Look at Ray Ray Run

It's really not "all I need to know."

In what ways is Jerry not loyal to his players, just out of curiosity?

How can anyone not like Tim Anderson?

Magglio was pretty damn good. I'm actually not that worried about his bat. I'd like to see his glove play ++ for another year.

None, but Yoan is still practically implying it by stating he wants to be here for a long time, but he is leaving that to his agent. He's not taking the Bryant route of "I like it here a lot, but I'm also going to pursue my worth in FA."

Not just the questions, but by admitting a negotiation is going on you open yourself up for ridicule and blow back if an agreement isn't reached. By denying the discussions are taking place, you are protecting both the player and the organization from fan/public backlash should it fall through.

The Robert rumor also didn't take place while they were all in camp in front of reporters every single day. I didn't see any reports of the team being directly asked about the Robert rumor.

Yeah; 1. He's not going to give up leverage by proclaiming his affinity for signing. 2. He's not going to build up the hopes of a fanbase with the possibility that nothing gets done and he is vilified after saying he would do anything to stay here.

Yeah, just saw that: Which is pretty standard procedure in these things - especially given the fact that Yoan is currently playing and it's during "season" in a way. I don't want to speak for every player/agent relationship in these matters, but from the little first hand information I do have, this is typically how the process would work. Daryl Van Schouwen @CST_soxvan · 1h Yoan Moncada said he’s not aware of discussions re long term extension. Leaving that to agent. Said he’s very comfortable as a White Sox and envisions being here for long time.

Yeah, just saw that: Which is pretty standard procedure in these things - especially given the fact that Yoan is currently playing and it's during "season" in a way. I don't want to speak for every player/agent relationship in these matters, but from the little second hand information I do have, this is typically how the process would work. Daryl Van Schouwen @CST_soxvan · 1h Yoan Moncada said he’s not aware of discussions re long term extension. Leaving that to agent. Said he’s very comfortable as a White Sox and envisions being here for long time.

Yeah, I would say this means I wouldn't expect anything within the next day or two. I think there is likely communication between agents, but nothing is "imminent" at the moment.

Moncada switches agents. Tells new agent he is interested in an extension; Moncada gives a goal number/years. New agent goes to work to see what can happen. He won't circle back with Yoan throughout entirety of negotiations - he'll circle back as the offers become close to what he asked for. Not saying this means they're for sure negotiating, but Yoan not knowing about the negotiation in detail at this point would not be abnormal by any means.

For the record, this is exactly why I think Keith Law saying he's David Eckstein and then not putting him in his top 109 is a joke. If he even has Eckstein's career, he is certainly worthy of a top 109 prospect spot. Baseball is really really hard and drafting/developing is really difficult. The learning curve between aluminum and wood alone is substantial, and even with guys playing in wood bat leagues it's still not the same. That paired with the fact that in college you will face a MLB caliber starter maybe twice or three times a month on average, and knowing how a guy will perform against that level of talent all the time is nearly impossible. It's why a guy like Vaughn just couldn't be passed on despite him being pigeonholed at 1st base; his approach and swing were made for velocity and he spits on pitches that MLB veterans don't.

I liked Gavin; think he could have been better than he was, but he let the game get in his head a bit too much. Gavin would have been a guy who benefited greatly from modern tech to analyze his release point and etc. I feel like he lost his feel far too often and was searching for it more than he actually had it. When he had it though, he was absolutely filthy.

Correct, he has 16; I think I searched for 20 first due to my first sentence. Will correct. Think the point still remains.

