GreenSox

Rick Hahn put an inordinate amount of resources into the bullpen, before LaRussa. And then there's that #30 farm system...

Kenny Williams was a C GM. Hahn is a F GM. There's never been the positional talent on the Sox as there was from 2000-2005. He let a lot of it go prior to winning the ring. No playoffs until he got the pitching squared away in 2005. Most of his blustery trades were busts (although for the most part, the players he traded away didn't do much either). But he made some extremely helpful small trades, such as Uribe and Thornton. Oh, and despite what Michael Lewis says, trading Chad Bradford for Olivo was an excellent trade.

Dare I suggest that they give Vaughn reps at 1B in the last 8 games; maybe play Gonzales every day.

What kind of contender employs Vince Velasquez

The media won't mention him by name (and rarely point a finger at the FO) and the bloggers won't do it. It's beyond belief, really.

The org. let the option escalate. Haseley in his role as defensive replacement is better than Pollock and his .7 WAR in his role as starting outfielder. What - the Sox are limited to the stiffs they have on hand? No trades, signings, callups allowed? And we're stuck with all of Hahn's veteran clowns for at least another season. We absolutely lost the Kimbrel trade (both of them) and the Hernandez trade and the Diekman trade...

It's not like those are the only choices. Certainly would take Haseley at minimum salary to shag balls in late innings over Pollock at $8mill. The only thing he can do is hit LHP, and that would only work if Hahn can find a platoon partner (which he can't, as Hahn has never used platooning in his illustrious career). Even that is risky as the odds favor further decline from Pollock. If you are on the roster, you've go to hit, with a spot or 2 reserved for defensive whizzes. Pollock has been terrible this year; Hahn letting add to his option was just more of the same.

Perhaps, but that likely changed once they dispatched Avila. I doubt they're jealous of an operation run by Hahn.

They had a gaping hole at 2B, and Escobar signed for a very reasonable amount - basically the sum of Harrison + Leury. (or Joe Kelly + $1 Mill). Escobar hasn't had a great year, but he's been better than the sum of Harrison + Leury.....or Joe Kelly. And Escobar signed early, the FO was unprepared, not thinking that that the market would move in December.

Wonderful, they are debating La Russa. They really have their finger on the heart of the problem....

Who would JR turn to for advice as to filling KW's position, assuming KW was gone?

There is some raw talent, but not nearly enough; and there is an overage of over 30 guys who aren't very good.

Clearly a lack of talent. I'm sure we'll hear the "LaRussa sapped all the desire" line from the FO, via media/bloggers over the next few months.

We're closer to the wild card than to the division. And Tampa and Seattle are dutifully losing....but so are we.

Sox don't even have that. Cleveland has a stronger roster and much, much less flotsam on its roster.

Of course, old school is now new school. Contact is key for hitters and Ks are bad; in the naughts, Ks were irrelevant for a hitter. On pitching, naught era old school said Ks were all that matter; new school is strike zone. Where are the White Sox? Old school of course, at least on pitching. Just look at the stiffs they keep on the 40 man who can't throw strikes; they drafted a reliever in the 4th or 5th round who can't throw strikes but has a lot of Ks. Can't Hahn send his guys to a seminar or something to get the updated info?

The magic number is 20 against Guardians, Rays and Mariners. All we need is for the Sox to win 10 and for one of those to lose 10, and the playoffs are ours.

Sox were sentimental about that team, too. 4 years after the Royals won the WS, the Sox signed their 2015 set-up man to a $16 mill deal. Re the 2018 draft, the Astros got Correa's replacement in the third round...Sox got, well, Cesar Hernandez, Mazara and Pollock, I guess.

He says he will emphasize developing young players and the also emphasize the strike zone for hitters and pitchers. This is good news or the Sox: the Sox do neither, so there's less competition or our type of player.

They paid Kelly like he's one too.

Graveman's supposed to be our 8th inning guy, but he isn't anywhere close to a lock-down reliever; of course, he wasn't with the Astros last year either. But the Sox gave him a big fat raise and signed up for 3 years.

Those guys sitting around him in the twitter video just nodding and lapping it all up. Probably bloggers.

Why would they even send a prospect of any sort on a dog for dog trade like this?

The biggest difference is that the Sox don't have quality depth. And the reason is that, post rebuild, still have an old team and a bottom-tier farm. The Guardians? Young team and a top-tier farm.

No you don't. His last good full-season was 2017. The last thing this org needs is more aging players, especially infielders.