Marty34

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 5, 2014 -> 11:47 AM) Welcome to Martyland. Population:1 "We bid for a player. Yippee!!!"

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 5, 2014 -> 11:25 AM) Jose Abreu sez Hola Marty. Jose Abreu was not at the top of the market.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 09:05 PM) Dynamite drop in Marty. I don't think bidding on a player that you ultimately do not get is worthy of credit.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 5, 2014 -> 11:23 AM) That's probably a good thing. You can't argue with their results. Oh wait . . .

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 08:52 PM) WHEN a worthwhile player shows up on the market. They didn't get the player though and have a 30-year history of not spending at the top of the free agent market.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 5, 2014 -> 10:50 AM) Again, the idea is to increase the talent level of the team, and to create real depth. Not Dylan Axelrod depth. Depth to me is guys you would confidently put on the mound and guys other teams would actually give you something of value to acquire. If John Groce let the TKE intramural team join the Illini as walk ons and called that depth, everyone would laugh. That, is Dylan Axelrod depth. Also, it may save you money if you plan on signing a free agent next year. If you want Homer Bailey next offseason, but Magic Johnson does as well, you are either out of luck or writing checks that will be a lot bigger than the checks you would be writing for Jimenez. If the Sox can claim 7 starting pitchers for 5 spots, I'd be surprised if at least 20 other teams couldn't do the same. Doesn't Rienzo profile better as a pen guy anyway?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 5, 2014 -> 10:40 AM) So the idea is to spend $40 million for a team that won't contend, on a pitcher because we need an extra pitcher in case of injury. If you expect the Sox to contend at any point over the next three years, Jimenez is a bargain at the price he's going to go for.

Adam Eaton ‏@AdamSpankyEaton 3h Hey guys! I'm having a fan conference call tomorrow at 12 pm CST. Call 877-229-8493 and use pin 18912. Can't wait to hear your questions!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 07:05 PM) And put a nine figure bid on another. So what.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 02:52 PM) You obviously missed the part about getting a player you want, the six man rotation, the part about being forced to play a guy whether he sucks or not (like Adam Dunn, for instance), the part about the advantage of going for two QO FA's, which we're obviously not going to do now, basically all of it. If you're not even going to read the posts, but merely chime back with the same pat answers...well, good luck. I think those things are all outweighed by the price these guys are going for right now.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 01:41 PM) One that was coming off an 88 win season where the lack of a productive DH was by far the biggest thing holding them back. Yes and that's a case against the prevailing thought of spending money when "we're ready to win."

