hogan873

If Bart gets most of the playing time, sending Quero down is fine. He can get consistent playing time and work of improvements. Romo shouldn't play more than a couple days a week.

I gave them a B, but it's probably a B-. I think the rotation got a little better, possibly more than a little if a change in surroundings helps Castillo. The bullpen addition was really good. Big improvement over Dominguez for a fraction of the price. I'm not sure about the move for Doyle. I wonder if that move was in anticipation of an outfielder being moved, and a deal fell through. But, replacing Pereira with Doyle seems like a wash. I think Bart was a smart move. He's an improvement over what we had going on, although that's not saying much. And they gave up essentially nothing for him. As someone else mentioned, the ask for Stephenson must have been ridiculous considering he didn't move. The best part of all of this is the team got better, and they didn't trade any top prospects. We'll know in a few weeks how much better they got.

Ah, that's right. That guy sucked.

That depends on whether he'd claim Drake LaRoche to be the heart and soul of the team.

With the acquisition of Doyle, could an outfielder be on the move? Possibly for a catcher?

Seems like this will strengthen the back end of the bullpen. This guy is essentially the replacement for Dominguez, at a fraction of the cost. I would think Taylor becomes the closer.

Splitting the series with the Yankees, and being "in" every game, was a decent result. One thing they continue to prove is that they do not quit. Previous years' teams didn't win too many games when they were trailing late. Going into Tampa for the weekend will be a test. Taking two of three would be awesome. One of three would be meh. Getting swept, right before the deadline, would suck.

When this trade happened, it seemed like the thought was Hicks was the extra piece, along with salary, while Sandlin was the real target. While the jury is still out on Sandlin, Hicks has seemed to find success again. He has looked damn near unhittable since returning. The odd trade that looks to have worked out, just not in the way we thought. If Sandlin ends up being good, this could be a really good trade for the (White) Sox.

Quero's heroics last night aside, the Sox probably really need to grab a catcher. Stephenson seems to be one we'd like to see the Sox target, and he would immediately become the starting catcher, with Romo most likely to be sent packing. A few other names I saw who could be traded were Goodman, Hicks, Heim, Pages, and Herrera. Goodman and Hicks seem like they'd be pricey but have pretty big upsides. The others are likely upgrades over Romo. Pitching has to be the number one priority, but catcher is probably a close second.

I may have to get back on Twitter/X for the weekend and/or turn off my wifi on my phone so I can access Soxtalk (still only works on cellular data). My normal weekend beer consumption may increase, for one reason or another.

Montgomery has to be damn near untouchable. I don't even like the idea of trading Bonemer, but at least he plays a position where the Sox are heavy on prospects.

Yeah, I was thinking about guys signed through 2027 and not necessarily those arbitration eligible. It has to be a factor for teams either way, especially for a team like the Sox who are always afraid of spending.

Are teams looking to add considering the fact that the 2027 season could be impacted (possibly heavily) by a lockout/strike? Would the Sox be more hesitant to add a player with control through 27?

A starting pitcher, a reliever, and a catcher. I'd like to see Ray, mainly because he wouldn't cost much at all if the Sox eat the money. Stephenson would be a nice addition at catcher. Then a mid-level bullpen arm.

And I did. 🤣

Is he pitching against the Yankees this week? Does making this statement bold and huge make it more meaningful than...not meaningful at all?

Even if Teel is going to miss significant time, I'm not sure the Sox should trade for a catcher, unless it's a very cheap rental. Starting pitching and a bullpen arm have to be the priorities.

I think Vargas, beyond his play on the field, has been a huge addition. He's a leader, everyone seems to love him, and his attitude is contagious. He and Mune have really seemed to hit it off. Add that to his team MVP play, and he's one of the best acquisitions in a long time.

I'm not sure there were many who liked this trade when it happened. The reaction got worse and worse as Vargas struggled on a VERY bad Sox team. The clip of him sitting in the corner of the dugout with a look of absolute despair mimicked what we were feeling. Now that clip is used in the "how it started...how it's going" videos. Talk about an incredible turnaround. Turned out to be a pretty good trade.

His swings looked so effortless, and the ball just explodes off his bat. I was glad to see him hit a few monster shots but not upset he didn't advance. Having just come off the IL, this was good for him to get some swings in.

Billy Carlson. Colson should never be dangled as trade bait.

I agree. But he could be part of a trade.

I believe they should, and probably will, essentially stand pat. There might be a couple minor moves to get some pitching. The biggest move I could see them making is trading someone like Meidroth or Carlson for a controllable arm. On paper, something like that could be a "big" move, but if they draft Roch or Emerson (which id highly likely), they can deal a MI. Otherwise, there's really no one worth selling since the majority of this team is part of the future.

Yeah, and if it's Roch or Emerson, they could deal someone like Carlson for pitching.

Roch seems like the safe and most likely pick. And not safe in low risk, lower reward. He's probably the lowest risk with a potentially high to very high reward. Emerson is higher risk but possibly a higher reward. Lackey is the wild card, the "WTF but I appreciate the risk" pick. Roch could be up with the MLB club in 2027 while Emerson is probably a couple years away. The Sox have a logjam in the middle infield, and picking Roch would force them to make some decisions earlier. One of the higher rated MI prospects could be dealt at the deadline for pitching. It's a good problem to have, but as a fan, it's nerve-racking.