Look at Ray Ray Run

The White Sox did not tender Nomar Mazara for 5 million because he was bad last year. He accumulated a .2 fWAR in 42 games. Bad. The White Sox have just signed Adam Eaton to "fill their right field hole" as Chuck Garfein put it. They gave him 7 million dollars. In 2020, Adam Eaton had a -.5 fWAR. There's a very good chance the White Sox just gave more money to a shittier player going forward. This organization is hopeless.

What is good about the White Sox filling their two biggest holes without spending any money? I thought the White Sox were going to spend money this off-season. I guess they are technically "spending." Can't wait for our big acquisition to be a closer lol.

Man, I'd give anything for Joc now. So now that they're not spending on a pitcher or an outfielder, the White Sox are going into an all-in year with a payroll that'll be in the bottom half of the league. "Change the game!"

That's great, Adam Eaton went on Chicago radio and said the White Sox lost their team leader when Drake LaRoche was kicked out of the clubhouse. A grown man was calling a child the clubhouse leader. When he was called out on this following the incident, it resulted in a fist fight. Todd Frazier is one of the most liked guys around the game; he considers Eaton to be the biggest asshole in baseball. I'll trust Frazier on this one. Eaton was also bad last year, can never stay healthy, and has no pop in right field. He's also a declining defender.

And Adam Eaton comes in to prove the process is complete shit.

???? What a complete joke. Bargain hunting as always. Not only is Eaton an asshole whose teammates can't stand him, but he's also bad. Yay!

Yes, but if you sign a starter or acquire an additional starter by absorbing salary and giving up a lesser important asset you not only have that acquired asset, but you also have Dunning there as a safety net. That's the point of hanging on to a Dunning; he's not guaranteed to be anything, but having more assets is better than less. That's the problem with trading things of value instead of simply acquiring things using that "financial flexibility" the White Sox raved about so much for the past three years.

I was replying to his post; I don't believe it'll be two years and done. I do have concerns about entering next off-season having to fill 3 SP rotation spots if Kopech and Cease aren't good.

I didn't buy into the team literally not trying to even put MLB players on the field for 4-5 years so that they could be competitive for two years. The rebuild has to result in a competitive window longer than the rebuild took otherwise it's a failure imo.

One concern that I think many of us haven't really addressed is there is obviously a real possibility that Kopech and Cease are not good. I like the stuff and the ceiling, but if both fall flat on their face next season the White Sox are entering the 2021 off-season needing to fill three rotation spots with the 4th one opening up the next off-season. That's less than ideal to say the least, which is why I thought control was so important in this deal.

My takes yesterday we're pretty much the same thing but saddled with late night "this shit again" emotions; I wasn't glowingly endorsing Dunning, and I wasn't hating Lynn. I still have my doubts about Lynn being a 5-6 fWAR pitcher, and I certainly would take the under if the number was available to me. I still am not in love with a rejuvenation driven by a cutter, but I'm also a huge advocate for durability being as valuable for an arm as stuff. A pitcher can't produce if he can't stay healthy. Lynn is going to go out there and take the ball every 5th day, and go deep into games. My issue yesterday had more to do with the process, but it was expressed out of frustration much more so than out of logical analysis. I pointed out that Dunning's numbers were a smoke screen given his competition and that this could be peak Dane value. I'm just really frustrated with the lack of spending, and I can't help but think that Lynns price was every bit as enticing to the White Sox as his production. All in all, I'm excited for next year - in which I, the guy who argues coaches mean very little, will blame every loss on Tony La Russa - but I think this is a real bad sign going forward for how the Sox are going to support and supplement their young core. I also know Sox fans were joking about this, but I have no idea why we had to include Weems. I get that people here haven't heard of him and think BP is being out of town stupid, but some scouts there clearly like the guy and it's frustrating that are throw in had to be an asset valued well by even a single publication.

My concern with Lynn is moreso his 2017/2018 seasons than anything else. I always worry about late career resurgences, and I'm always weary that he could easily revert back to that form of production; which, isn't great. That said, his changes are very real but for how long I'm not sure.

Rick is the General Manager; his words still matter. If he has no power to make decisions then he shouldn't be making statements such as that and he should likely head somewhere else. Fans aren't the bad guys for expecting their team to follow through on their claims from the past.

