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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 12:09 PM) Except the same stuff seemingly led to him being benched down the stretch last year after another terrible season. Toronto wasn't going to win the division and had young OF's to look at. What same stuff are you alluding to besides his bad season ? The thing most responsible for his bad season was use of shifts against him . His LD% was good . He is a lot like Dunn hitting wise with the low average and high K's and trouble with the shift except he offers defensive versatility which the Sox badly need in the OF. He was also pretty beat up with hip and hamstring injuries. I'm not really all that high on him as it may seem. He's much like Beckham and Viciedo as far as untapped potential goes except that he HAS had 2 very good years and it's not all that unreasonable to think he has a few more in him.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 11:30 AM) I really don't think the White Sox want a guy who won't listen to their coaches when he is struggling. LaRussa and Rasmus hated each other. LaRussa and JR are tight. I am sure if there is some interest, that probably is a call that is made. I really doubt JR pays this guy 8 figures. All that stuff is 3 years old . He has had good working relationships with a few of his hitting coaches since then.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 11:22 AM) When you have a Hall of Fame manager asking the same questions, it adds a whole lot more weight than any random internet stuff. It isn't like this is being made up. I just want to move away from his "head" and more into his talent and fit with the Sox . His upside, if realized, is very high and a potential 4.5 WAR guy who's done it before and is only 28 can't be ignored . If I had to pick one or the other sure it would be Cabrera but I'm greedy I want both unless it costs the Sox a chance to add a quality starter. He doesn't seem like a bad guy and he knows he is to blame more than anyone. http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/201...y_la_russa.html LaRussa too has his critics but if wins are the most important things then I guess that makes his personality a winner too. SO simple so in depth.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 10:52 AM) I never remember Konerko having any of these issues. You never heard about him not getting along with teammates or working with coaches. I never remembering him complain about things, and finding something to blame for his problems. As a matter of a fact it was always after the fact that someone else came out and told us that something had been wrong for months, but he hadn't said anything about it. I just think it's the easy way to be critical of someone's mental capacity when you're making judgments based off internet or newspaper accounts of things.The hard way is to get to know the person or his background thorughly which can't be done so all we have is the easy, critical path or non judgement which is no fun. WhatMelky's done is far worse than anything Rasmus has done if you base it on what baseball allows and what it doesn't allow. Does that matter to me ? Nope. Start fresh with the Sox and live up to your talent and the fans will adore you.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 10:30 AM) I think Cabrera is probably the best of the realistic matches for what this team needs. The one hang up is are the Sox willing to over look his past. I think Melky is the better choice for consistent production but he costs that 2nd rounder whereas Rasmus is the choice for either a short term or longer term contract, better fielding, higher upside , and more team flexibility since he can play CF during an Eaton absence and no draft choice attached.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 10:26 AM) Rasmus strikes me more and more as a guy who isn't very mentally tough, is prone to pouting and excuse making, and doesn't respond well to adversity. There is always something wrong. You might have said the same thing about Konerko early on who was very intense and let his day to day struggles weigh on him. When he learned to let go of those things he became a better player. You and I will probably always disagree when I hear you or anyone say a guy isn't mentally tough or other talk about mental midgets. No one is inside the guys head. Sometimes you question your abilities or your coaches constantly searching for answers. To me that is a guy who cares a lot , maybe too much , trying to please everyone instead of letting his talent take over. When he gives an interview he opened up whereas other guys will give you stock answers knowing any complaint will be perceived as a weakness. It's not easy being in the public eye and other players just learn "shut up and play" is the best response because otherwise you set yourself up to be judged. His age , power, LH-ness and above avg OF skills when healthy make him a natural fit for the Sox . He might be the only non pitcher the Sox have a shot at who is capable of giving you a 4.5 WAR .

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 10:10 AM) I thank you again sir. When reading that make sure you click the accompaning links for even more in depth knowledge. Based on his interview he thinks the artificial turf hurt him and if he truly believes that then a natural grass field like the Sox have would be ideal for him . I also think if the Sox kick the tires on him they should bring along Thome and Konerko as guys who can school Colby on staying even keeled and not letting the day to day grind or results weigh on him. Thome especially as a power and high K guy like Rasmus could be beneficial . If he performed well here I think he would become a fan favorite.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:58 AM) Works for me. Isn't Rasmus projected to get something like 10M annually? Thought I had seen that somewhere but not sure. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/10/free...lby-rasmus.html Should answer every Rasmus question anyone needs to ask.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:00 AM) If we're serious about trading Alexei, we need Leury as a potential fallback. He's the only guy in the upper minors that we KNOW can play a good ML SS. You really think Leury would be the Sox #1 option in the event Alexei is traded or just the late innings guy ? We just have too many other options with Saladino, Sanchez Semien and Leury's defense might not be any better than the best option of those other 3.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:47 AM) This is true. I'm not against the idea of signing Rasmus based on his potential upside and age. He does bring power from the left side no doubt. Rasmus will not cost a comp pick either will he? Nope he's a freebie.

