nrockway

Yes

The statistical area is shrinking...it just is. You can measure it a couple different ways. Chicagoland might boom in population following climate apocalypse as another poster alluded to. Although, the southern shore of Lake Superior seems to be the most resilient place to climate change. Duluth and Marquette might become major urban centers if, like, California and Florida sink into the ocean. Anyway, my point isn't to say that Chicago can't handle two teams, it's that there are plenty of other markets in which to make money if the deal is sweet enough.

Exactly...or like competitive eating contests or dog shows.

The hot dog bit would’ve been funny if Beckham wasn’t a homophobic douche. Why is that the focus of the article? That’s the least of Schriffen’s problems. His problems are a lack of baseball knowledge and preparation. His non-baseball bits are generally good. But 90% of his job is talking about baseball and he isn’t good at it. if they could combine Mcknights knowledge with Schriff’s personality and energy, you’d have a great announcer imo. To me this falls on his manager for not telling him he needs to beef up his ball acumen. It’s not hard.

I think Texas blew it. They're about to lose their fourth in a row. Guardians could sneak in, 5 games left vs DET, 4 vs MIN, 3 vs TX. All winnable with how they've been playing. Boston and Houston have medium difficulty schedules left, I could see Boston dropping out (would be almost as funny as the Mets falling out). AZ just took 2 of 3 from SF. Preferred either team got the sweep. Reds finish the season playing everyone in their division which is interesting...took 2 of 3 from STL but I don't see them winning enough vs Cubs or @ Brewers. DBacks schedule is pretty brutal to end the year. Giants have 4 games in LA then it's pretty easy. Mets should have the last spot secured unless they blow it in Washington...something I wouldn't put past them. I'd actually be surprised if any of teams currently in playoff position drops out. But it's been a really interesting race.

David Stearns master class on how to build out a pitching staff. Just watched Stanek give up another homer. Why did they re-sign him for $4.5mil after he pitched to a 6 ERA for them? He's above 5 this season. You know what's funny? The Rays got Mike Vasil from the Mets.

oh, that's good I guess. But how do you not know that? You hire an executive who was suspended and then resigned from his last job, and don't bother to call his former employer? More like "oh s%*# we were hoping nobody would find out".

"I had to continue the interview, that's why I mean mugged him, turned toward the player, looked back at him just to shrug and SMH". even if we was just like, "oops, my bad" and still didn't help him up, this wouldn't be a thing. I'm glad it's a thing, the guy is annoying and has had a reputation for a while. https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/ken-rosenthal-eric-hosmer-jacob-misiorowski-all-star-game-interview.html Eric Hosmer said it best, "Really is disgusting they continue to let you in the dugout during these games‼️" Also that time he called Fernando Tatis a "smiling, dancing peacock", compared his PED suspension to Wander Franco's child sex crimes, called Manny Machado "punkish", said that Profar is, “the kid who pulls the fire alarm at school and then asks, ‘Who, me?'”. The guy is not a professional.

Imagine hiring this guy...

Sucks that guys get injured, but he pitched 135, 141.2, 196 innings the last three years. He's been good when he's pitched this year. But yeah, tough month, I pretty much change my mind about wanting him to come back after reading his quotes. I don't fault him, but if he's worried about being seriously injured because he has some soreness in his shoulder, that doesn't bode well for a starting pitcher. Maybe in a lower paid relief role. He's an awesome dude and we need a proper lefty.

Right, my point is, even if there was money to spend, there's nobody to spend it on besides Tucker who would likely not want to play here.I made a post maybe a month ago about this same topic and how pretty much every unrestricted free agent signed to big money this past offseason has been a bust. Santander for instance went from 2.1 WAR, 3 WAR, 2.9 WAR to -1 WAR (so far) upon signing for big bucks. Free agents are nice to fill holes. They are generally very overpaid relative to their production. Even the good ones. It kind of sucks for players that arbitration salaries are relatively low and they're on that scale during their primes (prior to age 30). Can't really build a team with them but can compliment a core of players on arb/pre-arb deals. The idea behind Benintendi wasn't necessarily a bad one, the team was possibly a 'contender' and we needed a left-handed bat and an outfielder; he was just a bad player (and Cody Bellinger or Teoscar probably wouldn't have lifted the Sox regardless). Higher spending on payroll is obviously better, I just wouldn't want to block potential impact players in a season where winning is still unlikely. Barring a lockout (I don't think there will be one personally), 2027 seems like the year to start spending. The current rookie/young core should get another year to see who is actually impactful. On the hitting side, Teel and Montgomery we pretty much know will be good players, but the jury is out on everyone else. I think they need another year before we start finding their free agent replacements. It would suck if Vargas took a leap and we were paying 34-year-old Eugenio Suarez $100mil or whatever.

