greg775

Not trying to fight my nemesis here, just saying I don't understand arguments in which most of us think a player is not all that great (Avi, though I do immensely like his game) yet the "free agent status" is seen as something worth discussing. Again ... why would anybody sign Avi to anything significant considering all the warts that have been pointed out by Sox fans on this board. Who is going to sign him to some great deal and why would they want him for 5 years, 100 million or something like that? I personally think a healthy Avi is worth 4 years 36 million. Let's pay him that (if our trainers think they can get him on the field). BTW, folks. Feel free to welcome greg back. I can't believe nobody noticed I was gone a while or simply deems me not worthy of missing. GO SOX!

Interesting topic for me considering I saw Freddy Patek at Marty Pattin's funeral service tonight. I remarked to a pal that if you asked 100 people that don't know Freddy what he did for a living NONE would say "he was a three-time all star shortstop." The guy is 5-foot-5 and looks all of it. Sometimes it doesn't matter how big you are.

A reason to keep Avi is Eloy is coming. Eloy, Avi, Abreu with Timmy and Yoan is actually a decent fivesome. Add Machado or Harper somehow? Then you might have Davidson and/or Palka in there as well. The above mentioned fivesome gives you a fighting chance for some runs and maybe an improved ballclub if we can get some pitching and defense. Take away Avi and Abreu and you got 100 losses again IMO assuming no Harper/Machado.

I see no reason to cut Avi over $8 million unless the training staff has deemed him somebody who is not going to be able to produce much in the future because of injuries. He seems like he's one of the Sox better hitters as it stands. Not being able to flip him is questionable. If he's as mediocre to bad as some think he is, nobody's going to give him a lucrative free agent deal anyway.

I love Palka, I really do, but I don't see why we'd just release Avi. Is $8 million really an overpay for a healthy Avi? Sox aren't planning on spending big bucks on next year's roster it appears so what's the big deal handing Avi $8 million? I realize he gets hurt a lot and maybe that's enough reason to just release him. I just don't consider $8 million that big a deal when the club realistically isn't going to be spending much dough (I don't think Harper or Machado are coming to South Side).

Trump was in Topeka Saturday. Huge crowd as he would say. Fanatics. Zealots. LOUD. If Democrats want to win, they need to get out and vote. Trump loves being underestimated.

Goodness, Cleveland did not fare well in the playoffs. I didn't watch an inning of the series, but have to wonder if their fans are furious following the 3-0 rout. Geez, Cleveland got smoked.

Awesome effort so far. Great job by those brave divers. If they used the submarine ... how many kids fit in it at one time? I saw one picture and it looked like just one kid per effort with the sub.

Probably true. But Palka is worth the price of admission on a given night ... if he connects.

I love you Two Gun Pete. I should read this over and over when I'm mad at the pathetic state of the White Sox. If Tatis is a star, I said "if," it will go down as the second worse trade in Chicago history (Broglio for Brock).

What I don't understand is if we are going to bring up Eloy and Kopech early next season, why we don't try to win next season? Again it would require some money. Why do we have to wait for ALL the prospects to be ready to try to compete at all? It seems to me the strategy is to build an entire pitching staff with our current prospects as well as the 3-4 currently ready. And the strategy is to fill the outfield with our current prospects plus maybe Avi. To wait for all of 'em. With a handful of the prospects ready and on the MLB team next year, all it would cost is money to compete. Anderson will already be a veteran for gosh sakes, third year guy. Moncada full of experience as well. It seems to me we won't even try til Robert is ready and Madrigal is ready and many more pitchers besides Kopech are ready. Dumb. If the Sox don't try to fix this bullpen and acquire at least one GOOD veteran starter I will forever be convinced Jerry checks his net worth every single day and drools over it. I guess Hahn can sell it as getting yet another top three pick. Good luck with the next two top three picks. My guess are they'll go for college pitchers. We.Shall.See.

You and me are on the same page from my response in the other thread. You got two starters; some relief help; your star is Machado mine was Harper. Hmmmm. Is Greg on your "smart person" list now?

Hmmm. You say it'd cost $600 million to get the guys I want. Interesting isn't it, to look at it one way: Sox even in spending an alleged $600 million (your words) this offseason still might not win the division. That's how far away the Sox are. Though I think we would win the division probably especially with Harper bolstering what we got.

