Chisoxfn

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 16, 2016 -> 10:58 AM) I see Middle class anywhere from 25-75k depending on location. I must look at things differently, I view middle class as being 75-125K. Lower mid of 50-75K and upper mid of like $125-$200K (might even go higher). But again, I might have the same issue as Sqwert as the median home in the county I live in is $661K. Two teachers teaching in the district I live in (with a masters) are getting somewhere between $140-$160 (obviously this is a dual income) per year.

I figure Swihart is a given throw-in in any deal. If I'm the Sox, the best deal is if I can get other teams to drive price up enough that the Red Sox throw both Benintendi & Moncada in the same deal. I don't know if it will happen, but I'm hoping it gets to that point. This would appear to be the type of market where we could potentially get an overpay, that said, teams are so against giving up their prospects in this day and age. Dombrowski isn't shy. I don't think the Dodgers will happen (even though they clearly have the parts) because I think Friedman won't have the stones to do what Dombrowski is willing to do. We shall see though.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 16, 2016 -> 09:37 AM) We need to honestly do a full-scale rebuild, and ultimately what needs to happen is we need to come out of it with a lot of young, talented depth. If you look at it trade by trade, you are going to win a few, lose a few, maybe lose one or two badly, maybe win a few badly, but in the end, you need to come out of this with a roster that allows you to put a reasonably talented product on the field for far less than what you are paying now. To bother getting much more specific about it now is just a wasted effort, imho. I agree with you and I also agree with you that we then need to leverage some free agent money into shorter term deals that we can use to provide short term veteran presence which can be spun at the deadline to continue to build up talent pool.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 16, 2016 -> 09:14 AM) Either spending a lot of money or trading a couple of these guys, but you cannot miss. It has to be an outstanding trade or you will be bad for a long time. It isn't like they have guys at the lower levels who just need a couple of years until they are stars. I don't think the trade has to be outstanding. Quite frankly, we've already been bad for a long time. I think if the trade is even fair / good, it could work out in our best interest, because we could have a more complete team with more people contributing on a nightly basis. It is unlikely we will get back any player who will be as good as Chris Sale. The people who say Urias will be better is pure BS. Maybe, sure, but Christopher Sale has been the second best pitcher in baseball over the past five years...so the odds of us getting a guy who is better then that are slim to none. That said, if we can get multiple contributors, ideally one above average and another well above average, then I think that would be a good trade and if we could have a few of those happen, plus bring in our own talent from (hopefully improved drafts / development), then we can be in a much better position. I'd rather be a good team, looking to acquire a star to push us over the top then be in the position where we are in where we need all kinds of help. I see no way to contend without breaking this down a bit. I agree to succeed, we will have to win these trades, but I don't know the alternative. We have tried to half ass it for a while and it has done nothing.

Butler thus far this season has taken his game to another level. Dude has been a model of efficiency thus far. Helps that on this team, you know who is going to get the ball late in the game and who the "alpha's" are vs. last years team where you had Rose, Pau, Butler, and even Noah (when he was on the court) all used to being at one point a top player. The problem was, most of them weren't anything close to it anymore, but they had that "expectation", which created so much of the clubhouse distractions. If Grant plays D like he did last night, then he could have more of a future in this league then we thought. Still, one game, but obviously the guy has some talent. If he somehow pans out, then that Rose trade will look even better.

I like reading this kind of articles, especially since I'm clearly Jimmy Butler's biggest fan on this site. Total fluff piece, but I am glad that we are still getting fluff pieces at this point in the season, haha. http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago-bulls/pos...s-back-together

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Nov 16, 2016 -> 08:59 AM) The one thing I struggle with is why the Alexandria community isn't ready to pack it up and flee. Seems like instinctually you'd want to get away from a no win situation and take your chances finding another area to inhabit. That was the other option, but I think the problem is, a lot of them are so attached to this as there home and didn't have a track record of really fleeing (they've had to sharpen up under Rick's watch, but still nothing like Rick and crew have gone through). Plus, just think about how many of them there are and how they followed the RV and were there for every move. I presume they figure if they flee, they'll be found and caught. A lot of this though is they are probably all in shock and don't necessarily know what to expect.

QUOTE (MEANS @ Nov 16, 2016 -> 06:19 AM) also some speculation that Daryl was communicating with Rick by blinking morse code to him, we did see the morse code sign/wall hanging in the house. That was my thoughts as well.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Nov 16, 2016 -> 08:10 AM) Every episode has been really solid. As long as the obvious stupidity of the last season is not written back it, it should go pretty well. Yep - Been very much enjoying this season. Very clear that Michonne is ready to fight as are a few others. Question is how long will Rick be held down. At some point clearly all the other communities are going to unite against Negan. Please note I don't read the comic books so this is my speculating not off the comics.

