LDF

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:00 PM) MLB is swimming in revenue. They are a money making machine right now. As Tom Verducci pointed out in S.I. MLB's revenue is up 102% from 15 years ago. Before he left 'Proud to be your Bud' Selig said MLB was now a nine Billion dollar a year industry. Any team crying "poor" is lying through their teeth. Mark nice post...... many thanks for the voice of reason.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 03:44 PM) I disagree. The Hawks success has nothing to made a trade conversation difficult. The Hawks cap space makes it a difficult conversation which could lead to "over pays" from the Hawks if you say so...... so i will not continue here.

i am not taking sides. i would like to point out something here. salary signings, fa signing, bonus money and salary coming off the books are also added in the profit margin in that calendar yr.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:41 PM) I agree. If Cespedes signs somewhere else for 4/$90 or 5/$110 or something like that, and it turns out the only reason the Sox lost out was because of the years, there will be a pissed off fan base. And yes, I recognize that he MIGHT get more than that, but the Heyward and Gordon contracts weren't as huge as it was once thought they would be. and the reason why the FO didn't sign them is, another element may be at play here. but as someone else mention this morning, lets see how the rest of the offseason plays out.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:36 PM) I can accept losing out on Cespedes or Upton if it requires doing something dumb. But this not going over three years idea is beyond ridiculous. We have Chris Sale under control for four more seasons and our goal should be to maximize our ability to win during that window. The next two free agent classes are bad, so refusing to sign one of these guys will either hinder our chances to compete in the near future or cost us significant minor league talent. How is either option preferable to signing one of these guys to a 4 year deal? Honestly, I'm going to lose my s*** if we lose out on these guys because of this three year nonsense. and to add, its not like the org has an abundance of top rated prospect knocking on the door to step in..... 4 yrs is the most i would go.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:32 PM) Very true. Players want to play for the Hawks now. Panarin has been amazing. To be fair, at trade deadlines, prices are higher because teams are willing to risk more during the season if they are playing well or missing a piece to contend for a championship like the Hawks did last year. Another example, look at the Frazier and Chapman deals. If the Reds would of traded these 2 at the last deadline, they definitely would of gotten higher prices for both these guys. I mean for the longest time, the Reds wanted Anderson or Fulmer in a Frazier deal, they ended up with Peraza who was in talks with the Dodgers in the Chapman deal. In the Chapman deal, Yankees didn't give up anything of value besides 2 "decent pieces", but not top prospects by any means. you are missing the point. the main point is, stan will need to find a miracle to do the next trade...... b/c when the hawks are calling, the price instantly is going to go up, no matter what the conversation is. the success of the hawks will make every trade conversation a difficult one.

i have been thinking of my list, but 1 new movie i would add is spotlight.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 01:01 PM) 1. The Shawshank Redemption 2. Blade Runner 3. Pulp Fiction 4. The Empire Strikes Back 5. Goodfellas 6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 7. The Usual Suspects 8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 9. Raging Bull 10. A Clockwork Orange

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 03:24 PM) And Lawrie, too. and there is the correction in the salary problem being fixed and at the same time fixing the team now. a win-win situation.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:18 PM) This is simply not true. If a trade helps the other team in the long run or now, they will make a trade with the Hawks. The theory of teams wanting to not help the Hawks is just wrong. It's a business, you do what's best for your team. you have a point, but if the hawks can help them, so can many other teams as well. so it will goes back to over payment. stan is in a difficult position to continue this run. let me bring up something from last yr, many thought, even after the SC, that the hawks over paid from some players at the close of the trade deadline. one of those players did help, but the cost was a first round pick.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 03:07 PM) But we can't maximize and simultaneously protect or mitigate against long-term financial risk...thus, we take the conservative/careful/cautious route, and end up predictably with...? There is never going to be a better opportunity for Hahn to win or lose his job with his next move/s. ahhh that is wrong, but then again it is how one will look at it... i see the salary fixing itself by key contracts coming off the books in the next 2 yrs. danks and laroche contract - 28 mil coming off, mekly contract coming off the following yr. i think. beside if there is a temp signing on the SS positions. frazier and someone else, contract comging off the yr after. the salary has a nice stagger attrition to correct itself. the biggest problem is, will the sox have the prospects to step in???