As far as preaching patience, the question is, what do the Sox need to acquire to go .500 next year? Will this do it? Starters in 2019: Gio, Lopez, Rodon, Kopech, Covey. My verdict: odds are that rotation will be as bad as this year's. My suggestion: Acquire 1 very good starter via free agency if there are any and pray for natural improvement of Gio, Lopez, Rodon which is possible; I assume our young studs are not ready except for Kopech, Gio, Lopez, Rodon. Is it possible this rotation would be good? Yes it is possible. Bullpen: I don't know what to say. It projects to be horrific pen with our current 40 man. I don't know what's available in free agency or how Hahn would acquire it otherwise, but only guys worth keeping off the 40 man are Avilan, Fry, Nate and maybe Hector. The bullpen projects to be awful and like Hawk says without a bullpen you got nothing. I have no idea what the plan is to improve it. Catcher: Zack Collins. He has great stats this season. He's got to be ready in his age 24 season. First: Abreu. He's proven. Second: Moncada. He's capable of big big things. SS: Tim. Next year should be amazing for him. 3B: Nobody on our current roster projects to be good enough. Yolmer is good enough to be on the team, however, a good clubhouse guy and still young. Personally I'd sign Moose but only for 3-4 years. Moose is no star but has pop and is no Mark Teahen. Any manager should consider that infield strong. OUTFIELD: Avi rightfield is proven; Eloy LF is a star. CF: We need one badly. Free agency? None of our studs are ready besides Eloy I assume to come up. DH: Davidson over Palka. Just a gut feeling there. CONCLUSION: As it stands, it's a similar team to this year. On paper a good , MLB infield, but suspect pitching, especially bullpen. The key would be frankly for Eloy, Moncada and Timmy to take the next step and be STARS. We might need 2 veteran starters instead of one and we certainly need real bullpen pieces especially a very good closer. How bout sign Michael Brantley, Moose, Herrera and Harper? If we could sign Brantley, Moose, Herrera, Harper and maybe Matt Harvey and Keuchel do we have a winner?? Respond please. I tried. It'll cost some money. If in the future we need to make room for young studs, we trade some of these guys. Just.Win.Baby.In.2019.

One thing is for sure. If they want to start winning their share of series starting next year they are going to need a setup guy and a closer who are GOOD, not just bodies. They are going to need a catcher and they are going to need Eloy and another GOOD hitting outfielder to join Avi out there. And they are going to need 1 or 2 veteran starters, likely 2 to put together a B-plus or at least a C starting rotation. All those improvements and you still likely are not a .500 team, but closer. It would be a .500 team in my scenario if the team plays grade C defense. If the defense is a D, that's not good.

Sounds like another guy close to being done, like Trayce. Engle and Tilson types as well. Those guys are about done as well. I'd give LaMarre (Hoyt) some at bats. Why not?

I know he's not moving to catcher. I'm just saying if he has to move I'd rather him move to catcher than outfielder. Tim is a good player IMO. If he stays at ss which he will, that means either Moncada or Madrigal will be traded. I guess Moncada could move to third. Again I guess that is possible but I don't expect that.

Praise God the four got out. Too bad they ran out of oxygen tanks and need to refill or something. Now the monsoon is coming and rescue may be delayed I read. In a perfect world they'd have had so much oxygen they could just send in wave after wave of Seals to get the kids out. I hope they will be OK.

I'm just saying if you have to move him off ss, put him somewhere his bat will be above average for a ballplayer: Catcher. He's got a good arm and is lanky. No way the guy is an outfielder either. That's just as silly/ridiculous. TA is NOT an outfielder.

I turned it off after the squeeze cause our bunt in the last half inning ruined the game for me. We played for one run. Only way we were gonna win that game was to 'somehow' explode that inning after getting two on and no out. Astros just laughed at us. Got a double and ultimately bunted him home so easily, even with two strikes. I hate the fact we are not even a great AAA team.

Heaven forbid we discuss things here. He doesn't remind you of Alomar size wise? How bout the fact our organization has sucked at catcher forever? His stats project great for a catcher. Forgive me for living and breathing. Excuse me.

They shouldn't let every team have one guy. But this is like a lifetime service award for Abreu. He deserves that.

I am a mortician; got something against it??

Congratulations to Jose Abreu. He is everything that's good about baseball in Chicago. Too bad the team blows.

Sox are an embarrassment to a great city; wish some famous folks would call them out publicly.