hogan873

Nice write up and breakdown. I would pretty much agree with the chances of each to be the starter. I think the starting SS job is Rollins' to lose. He signed with the Sox over other teams (at least the Giants) because he believes he has a real chance to be the starting SS for the Sox. If he proves to be at least pretty good in ST, I expect him to be starter while being a mentor to the younger guys. I think the Sox are definitely prepping Anderson to be the starting SS for the Sox in 2017 and beyond. Therefore, I don't see him being on the major league roster come opening day. Barring injuries and/or very poor performance by others, he might see some action in September. Saladino and Sanchez are the wild cards. One of them will most likely end up being a bench player/utility guy for 2016. I would think that Saladino would be that guy, but there's an argument to me made that playing everyday in AAA will prepare him better for whatever the Sox have planned for him. Which I honestly don't know what that is. Third base after two years on Frazier? Second base? Or will we see him traded before the season starts or before the deadline? I think Sanchez ends up in AAA unless the scenario occurs where Saladino is in AAA to develop.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 23, 2016 -> 10:10 AM) Yeah...that was a great episode. The return had some good and some terrible, but this was really good. The whole season and how they did it was pretty choppy though, but I'm a fan of having the mini story within an episode with the bigger story arch getting focus (although I know some people aren't necessarily big fans of X-files when it was more focused on the larger story arch). I haven't watched the final episode yet, and I'm excited to see it. I can agree with what you're saying about the season for the most part. Throughout a full season before, the X-Files always had a few episodes that dealt with the overall story arc while mixing in a couple creepy/scary episodes (like the one about the Trashman) and at least one funny episode (The Were-Monster). Trying to create the same flow over 6 episodes didn't quite work. If it comes back (and I hope it does), 10-12 episodes would be perfect.

I would think he'll be a backup or not on the team after spring training, correct? Is this a hint of a possible trade involving Sanchez or just adding a just in case guy?

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 11:50 PM) I agree that the answer is already on the roster: Avi Garcia. Let the kid play. At this point, I'm okay with this. If he's horrible against right handed pitching, Shuck can platoon with him. If the Sox are in it at the deadline and right field is a black hole, they can make a trade. I would love to see Avi succeed, and maybe the work he's done over the winter will help. My guess is that we will see.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 16, 2016 -> 06:17 AM) I'm waiting until all 8 are up to do my free month of Hulu to watch. I had just bought a Roku so I was offered three months free, which works out perfectly.

The first episode of 11.22.63 was solid. So far it's following the book pretty well. When I read it, I certainly didn't picture James Franco as Jake/James, but he does a good job. I wish all 8 episodes were released at once, but at least this gives me another show to look forward to each week.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 07:48 AM) They are also just spending a combined $18 million on the front four of their rotation who all have either #1 or #2 starter potential and just $2.75 million on their starting center fielder and lead off hitter whose been a 3.3 average fWAR player over his Sox career. They may have a couple bad contracts on the books but they have way more plus value contracts than they do bad ones. The Sox have made a lot of really good deals over the past few years so I'll let a couple bad contracts slide. If they hadn't have been proactive and signed Sale to an extension early on like they did this would be his last year in a Sox uniform and he would be making double the money he's making this year. Oh, you're correct. They do have some guys signed for less than they are worth including Sale, Quintana, Eaton, and Abreu. And some of the other guys could end up being bargains, too. My point was that the 2-3 bad contracts are tying up a good chunk of the $120 million that is being talked about. If the Sox do have a number they won't go over (and there probably is one, but it's not $120 million or even a little more than that), those bad contracts would hinder their ability to spend on the guys they need. The discussion (argument) has been that the Sox won't spend because they are stuck on a number...$120 million. That's not true. They haven't signed Fowler, Desmond, etc. yet because there's not a match. The Sox are willing to the right amount of money on the right guy. They were willing to spend a certain amount for Cespedes or Gordon, but they are willing to spend less on these other guys. Some of that reasoning is driven by what they have allocated so far, but not all of it.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 06:32 AM) lets not forget that the sox will have 1 or 2 missing pieces to really make this team stronger, maybe even getting a legitimate chase for a playoff spot. yet the owners have stated of wanting another WS ring...... well they can not have the WS ring, unless they have to go all in. but this is this yrs, what about all the other yrs? btw, it is thru their fault that the state of the system is in this condition, they are at the helm. 120 million is a token amount. enuf to appear that the team is trying to win and not enuf to get into their profit margin. problem is, many fans are getting smarter and hopefully not buy into all the fluff. best way to get their attention, do not buy game tickets. I can see your point, but you have to look deeper and see what the $120 million is being spent on. There's $29 million of that money being spent on a guy that hit .207 last season and a pitcher who is not the guy he used to be. And one could also argue that there's another $14 million being spent on a left fielder that is under-performing. There are teams out there who have a lower payroll than the Sox, but they're better because they have the money spent on the right players. Increasing the payroll to show the fans that they're serious isn't the answer. Spending the money on the right guys is the answer. And I bet that is part of why we're seeing the Sox take their time. Look at the Latos deal. Back when Fister was signed, speculation was that Latos would get at least what Fister got. But the Sox were patient and got him for the kind of money that at worst is a win/whatever situation. The fans are not buying tickets because the payroll is "only" $120 million. They're not buying tickets because the product on the field has been lackluster.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 12, 2016 -> 05:19 PM) Bob Nnightengale on MLB Network just said that the White Sox are out of cash. I find this hard to believe. This is such a load of crap. So they were in on Cespedes and Gordon but suddenly have no money? At least say something halfway intelligent sounding like "White Sox were willing to spend for one of the big three but are now looking to be creative."

