CaliSoxFanViaSWside

Anyone see that picture @whitesox.com of Cease and how he has the tip of index finger on the seam of the baseball. What pitch is he throwing there.? Does he throw all his pitches with that grip ? I would think not so perhaps that is easy for the opposition hitters to spot since it makes that finger stick out above the ball.

Well I always thought that I was among the 1st here if not the 1st to start inquiring about Mercedes last year. David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez didn't become who they became until around the same age as Mercedes. A 1.033 OPS kind of speaks for itself and for a team hurting for power you'd think they could find some room for him if they just got rid of Castillo. It's just the last month of the season. I also edited/added to that post above.

You're probably right but isn't that what rebuilding teams do ? After all, we acquired Tilson, Palka ,Cordell, Gillaspie (not an OF ), LaMarre and probably a few I am missing during the rebuild. Who is out there trying to identify Dominican talent ? Notice anything all those guys I mentioned have in common ?

I'd like them to find the next Yordan Alvarez or Aristides Aquino like the Astros acquired Alvarez from the Dodgers . Aquino was non-tendered by the Reds and became a free agent on November 30, 2018. He re-signed a minor league deal on December 3, 2018. So there was a small window to acquire him at a time when we had no production in right field.

Sox supposedly offered Grandal a multiyear deal last year along with a few other teams but he rejected them so round and round we go.

I actually liked Marcus. I always remember one particular AB that impressed me. He pulled his hands in a lot to get around on a very inside pitch and hit a HR when most would've fouled it off. I know its one AB but I have yet to see Eloy do that. From a SF Chronicle article about that trade with the Sox: “I should stop being surprised at what Marcus accomplishes because he really understands what he needs to work on. He’s a great self-evaluator,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Every spring, he comes in with something else he feels he needs to work on. He uses the analytics to check what his deficiencies are.” Imagine that a manager talking about analytics and using them to to improve. https://www.sfchronicle.com/athletics/article/Semien-Bassitt-Phegley-show-A-s-came-out-14287512.php?psid=l2LF4

How long before the Sox have to make a decision on who to expose to the Rule 5 ? Who would be the 5 catchers on the 40 ? Zavala, Collins, McCann, Mercedes so who am I forgetting ? Beef will be gone next year.

I guess you thought of Brent Morel.

Not necessarily.Look at how the Twins got so much better this year. Cruz 1 yr with option for $14.3M, Schoop, One year, $7.5MM ,Marwin Gonzalez, INF/OF: Two years, $21MM, Martin Perez, LHP: One year, $4MM (includes $500K buyout of 2020 club option) ,Claimed 1B C.J. Cron off waivers from the Rays and then a $4.8 M salary,Blake Parker, RHP: One year, $1.8MM Total Spent including names I haven't listed and not including Cron's $4.8M is $49.4M . We could also look at some starting pitchers signed by other teams who have had very good years for cheap like Wade Miley, LHP: one year, $4.5MM by Astros , Lance Lynn, RHP: three years, $30MM by Rangers, Mike Fiers, RHP: two years, $14.1MM by Oakland Brett Anderson, LHP: one year, $1.5MM by Oakland 2.5WAR for that salary. We could also look at some position players . MVP candidate DJ LeMahieu, INF: Two years, $24MM by the Yankees, Michael Brantley, OF: two years, $32MM by Astros, Mike Moustakas, 2B/3B: One year, $10MM, Yasmani Grandal, ? One year, $18.25MM (includes $2MM buyout on 2020 mutual option) by Brewers. I include him even at that salary because it's a short contract. Any time you can get an established star on a short contract , you do it, just like Astros did with Brantley or Braves did with Donaldson even though that contract was $23M for a year Donaldson has been great for the Braves. The problem is identifying them and using your tools to approach guys with things that might make them better like the Astros did with Verlander when they traded for him and Cole . We have yet to see the Sox have any strength in these areas. I got much of this info from MLB Trade Rumors in their Offseason in review Series that review team acquisitions in the offseason in March. Just to remind everyone I will include a few things from The Sox review from MLBTR . Here’s White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams attempting to defend the team’s eight-year, $250MM final offer (to Machado), as reported by Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times: “People are lost on the fact that on a yearly basis, our offer was more than San Diego’s. The average annual value was $31 [million] and change. So it was about years guaranteed. So there is an argument that could be made that our offer was the better of the two. It certainly had more upside for him. All he had to do was basically stay healthy.” This is almost comical, as is Williams’ assertion that if the team had gone further financially, fans would have been “much more disappointed in our inability to keep this next core together.” The key piece of that core, Eloy Jimenez, remains a minor leaguer for the purpose of gaining control of his 2025 season. The team’s “next core” literally hasn’t reached the Majors yet, but giving Machado an extra two years would break it up? Hahn’s claim that the Sox made a “very aggressive offer” is patently untrue. With every large market team sitting out Machado’s market and the price coming in much lower than it could have been, the White Sox still never got close. There were words used in the article like ridiculous, comically, patently untrue ,strangely, fairly typical offseason, https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/offseason-in-review-chicago-white-sox-11.html

Considering Palka is back, him and Mercedes are a bit redundant as strictly DH types. Mercedes would've needed another 40 man roster spot to open and so far no one has been given their unconditional release, which I expected but others did not when I asked 15 hrs. ago. Considering how poor the Sox Dh's have performed this year including Palka,Mercedes should be given a shot at it.

It would definitely surprise me.

The offense is usually equaling the opposition in hits but they can't get big hits or HR's at all. How many HR's have the Sox hit in this 7 game losing streak ? 2 ? 3 ? Plus the pitching staff is giving up a lot of double digit games.

But are you really expecting them to actually release anyone ?

No open 40 man spot unless they get rid of someone.

Maybe so you shouldn't have blamed the 3rd base coach he has to be sent there.

2 outs runner on 2nd needs to score on a hit. CF was playing shallow but Moncada probably needed to get a better secondary lead and jump there.

Sox try to stop their 6 game slide against the Tribe in Cleveland. Detwiler vs. Civale . Wait who is in the rebuild here? We have the retread going and they have the young pitcher .

Someone is in a foul mood today.

Maybe the rally Engel

He did tjhrow one higher after he was ahead and Freeman fouled it off and he threw a changeup down and a slider in the Freeman took . But still should ve kept the ball out of the zone and if he walks he walks.

Gio was ahead in the count just threw too many in the zone about waist high after that.

You were right. Gio didn't throw him as much crap with 2 strikes as I expected like burying the slider in a few times or another one up out of the zone.

Eloy due for a long one.

Gio K's the side in the 5th. Still just the 1 hit given up.

Sweet debut.