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 03:09 PM) I haven't once heard Hahn or KW or JR say they were going after Gordon or Cespedes or Upton. The only thing I see leaked is a 3 year max requirement. I think your FO lip service is misguided. There are a lot of assumptions being made by everyone including myself. But what is actually happening we really don't know and may not ever know. The hope was they would sign one of these guys. Two guys are still on the board and the consensus now is they have no chance on anyone, and it's based on Alex Gordon going back to KC after KC significantly upped their offer and made him leaving about as likely as Konerko leaving after 2005. People need to relax and see how this plays out. There are 2 huge guys still on the board. overall..... good point and in some ways, i agree. but either way, i can't find fault here. good job.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:11 PM) Crazy that they're playing this well, and people don't think of them as cup contenders still. With as much turnover as the Hawks had, and have the 3rd best record in hockey right now, great job from the coaching staff. For the Bowman haters, does he credit for assembling the roster that is playing so well, also? to put it mildly or just to hear me write this out, but this is the inequality of the hawks past success. that success to attributed to great drafting, great coaching and have a great main core of players to add or to plugin players with a specific talent to continue the success. i still think of 2 things. 1. the team of players or really underestimated by most hawks fan. b/c of being blinded by that success and 3 SC. 2. i still don't see the hawks gm doing anything ...... b/c again, what team will really want to help the hawks, unless it is by over payments.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:55 PM) I wonder if a 3 year/$90 million deal would work. The Sox could pay him $20 million in 2016 and $35 million in 2017/2018. That's a huge payroll commitment for 1 guy in the last 2 years of the deal, but the duration of the contract isn't too bad. Plus it saves money for 2016 while Danks and LaRoche are still on the books. that is a way to think outside the box and being creative with the salary.... look at heyward salary. being creative to get the deal done. i like it. now whether this club is capable of doing it...... that is another question.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:57 PM) Oh I think there's no way Cespedes signs one. I could see Upton signing one. in today's era of money and max salary, it is a few and far in-between when a player will leave when there is money on the table.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:38 PM) I just don't understand the fascination of the people on here that want the Sox to acquire other teams garbage. The Sox have too many garbage players as it is, there is no reason to trade for more of them. b/c the sox will not go out and get a marque players via fa's..... all this talk in the fa market is just lip service from the FO ... just my opinion and it will not change until they do sign someone. but in ref, these are posters of looking at 3 or 4th tier options. the sox org has trained the fans to look for those options, b/c of .... oh well i have ranted on this, i will stop here. it is really hard in being a die hard sox fans. when mgnt does not care.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 03:25 AM) That's when we will find out who is really interested in trading their outfielders. There are more potential sellers than there are buyers. Players like Gomez, Markakis and Gardner are not worth top prospects and yet are reasonably cost effective compared to the going rate of current free agents. There are so many outfielders out there available for trade as well as FA its crazy and a good time for the Sox to be a buyers. This is the year to do something because next year there won't be a big FA market for outfielders and therefore trade values for outfielders will go up. I wouldn't want to be a buyer next year, that's for sure. a very good post and that is where i was heading ..... again, good one.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 03:00 AM) I don't think there always has to be a winner & a loser. I think this is an old school 1-1 trade where both teams fill a huge need. EXCELLENT post.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 01:36 AM) It depends really. If we're talking about trading for the likes of Inciarte or Tucker, then yes the price is going to be steep. Now if we're talking about Markakis', Gardner or Gomez I think the Sox can get by without giving up Anderson or Fulmer. I would love to see the Sox get after Inciarte or Tucker, even if it cost any prospect not named Fulmer or Anderson but I seriously doubt Inciarte or Tucker could be had without including one of Fulmer/Anderson. I know this won't be a popular suggestion but if all else fails, I would see what Atlanta would want for Markakis. I think that's the kind of player were going to end up with. He'd cost 11M per year over the next three years, LHB, hits for AVE, OBP, low K-rate, upgrade in RF and would slot nicely at #2 in the lineup. This would put Melky in the middle of the order where he seems to hit better anyway and move LaRoche/Avi further down where they belong. Eaton Markakis Abreu Frazier Melky Lawrie LaRoche/Avi Navarro/Avila Saladino Don't get me wrong, there are certainly other outfielders I would rather have but I think the Sox are looking for a player that isn't too costly in terms of money or prospects. That's if they don't sign a free agent outfielder, which I still think there is some hope for. but that is like finding a needle in a hay stack. no offense. but i am looking at other org and known team willingness to trade their players for prospect.... to continue to build. but this is depending on what the cost will be...... which we as fans really do not know.

