South Side Hit Men

It's by design, owners want to flood the unsigned player market to lower salaries, trying to get yet another garbage 16 team playoff for next year, perhaps even more teams. Wouldn't be surprised if owners will cancel 100 games out of the regular season yet again next season, just for spite and to set up the CBA negotiations. Would hope the players consider walking out in September if they owners pull that shit again, and they don't sign any agreement without the wiggle room to walk out before the playoffs, the only thing owners give a shit about.

I like the many prospects the White Sox have drafted the past 2-3 years, not sure why people are willing to dump them. If team ownership is willing to contend in 2021, 2022 (assuming there is a season), or 2023, they will couple key free agents signings with continued development of their existing players and prospects. Now that the White Sox finally have substantial prospect depth, it’s the time to develop and play over the next several seasons, not dump for older player lotto tickets.

Hoping MLB loses the Senne case and have to pay all of the minor league players they refused to pay even minimum wage to. https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/62717/senne-v-mlb-could-bring-change-to-milb-players-from-past-present-and-future/ "Let those players go on food stamps, I need another billion before I croak."

WSCR reports the Cubs are not tendering Schwarber and Almora. Per DUI jail = Flu. @BNightengale The #Cubs are definitely tendering a contract to Kris Bryant, but barring a change of plans, will cut ties with outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora, as @MDGonzales predicted

All of you will rue the day you ever besmirched one Avery Weems.

Baseball Prospectus posted their Top 10 White Sox Prospect list, which I haven't seen posted here. https://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/63146/2021-prospects-chicago-white-sox-top-10-prospects/ Here are the Top 10 & (2020 rank), and their projection for each. Nick Madrigal (2) - 60 / More singles than a Beatles album Andrew Vaughn (4) - 60 / Occasional All-Star first baseman Garrett Crochet (-) - 60 / Front-line starter or elite closer Michael Kopech (3) - 60 / No. 2/3 starter or first-division closer Dane Dunning (6) - 60 / No. 3 starter Jared Kelley (-) - 55 / Mid-rotation starter or hard-throwing reliever Jonathan Stiever (5) - 55 / No. 3/4 starter Andrew Dalquist (-) - 50 / No. 4 starter Codi Heuer (-) - 50 / Late inning arm Avery Weems (-) - 50 / Late inning arm 2020 Graduate: Luis Robert (1) - 2020 Projection 70 / Elite two-way center fielder with speed and pop. 2020 Top Ten not in 2021 Top Ten: Luis Alexander Basabe (7); Zach Collins (8); Gavin Sheets (9); Lenyn Sosa (10).

I'm OK with Rosario, but not Ozuna, because the last thing the White Sox need is yet another DH. They already have Vaughn, Jimenez and Abreu as 1B/DH types, and Grandal should also DH/1B once a series for rest. Even if the Sox trade Vaughn, which they shouldn't, they should go after OFers and let Jimenez primarily play DH. He cannot field his position and is too much of an injury risk out there, whereas the extent he is valuable is his bat.

The first few weeks don’t matter as long as Vaughn is ready to go. I will be livid if they trade or sign another DH type. Over the past decade, Avisal Garcia (0.9) is the only White Sox primary DH with a positive bWAR during their White Sox career. Davidson and Garcia the only two without prohibitive contracts for AAA player production (Parrot, Alonso, LaRoche, Dunn).

Haven’t heard of any other major players put on waivers, surprised more teams haven’t done this. Looking forward to the announcements tomorrow across all of baseball.

I agree it’s likely Hahn and Giolito were responsible for Katz. However, when LaRussa and Jerry agreed last Spring or Summer Tony was coming back after Tony’s latest known DUI arrest, it’s likely Jerry would have also honored Tony’s offer to Duncan be honored if Dave accepted. Tony would have communicated the offer to Jerry. Jerry could have nixed it, but Hahn or Kenny had no say in any of this. Perhaps Dave told Tony no, but instead give my kid a job. Hahn couldn’t even stop Dave’s son from being hired, how could he have stopped Dave? This entire episode is about Jerry making Tony happy and keeping him employed, and “righting a wrong”. Kenny, Hahn, players, fans be damned. Poor Hawk, the one thing he did right as GM undone 34 years later. Mercy.

I hope fans don't forget the fact Dave Duncan rejected LaRussa's request that he join his staff as pitching coach. The White Sox wouldn't have Katz if Duncan didn't have enough sense to tell Tony he is too old for this shit.

So a drunk, a rapist and their friend's son walk into a dugout......

He already did that after his last DUI conviction. I have ZERO confidence in a single word LaRussa utters. He has never been SINCERE, and lifelong substance abusers who do not take the initiative to seek help regardless of how many times they are arrested have ZERO credibility. Tony has had his lifelong enabler Jerry Reinsdorf ensure a steady income in MLB throughout his adult life. There is no reason or pressure for Tony to do the right thing and actually hold himself even remotely accountable for his own actions. He is an entitled obnoxious criminal hypocritical spoiled brat.

