hogan873

I didn't realize that Keppinger had some issues. Let's hope that he has a better season, because he's probably not going anywhere. I think we all know that De Aza will most likely be traded. The Sox have four outfielders right now, and as we have discussed ad nauseum, he's most likely to go. The Dunn tidbit is a little surprising. I guess I understand him being frustrated. I'd be very surprised if he's traded, though.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 11:04 AM) Died in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day Good Year? No, the worst.

What's really exciting about this offseason is that the Sox are possibly a catcher away from being close to competitive next year. I'm not saying they will be competing for the division title, but the moves made so far make the team look a lot better than the 99-loss mess we saw in 2013. The acquisition of a young catcher with potential would be keeping with the trend so far while also getting one step closer to being a respectable team for 2014. Now, obviously a few things are going to have to go right for 2014 to be more than a building year. In addition to the youngsters (Abreu, Garcia, Davidson, and Eaton) playing well, the pitching will have to be good and players like Dunn and Viciedo will have to contribute. Honestly, I don't think the Sox will be in the hunt all season. But as the team stands now, they could certainly make it a lot tougher for the other teams. More than anything, this team looks to be ready to compete as early as 2015 and for several years after.

Even crazy cat ladies have feelings.

No zombies were harmed during the creation of this thread.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 02:59 PM) How many quality free agents are available in July? None. But money can be spent other ways. By, say, trading for a guy who has a few years left on a higher contract. I think you're arguing for the sake of arguing. Everyone, including Rick Hahn, knows that there are no free agents waiting to be signed in July. He's talking about spending money by trading and committing to contracts that they're not in a position to right now.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 02:39 PM) It's convenient to have money available if they are in contention when there are no players to buy. What does this even mean?

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:12 PM) Last year's team was significantly better on paper coming into the season than this year's team will be (barring a few starting-caliber acquisitions). No, you're right. I should have been more specific. I meant that based on what sort of production came out of last year's team, I'm more comfortable with this team. Maybe because my expectations are more grounded, but I feel that there will be much more energy with this team.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:13 PM) They'll magically have money if they are contending though. Maybe Tanaka doesn't get posted until July. It won't be magic. The article said there will be money available.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:07 PM) I think replacing PK's ailing bat with Abreu and upgrading the OF defense alone has probably gotten us there. I see this team as a potential third place team in the AL Central. The biggest question I have is who is the guy on the team that will get in peoples faces and hold them accountable, I am not sure we have that guy on this roster. Eaton could be that guy from what I've read. Maybe not a get-in-your-face way, but in a follow-my-lead way.

I like the idea. Right now, this team is better than last year's team, and it's apparent that they are going to continue to improve. I don't view this as a major rebuild at all. The article clearly states that if they are in contention at the trading deadline, there will be money available. I don't think this team will be in contention, but add two more pieces this off season (catcher, 3B), and it's a different story. I look at 2014 as a transition year where they will be continuing to improve while checking out some of the young talent out there. 2015 looks like it could be a great year for White Sox baseball.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 08:43 AM) The entire team is one giant question mark. At this point, the Sox need talented players on the roster that they can build around. De Aza is going to be 30 next year. Don't get me wrong, I really like De Aza, especially in LF, but the team is not in a good position to keep him. It's far better to keep a high ceiling guy like Viciedo and give him one more year than it is to give De Aza another season. This pretty much sums up my thinking, too. I think we (as Sox fans) might value De Aza a little less because his mistakes on the basepads stick in our minds. But, he actually has value with his speed, ability to get on base, and a little power. Overall, though, it makes more sense to hold onto Viciedo for a couple reasons. Age, for sure. And the Sox now have a legitimate lead-off guy and center fielder in Eaton. In the long run, I don't think the Sox will get a lot back for either guy. But, they have an excess of outfielders, and someone is going to have to go.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 08:33 AM) I'm the biggest critic of our catching position and even I think that's a big longshot. My thinking is, if this guy is anywhere close to Flowers or Phegley during spring training, the Sox might decide to go with a him and the better of Flowers/Phegley only because it adds flexibility. I, however, will admit I don't know a lot about this guy. I just know that as it stands now, our catching position sucks.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 08:28 AM) Hopefully they are correct. Odds are, 2 years from now none of us will remember his name. Unless the Sox go out and get another catcher, there's a decent chance this guy replaces one of Flowers or Phegley.