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 12, 2016 -> 07:06 AM) I actually think the Sox see Desmond as a guy who could slide to another position once Anderson is ready, so I'm thinking they target a three year deal. I could something like 3/$42M getting it done. I think that if the Sox are going to sign Desmond and give up the pick, they would likely try to get 3 years at a reasonable price. I think you're right that he could slide into another position, but he has said (according to reports anyway) that he'd be willing play in the outfield. So he could possibly be playing in the outfield right away while the Sox stick with Saladino at SS. Possibly a more realistic scenario is the he plays SS and teh Sox use Saladino or Sanchez as part of a package to get an outfielder.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 10, 2016 -> 07:43 AM) I will be glad when this thread finally ends. This is the longest saddest plodding-est thread for a player that we all merely kind of want but dont want to part with a draft pick. I'll be glad when this off season is over.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 10, 2016 -> 07:12 AM) Not high profile enough... Maybe not, but my point was that you'd think that a writer might have mentioned that something was cooking. After the weeks and weeks of speculation with the big tree outfielders, it's been dead quiet. I could imagine a signing of an outfielder could pop up without any smoke leading up to it.

With the Latos signing happening without the local writers even mentioning it before it happened, we could very well see the same thing happen with an outfielder being signed. It surprised me that there was nothing even mentioned until after he signed, and he was in Chicago the day before for a physical.

Seems like a real bargain. I would think he ends up in competition with Johnson and Danks, unless the Sox are working on something that sends Johnson elsewhere.

Another teaser for 10 Cloverfield Lane was dropped right before the Superbowl. Parts of the movie do take place outside of the bunker...the question is how much. It was another great teaser, just showing enough to get your attention and want more. I wonder if they'll do another viral marketing campaign like with Cloverfield.

With the news that there doesn't seem to be a match between the Sox and Dodgers, I would think (hope) that the Sox are looking at Fowler still. He may not be the best upgrade we could have hoped for, but he would certainly be an upgrade over Avi. Having Eaton and Fowler at the top of the lineup would be great for Abreu, Frazier, and Melky. I'm thinking 3/$40 or so would probably get the job done.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 11:28 AM) The renovations helped a lot, if they never updated the outfield and upper deck it would feel every bit of that 25 years. Indeed. It's actually a pretty nice place to watch a game.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 06:48 AM) Agreed. If I were the Dodgers, I'd rather keep Ethier than trade him for LaRoche and Danish. I think a trade that could work for both teams would be Ethier + 6.5M in exchange for a Sox reliever. I agree. If a trade were to happen, it would probably be one of those trades that Dodgers fans would think is terrible because they'd only see a reliever coming back for a fan favorite. But with their overabundance of outfielders who are owed significant amounts of money, the Dodgers would be looking to thin the herd, get a decent reliever in return, and save a bit of money.

Before I read that you had gotten her a rabies shot a month ago, my first reaction was an allergic reaction to a shot. My dog had allergic reactions to the rabies and distemper shots twice to the point where we had to take to him the animal hospital. The symptoms were very similar to what you described. So, it could be an allergic reaction to something. Had the dog eaten anything out of the ordinary, or is there anything different in the house? Safest thing to do would be to take her to the vet.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 12:04 PM) Umm...even with those numbers, would you be comfortable paying $36 million over 2 years to a 33 year old who's essentially a platoon player at this point? I'm desperate, but not that desperate. He may be a platoon player, but he hits right-handed pitching well, and a large percentage of pitchers are right-handed. The money is a concern, of course, but I would imagine the Sox wouldn't make a deal unless the Dodgers send some cash and/or the Sox don't give up much. Ethier is a good option, especially if the Sox want to take advantage of the next two years with Frazier, Abreu, Sale, Quintana...

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Jan 29, 2016 -> 04:13 PM) Interesting that Dan Hayes is now saying if the Sox add an OF that it doesn't mean Avi would be the odd man out. Just weird that he's went from all but ruling out a move to finding a place for Avi to get at bats. Maybe just DFA Frazier and put Garcia at third? Seriously, though, I assume he could platoon at DH with LaRoche while taking some innings in the outfield.

It would be pretty awesome to see him sign a one year contract. As someone else had mentioned, if he's been working out and his shoulder seems fine, he'd probably be a better option as the 5th starter over Danks.

If the Sox were to acquire Jennings, does he easily replace Garcia is right field? His offensive numbers look similar to Garcia's. Is he that much of an upgrade defensively? Not being sarcastic...I just don't know much about his defense.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2016 -> 08:27 PM) Or you could just wait, get your time machine and go back in time to do it. Or maybe he already has.

There's no doubt that the Sox have the potential to be dangerous. Things have to go right, and players have to perform. And if another outfielder isn't added, even more things will have to happen. Certainly, this is what will have to happen: - Abreu, Sale, and Quintana will have to repeat 2015, if not get better - LaRoche will have to recover to near his career norms - Garcia must improve greatly, offensively and defensively - Frazier will have to be the guy he was the first part of 2015 - Lawrie must NOT be Beckham part 2 - Navarro and Avila will need to an effective platoon And the list goes on. But if LaRoche can get back to .240+ with 20+ HRs, that changes things greatly. I have more faith that he can do that than I do in Garcia being effective. There's no doubt the Sox have wanted to replace him as they were in on Cespedes and Gordon. It will be a disappointment if they don't continue to pursue other avenues to do so, but if Garcia ends up being the starter on opening day he's going to be under a ton of scrutiny. Yes, the Sox have the potential to be dangerous, but they had the potential to be dangerous last year, too. We all saw how that worked out.