By the way, my comment had nothing to do with Rondo and him being a negative. I think any statement based upon one game and coming to a conclusion that we are better off without Rondo is a misguided one. Lets not forget we had that start of the season where we were 3-0 while Rondo played, so we are capable of blowing teams out. This team will take some time to gel and while Rondo's shot hasn't been there, he's still been a good passer and the offense is scoring points.

They play much better as a team. Rondo hasn't even played that great, but he's still been an upgrade over Rose. Butler has been a total beast though and Lopez / Taj have done very well on the front court. We have been beasts on the offensive glass. Look forward to getting MCW back.

QUOTE (Tony @ Nov 15, 2016 -> 02:19 PM) Has anyone watched Man in the High Castle? I'm only two episodes in of the 1st season, but I really like it. It's a slow burn, but I dig it Yeah - I enjoyed it. Will be curious to see what Season 2 brings. I dig history and this had like that whole reverse history thing.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 15, 2016 -> 11:25 AM) If the market dictated that Heyward was a $184 million player, I have to say that Adam Eaton would be at least $150 million on the open market. I think in this free agent class, there is a shot someone goes to $150. I'd peg him at the $125-$175M range.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 15, 2016 -> 11:17 AM) What is the big difference between Heyward (pre 2016) and Adam Eaton today? These figures are straight off of fangraphs. Jason Heyward 2015 6.0 WAR, 16.4 Def, 120 RC+, 22.6 UZR, 24, DRS, 5.2 Arm Adam Eaton 2016 6.0 WAR, 18.0 Def, 115 RC+, 22.5 UZR, 20 DRS, 9.1 Arm. Heyward had a lot more of a track-record and is more physically gifted, so I think people see him as a guy who could have even expanded from there. Eaton's track record is still good, just not the long span that Heyward had. Heyward has essentially 4 seasons of 6 WAR (a few just a bit above and one that I'm counting that was at 5.8). That is in his first six seasons. His last two entering free agency were a 6.2 and a 6.5 and was only going to be 26 during the first year of his contract. Eaton, to his own defense, has put up a 5.2 and a 6.2 in two of the last three years and even his down year was a 3.9. Case in point, not a ton of difference necessarily between the two, just one had a longer track record and a bigger reputation, but both are damn good players. I'd say that Eaton was far more underappreciated but part of that is Heyward was so hyped coming up, etc. If Adam were a free agent this year, he'd get a big contract ($100M plus for sure). You can see why teams would want him, but we also have years of control over him and I would hope intend to compete during the reign where he'd still be in his "prime" years. Either way, Adam Eaton is a good problem to have.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 15, 2016 -> 08:54 AM) I love Eaton, but I don't think ANY team thinks he's a 6 win player going forward. The problem with deriving so much value from your arm is that people stop giving you the chance to throw them out. The problem with deriving so much value from rangey plays is that you don't always get the opportunity to make rangey plays. The defensive "production" is likely to regress, even if he plays exactly as well as he did this year. On top of that (and possibly partially because of that), players like Eaton tend to consistently command less on the trade/free agent market than everyone expects. I think most teams would love to have him, but I don't think he would return what most seem to be expecting. There's a good chance he's more valuable to the Sox on the field than he is as trade bait. I think Q is in the same boat, but driven by the fact that his stuff isn't what you typically see from an "ace". If he threw upper 90's, but put up the exact same numbers, we would get better offers, imo.

I don't think we will trade Eaton, since you still need to have some players around and he's under contract for a long time anyway. I could easily see the Sox approach to this being move Sale, Frazier, Melky, Robertson while sticking with a Q & Eaton with their view somewhere in there being that I presume the Sox intend on competing sooner vs. later and thus you could still easily see Q / Eaton being good fits on a team (even when going through a 1-2 year rebuild process before you start to emerge into some sort of competitive team (note, I don't see playoff team, just more competitive). That said, if teams want to offer up significant packages for Eaton, then I think the Sox have to really listen as he is a pretty valuable trade asset. Just depends on how much of a "reset" the Sox intend on hitting and I just don't see them going full blown (but maybe they do). I don't expect the Sox to target a lot of low level talent and wouldn't be surprised if some of the deals they go after include other major league pieces (again I don't see the Sox front office looking at this long winded rebuild). I do see the appetite there to infuse new talent and majorly shake things up though.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 15, 2016 -> 07:48 AM) I think bears should pay Alshon, still. May even be blessing in disguise. I agree with you. This should actually lower his pricetag and I think having him as a safety net for a young QB is an asset worth paying for.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I really really like Taj Gibson. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baske...1113-story.html

What is going on with Howard. Did he have an achilles injury or doesn't he?

