CaliSoxFanViaSWside

They went for so little it's hard to imagine they weren't easily available. Of course I can't say who wanted them or if the Sox wanted them . No one can do that. They surely weren't overpaid. If there was a 2.8 WAR player in minimal playing time out there who could play every IF and every OF position you could sign for $3.5-$4M plus incentives wouldn't that be great ? Combined that's what they amounted to except they are 2 players instead of 1.

Let's hope so. In my opening post I said it was just a feeling that had been festering and I listed arguments against my own post in fairness to seeing both sides which you quoted . I really wasn't going to make a thread about it because I know it sounds trivial to be wondering about a couple minor upgrades . But when conversation in the Puig thread veered into the same direction I saw I wasn't the only one thinking that way and quotes about Jerry not wanting to spend more money popped up with one of our best insiders here, James Fox , saying he heard the same thing .

Cameron Maybin accumulated 1.6 fWAR in only 82 games and he rebuilt his swing .285BA .364 OBP 127 wRC+ signed with Tigers for $1.5M plus incentives and played all 3 OF positions with the Yankees. Brad Miller had 1.2 fWAR in only 170 PA with a .565 Slg. and 126wRC+. He signed for $2M plus incentives, Both vets with good stats signed for very little . Less combined in base salary than the Sox paid John Jay to do basically nothing all year . They realized time was getting short and took what they could get. This narrative about looking for starting jobs and not wanting to come here because of Madrigal is pretty unlikely . It's too late for these guys to be picky about where they end up and were in no position to expect starting jobs or try to wind up with a contender. Last year combined they had 2.8 fWAR hardly playing at all . Engel's had more chances than he deserved. I like Mendick. He might be a Brad Miller type but that is as uncertain as how Kopech, Cease, Lopez and all the other unproven young players do on the Sox, maybe even more so since his SSS performance surpised a few people. Any time you can add close to 3 fWAR for $3.5M plus incentives you take it when it fills areas of need. It's penny jar money .

New article on Yermin . https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/white-sox/bowling-ball-minor-leaguer-nobodys-talking-about-could-be-white-sox-26th-man

Exactly . Does JR want to win again so he can sell high and present this wonderful accounting picture to a new buyer ? Is he catching up to the rest of baseball in other areas to also give a potential buyer the impression the Sox are also in line with the rest of baseball on the field and in all areas of player development also ?

You misunderstand the point . If you are happy, as we all are, that we came out of the rebuild by spending money, that had to happen eventually. The point is why not make a bigger effort to win ? Why is the payroll stuck at $110M or where ever its at now ? We get fed crumbs . Every year seems like let's see what we have. Lets wait till we see how we do. Let's wait to see what attendance is this year or what the TV ratings are. Oh we should be happy we finally entered the world of biomechanics and finally making an effort in IFA . Hooray White Sox, Feed us just enough to be grateful we aren't starving. Usually in the past when the Sox have made a decent splash in the FA market we get fed stories about increases in season tickets. I haven't seen anything this year about that . Will we get your hopes too high for more payroll if we see better season ticket sales ? Yes things are going well .Maybe we can all be appeased again when the Sox finally spend over $100M on a player. Why does it take the Sox so long to do what other teams have already done? I am excited for the season as I am always. That doesn't mean I should be happy the team is finally coming out of the dark ages. I expect better . When we talk about Mookie Betts why is it always everyone telling us no way ? Your reaction is the kind the Sox like, Yay we still have a payroll below average but we're so happy the rebuild is over that the fleeting thoughts about will they , can they ,finish it off gets vanquished .

And trust me the thought of the 2nd place carrot dangling stuff you wrote about entered my mind. Just didn't mention it since my posts tend to be long I have to edit something. I know that stuff is hearsay so I don't think I ever commented on it before.

Made a new thread for this discussion.

A few days ago I made this Post in the Gorkys Hernandez thread: "If we revisited the thread about payroll expectations this year,aren't we still under the $120M which was the Athletic number ? I'm going to guess more than half the people who posted thought it would be higher. I know it's nitpicking to say I'm unhappy about the lack of late signings but I am. Sure I can understand relying on Mendick and Leury and not trading more prospects but I really think the bullpen could use more help especially a long reliever. Heck you can see what the Red Sox want for Brandon Workman but that seems like a move for a team who is sure they are going to contend or more likely to happen at the deadline if the Red Sox still feel they can contend and it doesn't happen. I can't help but feel they skimped a little on payroll this year not only in order to see how everything looks at the trade deadline but also to prepare for next year, But it just feels like they are in wait and see mode rather than trying to make the playoffs this year. Perhaps too many young pitchers and pitchers in general coming off injuries to push more chips in. Just seems odd that Hahn has talked about how JR reminds him that he isn't getting any younger but we still didn't make a much larger effort to win this year. In my mind I am also drawing a correlation between the current payroll and increased spending in IFA and more developmental aspects of the game such as biomechanics or more high speed cameras. I have no knowledge that we have more high speed cameras now then before but I am seeing cameras in some of the spring training photos behind the pitchers. Maybe this feeling needs its own thread but that's how I feel." Now conversation has cropped up in the Puig thread regarding the lack of late signings though some very helpful pieces have signed elsewhere for relativity cheap. I 've had this feeling for at least a week before I made the post above that no one else was getting a major league contract. Thought the topic deserved it's own thread. So how do we feel about this ?

Looks like a defensive lineman here and there could be something under his shirt because that looks too high up to be a belly.

