WhiteSox2023

Well, that’s the Orioles more than the Giants. What GM thinks it’s wiser to throw $50 million at a LF when you have a full outfield already, $9 million at a backup catcher/DH when you have a decent enough backup catcher, and at the same time throw out two cheap one year contracts at your true position of need, starting pitching? One guy being a complete unknown with the other guy being over 40?

Well, I won’t blame them for that. Red Sox took him a pick earlier. But it sure goes to show that the Sox farm system could be better than it is and that the Sox need to start drafting position players a lot better. Eldridge over Gonzalez would look great right about now, and of course what position do the Sox need with Vaughn being a bust?

I think it’s funny to see how often the Sox are looking to trade their top guys for prospects that were drafted after their pick. I just posted an article about how the Sox wanted 1B Bryce Eldridge from the Giants in a potential Crochet package. The Giants took Eldridge one pick after the Sox took Jacob Gonzalez. 🤢 🤮

No, but the Sox could have spent more than $200 million. If they supposedly made a $250 million offer to Machado and missed out, where did that additional $50 million go?

$200 million? Big deal. Machado signed for more than $200 million alone. That wasn’t enough back then and definitely isn’t enough now. Especially not after going years with a completely stripped payroll and banking the money. Take a look at what the Cubs have spent over the past ten years, and they still get ripped on for not trying to win.

“The money will be spent… Eventually… No seriously… We promise…”

“Giants Declined To Include Bryce Eldridge In Tucker/Crochet Trade Offers”

All west coast teams? Shocker.

“WS to Sign Cuban Teenager“ Jerry has him cleaning all of the bathrooms at Rate Field for under minimum wage.

Yes, but unless Jerry decided to raise the payroll to Dodgers levels this offseason and sign as many free agents as they could, this team still wouldn’t have a prayer at the playoffs.

Ah okay, I thought you meant slipping Cartaya to the minors during the season when it’s tougher for teams to add players. I still value whatever potential value Cartaya still has and what it could bring over what Thaiss does for this team in 2025. I’d dump Thaiss in a second to claim Cartaya. You could acquire a guy like Thaiss at any point during the season for peanuts. My guess is that some other bad team with a much worse catching prospect situation will give up a lesser prospect to the Dodgers for him. Thaiss is this year’s Chuckie Robinson and Robinson wasn’t important at all to the Sox last season. Hell, Seby Zavala was DFA twice last season. There are always backup catchers available.

Grim, but one could only hope on both angles. 🤣

There were discussions earlier that it wouldn’t be shocking if one of Quero/Teel eventually moved to 1B/DH and short-time catcher. I don’t see a problem with acquiring as much young talent as possible and sorting it out later. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/dodgers-designate-diego-cartaya-for-assignment.html

I see both sides of the argument. Keep payroll low during the rebuild and then spend like crazy when the team is good again. However, it doesn’t seem like Jerry is truly willing to “go all out” after saving millions during a rebuild phase. So I could understand @JUSTgottaBELIEVE’s stance of why not spend money? It’s Jerry’s money so who cares and he likely won’t ever go all out when the team is good again. Maybe a decent signing could help the team and/or be traded for an asset later.

I realize top starting pitching talent is super expensive but how do you throw $50 million at Tyler O’Neill but are only willing to give out one year deals to Sugano and Morton for $13 million and $15 million respectively? O’Neil wasn’t all that much of a necessity when we all knew starting pitching was. Very strange.

I realize top starting pitching talent is super expensive but how do you throw $50 million at Tyler O’Neill but are only willing to give out one year deals to Sugano and Morton for $13 million and $15 million respectively?

Man, Elias sure is cheap when it comes to starting pitchers. ”Orioles signed RHP Charlie Morton to a one-year, $15 million contract. The 41-year-old hurler took a while to make his decision to return for the 2025 and had a strong preference to pitch for a team that has its spring training in commuting distance of his family home in Bradenton, Florida, so the Orioles wound up being a perfect match. Morton registered an underwhelming 4.19 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 167/65 K/BB ratio over 165 1/3 innings in 30 starts during his final season with the Braves.”

I know we have plenty of catching prospects but I’d still claim the catcher the Dodgers just DFA to add Kim. 23 year old Diego Cartaya, the Dodgers 16th ranked prospect.

Junis is a 32-year old reliever. Do you really want to sign him to a 3+ year contract until he is 35+ years of age so he can help the next good Sox team? For the Sox, Junis would improve their bullpen in 2025 but mostly serve as a flip candidate.

Agreed, no reason to rush Dark Lord Meidroth, or any other younger prospects with the current state of this team.

I have no idea what Getz is doing. Trading away young arms for DFA vet reliever candidates doesn’t seem like a wise strategy, regardless of how much young pitching you think you have. Especially when likely half of it will bust anyways. My point about Touki was that you keep saying the Sox ran out of pitchers last year. Huh? They had a historically bad season. They could have kept throwing Touki out there to eat up garbage time innings, regardless of how he performed. It didn’t matter anyways as they set the futility record!

BOOM. 💥 Exactly.

But meanwhile, the proof is in the pudding. What other role does Rojas serve on this terrible White Sox team on a 1-year deal other than being a potential flip candidate? So that means he is going to more than likely be a starter so Getz can attempt to trade him at the deadline, which will obviously block playing time for other younger prospects/players. Afterall, if Rojas wasn’t brought in as a flip candidate, what in the hell was the point of signing him for this team? And does anyone think that the potential trade deadline return for a mediocre hitting, good glove utility guy like Rojas will be worth the development time for other young players/prospects? I don’t, and moves like this make me completely confused by Getz’s decisions. Getz might at best get back some lottery tickets like the ones he already gave away for Booser and Gilbert. @Chicago White Sox already called it — if you are going the flip route, spend the Rojas money on free agent relievers on 1-year deals that could generate a greater return in prospects if they have a good first half. But maybe Getz realizes he s%*# the bed so much on this strategy last offseason by choosing all the worst FA veteran relievers that he’s trying something different with fourth outfielders and utility guys instead?