoted another before he hit the lists. The Sox have another 3 guys who are probably top 150, and any of their top 5 could launch themselves into the top 15 with a gonzo first month. That would change the complexion of their top 30 and their rankings. To my knowledge, nobody ranks the other way. It's all about the "it" dudes. That's why I just call them listicles. They're interesting snapshots, but don't really tell a story about what organizations are doing.

Having a stud pitcher who can give you 7 innings every 5th day is invaluable. He gives the bullpen a break. Gives your team a chance to win every 5th day. Much more meaningful in the playoffs. Yes, a starting position player who produces, both defensively and offensively, is worth more. I'd argue that Miguel Vargas doesn't have more value than Christopher Sanchez.

No. While advanced, I'd think he'd have to ace a level for a few months to even get consideration.

That's worth at least an interesting arm from an unserious organization. I keep wanting to use Spencer Horwitz as an example. I think he's just a guy that Pittsburgh traded 3 pitchers for. However, one of those pitchers, Luis Ortiz, is under investigation for the Cleveland gambling scandal. What a horrible trade if he's the guy who talked Clase into selling single pitches to gamblers.

And this guy took a year off to sign with the White Sox.

I would hope LuBob gives you 20 before he's traded at the deadline... unless his contributions have us firmly in the pennant race. I think Sosa could bulk up a little, learn 1B more, and give us 30 on the dot.

DeJong had game power and elite defense. I think Colson has better power, and his defense can be up there. I'm not good enough to decide if it's "elite", but he sure looks pretty good. That's why I say that DeJong is Colson's floor. If you get around 15 bWAR during Colson's 6-7 years of control, that would be a disappointment, but still a win considering his draft position.

A trade for Martin would be trading low. Martin was 2nd in IP, and his WHIP and ERA were respectable. That said, picking a guy or two off the scrap heap would still leave the White Sox with 3 proven starters. Sure, maybe somebody hires Katz, and he sells them on the upside of a Davis Martin. If that's a thing. Or Baltimore has had their eye on him since his draft year and sees a tweak. But nobody's trading a top 150 OF for him. I think the Sox, as constituted on 9/28/25, are a 70 win team. It will take some moves to replace Houser/Perez, Tauchman/Slater and the inevitable regression guys like Colson, Teel and Shane Smith are going to experience. That said, some further development and a couple of moves could have this team in the mid-70's, and some luck could have them pushing for .500. Maybe Getz decides somebody else can take the win on Cannon's last 10% in exchange for another post-hype OF. But I think Martin and Burke are key to any chance at a respectable team next year. Bonemer's still a way's away.

I've had it impressed upon me that a key goal for a system is developing stars (of course), but also collecting and growing guys other organizations salivate over. Think Meidroth. Gamers who have one elite tool and a good baseball IQ. I suspect that's one reason why they wouldn't park Elko at 1B for a month and let him thoroughly s%*# himself with a .053 BA.

And the Mets begin the purge:

I could also see Getz collecting a group of misfit outfielders like he did in the infield last year. A trade dude, a roster crunch DFA, Rule 5, maybe Ramos/Mead being repurposed, Baldwin.