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 01:37 PM) Are you one of these people that go to the store and buy something you don't need just because it was on sale? Yes. I can afford to.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 01:33 PM) As is 100%, exactly, to the letter the case right now. No. The Sox had an old core in 2011.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 01:26 PM) If Adam Dunn's contract was 4/$40, would it have been a good deal in your eyes? In hindsight no because the "All In" strategy was silly because they stopped spending after that (and Konerko) when they needed a lot more help.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 12:40 PM) Yeah, and he's 30. Don't want to rush him, lol. EJohnson is not being rushed, nor is Rienzo who's sitting in the sixth spot. Each of our five projected starters needs the innings heading into this season. Do we really want to go to a 6 man - and see Sale and Q once every 6 games instead of 5 , when it's completely unnecessary? Some here think the backend of our rotation will blow, I prefer to see them pitch first. Not denying there's bargains to be had in terms of the current market and potential (over)valuation of the 2nd round pick. But then, when I look at our last three 2nd rounders being Johnson, Beck and Danish and the potential (yes, I know, potential) value they'll bring to the club going forward, I just don't think it's a good fit for our club right now. After this season, we will have a very good idea of who is and isn't part of the core moving forward. We will also have a lot to spend. Assuming the compensation rules remain the same (though I wouldn't completely rule out a tweaking of them for next offseason under threat of Collusion suit by the Union), are the picks going to be looked at as less valuable next year? IMO, barring a change, the market will look rather the same for the guys of the Ubaldo/Ervin level. And we might get somebody we want, as opposed to a guy we're forced to play whether he sucks or not. One thing to consider - there's an advantage to being in a "go for it" mentality as it pertains to FA, in that by signing multiple QO receiving FA's in an offseason, you lose a progressively less valuable draft pick with each signing. The Yankees have employed this strategy in '09 and this year. Few can, but we should be able to next year to plug the remaining holes. Another thing to consider - If we win enough this year to get out of the bottom ten (last year, both the 10th and 11th worst teams had 74 wins), then we'll be giving up higher picks overall, but we don't know about the relative overall quality of the two drafts at this time. With the price these guys are going to sign for, there's no upside to waiting for next year.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 01:09 PM) I genuinely don't think you understand the definition of the word cheap. If Adam Dunn is not cheap, then neither Ervin Santana nor Ubaldo Jimenez are cheap. They will be making the same amount of money, roughly. How is ~$40M today roughly the same as $56M? in 2010?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 11:26 AM) Is Adam Dunn cheap? Four years ago, no. The Sox were tapped out of cash after they signed him and still needed help. They still need lots of help, but they have cash to spend.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 11:54 AM) Sometimes you can add talent to your core by trading non-free agents like, say, Addison Reed and Hector Santiago. I think Santiago was part of the core. Plus stuff, cheap left-hander.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 10:49 AM) Of course their prices are beginning to fall. THEY AREN'T THAT GOOD. They are back of the rotation pitchers many years and have enormous swings between their good and bad years. It was only 2012 that Jimenez put up numbers worse than the year that Danks put up in 2013. Same for Santana. In terms of pitching, it is the same thing as offering Adam Dunn a 3-4 year deal based on the bounceback year he had in 2012. At the very worst it's a cheap insurance policy as they develop their rotation. A top three of Sale Quintana and Santana is pretty good.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 10:26 AM) I think that core along with cheaper veteran free agent complimentary players could be enough to win starting in 2015 or 2016. We still need to address the catching situation, which is where stop gap type FAs can come in, but overall I think the Sox have put themselves in a good position for the next few years. Of course, this is based on whether the young players develop into what we think they will. It is possible that Eaton, Davidson, Garcia, Semien and Johnson all flop and then we really aren't any better off than we were last year. I think it *could* too which is one reason they should sign a Santana or Jiminez this year.

If this core shows they aren't good enough at what point does dealing Sale become an option? I say All Star break 2015 because this core was assembled in part because it is supposed to be major league ready.

QUOTE (rowand's rowdies @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 10:03 AM) Ceiling for that core IMO is the Oakland A's of the last 10-12 years. Might make some runs but no World Series. Lots needs to be done adding complementary pieces as well as a few stars and maybe another superstar to have a legitimate chance at greatness. The problem with the core is there is going to be a gap before they get any more help from the minors. Quintana is going to have to be sacrificed to supplement the holes.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 4, 2014 -> 09:48 AM) Rick Hahn has said the White Sox are not interested in anything that involves the White Sox giving up a draft pick, and you aren't bringing in Bronson Arroyo to trade him considering he turns 37 in 20 days, so that should summarily end this thread before it begins. Rick Hahn would be making a mistake if he holds to this strategy.

Abreu Age 27 Semien Age 24 Davidson Age 23 Viciedo Age 25 Eaton Age 25 Garcia Age 23 Sale Age 25 Quintana Age 24 Johnson Age 24 Add the #3 pick to it, but is this core good enough that they won't have to deal anyone from it to get better? The only reinforcements otherwise will have to come via free agency because there isn't much in the minors

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 3, 2014 -> 03:18 PM) No, you still aren't following. In this instance, Dunn would be a dryer, which has nothing to do with washing machines at all. The washing machines represent the starting rotation while dryers would represent the hitters. The 8th washing machine is Ubaldo Jimenez. In this instance, Dunn would be a dryer whose high heat cycle is too hot, the low heat cycle is too cold, and it constantly jams with lint, but it still works and someone might give you $30 for it, which is better than kicking a $150 machine out to the curb and getting nothing back. It would be like running a dryer that has higher resell value (Viciedo or De Aza) thus lowering its value (wear and tear) and not using the Dunn dryer to preserve its miniscule resell value because the Dunn dryer cost you way more to begin with and you don't want to look like a total dumbass.