WestEddy

Trading Mena and Thompson. Well, you are complaining about Popeye every time you reference him. You could be doing all of this over cutting Moustakas if it truly wasn't about Popeye.

So what's your point?

And you can't assume that X amount of money would have made them choose a notorious dysfunction situation over a club that will be in playoff contention. I keep posing the question - what makes you think a player would take slightly more money to lose all year, then get uprooted and not see his family regularly for 3 months when he has an offer for a stable situation sitting on the table? And why do you need the White Sox to overpay for players? Benintendi should have been a 3 year deal. They probably had to offer him 5 to get him to pick Chicago.

And they are prioritizing the long term by removing a non-prospect from their 40-man roster. You keep arguing about situations that have nothing to do with Popeye. None of Pillar, Grossman, DeJong, Lopez, or Sheets are occupying spots a utility infielder at AA (who hasn't even reported, yet) would take. By the time that Rodriguez progressed out of AA then AAA, he'd probably be out of options, and they'd have to roster or cut him, anyway. It's great you can name players you don't like and decide they could be cut instantly. We have plenty of fat, you say, but you cry every time somebody gets cut or traded.

I believe that MLB teams have to roster 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Leone's given up 3 earned runs in 2.1 innings over 4 appearances. He does seem to have a problem with HRs, early on. All 3 earned runs were homers. Popeye has regressed his last 2 seasons at AA. His chase rates have gotten worse. It was he they brought up to pinch run in one game. My believe is that by the time he was major league ready, he'd be out of options, so they would have to roster and keep him in the majors all season, or he's gone, anyway.

Popeye can't pitch.

That is the thing. If Soroka looks solid by the deadline, he's a dude. Brebbia, Knebel, maybe Eloy if he returns and rakes. I don't see a lot that will be dealt. Maybe if DeJong keeps the power going, he's dealt to be somebody's utility guy. Lopez. Clevinger won't be dealt. Flexen may not make it til the deadline. I think they'd hold onto Fedde and Kopech.

Those are cheap salaries. Getz is doing the defense and vet catcher to pump up his pitchers. I also think Maldonado was a character guy that Grifol wanted. Both can be true.

There really isn't "plenty of fat". They're now down to 2 AAA relievers. Shuster could be cut. That's about it. They don't have the time or the room to keep giving a guy who is regressing "one last chance". They really do have a dynamic roster at AA, and Popeye had to s%*# or get off the pot. Right now, they have 4 OF on the 26-man. I don't know what happens when Eloy and Robert come back. And I'm sure DeLoach didn't suddenly become "ready" after 7 AAA games. Seriously, if they cut Bryan Ramos, or Jake Eder, I would wonder WTF was going on. It's a AA utility infielder. Hahn should probably not have rostered him when he did.

There were cheaper catchers available. You don't need to argue with every single sentence.

Popeye didn't show flashes as a major leaguer. They don't need Leone to "win" games this year. They need guys like Leone to get through games with everybody alive. Unless you actually want a 33-130 team that loses every game by double digits.

I'm not making excuses. I believe Maldonado is a sop to Grifol, giving him a "clubhouse leader". Clevinger parties with a Sox owner. He went out and signed Maldonado. But that's how I reason away Maldonado, not that everyone thought he would be an All-Star, but Grifol couldn't be fired, so give him some help guiding the clubhouse.

Grossman can hit it, a bit. I have a strange feeling Maldonado and Clevenger have been foisted on Getz.

They need to play the games, and the 22-year old everybody's crushing on is not major league ready.

The whole team sucks right now. You're not making some great, intuitive observation. The bullpen and rotation will work their way out, and at least get them through games. 5 of 7 games have been one-run games. If the bullpen was trash, the first week of the season would look like Charlotte's.

And it's okay to look at a bullpen and not engage in hyperbole when it can be effective when everybody gets their roles down and hits their stride. Maldonado sucks. DeJong/Lopez/Shewmake's offense sucks. Vaughn's production sucks.

I've been joking about Nicky Lopez to mess with the naysayers. I'd have no problem with Sosa taking 2B away from Lopez. Or Lopez kicking it up a notch, and holding onto 2B. None of it really matters.

I did. And I still think that's true. They've played 7 games.

Popeye is not AAA ready, let alone major league ready. And we have no idea if Sosa is even on the level of DeJong and Lopez. He sure wasn't in his previous 2 cups of coffee. I think Sosa should be starting at 2B. And Lee should be the main catcher. But none of that has anything to do with cutting Popeye, as he was regressing, and wasn't worth a 40-man slot. I look forward to the Phillies developing him over the next 3 seasons, then DFAing him because he's still not MLB ready, and he's out of options.

If Sosa is ready for MLB. And If Popeye is ready for AAA (which he wasn't last year).

And each of them would need to be put on the 40-man. I think Barlow is returning from injury.

Because Popeye was on the 40-man, and you need that space to play the mlb games. You have kids to play. Shewmake and Sosa. The 40-man problems are Josimer Cousin, Jared Shuster and Davis Martin. They didn't want to blow a year of control over Martin, so they didn't put him on the 60-day to clear a spot. Cousin had a contractual deadline. Shuster's a AAAA junk-baller. An actual bullpen arm on the MLB club isn't the problem.

If he becomes Nicky 280 OPS, Sosa or Shewmake will force him to the bench.

Lopez's futile OPS is from 20 PA's during a season-opening slump. If he stays at a 500 OPS, Sosa or Shewmake may end up replacing him. Popeye is not MLB ready, and could look like 2022 Lenyn Sosa. .300 OPS.

Probably a lot, if Speas can't throw strikes.