hogan873

Is there a Drake Grandal who could run around the clubhouse and influence a few guys to call him the MVP of the team?

Ridding the team of Leury and bringing in a serviceable (albeit expensive) catcher sure would be nice. I just don't see how that would benefit the Mets, especially if they were to throw in Escobar. So, I don't think there's any validity to the "rumor". Hopefully the Sox do pick up a 2B that would be the every day starter. Leury should, and hopefully would, become a seldom used waste of roster space. With Leury's #1 fan in TLR gone, he shouldn't see much playing time.

I like it. Finally have a real left fielder. He’ll be a nice 2-hole hitter. Okay power. Lefty hitter. The 5th year is meh, but that’s probably what got him signed here. Honestly, the majority of this board would be pissed if the Astros or Yankees signed him for this deal.

If it is indeed true, what kind of deal is it? Almost certainly multiple years. 3 or 4 years at $15 million per?

This would be surprising…and a good Friday.

I would buy that jersey immediately. It wouldn't even have a number on it - just the infinity symbol.

If the Sox are willing to spend $10 million or so for a year of Gallo or Brantley, you'd think that they'd look at the benefits of spending another $4 million or so for Benintendi. The issue, of course, is Benintendi will be seeking, and will get, a multi-year deal. But, dammit, why wouldn't they say, "Well s%*#, let's solve LF for the next four seasons for $14 or $15 million a season?" But, you know, logic.

If I were a betting man, I’d say it’s Gallo. Which would be fine, or maybe meh. Definitely improves the OF, but the bat is underwhelming. Benintendi would be a nice signing, but I just don’t see the Sox offering a four year deal.

If TA is still on the Sox this season, which seems likely, I'd like to see more swagger. He seemed more subdued this past season. Probably partly due to his performance being down and partly due to his purported off field issues. Tim needs to be a dangerous player that annoys the hell out of the opponents. He's at his best for himself and the team when he's performing well and letting the other team know he's performing well. All that being said, his value has to be pretty damn high right now with the contracts being given out for shortstops. Once Swanson signs, I imagine there will be teams calling up and inquiring about his availability.

The average per year is not bad, and it'll probably look like a bargain over the next 5 years or so. But a 13 year deal is wild.

A salary floor would be more beneficial than a max. It's frustrating enough for us as Sox fans. Imagine being a Pirates fan. Imagine being a player and having a choice to play for a team like the Mets vs. a team like the Pirates. Pretty obvious why Reynolds wants out of there.

It's probably a great time to trade TA. The Sox could get a very nice return for him. I doubt he's here past when the Sox have control over him anyway. His star seemed to have fallen in Chicago. To me, he just doesn't seem like THAT guy anymore. I like him, but if they Sox can get a haul for him, pull the trigger.

That's not the White Sox way.

Big improvement in the OF over what we saw last season. And plenty of power. But, he'd have to actually hit the ball in order to tap into the power. I do think he'd be better away from NY, and the shift rules would be in his favor. He'd be a very frustrating player to watch at times, though. I wouldn't hate the move. Wouldn't love it.

Yeah, I started really liking them this past season. Easy team to root for.

Cubs fans' tears will be flowing.

True. And I do believe could still be hitting bombs late in that deal. He may never hit 60 in a year again, but cranking 30-35 a year when he's 38? Definitely possible.

I don't know. It it's a nine year deal, that's a lot per year. But if he will still be cranking home runs at an impressive pace when he's 38-39, it won't look bad. What will guys like him be getting paid 7-8 years from now?

It would have been a surprise if Judge didn't return to the Yankees. They were not going to let another team outbid them unless the Giants went bonkers.

Aside from the Cubs, Giants, and Phillies, the winter meetings have been pretty quiet. No major trades. A few big signings on Monday (that were probably already in agreement before the meetings started). Hopefully the Sox have been laying some groundwork for a trade or two. There's no way this team can go into spring training without some substantial upgrades and expect to compete.

Could be the move that starts the toppling of the dominoes. And I'd love to see Judge go to the Giants over the Yankees.

Man, it is so frustrating to not even see any rumors involving the Sox. I know there's plenty of time, but you'd think at the winter meetings there'd be some rumblings. Either the Sox are in stealth mode, or they're not really doing anything. I'm leaning toward the latter.

Yep. And that's why trading Hendriks makes the most sense if they're going to trade someone. They can either free up cash to go get a FA, or they can get someone to fill a position of need via trade. Of course, that would require the front office to play it smart...and we all know how that might go.

Yeah, Graveman looked shaky at best when he was thrust into the role. Lopez may thrive in that role. It would be nice to see how he does.

Kinda sucks with the meetings being on the west coast. we probably won't start seeing rumors and news until late morning/early afternoon. On the flip side, we could be seeing rumors and news well into the night.