See, Jerry is spending money this offseason. Unfortunately, it is being spent on cronies and greasing the skids in the Arizona Criminal Justice System.

Well at least LaRussa was blocked at bring in his veterinarian friend to coordinate analytics.

https://www.mlb.com/news/james-mccann-free-agent-catcher-ranks Article goes into his free agent prospects, and specifics regarding improvements in pitch framing which resulted in him ranking among the top 2020 catchers in baseball. Wishes for continued success be it here or elsewhere in 2021 and beyond.

Per the Sun Times article, by Daryl Van Schouwen, it may be announced this week, and McEwing, who played for LaRussa for two seasons, could coach 3B again. BC Cairo 1B Boston 3B McEwing P Katz BP Hasler H Menechino H Asst ???

Well, you claimed ignorance about financial information, there is plenty of evidence for both record revenue and decreasing salaries, articles written the past 2-3 off-seasons. Non of my comments were about this offseason, but pre-COVID periods. Forbes is a good source for information regarding baseball finances. There are a few good articles on Baseball Prospectus (subscription based), Jeff Passan also covered the situation well last off-season. I'll link a couple below: January 2018 - Here's why baseball's economic system might be broken November 2019 - Union chief's rebuke of GM heats up baseball's cold war over free agency Also, we (the correct use of the word, unlike the "we" used by Sox fans as if they are players or front office employees) are here to discuss baseball. If you chalk up discussions to "spitting into the wind" not sure why you are here, or at least engaging in discussions you admittedly do not follow / have little knowledge.

Not. "Beyond a shadow of a doubt" is not the threshold for proving collusion, owners have lost their case multiple times in the past, and if Tony Clark was competent he would have filed a grievance for the past few off-seasons.

The answer is not much, see below. That's why I voted tender and yes, and TLR is a pathetic drunk. But would much rather sign someone next week if the Sox are looking to cut ties with Mazara. Boyer is the only one talking to media these days since the Tony LaRussa hostage crises began. Outfield Free Agents per MLB excluding players with a projected fWAR under 1.0. Nomar Mazara 2021 Projection: (Jake Cave ahead of him ha ha). Also, 22 HRs (fWAR = ha ha ha ha) Name Team G PA AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS wOBA Fld BsR WAR Jake Cave Twins 122 470 426 109 25 5 17 60 62 34 141 6 3 2 .256 .318 .458 .775 .325 -6.9 -0.5 1.1 Nomar Mazara White Sox 129 523 475 120 23 2 22 62 70 38 126 5 3 1 .253 .312 .448 .760 .318 -1.6 -0.1 1.0 Bold is 2021 fWAR projection MLB Free Agent List WAR Projections Left Field: Michael Brantley (34 years old, 5.5 2020 MLB WAR) 2.0; Jackson Profar (28, 2.7) 1.9; Brett Gardner (37, 4.2) 1.1 Center Field: Jackie Bradley Jr. (31, 2.8) 1.4 Right Field: Adam Eaton (32, 1.9) 2.0; Hunter Renfroe (29, 1.5) 1.7; Yasiel Puig (30, 1.2) 1.6 From this list, don't like Brantley/Gardner (old) or Eaton (assclown). Profar, Bradley Jr. and Renfroe are left among possibilities, Puig is a wild card gamble and can also be seen as disruptive. Bradley Jr. would be my primary target for his defense and ability to play CF.

There have been several seasons of collusion through last year. It's why Reinsdorf squealed like he was Ned Beatty in Deliverance during the Cohen ownership vote, in a desperate attempt to keep out any owner who would actually have the audacity to put a competitive team on the field. It's the same reason he successfully blocked Mark Cuban's ownership bid. Thankfully, Reinsdorf is among the dying breed who no longer hold majority sway in the game, just as his kind was phased out of the majority view in the NBA a decade earlier.

If he's non tendered, worth a shot for the White Sox, and a chance for Kris to reclaim some of his value entering next year. Think injuries played a big role, coupled with a short sample size. Also like he can back up Moncada and play RF. Much rather have Bryant than Pederson or Springer, the latter due to the large $s and years likely required to sign.

I don’t want any players who played for LaRussa in Saint Louis (Lynn, Pujols, Molina or Wainwright).

Nice thread @CaliSoxFanViaSWside ! Wishing everyone here a Happy Thanksgiving full of food, family, friends and fun. Also, thanks to the Staff and Owners, who operate the site. I'm new here, was a long time poster on WSI, looking forward to hopefully the best decade of White Sox baseball!

The bottom line, not just for Kopech, but for the entire off-season is this. If the Sox plug a couple holes by trading away their top 2-3 prospects, they are not being serious enough to legitimately compete for a World Series. Not saying they need to sign Bauer or Springer, but if they don't bring in 2-4 solid players this off-season, the same depth issues that plagued them last year will again this year.