I don't think anyone is hitting the gas pedal on him. He's just an intriguing guy who just pounded AA and AAA pitching last year . There's really no doubt he is just a DH moving forward and the most likely scenario is he never gets a chance with the Sox .

The Twins didn't value David Ortiz very highly and he became a legend in Boston . That was after 6 seasons and around 1600 AB's in Minnesota, He wasn't a high contact good defense guy like Manager Tom Kelly preferred and some injuries always seemed to come right as he was looking ready to break out and the Twins ended up releasing him after his best season with them because they tried to trade him and found no takers and didn't try to negotiate a contract with him and didn't want to pay him $2M dollars for a DH who couldn't hit lefties. He started his Big Papi glory years with the Red Sox at the age of 27. The next 5 years in a row starting in 2003 he never finished less than 5th in MVP voting. Fellow Dominican Pedro Martinez was always in Ortiz corner.He requested the Red Sox sign him. After Ortiz was frustrated early in his 1st year with the Red Sox and was beefing to the media Pedro got him to keep quiet and asked that he always be in the lineup when he pitched. The rest is history. Just imagine if he was the DH for the White Sox all those years he played for the Red Sox.

Especially when guys like Palka and Delmonico wouldn't be big losses if Engel was sent down. Their days are numbered as it is. I'm going to take a guess on Holt's contract . 1 yr. $3.75M .

I liked Maybin especially if you believe that his numbers were the result of a new swing. I know he feels that way and thinks he will have a good year.

I voted for the Sox and I never log into my twitter.

If we revisited the thread about payroll expectations this year,aren't we still under the $120M which was the Athletic number ? I'm going to guess more than half the people who posted thought it would be higher. I know it's nitpicking to say I'm unhappy about the lack of late signings but I am. Sure I can understand relying on Mendick and Leury and not trading more prospects but I really think the bullpen could use more help especially a long reliever. Heck you can see what the Red Sox want for Brandon Workman but that seems like a move for a team who is sure they are going to contend or more likely to happen at the deadline if the Red Sox still feel they can contend and it doesn't happen. I can't help but feel they skimped a little on payroll this year not only in order to see how everything looks at the trade deadline but also to prepare for next year, But it just feels like they are in wait and see mode rather than trying to make the playoffs this year. Perhaps too many young pitchers and pitchers in general coming off injuries to push more chips in. Just seems odd that Hahn has talked about how JR reminds him that he isn't getting any younger but we still didn't make a much larger effort to win this year. In my mind I am also drawing a correlation between the current payroll and increased spending in IFA and more developmental aspects of the game such as biomechanics or more high speed cameras. I have no knowledge that we have more high speed cameras now then before but I am seeing cameras in some of the spring training photos behind the pitchers. Maybe this feeling needs its own thread but that's how I feel.

https://www.mlb.com/news/30-mlb-players-poised-to-make-leap-2020 White Sox -- Eloy Jiménez, LF: He was starting to really put it together late in the year, and he obviously has light-tower power. He might be the best candidate on this entire list, a dark horse to hit 50 homers.

In the 2005 ALCS Crede should 've won MVP but Konerko got it instead.

So you and I were both there at the Game 5 ALCS .

I'll make a hot take on Mercedes which we will never know. I'd think if he and Robert both were on the opening day 26 I'd say he would hit just as well as Robert in an equal amount of PA's. He's K'd less and walked more at the same level and has had years to get to where he is. Of course Robert would be 4 X as valuable due to defense and speed but for hitting alone I think it would be close .

Oh I forgot Disco Demolition .

Not a chance unless Encarnacion gets injured and they ignore Collins. Even then i'd be skeptical. After all they didn't bring him up last year when it meant nothing.and gave AB's to Castillo and Yolmer even though we all agreed they were out the door after the season while not giving more AB's to Mendick and Collins.

I agree if there's a "none of the above" there should be an "all of the above" choice too.

It's in my signature. Clinching game in Anaheim to win the pennant in 05. I put that signature before the game and as you can see I was very confident that it would be the clinching game. After losing game 1 Game 2 was the AJ controversial call. 2 outs in the 9th AJ reaches on the infamous play. Ozuna pinch runs and steals 2nd and Crede, down 0-2 in the count, ropes one into the LF corner for the walk off series tying hit. Who knows what the out come of that series becomes if the Sox were down 0-2. In game 5 Crede hits the game tying HR in the 7th. Then with 2 outs in the 8th on a 2 out, 3-2 pitch ,Crede hits a grounder behind 2nd base and Rowand scores from 2nd . Contreras goes the distance for the Sox 4th straight complete game. Best rally Crede's ever !

The author has every right to question the output of Mercedes especially since the Sox didn't pay $50M for him or draft him high. He still has plenty of obstacles in his way to ever getting ML AB's , I sometimes get annoyed that everyone wants great production but when we get it then it's analyzed on how sustainable it is, It's like he isn't producing he sucks . Then he's producing but all these numbers say its unsustainable or it isn't what he's shown in the past. I always kind of take the whole development isn't linear concept to heart and just want to believe it's real development and just enjoy it for a bit. We all get it. No matter how well he hits he cant play D very well and he's 26 so no will put him in the Sox top 30 prospects. I'm rooting for the kid to get a shot somewhere sometime. It was a huge accomplishment just to get to the 40.I'm no exception to liking the underdog; it's nice to know he seems popular with Sox fans. He's bashed his way into our consciousness and maybe he can stay there for a little while longer. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/yermin-mercedes-is-the-feel-good-story-of-the-40-man-roster-deadline/