fathom

Matt Joyce signed a minor league deal with Pirates

QUOTE (shysocks @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 04:46 PM) I am equally dumbfounded. Cognitive dissonance, I guess. Easier to focus on the tiny likelihood of Garcia reaching his upside than admit the front office's failure. None of y'all who are fine with Avi get to complain when the Sox fall short. I'm keeping a list (no I'm not). A part of me hopes LaRoche hits .000 in spring training and forces the FO to make some changes.

QUOTE (shipps @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 05:44 PM) I cant speak for everyone else but I have been on Avi's side since he has been here. I wasnt opposed to bringing in a big bat in place of him but I havent given up on him just yet. And I respect that and hope for the best with him. Just startling to see all the Avi and/or Shuck talk lately on here. Only way that should have happened going into the season is if they were in rebuilding mode, IMO.

It's amazing to me how many people seemingly changed their mind in the last few weeks about being ok with Avi getting all the at bats in RF. The fluff pieces have worked, it appears.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:15 PM) Who is available via trade? It looks like the market has dried up. Hence my concern with another full season of Avi out in RF botching routine pop ups. And that they have no serviceable replacement for him if he gets hurt again.

Some reports out that Fowler is seeking 3/45 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles...0217-story.html

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:58 PM) Why do you care about that? Him leaving actually helps them. They get their 2nd round pick back and receive a bigger bonus pool. I was hoping they'd trade Soler and bring back Fowler. Soler is the x factor for them in my opinion, as he has the potential to become a dominant offensive force for them in the 6 spot.

QUOTE (Saufley @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 03:20 AM) If the Sox don't sign Fowler or Jackson I don't care. After the trade for Frazier I was expecting bigger things to happen. My mistake. The Sox and their "no comment" stance on rumors didn't do them a lot of favors this offseason. It seems agents definitely used them as leverage.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:03 AM) Jesus f***ing Christ. I hate the Sox sometimes. Careful, they'll call you out on twitter again

QUOTE (Saufley @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:04 AM) If JR doesn't give him the money to sign someone or anyone who's fault is it? well, Hahn did blow a lot of money last offseason on guys that ended up being garbage....so it's an organizational fault.

QUOTE (Baron @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:37 AM) His defense just sucks too much. It would negate anything he is doing well offensively. Basically Prince Fielder syndrome. Fowler's only fit on this team was ability to get on base. The defense, being average against RHP and comp pick always made him a bad fit, in my opinion.

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:37 AM) I don't know why anyone is surprised at this. Span got 3/31, and it can be argued he is a better player than Fowler. A bunch of us were saying 3/30 for Fowler, which seems about right. And we are less than a week away from ST. It is 100% not a contract that will screw up any future plans, or prevent you from making additional moves if needed(Like a Danks contract did). I just don't get it. You know I keep saying they're out of money. It's either that or there's a specific trade target they're going after.

Yes, I would be shocked if Avi puts up a 1 WAR. He sucks in all three aspects, and would need incredible improvements in order to get into the positive range all around. It's just insane to go into a season with 3 guys who are very risky starters (Avi, Saladino and LaRoche) and not have a competent replacement in place for any of them.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:31 AM) You would really think so, but we are less than 48 hrs away from pitchers and catchers reporting and we haven't even heard a whisper. If they go into this season with those guys starting at their respective positions, they're digging their own grave. We know there's no accountability under Jerry's watch though, so why do anything? Also, for those getting their hopes up about a Spring Training trade, there was only one of significance last year during ST and that was the day before opening day (Kimbrel).

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:29 AM) I'm ok if they can get Jackson for a song, but passing on Fowler at that price to go with Avi would be an epic fail. There's been absolutely nothing linking the Sox to Fowler for a few weeks. This news isn't surprising. If they go into the season with this roster and fail again, Hahn better be held accountable.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 02:08 AM) Jackson put up a 2.3 fWAR last year, while Avi put up a -1.1. That's a 3.4 fWAR differential, which is beyond substantial. I also think the Safeco is a plus, as plenty of guys have turned around after leaving Seattle. As for Jackson's role on the team, he'd be our CF with Eaton moving to RF. That's a significantly better defensive alignment than Cabrera-Eaton-Garcia. And I get you're an Avi fanboy, but there is nothing to suggest Avi will get materially better at this point in time. 1,100 career PA's and he's been worth a combined -1.9 fWAR, with no signs of improvement. We're talking about a a guy who is a horrific defender & poor base runner that also has no plate discipline. The odds of him ever hitting enough to account for his other shortcomings is incredibly small. You certaintly don't risk a legit shot at a division title over it. And I'm not even advocating dumping Avi, I'd like to see him as LaRoche's platoon partner and overall insurance policy at DH & LF. So much awesomeness in this post. Shocking to think Ventura and possibly Hahn will let their job fall on the shoulders of Avi and LaRoche.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 09:22 PM) No one has said it in reply so I will. Bringing in Ryan Raburn would be a terrible idea for the White Sox because he would no longer be able to hit against the White Sox. This would cause a serious decrease in his yearly production. Drop his RBI numbers, for example, by 25%. But wouldn't it also help our pitchers out, as they would no longer have to face him?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 09:19 PM) Either way, this is a big year for Leyer. He turns 23 in a few weeks, and has yet to have a season that really makes him stand out. Especially with all of the starting pitching talent in the system, he has got to be feeling some pressure this year. I'm going to get myself in trouble for this I'm sure, but what starting pitching depth? Outside of the top guys, it's pretty weak in terms of pitching. Most of the pitchers in the top 30 project as relievers IMO.

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 08:57 PM) I've tried to stay patient through out this process but it's becoming increasingly hard to swallow the thought of them not making another move. I have a feeling the Fowler deal is going to piss some fans off if/when he signs with Baltimore. I get the "being on a budget" thing to a certain extent but I thought for sure that the Frazier move was them signaling they would do more than this... Believe in Nightengale until proven otherwise

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 08:39 PM) I might get blasted for this, but what about De Aza? Mets looking to trade him, he for sure will come cheap. Can platoon him with Avi. Sure, he doesn't upgrade the overall defense, but he's still a decent hitter. Heard Rangers are looking at him. I don't think the Sox would ever take ADA back.

Fun stat, steamer projects Markakis to be worse defensively than Avi in 2016. Markakis has horrible defensive WAR ratings throughout his career.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 04:41 PM) How is this for an opening question... Would you be OK if the White Sox didn't sign another OF, if they used that money instead to go over their 2016 international bonus pool allotment? As for the question, I'd rather they spend the money on 2016 upgrades instead of long-term players. 2016/2017 are important years for the Sox to contend, and if things go bad this year, we could be looking at some massive rebuilding project.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 07:36 PM) If Fowler truly is going for 2/20, I relaly would like us to pay that and give up our comp pick. IMO, it would have been done by now if it was that price and Sox were truly ok giving up their comp pick. My guess is he'll get more AND Sox don't want to give up comp pick.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 06:23 PM) I could actually see the Braves being interested in a deal for Danks. Chances are that he'd be better in the NL from a performance standpoint, and then they could flip him at the deadline for more prospects to help their rebuild. Danks is about the last thing the Braves want right now. If they're unloading Markakis, it's to free themselves of his money.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 06:20 PM) Shuck and Sanchez both hit lefties better than righties. When a lefty is pitching those will be the games to get Sanchez and/or Shuck in the lineup and you can DH one of Lawrie, Avi or Frazier to give them a day off from playing the field. Still think if they don't bring in Desmond or another outfielder, Raburn would be an ideal fit.