It amazes me how much people overrate first round picks in baseball; especially outside of 1-2. If Madrigal gets to 20 career fWAR, he'll be one of the best #4 picks in MLB history. Here is a list of #4 picks in history; only including those who have been around enough to calculate their worth: 1989 stands out, ha! 15% of #4 picks since 1980 have accumulated 15+ fWAR for their career. I bolded people with greater than 15 career fWAR. Schwarber - 2014 Dillon Tate - 2015 (18th ranked Orioles prospect 2019) Riley Pint - 2016 (8.66 ERA in A ball) Brandan McKay - 2017 (good so far) Year Player Pos. Drafted From Drafted By 2013 Kohl Stewart RHP St. Pius X HS (TX) Minnesota Twins 2012 Kevin Gausman RHP LSU Baltimore Orioles 2011 Dylan Bundy RHP Owasso HS (OK) Baltimore Orioles 2010 Christian Colon SS Cal-State Fullerton Kansas City Royals 2009 Jorge Sanchez C Boston College Pittsburgh Pirates 2008 Brian Matusz LHP University of San Diego Baltimore Orioles 2007 Daniel Moskos LHP Clemson Pittsburgh Pirates 2006 Brad Lincoln RHP Houston Pittsburgh Pirates 2005 Ryan Zimmerman 3B Virginia Washington Nationals 2004 Jeffrey Niemann RHP Rice U (TX) Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2003 Timothy Stauffer RHP U Richmond (VA) San Diego Padres 2002 Adam Loewen P Fraser Valley Christian HS (BC) Baltimore Orioles 2001 Gavin Floyd P Mt. St. Joseph HS (MD) Philadelphia Phillies 2000 Mike Stodolka P Centennial HS (CAÂ ) Kansas City Royals 1999 Corey Myers SS Desert Vista,HS (AZ) Arizona Diamondbacks 1998 Jeff Austin P Stanford University Kansas City Royals 1997 Jason Grilli P Seton Hall University San Francisco Giants 1996 Billy Koch P Clemson University Toronto Blue Jays 1995 Kerry Wood P Grand Prairie HS (TX) Chicago Cubs 1994 Antone Williamson 3B Arizona State University Milwaukee Brewers 1993 Wayne Gomes P Old Dominion University Philadelphia Phillies 1992 Jeffrey Hammonds OF Stanford University Baltimore Orioles 1991 Dmitri Young SS-OF Rio Mesa HS (CA) St. Louis Cardinals 1990 Alex Fernandez P Miami Dade South CC Chicago White Sox 1989 Jeff Jackson OF Simeon HS (IL) Philadelphia Phillies 1988 Gregg Olson P Auburn University Baltimore Orioles 1987 Mike Harkey P Cal State Fullerton University Chicago Cubs 1986 Kevin Brown P Georgia Tech Texas Rangers 1985 Barry Larkin SS University of Michigan Cincinnati Reds 1984 Cory Snyder SS Brigham Young University Cleveland Indians 1983 Eddie Williams 3B Hoover HS (CA) New York Mets 1982 Bryan Oelkers P Wichita State University Minnesota Twins 1981 Terry Blocker OF Tennessee State University New York Mets 1980 Mike King P Morningside College Oakland A's

Then you shift Robert to right and move Engel to center on those days. Robert has an elite arm for Center and a + arm in right.

K

Would it make JoshPR feel better if I said this is a dick move and Jerry would be taking advantage of his guys if he knew this while negotiating the current contracts? Because if Jerry has inside knowledge of arb change, then it's a bit dickish to negotiate all these extensions.

Because of?

This also allows them to go more high school centric in the draft; if the reports of that being an avenue of focus for them are true.

Jerry has always been willing to take care of his own guys. I've always said that, to the disagreement of many. He is less willing to give huge commitments to FAs. Also, I think he just trusts Rick Hahn in this area. He's proven his savvy and it is an incredibly underrated skill for a GM.

It seems like these guys really like each other and he, very obviously, enjoyed that they extended Abreu and said so... and said he wanted to show/have same loyalty. At some point, the culture being built deserves at least a very tiny bit of credit here.

Jerry also did not forget how to conduct business overnight. Jerry is one of the leagues most powerful owners. He's pretty in tune with CBA negotiations and it's likely the arb process is going to change. Not only do these all look like, at the least, solid deals under the current CBA; they look even better if the CBA changes.

Said it last year right after he was drafted, and feel it even more today: Andrew Vaughn could step into the big leagues tomorrow and have an OPS over 840.