When is the draft today?

QUOTE (dayan024 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 07:25 AM) Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal 7m #SFGiants seeking right-handed hitting outfielder with power. For a time last night, trade seemed close. Hasn’t happened - yet. Vicedo???? Hmmm. Who would the Sox target coming from SF?

QUOTE (farmteam @ Dec 11, 2013 -> 10:01 PM) Oh yeah, that's a pretty good bet for both of us. Never had it either. Perfer the regular eggnog, I do, but the alcoholic version is fine, too.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 11, 2013 -> 12:21 PM) It's weird how Merkin and Hayes went out of their way yesterday to say the Sox aren't in on Uribe, but people are still reporting that the Sox and Dodgers are waiting on him to decide. Rock kind of hinted that the Sox were interested, too. My question is, if they do sign him, who is going to depart?

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 11, 2013 -> 11:15 AM) Those aren't projections, those are goals That's how I view it. A guy like this who is acquired by a team that needs that type of player should come in with goals and a positive attitude that he can make it happen.

I really can't see how you can't like this trade. We'll find out just how good Eaton is, but everything points to him being what the Sox needed: A young, legitimate center fielder who has speed, can hit, and is smart. Plus he's controlled for a few years. We all knew that a starter was going to be traded, and that starter was most likely going to be a lefty. Santiago was really the only one who could be traded for something decent without trading one of the best (Sale, Q). I like Santiago, but I'm a realist and realize that the Sox weren't as high on him as many of us fans were. Getting Eaton back for him is good, possibly very good if Eaton plays like it seems he can play.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 11, 2013 -> 08:08 AM) Cool ptatc. Thanks for the info. AJ is a dick, but I've also been around sports figures and met so many who are assholes I don't consider it a real problem. It is great when you run into some nice ones. I don't know why he'd be mean to medical personnel who are trying to help him. I would think medical personnel would have the upper hand on AJP so to speak since they are the ones curing whatever ails him. I believe he's a dick. I just know there are many in all clubhouses. How many would you estimate ptatc? Are 1/3 of a clubhouse total assholes or closer to half? This is an odd time for you to be on, Greg. Anyway, you raise an interesting question. I think there are more assholes in sports than we think or even want to believe. We as fans want to like the players on our favorites teams, and we imagine and hope that they are nice people. And we hate the guys on the other teams, and we just know that they are assholes. So, it's disheartening to us when we hear stories about a beloved player being a prick off the field. I like AJ, and I thank him for everything he did in a Sox uniform. But the more I hear about him, the more disheartened I am, knowing that he's not such a nice guy. I'd like to hear more about the guys off the field/court/ice that are truly good guys. It's unfortunate that we don't hear that many stories. Is that because the stories of them being asses are more exciting, or is it because there just aren't that many good guys?

I had to go look up Elmore. I forgot the Sox had picked him up. His minor league numbers are pretty good. I wonder if he has a shot at being on the MLB roster in the spring.

The more I think about this thread (AJ wearing #40, not him being an ass), the more I say "so what?" He's not the first to wear a jersey number to honor someone else. Josh Paul wore #27 as a nod to Carlton Fisk. Jose Abreu is going to wear #79 for his mother. There are more instances, but we're caught up in this because it's AJ and Hawk. AJ was a great addition to the team, and without him the Sox may not have won the World Series. Hawk is...well, Hawk is Hawk. Love him or hate him, he IS White Sox baseball. All that being said, though, it's amazing this thread took off the way it did. Then again, maybe it isn't amazing considering at least half the posts are discussing whether AJ is an asshole or not.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 10, 2013 -> 10:09 PM) Ptatc is one cool customer. I would've went off on that clown. QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Dec 10, 2013 -> 10:15 PM) If you're questioning ptatc, you've not been paying attention for however long you've been on this site. Yeah, no kidding. From all the posts I've seen from ptatc, it's obvious he knows what he's talking about.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 10, 2013 -> 02:21 PM) Infield. I am not sure we deal another SP at this point, so free agent possibly? Maybe the true/false/true/false rumor about Uribe?