QUOTE (MDWhiteSoxFan @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:46 AM) When I began my off season mock I had thought about him. But him turning down the QO from Toronto doesn't that mean we give up a pick to sign him? If so which pick? 2nd round. 1st round is protected. Any free agent after that who rejected a QO we sign would be a 3rd rd pick and so it goes.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:27 AM) From what I've read they're both 89-94 on their FB, both guys will throw any pitch (and they have a lot of em) at any time, both switch up speed and depths and of course both were teammates making the comp "natural." Here's a good article with GIFs http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/11/12/72...n-astros-fowler The quotes about his velo kinda conflict with the reports from Ben Badler who had this to say... "Maeda’s velocity was impressive, ranging from 90-94 mph and hitting 94 four times. In previous outings, he’s thrown anywhere from 87-94 mph, but he didn’t throw a fastball below 90 today and he spotted it well. Maeda pitched mostly off his four-seamer, though he mixed in a handful of two-seam fastballs with a little more armside run, too." I really like him. I'd give him 5/90 without giving it a 2nd thought. There have been some reports of 6/120-130, which would make me pause and think, but with the payroll the way it is I think I'd have to consider it. I don't think those reports from Badler are conflicting at all . I believe there were pitch or innings limitations in the Japan/MLB series that just concluded. Knowing he wouldn't go deep into the game he upped how hard he threw his FB ever so slightly to consistently hit 90 and above.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:31 AM) If Conor is still on the roster come st, I wonder if he starts to see some time in the outfield. Anywho, staying on topic, I think Melky makes a ton of sense for the Sox. I keep seeing that but I really think it's very very unlikely. Semien yes Conor no. Just think he's too invested at 3rd base and not enough foot speed for it to be a viable option.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:28 AM) That's what I'm talking about!!! Rasmus can also play CF which we will need when Eaton runs into a fence that doesn't agree with him. We wouldn't need a LaRoche then and there's just no upside to LaRoche like there is for Rasmus .

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:24 AM) You want to hold on to the money for five more years? Will that money at least gain some interest while the Sox wait for Otani to be posted? Anyway. Anyone know what's up with the link? I clicked it and it would appear the article is gone now. What were Rogers' suggestions? Works for me . Try it again http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/101...-to-do-for-2015

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 09:16 AM) No faith in Avi Garcia? He's thinking 4 good OF's so we can rotate 1 a day at DH instead of aquiring a DH. Getting Rasmus semi affordably would be an option since his defense is better than Avi or Melky's with hitting upside could work out and certainly his power is a major plus. They all get rested hopefully keeping them fresher by playing DH once a week.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 08:20 AM) These are very valid concerns. How much do we think a guy like Putnam or Guerra would get on the open market right now? It wouldn't be be 3/$15, but their years weren't quite as good and they aren't left handed, so those influence it as well. The small sample size works the other way too. How do we know he didn't just get hot and that he is going to lose his command? Perhaps he's similar to Donnie Veal. It's hard to know the true talent of a guy like that based on 50 some innings. The Sox believe in his talent. All we can do is hope they're right. The last sentence is basically how I feel about it. I can't even begin to guess how the guy will do next year. I can't wait til we sign Duke's RH counterpart Pat Neshek with his delivery and past history .

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 08:17 PM) Hey fun with selective endpoints! His 2nd half xFIP was 2.76 his 1st half was 1.72. He was pretty damn good in both. The big difference? His strand rate went from 90.5 in the 1st and to 59.5 in the 2nd half, that and he walked a few more guys. He had a very good year overall, splitting it up is fairly useless for such a small sample already. He only pitched 20.2 after the ASB. It's a fine signing I have no idea how anyone could be against it. They have money to spend and the pen was awful. This move hardly breaks the bank for additional signings. I was just stirring the pot a bit since no one else checked his splits. Guess I stirred it too much since the thread got closed for a bit. If I had to draw any conclusions from what I see there it would be this. When you completely reinvent yourself by changing your arm angle drastically maintaining command would probably be pretty hard. He struggled with his control with a walk every 2 innings and 3 wild pitches . This was Downs problem. He just couldn't throw strikes. I am satisfied they addressed a need with this signing. Another point. When talking about relievers you live in the small sample size world. A successful set up guy or closer makes his living on small sample sizes. If you can manage to not give up runs just 1 inning per appearance you are a great RP. The reason RP numbers fluctuate so much from year to year is small sample sizes where a few bad outings can ruin your stats for the whole year. A starter like Quintana can overcome bad outings stat wise by piling up good innings ( 6-9 innings per appearance ) to offset the bad. A RP can't.

Don't think anyone has looked at his splits yet to compare his 1st and 2nd half of 2014. If you think the league may have caught up to the changes then you may have a point. 1st Half 38 IP 29 hits 1.18 ERA 0.947 WHIP 7BB 0 WP 2nd Half 20.2 IP 20Hits 4.79 ERA 1.452 WHIP 10BB 3WP

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 18, 2014 -> 06:45 PM) Um...........I see one problem with your statement............ Ha ,oops ,well could be done later .involving someone else .

If Alexei gets moved to the Dodgers you can bet your ass we're getting Kemp back somehow. When Hahn says he wants a LH middle of the order bat he isn't screwing around. Wish Kemp wasn't such a lousy fielder. A move will be coming wether it's soon or later that will convince one and all that Hahn is serious about contending this year and trading Alexei doesn't suggest otherwise.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 18, 2014 -> 06:22 PM) There's only one done. He couldn't make it too obvious unless he wants to be known as the Headbanger GM.

QUOTE (TheTruth05 @ Nov 18, 2014 -> 12:37 PM) Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 52s52 seconds ago Rick Hahn: "We're on to the next one now." Says they're going to address other needs, including more bullpen help. #WhiteSox Is Rick giving us a little Foo Fighters here ?

So Zach Duke is " Trading Places" from the Brewers to us. Randolph and Mortimer Duke would be proud. Obscure old movie reference brought to you by Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy and Jamie Lee Curtis.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 17, 2014 -> 06:29 PM) You could comfortably play Van Slyke in LF or RF, and back-up/occasional CF. The problem is that adding a Snider, Lambo, Bourjos or Van Slyke isn't going to do much other than upgrading the bench over Jordan Danks. They could be platoon pieces, but one would HOPE Hahn/KW/JR are shooting higher than that. You never know Van Slyke could be ready to bust loose. Those kind of numbers he put up would be All Star caliber if in 600 AB's ( specifically the SLG, OPS OPS+ OBP )