Lance Lynn is an upgrade for next year; a substantial one over the uncertainty they still had in their youthful rotation. Lynn is a horse - both in size and durability, he could wear Bartolo Colon as a backpack and still throw 200 innings. There are positives about Lynn, as has been recently documented he added a cutter which enabled him to find much success following a season in which his career looked like it might be coming to a close. He has the chance of being a top tier pitcher, even if I wouldn't be shocked to see him fall back into the 3-4 fWAR range - which would still be a substantial upgrade. Last season, Lynn was good, but not as great as he had been the year prior; his FIP trickled over 4, but that was driven heavily by a very poor last start. Lynn will also be 34 years old, but he strikes me as a pitcher who is more likely than not to be durable and age as gracefully as his body jiggles when he delivers a pitch to home. The problem with Lynn isn't the player - who is a clear upgrade - but the process by which the Sox are moving towards their competitive window. Rick Hahn told us for the past four years that when the window was open, the White Sox would have no interest in trading assets for Rentals. They would fill the gaps with their financial flexibility; utilizing the fact that they had not spent money for the past six years, flush with cash, the White Sox would fill their remaining holes with financial investments in FA or, as I assumed, by absorbing big money contracts to limit any return they'd have to give in trades. There were pieces out there that met this claim; a Darvish/Heyward package almost seemed like a perfect fit for a team that needed a defensive RF who could swing a little, and a rotation anchor. The White Sox instead traded for a pitcher not just because he was good, but also because he was cheap - make no mistake about it, the 8 million dollar price tag was every bit as enticing as his production that came along with it. The White Sox could have absorbed salary from multiple franchises to take on a high quality SP without surrendering a viable asset, but instead they went the route of doing exactly what they promised they wouldn't; trading a viable asset for a one year rental at the beginning of the window. Don't blame the fans for trusting the word of their FO; "THE MONEY WILL BE SPENT" Kenny Williams embarrassingly claimed following the White Sox falling out with Manny Machado. The window is open, and the White Sox are continuing to operate like a small market team. Following the Lynn trade, and barring an unforeseen signing of someone like Springer (which is not happening), the White Sox are selling their fans on being all-in next year... and their payroll likely won't be in the top 10 in all of baseball. That's like screaming "I'm all in" at a poker table, when you have only 3 dollars left at a $1/$2 table. Dane Dunning was a nice piece, but I think Sox fans enjoyed him much more due to the pitchers around him. Dane threw strikes, while other young arms - namely Cease - struggled significantly to do so. As a fan, strikes are enjoyable but the Sox also could not have sold higher on Dane. Coming off Tommy John and turning 27 next year, Dunning was likely nearing a finished product. He also was sheltered by the White Sox last year; making 5 of his 8 starts worse one of the five worst offenses in MLB. Could he continue in a long line of recent arms who greatly exceeded expectations due to elite command? Sure, he absolutely could... but he could also be out of baseball in two years. Pitching is hard, and pitchers always have an edge when they are unknown. I have always said a key to a good rebuild is trading away the assets you know the industry overvalues; only time will tell if the White Sox chose the right starter to move. The White Sox are definitely better going into next year by a good bit; they needed a horse and durable arm to throw out there and they got exactly that. The problem isn't the player, but it's that we all trusted the process and the process turned out to be one Lance Lynn sized pile of shit sold by a cheap ownership group who had no intention on ever repaying the fans for the misery they were put through by not even trying to put a viable MLB product on the field.

Jack, I dont think you understand. Lopez was allowed to accumulate that number because his team wasn't trying and didn't care how bad he had been. Lopez was the worst or second worst qualified starter in baseball over that time period. Hes not an example of a typical 6 fWAR player. Lopez would not accumulate that number for any decent team.

No, it's not very conservative. Dunning expected career WAR is probably around 6-8.

Lol the most epic collapse to not win a league maybe in fantasy history. Biggest lead and meltdown I've ever seen. It was painful

He also had a 4.34 xFIP.

My last piece on the deal. The frustration for me is the Sox are now all in next year - you dont trade for a rental if you aren't. Yet after FA they're payroll will likely rank outside the top 10 in baseball. It's honestly a joke at this point. They just won't spend.

Dunning faced the Royals 13 times in 7 starts which helps a bit.

Yeah, I have no issues dealing dunning I just wanted years back.

I can't keep up, so Lynn's playoff appearances don't count and are small samples but Dunning proved he sucked because he didn't dominate an elimination game where his manager practically told him he was bad and couldn't do it before anything even happened.

Lol so wait, his rookie year playoff appearance means he sucks but Lance Lynn career 4.8 ERA and 1.6 WHIP in 54 post season innings makes him a reliable post season stopper lol

There is absolutely something special about him if he can actually command 4 pitches with average stuff. Hard to say if that's real given his competition last year.

He also faced No one as the sox protected him. I like command pitchers, especially guys who can command 4 of them. I think its the most underrated quality of a SP in scouting circles currently.