QUOTE (JRL @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 01:38 AM) Nobody can say what anyone will do with absolute certainty. Anything is possible. It's possible that Cespedes will break Barry Bonds' HR record next year. We can only say what likely based on the numbers we have in front of us. And, it is very unlikely Cespedes is not the player he was in 2015. 1. He has not improved every year he has played. He has played 4 years. His best year was clearly far and away last year (year 4). Year 1 was clearly his next best. Years 2 and 3 were the two worst years, both pretty similar though year 3 might have been slightly better. 2. Improvement does not usually come in the way Cespedes' 2015 season was vastly different from his 2013 and 2014 ones. It's linear and usually does not happen suddenly at age 30 that a player magically transforms in to a different player than he'd ever been before. Doesn't work like that anymore since the steroid era ended well since we all know we are not talking about a bond like stats, but in his improvement comment. you are right, yr 1 was a very good yr. but making this comparison of which yr was an improvement or not, what stat are we going to look for??? i will also say that his walk yr stat was a very nice looking one. his hr stat was where i was looking at, yr 1 was very good and last yr total was excellent. and yr 2 and 3 were in some way an improvement. my i may have been overly stating or embellishing my comment.... to so degree. but i do say, i would not like to go more than 4 or 5 yrs. now i am also looking at how cespedes can help in the fans influence which can help the bottom line of that increase = $$$$.

QUOTE (JRL @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:22 AM) Whats with this idea on this board that Cespedes is somehow the player he was in 2015, and somehow better than Upton, when 2015 was clearly an outlier for Cespedes?? Hasn't anyone ever heard of the refrain "don't pay for a career year"?!?!? In 2013 and 2014 respectively Cespedes had OPS of 737 and 751. That's really pedestrian. Also, Cespedes is somehow all of a sudden "an extra 30 HRs, at least" for the Sox?!?!? Just look at the numbers... 23, 26, 22, 35. Is it really terribly difficult to see where the outlier is??? nice post, but who can say he will not put up those numbers up???? he has improve every yr he has played. just asking.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:16 AM) I love Shaw's effort on that top line. I just wish he could finish. i am with you, no one can say he does not have heart nor the willingness to put in that effort, but he does not have that finishing talent.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:04 AM) Not sure how high JR is willing to go, if he is. He has shown in the past he is willing to raise the budget but I'm not willing to take for granted that he will do it this time around. I just don't want to get my hopes up is all. I think it's possible JR bumps back to around 130M range but 140-150M, I doubt it which is why I've had low expectations with the SOX signing one of the big three and while I had some hope they would, I didn't expect it either. I still think there are outfielders available through trades that would not cost the Sox Fulmer or Anderson. Those outfielders won't be the caliper of Cespedes or Upton but still upgrades over Avi. The market is flooded with outfielders so I do feel pretty good about the Sox making some kind of an upgrade. i really hate to be so pessimistic, but i do hope the owners will pony up for this yr. i really don't see any help in next yr fa's list, unless a team will need a nice sp. there are a nice trade route to look for.... but that price has now been establish from past trades in the last several weeks, so unless the rtn is a nice one, trading one of the sox's top 4-8 prospects is a cost that may need to be look at.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 02:05 AM) Because if EJ can't be a decent MLB starter and they don't think he can be, then having him or Turner in the rotation the whole year will be a disaster for a team that keeps telling itself it is competitive and having EJ demonstrate to the league that he's not a quality big league starter would leave his trade value comparable to that of Avi Garcia by the end of next season whereas you could probably get someone to gamble something useful on him in a trade right now. excellent point. but again my question is as to ej being traded before ST..... within those parameters, i am asking why ??? why trade him prior to ST??? let them sort it out in spring training, that is my point.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 11:33 PM) Wow, a blockbuster! https://twitter.com/BlueJacketsNHL/status/684879663836073984 ok, i am at a lost..... so for anyone. who won in this trade????