Wow.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 14, 2016 -> 09:29 AM) not worse than that first MNF game against the Packers Honestly, I thought this was worse. This happening in like the first quarter and a half.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Nov 14, 2016 -> 05:10 AM) It's too bad that, even with how bad we are, the Browns and 49ers are worse and have just as big QB needs as the Bears. I also do not think the Bears are that far away. The front seven is legit. Secondary is a cluster f***, partially due to injuries and partially due to a lack of playmakers. Middle three of the o-line is terrific, but tackles are a huge concern. Obviously, the QB is a big issue, too. WRs and TE group is serviceable. Special teams also sucks. Long story short, they are not far away from being competitive. This is one of those hard games to evaluate. The defense looked fantastic the first half until it seemed to wither after all the meltdowns by the Bears offense. Jordan Howard and Floyd played fantastic. Hell, the dline looked great for the 1st half. Disappointing how the defense came out to start the second half though. I didn't pay much attention after that. The big thing to me is Floyd is looking like a legit pass-rusher, which is huge and despite the fumble, Howard looked like a beast. Cutler was freaking awful. Worst game I've ever seen him play. Oline didn't help him, but man that was ugly. He looked off the whole game.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 14, 2016 -> 09:10 AM) I'm in a White Sox group chat on twitter. Over the past couple days, Ozzie Guillen Jr has been in there. He came in today and said that he's heard the Sox are close to trading Sale and Frazier to the Dodgers. That's all he had. No idea if it's true or not. Just thought I'd pass along. That makes sense. I presume they aren't going to go long term with Justin Turner, which would make Frazier a good fit for them. They certainly have the pieces.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Nov 14, 2016 -> 08:33 AM) Interesting that he's already publicly criticized peaceful protests and critiques from the press but has yet to condemn the rash of hate crimes in his name. I thought I read a clip from the 60 minute interview where he did exactly that.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Nov 13, 2016 -> 09:21 PM) That was a pretty telling interview. Seems like Trump is already coming back toward the middle a little. This massive, beautiful wall is going to be part "fence" in some places? I can only imagine how beautiful a Trump chain link fence will appear when compared to the average Tru-link fence, Of the 12 million or so illegals that he campaigned so hard to get rid of, Trump is going to immediately get rid of 2-3 million of the criminals, and then deal with the rest. Didn't seem like the plan was to deport the rest, though. Clintons are nice. May not have a special prosecutor. Trump is going to be extremely busy. So, was he going to be the one prosecuting them? Not sure how his busy schedule has anything to do with whether or not the Clintons face charges. Obama-care is apparently not as big of a disaster as he had us believing. He wants to keep the healthcare for pre-existing conditions and make some other changes. Doesn't sound like he's just dumping the whole thing. Replacing the bad parts. Isn't that what anyone would do? But, you can't make changes until you have it for a little while and see what does and doesn't work. Might help to have a little cooperation from the rest of the elected officials who vote on the changes, too. When asked about his Supreme Court and whether it would lead to abortion being outlawed, he said the judges he appoints will be pro-life and added something about the 2nd amendment. When pushed about abortion, he said it would go to the states. LBGT rights isn't an issue because it's been settled. It's the law. Not sure how that differs from abortion, but what do I know? He was asked about running an anti-lobbying platform, and then immediately bringing in a bunch of lobbyists to advise him. He basically said, that's the only people in Washington. Wasn't asked specifically about his cabinet (wouldn't reveal names), but I wonder how him bringing in Giuliani, Christie, etc is any different from Hillary's 30 years as an insider. Aren't Giuliani and Christie insiders? He wasn't super cocky about ISIS following his meeting with Obama, either. I guess when the guy who is actually tasked with the fight gave Trump a little inside info, Trump figured out that it's much easier to fight the fight from the sidelines and play Monday morning QB after every mistake. Anyway, all that said, I think he came off ok. It's pretty apparent to me that it's one thing to run with the hope of being voted President, and a whole other thing for it to be a reality. I can't knock much anything that he hit on last night. In fact, in general, I'm pretty happy with the more public stances he's taken since becoming president-elect. We will see how it continues. It actually is funny cause most of what he has put out I presume would have the mega die-hards who voted for him pretty upset.