WestEddy

We sure have a lot more starting pitching prospects than we have starting OF prospects. If it costs one of the lower ceiling pitchers we have to cover a position with what looks like a full time hitter who can field, then that's what it costs.

What RF is on the market right now for a one year, $20 million deal? I don't care about Reinsdorf's money. I'm not sure how a guy who can hit and play the field well lends itself to poor roster construction. I'd take 3 season's of Benintendi's 2021, if that's what Fletcher turns into. Everybody screamed about giving up Hector Santiago for Adam Eaton. Santiago had exactly one league-average season after leaving the Sox. I can't remember who's who, because half the people here have "white sox" in their name. But it seems like the general complaint was that all Getz was pursuing was glove-only ballplayers with one year of control. They got 6 years of a player who can hit and catch the ball. And it was for a guy that Chicago White Sox dude called "2nd tier" of a collection of starting pitchers he thought laughable. I always find it weird how each player in our minor league system sucks until we trade one of them, then it's a freakin' tragedy and we paid too much. Jake Peter all over again. LOL.

It sure looks like after Baltimore got Burnes for that slight package, Getz pivoted, and picked up a couple RFs that were being dangled, because a young RF was his plan all along. Mena's an interesting prospect, and it sure would have been nice for him to star here. Maybe dude's right, and this is a trade could have been pulled off next offseason. But while we're calling Baltimore's Elias a prospect-hugger, nobody else seems to be throwing their left-handed RF slugger who fields the position flawlessly, at AA or AAA, yet - at us for Dylan Cease. Just like everybody had been saying to the Baltimore guys, a good trade's going to hurt for both teams.

Ho hum. You're making a bunch of assertions, then backing off of them, so it's like you want to complain about this trade for engagement, but you don't really want to own any of the things you're typing. I'm not sure how you find the phrase "surplus of pitching" funny, how you asserted all along that Mena has question marks, and is only in the "2nd tier" of a laughable collection of .... ha-ha, get this .... starting pitchers!! LOL. ... but we can't trade a guy who is in the 2nd tier of a bunch of laughable "pitching prospects", because he's part of a numbers game. You're playing word games. But hey, that's besides the point.

They picked up an OF who appears to be able to catch and hit the ball with 6 years of control. That's how he fits into the long term puzzle. I'm not sure what you're struggling with. If there are only 26 players on the planet who can play for the next White Sox championship team, please point them out. The White Sox seem to have assembled a surplus of starting pitching, both through a couple of pitching heavy drafts, and a series of trades. They dealt a guy whom they felt his arsenal might not play as well in the majors. They don't appear to have faith in Colas to break some bad habits. Again, I don't see what the struggle is.

The original comment of mine you responded to was that Fletcher isn't a "replacement player". He's got a good glove, and has hit at every level of the minors. By picking a single lofty stat, and saying he'll never repeat it, you're not making my comment wrong.

We have a surplus of starting pitching. We have a dearth of outfield talent. If you don't see how a "useful player" fits into some broader strategy, I'm not sure what you're even asking. You can't assume that a player who has been successful in a short run in the majors has too many question marks, but a guy who has had a sketchy track record in the minors, even while ascending quickly at a young age - doesn't. I get that you don't like the trade. I wish the D-backs just gave us Fletcher for cash considerations. That would have been cool.

Getz doesn't value power so much that he will try to bury a garbage glove in LF or RF in order to get power. Yes, I agree with you on that. So what you're looking for is at least a 4-tool OF, and those are either going for $10+ million, or even Dylan Cease can't pluck somebody's at least 4-tool OF out of their minors. We'll either try to catch lighting in a bottle with Rafael Ortega, or someone like that, or get a project like DeLoach where, if we can fix his swing, you have a nice hitter who won't embarrass himself in the field. I think Lenyn Sosa can play his way into the lineup, and he can run into a dozen, or so. At some point, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Vaughn are going to have to pull on their big boy pants and live up to their billing.

I can still hear the wailing about trading 'infield depth' in Jake Peter for Joachim Soria back in 2017. Everybody mocks the guys who express there's some talent in the system, but when we trade some, we gave up too much.

I thought it was Rollins and Frazier. The implication at the time was that it was some of the new guys who looked at the situation, and were like, WTF?!?

Funnier still are MLBTR comments. Dudes shrugging off losing Berroa, saying that if the Mariners can't fix him, the Sox sure can't. When in fact, he was traded to the White Sox for a guy that the Sox "fixed". Gotta love the logic.

Yeah, that .377 BABIP is consistent with his minor league career. Some guys just hit. I don't have to pretend that every single player will slash .000/.000/.000 to protect myself from getting disappointed.

Any mortal man who dons a baseball glove is a huge question mark. Eloy, Yoan, Kopech were all top ten prospects in the game, right? I'm ready for anybody to step up and validate their own prospect buzz on the Sox. I think Fletcher looks like low ceiling, high floor. If he can OPS over .700, they've filled a hole. I'm here for it.

How does the acquisition of Joey Ortiz still have the Brewers on this list? They should have graduated to the "most awesome things in the universe" list, and aced that, too.

I'm excited because it's not a schlub who will be nudged out by August. I'm excited because we've picked up 6-12 interesting/exciting pitching prospects/projects in the last 8 months, and 0 (zero) OF prospects worthy of note. Between today's 2 OF acquisitions, we probably have our starting RF. If the dude puts up 2 WAR, it's a victory of untold magnitude. Of all our pitching prospects, I'd call Christian Mena middle tier. He's also interesting, but I think we can call starting pitching an area where we have multiple options at this point. I would have loved to see Marco Paddy have a resounding victory that validated his presence in the organization. Maybe Lenyn Sosa will be that validation. I would have loved to acquire Fletcher for Laz Rivera straight up. I do think we got a very interesting RF option today.

There's a 2nd time for everything.

I think Sosa has a clear shot at playing time if his bat comes alive. I also think Getz may have wanted to secure some OF dudes before looking for anybody giving Colas that come-hither look.

Elias could have nailed the coffin on that division shut with a Cease trade. Now we don't need any of their stinky ole' outfielders, and the true diamond of that organization, Joey Ortiz, is in Milwaukee, who I would imagine will be announcing a 10 year extension with him any day now. His double-play stare-down will be known as the Leer that Made Milwaukee Famous.

I'd bet a lot more happens before now and opening day, but Davis Martin will probably open the season on the 60 day IL

Pillar's a minor league deal. Lane Ramsey is the sole victim of this spending spree.

Are you talking about Adam Eaton's 6.8 fWAR in 2016? He still only OPSed .790. Or his last year in Arizona? They didn't like his defense, then. I'm now expecting 14.4 fWAR out of this Fletcher character in his first 3 years. I'm stoked.

The actual greatest thing that could happen would be for the Mariners to flip Santos to St. Louis, so Kenyan Middleton could watch him sleep in the bullpen every game.

I agree with you that Christian Mena was a very interesting prospect. I could certainly see him being a strong #3. Fletcher looks like a MLB ready hitter. If this guy can OPS you 750, and with the defense he plays, he's Adam Eaton. I don't see the problem. He's not a masher. He may only last 3-4 years before he starts breaking down. But you now have a real option in RF.

I think Madrigal's top 5 in MLB WAR for that 1st round. He's certainly logged more bWAR than the 3 guys chosen before him.

Maybe they're waiting for Elias to finish sitting shiva for Joey Ortiz. He's probably locked himself in a room, playing Roy Orbison songs and drawing hearts around the head of a DL Hall 8 x 10.