hogan873

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 06:39 AM) Yup, that article pretty much sums up the situation perfectly and IMO shows why the Sox are in a good spot. Very few teams with OF needs actually have the resources to land Cespedes or Upton at this point in time. While we all go back and forth on how much budget the Sox have left, I strongly believe they have the resources to sign one of these guys as long as the terms aren't ridiculous. Given how the market is playing out, I really think that will be the case. No reason not to be optimistic. I go back and forth about being optimistic, but the article does make me feel better. No matter what, though, if the Sox were to sign Cespedes (or Upton for that matter), the 2016 payroll will be one of the highest ever for the team. I would imagine the Sox would be willing to have a higher payroll this year knowing that $29 million is coming off the books next year. That is, however, all dependent on what kind of deals Cespedes and Upton ultimately get. As each day goes by it looks more and more like they will end up with shorter deals, but you never know.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 12:20 PM) [Rick Hahn evil laugh]

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 12:18 PM) Carlos Gonzalez is signed for 2 more yrs at $17 and $20 mil. Same 2-year window as Frazier. Won't have to pay Cespedes 4 years. Just sayin. https://twitter.com/ChuckGarfien/status/686975117012893696 True. It's a lot of money, and the Sox apparently have said no to swapping Q for Cargo. So, unless the Rockies would agree to a lesser deal, I don't think there's any chance.

This almost certainly means the Rockies will be trading an outfielder, correct? I know there was talk of the Sox being interested in CarGo, but have they checked in on Blackmon?

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) Fowler's defense isn't looked at as much of improvement from the current, "as of today", outfield. It looks like he could come at a major discount, but the cost of the draft pick is probably a bigger hurdle. I really haven't seen much in the way of speculation on what type of deal Fowler could get. What would you think would be fair, especially considering the draft pick?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 03:07 PM) FWIW, the draft pick might actually be something the Sox could want to give up in a signing like this, as it would actually save them a couple of million dollars, during the draft process. That's an interesting thought.

What would be a fair package for Gonzalez?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 06:56 AM) good lord, listening to Phil Rogers is painful. He was just on the score and was musing about Upton taking a 1 or 2 year deal, then transitioned to "the white sox hope that Avisail will develop into what Cespedes already is" why do people pay this man for baseball thoughts Ugh. The Sox wouldn't be actively looking for an outfielder if they truly hoped that Avisail could become Cespedes.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 10:06 AM) How many teams offered Gordon 4 years other than KC? What are the current offers for Cespedes? What are the offers for Upton? What was the Sox best offer for Gordon? If you answered I really don't know to these questions, any whining about the White Sox and how they are NEGOTIATING currently with free agents is premature. You're right, and most of the whining is just us throwing our thoughts out there because there just hasn't been any news...except for the Sox saying (supposedly) that they won't go over three years. Bottom line is, though, that we don't know what offers are out there, and we don't know what the Sox offered Gordon. But it is concerning when the oldest guy of the big three gets a four year deal at $18 million per year, and the Sox are supposedly not going to offer Cespedes more than three years.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:36 AM) 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. 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.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 08:30 AM) Phil Rogers was just on hot stove. Just reiterated the 3 year deal sentiment. Said we could be outbid for him by a team like Baltimore or Detroit. Did mention upton on a 2 year deal. Talked about Jose trying to broker a deal and get him here. I'm hoping that really helps. Just get it done Hahn! Let's go buddy. I don't see us getting it done for 3 years, but if they did that'd be fine. Unless the Sox were to pay Cespedes A LOT per year on a three year deal, I would be very surprised if he were to sign. The Upton idea is intriguing, but isn't the free agent class of 2017 looking very thin? Wouldn't he be more willing to sign a one year deal and take advantage of the weak class next off season? Unless 2018 is looking thin, too. As each day goes by, I'm a little less optimistic about Cespedes signing with the Sox. I'd be okay with one of the second tier free agents on the right deal. But I just have this sinking feeling that we're all going to be disappointed pretty soon.

One name that hasn't been talked about much is Denard Span. I know he doesn't have much power, but it seems like he'd be a decent OBP guy. How is his defense?

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 09:46 AM) Sox need to get this done. I didn't like the Frazier trade in concept or execution. But given that they made the deal for 2 years of Frazier, they've got to top it off with another big hitter to make a real swing at the playoffs. I agree, except that I liked the Frazier deal. But, yes, the Sox need to add another big bat. Otherwise, the Frazier deal is puzzling. I would hope/think that the Sox have some groundwork laid for Cespedes.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 09:11 AM) Gordon went for less than expected, thats good for the Sox. And other teams, unfortunately.

With Gordon getting 4/$72, I wonder what type of deal Cespedes could get. I suppose it doesn't change much from the expected 5 to 6 years at around $20MM per year. But I wouldn't think that he'd be inclined to take a 3 year (or less) deal, unless he hopes to get more per year and then try to score again in three years. I was thinking in the back of my mind that Gordon might be the most realistic for the Sox, and it makes me nervous now that one of the big three is gone. I really think the Sox will have to offer 4 or 5 years to have a true shot at Cespedes.

Someone, most likely a player, will blink first, and the signings will commence. This has been a strange off season for free agents. I can't imagine this will drag on for more than another week or so.

Technically a 2015 show, but it's on Amazon and can be binged watched at any time...has anyone else watched The Man in the High Castle? Fantastic show. I have one more episode to watch in season 1.

The season finale of Ash vs. Evil Dead was great. The entire season was very enjoyable, but I thought the first and last episodes were the best.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 02:04 PM) This may sound bad, but they need one. They're obviously not the same player, but the White Sox need one guy. Agreed. To me, not getting one of these guys makes the Frazier trade seem a lot less meaningful.

QUOTE (peavy44 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 02:03 PM) what about gordon 4 years $80 million to cespedes 5 years $110 million Cespedes is going to get more than 5/$110. And I suspect Gordon will end up closer to 4/$75. But a lot of that depends on who signs first for how much.

All of the fake tweets the other night shifted our focus to Cespedes, but it seems like Gordon has been the target all along. There are benefits to both, obviously, but Gordon's left-handed bat and lower price tag might be the tipping point.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 11:04 AM) I don't think the opt out has really anything to do with slowing things down. Maybe for Upton's case but not the other 2. Or the second tier free agents. Probably true, but I think it still slows the signing of all three. Once one gets signed, I think the other two go quickly.

The Heyward signing was thought to be the first domino, but I believe that the structure of his contract with the opt out slowed things down. These guys may be looking for a similar option...especially Upton because of his age. Also, as someone else mentioned, there aren't a ton of teams lining up to get these guys. There are probably only a half dozen teams that are really serious about them. I know we're all anxious for a signing, but it's looking more and more like we'll be waiting another week or so. I just hope that when the dust settles, the Sox will have signed one of the big three.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) This is from someone in a position to get info but I don't know if I can trust. The two numbers he threw out were 5/108 and 6/125. Take with whatever amount of salt you like. Scott Merkin told me the Sox won't go over 100 million. If that's the case, I wouldn't imagine they have much of a chance of actually signing him. If the Sox are truly pursing Cespedes, and even Gordon for that matter, they'd almost have to be willing to go over $100 million.

I wonder if the players and GMs look at Twitter and laugh their asses off at all of this.