Look at Ray Ray Run

For starters it would be smart of other teams to drive up the price on these two stars even if they have no intention on signing them. Its smart business to make sure one of your competitors doesnt get a big discount due to a slow and small market of suitors.

What does this mean? The Sox and Phillies have been serious about going after those players. What is nice about the Padres also doing it? I must have missed it...

Yes and then after this was written he gave up 23 runs in 23 innings. Everytime Gio took a step forward he took two back. If he was happy with how he ended the season he wouldn't be retooling again

Dylan Coveys best pitch is actually incredibly good - he throws a 96-95 mph sinker with huge movement. Coveys problem is he can't control it, and his secondaries are horribly inconsistent. But... every single pitch Covey throws moves, a lot. That's why he gets chances. The hope being he finds a way to harness and pinpoint the movement. That 95-96 last year came out of nowhere - when I saw that, plus the movement, I realized why the Sox rule 5ed Covey. He might never figure it out but that stuff is filthy.

Where did I say major leaguers don't make adjustments? A guy just coming fresh to the majors and making a mechanical overhaul is alarming and not common in the least bit. What mechanical overhaul did Verlander make? He made an adjustment to the way he attacked hitters and the zone - his adjustment was driven more by analytics provided to him by the Astros. He didnt make some dramatic mechanical changes and reinvent himself. A late career adjustment is vastly different than a overhaul of your mechanics after one year in the big leagues. Giolito has now overhauled his mechanics 4 off seasons in a row. He did it in Washington by their request in 2016 because his motion was high effort and dangerous according to them. Then in 2017, the white sox acquired giolito and overhauled his mechanics - hoping to fix what the nationals broke. Then, in 2018 giolito changed his mechanics again, back to the "natural" motion from before the nationals changed him. He had a big spring and optimism was high. Then the season started and his velocity didnt hold in the weather, and his release point with the natural motion kept preventing him from getting on top of breaking balls. Then, he started finding some velocity but still couldnt get on top, and he was wild in and out of the zone. Now, in 2019 Lucas Giolito is overhauling his mechanics again. Yes, countless hall of famers do that

You're greatly exaggerating giolitos raw stuff. Without a huge fastball, giolito isn't a top tier talent. His ceiling right now if EVERYTHING goes right is a #3. When Giolito throws strikes they get pummeled - his problem isnt just walks. It's the fact that his strikes get hit very hard.

Throwing strikes is a part of talent. Gio wont be around long walking 4.25 per 9. Everyone who makes the MLB is really talented. Talent and prospect status might make your minor league production next to irrelevant in the eyes of big league clubs but results are what carry you in the mlb

Lopez was the most improved pitcher in baseball the final two months of the season- he was an entirely different guy.

Uh, tommy kahnle and anthony swarzak are pretty grateful for coop.

Giolito was arguably the worst regular pitcher in baseball last year. There aren't really any pitchers that are "far suckier" than lucas giolito and certainly not ones who have stuck in the league.

Dead. In his own head. One who constantly thinks of his mechanics will never settle in on the proper mechanics. He's obsessed with his mechanics and blames all his shortcomings on them. As someone who changed his hand position, stance, and load after and during every major slump of my life - into college - I understand that searching for success in your mechanics takes the natural talent and flow of your game away. Mechanics matter but if you're in the big leagues making mechanical overhauls, you're in trouble. Gio would be better off focusing on learning to deal with lesser stuff than searching for that stuff. He should learn to pitch with the stuff he has now, in my opinion. I hope I'm horribly wrong about giolito.

This isnt college. He couldnt care less who his GM or owner are as long as the checks keep cashing.

Huh? One, its certainly not easier to find sales than it is machado's. I'm not sure why you think it's not as hard to find an ace than a stud position player. Look at how many pitchers put up 5 WAR a year and compare it with position players. It's easier to find a Machado than a sale. A true dominant ace is the hardest commodity to find in baseball. Two, why would anyone rather pay bumgarner? Madison on an downward trajectory and has had two bad injuries in the past couple years. I wouldn't pay either one personally - given the volatility of pitchers and the age of both - but if I had to pay one I'd pay sale. Sale has had some nagging things here and there but in general hes been dominant and healthy for 8 years.

Lol why is this bad for the White Sox?

Shocked /s Padres weren't really interested in spending 250 million.

Harpers ceiling was top 5 offensive season ever. That means a lot to teams - it's not the marketability, it's the ceiling of Harper. Harpers best was legendarily good. Despite his inconsistencies, teams are infatuated with that level of production.

Harper is not signing today. That Vegas thing was 100% nonsense. Harper will not sign before Machado.

Stephen Drew sat out and signed late one year but not JD. Same family, same agent, other brother.

So you're arguing that in December a team had no interest in a player but since it's not the middle of January, said team now has about 250 million dollars of interest in a player? I dont see it. Logically that just doesnt make sense.

He was drafted and did not sign - choosing instead to play independent ball and reenter the draft the following season.

Lozano is trying to exploit an owner somewhere. I agree though, final offers on the table and that's that.

Leyland was fine - he actually embraced his old school mentality and didn't act as if he reinvented the game or was doing something ground breaking. Dave Duncan was/is fine as well; he got a little too much credit in St. Louis as a pitching coach but he was good. Dombrowski, he's good at going all in, but would certainly not be the GM you'd want to spearhead a rebuild and if you don't have a big budget he's a horrible long term GM if sustained success is your goal.

For everyone who is upset with what Hahn said this morning, what did you want him to say? We have to get Manny and if I don't get it done, I failed? No one is going to say that

LaRussa did things in the national league, consistently, that gave his team a lesser chance of winning - whether his BP match-ups, his reverse splits, or his insistence on the pitcher hitting 8th and not turning his lineup over so an arm could get 1 or 2 more outs the next inning.

Honestly, it just shook out well for the Sox - perfectly you could say. The Phillies want Harper and they are really the only other team involved - unless you honestly think San Diego is a threat which I do not. You don't join this sweepstakes late and then throw 300 million at him; they would have been in since the start if that was the case. Lozano is in a rough spot and he knows it. The White Sox have no real competition for Manny and it makes them a near a lock to get this done. If there were more more suitors I'd be concerned, but in reality there just aren't