In 2026, I'd still rather look at Mead, Vargas, Sosa or some minor leaguer like Galanie or a potentially improved Elko at first than to throw Benintendi bucks at Josh Naylor, a guy who averages less than 2 WAR per 162 games on his career. Kyle Tucker is frankly the only position player worth paying a s%*# ton of money. They should offer him a contract. He wouldn't accept it if the money is the same everywhere else. There are several starting pitchers worth paying but there will also be those in pre-2027 free agency, arguably a better crop, headlined by the likes of Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Jesus Luzardo, etc. Maybe there are some 'prove it deal' options like Cease, Gallen, Arraez. I might suspect Cease and Gallen sign long term deals anyway and Arraez at this stage is basically Mead with even less defense. Perhaps there are other options available to look at. Should've done it with Teoscar or Bellinger years ago rather than sign Benny. Being stuck with a mediocre albatross is not the way to win for any MLB team that isn't the Yankees or Dodgers (including the Red Sox who spent all the money they saved jettisoning Devers buying players for Liverpool). 2027 has players who potentially fill holes. Can't really predict those holes, but the outfield and first base seem like contenders. Depends how minor leaguers perform like Bonemer and wherever he ends up playing I guess. Maybe we need a shortstop if Colson moves to third base like he ought to and Bonemer (if he even comes up, I think he could) to the outfield, someone to bridge for Carlsen (assuming he isn't a bust). Braden could be a bust or he could be a star. Vargas and Mead could turn into something. It really depends. I don't think there's any point in blocking Vargas at 3B with a multi-year Eugenio Suarez. 2027 free agents worth pursuing IMO: Trevor Rogers, Jesus Luzardo or some kind of front-end starter. Ian Happ, Randy Arozarena, Ramon Laureano, Daulton Varsho, Cody Bellinger. Outfielders with track records. Ha-Seong Kim. Always Ha-Seong Kim. Jazz Chisholm perhaps. Two versatile players who could be super utility infielders/Jazz in center. Pete Alonso is unrestricted then and would be a major get, although quite costly. These are just free agents. Who knows how the trade market shakes out. We seem to have a bunch of semi-valuable trade pieces and I'd like to see some of them moved. Antonacci and Sean Burke plus some other stuff could return a useful player In short, seeing what the young players can actually do strikes me as the best option in 2026. Blocking them with old guys who are probably going to regress does not seem wise. Try to trade guys who have been given enough of a look, namely the pitchers including Davis Martin and maybe can sell high on Shane Smith. I'd ask SoxTalk: which players would you sign in this coming free agency? Besides Tucker, Framber, Ranger. Those guys would be awesome gets but I suspect they'd head to playoff teams or teams near to it.

He swung at 3 balls. Could've been a walk, bases loaded no outs, turns into a DP.

These were the games to win. Sad. But also...prefer the draft odds.

love how they pan to Sosa after Teel swings at some garbage. RIP, almost interesting.

I don't think it's likely but there are plenty of large media markets with 0 MLB teams and Chicago is frankly declining. It's just not something to rule out entirely. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is a growing statistical area, roughly the same size of Chicago's, which is shrinking. It could handle two teams especially in Dallas proper. Charlotte's MSA is quite large, growing, with 0 MLB teams. Indianapolis could draw an MLB team. or Virginia Beach or San Jose. It doesn't have to be specifically Nashville. Building a brand new ballpark is fundamentally the same idea regardless of what city it is in. Especially when there isn't a giant fan base. I think all of the Sox fans in existence post on this forum and many live outside Illinois (don't watch them on local TV, don't attend games). There is room to both move and to expand, clearly the Oakland team didn't care about leaving a large, wealthy market. Although quite a bit smaller than Chicago's, I think the parallels between Oakland A's and San Fran Giants is similar to the Sox and Cubs. Oakland is kind of like the South Side (the locale is also preferable to SF imo, I was debating a move to the Lake Merritt area but moved back to Chicago instead for some reason). New York could easily handle a third team. I think they'll go where the gettin is good and I think Illinois/Chicago will inevitably play ball in some capacity even if it isn't a direct subsidy...so a move is unlikely in this sense. I bet there are more grants to apply for here than in Tennessee...a transit-oriented development, some structures/programs that help the poor. Doing something LEED-certified. Even the Republican dominated US Congress appears to be in the works of passing a bill that will give more public money to developers for environmental remediation (ie at the 78). But I bet the team under new ownership will analyze all options available to them for a new ballpark. It might be out of town. I just wouldn't rule it out is all. I don't think this Ishbia guy is some big ol Sox fan, he's just some guy that wanted to buy a ball team and the Minnesota team has a lot more debt, no more opportunity for new real estate development. I think it would be a mistake if the public didn't invest.

I just turned this game back on in the 8th inning...the Orioles are gonna blow it, aren't they

ok George is in to close things out. I'm going for a walk.

every time I tune back in, a Sox batter is fouling off a 90 mph fastball right down the middle.

at least Brooke is an 80 grade sideline reporter

The teams are in different positions. Do the (proper color) Sox have more wins if they have Crochet? The ugly Sox definitely do. Seems like we have 4 young guys under contract for many years to come, and arguably the best player in the deal hasn't reached MLB yet. I have this game on in the background, what is going on with Shane? He started off K'ing 4 of 6. Stuff looked good. Yikes dude. Not punishing Kremer.

I'd prefer the state generate some revenue from a new stadium/district and have some sway over the project. PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships) are not what they were 30 years ago. Consider a public 'investment' versus a simple 'subsidy'. It depends how they do it. A lot of the savvy teams want to do it all themselves these days, or with private financing, so they can reap all of the profits. It really depends. The public will never go for it obviously. But ATL and Arlington figured out a way and their public sectors are generating some pretty good return on investment from it. Also St Louis, Minneapolis, San Diego, probably some more. Also why doesn't nepo baby JB who lives in Atherton, CA dig into his own pocketbook for a SoxPark

I don't think it's a dead horse. Nashville is a good market. It's wealthy and growing. The team wants a new stadium. Is Nashville/Tennessee more willing to do it on the new owner's terms than Chicago/Illinois is? Maybe. I mean, Nashville might be a bigger draw than the current Sox depending on how the potential Sox stadium shakes out regardless of subsidies. Several great sites in Chicago including South Works and maybe Soldier Field, but will the city/state play ball? Is the new owner actually 'loyal' to the region?

WTF was that. out hustled. en route to 100 losses and not even hustling...come on now.

unless stuff like that happens. also why are they not giving away the guayabera tonight?