WestEddy

Understand that a #30 prospect in the elite Orioles' system is like any other organization's #1. Maybe even better. They're the only fanbase that truly understands the value of players and prospects.

Maybe some "Colas for rookie-level catcher" deal, or Eloy, or Santos? Matt Foster, Jimmy Lambert, or Tanner Banks for a pair of red boots?

I think we just got saddled with an owner who was going to show everybody how it's done, didn't do that, got pouty, broke things, lucked into a championship, and is now insufferably obstinate in his old age. While I may be very cynical about the economics around the game, and in our economy, in general, as a Sox fan, all I have to root for is for Getz to sneak a couple of hires past the old man, and maybe they'll work.

And, aren't the White Sox still hanging onto an announcement? Like Maldonado? That says to me they're close on something, and will do the moves together to offset the 40-man spots.

Isn't Bannister supposed to be a step in that direction?

Rewatch the movie Wall Street, then pretend they're saying "Baseball team" instead of "Airlines". These guys' hobby is making money, or furthering their chances of making money. We have this fantasy of some dude who has a dream of sticking a winning baseball team in everybody's faces, but what they want to do is stick another $10 billion of wealth in everybody's faces. A million fans cheering at a Championship parade doesn't put $10 billion in somebody's pocket. It doesn't get Saudi Arabia to loan them money. It's like if you make a few 100k a year, have 2 houses, are set up for your kids to go to Michigan, or whatnot, and somebody comes to you asking you to buy the corner grocery store in a poor neighborhood and invest in a salad bar so that it's the best corner grocer in that hood. Maybe you know somebody who wants to shove being the best grocer in everyone's faces. Nobody takes that seriously until they seek out city investment zones, and see how much free property they can get around that grocery store so they can knock everything down and build 40 prime units with 4 low-cost housing units, and a little community mall that will all max out their investment at at 500% of their initial seed money. That's how baseball teams work, now. I don't really believe anybody with money has some primordial need to win a world series. They've done that many times over by installing their own king somewhere in the middle east. Baseball is about developing land, and the development has to be free land, government money and private control. Throw in the promise to rewrite some laws at the state level, and tax breaks, and now the billionaires stop laughing.

When EinsDorf took over the White Sox, they kind of did "spend like crazy". Fisk, Luzinski and Floyd Bannister were the kind of moves that would have put the 2020-2021 teams over the top. But somehow, they grew cheap and less adventurous.

It was worth millions to Vizquel on the HOF circuit. The price of his signature just plummeted. (I know, big whoop.) Vizquel was being groomed as an ambassador for the game. He was on some inside managerial track, and would have had lifetime positions with the Guardians or White Sox (most probably the White Sox), doing the glad-handing in the Venezuelan market that Miñoso was called in to do with Cubans. Looking at B-R, it looks like Aparicio is the only Venezuelan in the HOF. Vizquel would have been #2, and Miggy #3. I think that Aparicio and the White Sox letting Vizquel wear #11, with the White Sox on top of that, was a huge anointment.

Well, Vizquel being an enduring part of baseball and getting into the HOF would have probably been huge for Venezuelan baseball culture, and an extension of Aparicio, and all that. And the White Sox were certainly trying to help him get to that place. Too bad Vizquel had to be a clown. Vizquel messed all that up, and took himself out an historical place in Venezuelan baseball lore. I don't know how he comes back from that. Nightengale sure ain't the path. And tagging on...He was audacious enough to ask Aparicio to wear #11 with the White Sox, and both Aparicio and the White Sox assented. He had been anointed. Jose Abreu wasn't that presumptuous to ask Miñoso if he could wear #9.

Baseball-Reference shows Vizquel having made $63 million in his career. Is he crying poor, now?

Sorry. I am joking. This whole conversation has gone on and on.

Thank you for finally seeing the light. This is the selling point that is part of the presentation that asks for 1 top 30, 1 top 100, 1 future MLB player just out of the top 100, and a lotto ticket. And leakers have already been leaking that teams are thinking this out loud.

Technically, I've been published on the SI website (out of SouthSideSox.com). And I will say that the accomplishment holds little credibility.

It's on this very thread. I'm sorry, not to be rude, but I'm not trying to reopen an Orioles/Cease trade discussion. I was commenting on a particular strain of negativity, about Dylan Cease, here.

When I'm buzzing around other team blogs, and such, I'm not keeping a log of my internet usage. Sorry.

Oh, so you found one guy on the entire internet, and strangely enough, he supports your view. That's great. Well, if the Orioles are so elite at drafting and developing players, it's weird they would even waste their time on a trade.

No. Look it up on MLBTR. I read one there, but their search function is chaos. Sports Guy and James Fox just had a conversation where they both agreed on a probable package. Every blogger for multiple teams has written a column on possible Cease trade packages. Really, Google "Cease trade package" and read away.

I don't get that whole mindset. So many articles have been written by dudes who make a living tracking and caring about this stuff. And they surmise the price for Cease will be 2 top 100's maybe one right behind that, and a lotto ticket. I haven't seen anything written anywhere that shows grave concern about a possible injury or old age that skewed Cease's 2023. It's all about mechanics that are easily worked on, and 2022 is a view of what his ceiling is.

I'm heartened by the notion of making the team better just by plugging in guys who will catch and throw the ball correctly, and not plugging in guys like, well, Anthony Benintendi, one of those "kenny always gets his guy" guys. Glove first guys are available and cheap. The 5 tool wonders probably wouldn't sign with us, no matter how much money we threw at them.

That was interesting for about 3 volleys. Then the "our #15 prospect is like any other organization's generational #1 talent" BS kicks in, and it's just another braying sports dude wish-casting.

I hope the exclusive on the Grifol extension will be worth it.

I stopped watching the Bears when I decided that I didn't want to be angry ALL year. Congrats on all the spare time you'll have on your hands. Maybe learn to play an instrument.

I think they saw Perez as a guy who just throws the ball back to the pitcher. Perez isn't going to "work" with pitchers like they envision Maldonado doing. Any spare innings when both Maldonado and Stassi are down can go to Lee and Hackenberg. I think Hackenberg's the dude until Quero breaks through. Now watch the Padres grab him and turn him into an All-Star.

I keep thinking Jimmy Lambert's a key bullpen piece. I guess he's more on the Jake Petricka path. One slightly better than average season, and then years of suck.