CaliSoxFanViaSWside

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Feb 8, 2016 -> 01:24 PM) "Bounce back" or "rebound" implies that the player in question was good in the past but then had a bad year. That doesn't really fit for Garcia or Johnson, and Webb and Turner are stretches as well. You can't bounce back if there was nothing to bounce back to. Ventura also seems out of place on the list. Didn't see this reply before I posted mine, but thinking along the same lines.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 8, 2016 -> 01:01 PM) When you're hoping for 7 pretty important players to rebound...you aren't a very good team. http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/163...-in-2016-season Actually only named 6 players and Ventura and some of those guys mentioned really don't fit the narrative. Garcia and LaRoche do but the others Erik Johnson, Jacob Turner, Alex Avila and Daniel Webb just don't fit it. EJ isn't really hoping for a bounce back because he's not an established ML pitcher. He's already bounced back from his disaster of 2014 . Now he just needs to establish himself as a quality starting pitcher. Turner and Webb probably don't make the opening day roster unless something great happens in ST for them. Avila is what he is ,would love to see him bounce back somewhat but even if he doesn't hit for average he's still good for OBP.

Wasn't Freddy drunk once at Soxfest ? I think there's video of it somewhere. Here it is , 2010 bashing the Cubs

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 6, 2016 -> 09:40 AM) Levine keeps suggesting these mega Sox deals despite the fact they have nothing to get them done (assuming Anderson and Fulmer are untouchable). They do if they move some regulars . Which I've thought would happen eventually . Hahn have to be working within some kind of very tight budget or constraint. Maybe Caulfield was right for bringing up signings in June. I laughed every time I saw him mention it because its a terrible plan for a player. If the Sox are intent on still getting better but already at or near some salary cap and don't want to trade certain minor leaguers what does that leave ? It leaves a big trade of multiple pieces which was why I brought up trading Q to the Dodgers before we started hearing about wanting Puig. It's really the only alternative left . I'm almost to the point of thinking screw these guys ( free agents who will feel they might've got bad advice from their agents and if sign with the Sox they come with a chip on their shoulders like they are pissed they had to sign here.)

QUOTE (scs787 @ Feb 7, 2016 -> 08:09 AM) I'm hoping they just have Yadiel Hernandez in their back pocket waiting for him to post. He's a former teammate of Jose's and they're around the same age, so it wouldn't surprise me if they're friends or still talk so hopefully there is some recruiting going on to make sure the Sox don't lose that bid. It's at the point where I can't even see the Sox outbidding anyone for anything or if cheaper guys come to the market like Kang they either don't bid or don't think the talent from whatever league won't translate. We haven't heard of the Sox for any of the Korean signees. For that matter none of the Cubans since they got expensive .It's a fail fail system.

I'm always somewhat surprised when people compare pitchers such as defining an ace or the other fangraphs article from last season looking for young starting trios as good as the Mets , how pitching in different leagues isn't brought up more. Put Sale , Q and Rodon in the NL and move DeGron Syndergaard and Harvey to the AL and everything is very different.

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 08:56 PM) That was super fun to watch. Toews ties for the league lead with his 8th GWG. Also has 3 shorties. Welcome back to the lineup Cap. That Roszival goal was something you don't see every day. Once a year or less since that was his 4th goal in the last 5 seasons. Also Kane's goal was his career high 31st.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 06:45 PM) Horrible call. Hawks have been getting f***ed on goal disallow calls this year However, Hossa kicking some ass so far in the 2nd period with a power move goal that tied it up then hits a wide opren Toews with a pass for a SH goal that gives the Hawks the lead.

Quenville gets a bench minor b****ing about Hawks 1st goal @AZ. being disallowed . Hossa was pushed by a defender close enough to the goalie for the goalie stick to get caught around Hossa's legs . Hossa then backhanded the puck which deflected in off the same defender's leg. Looked like it should 've been allowed. Now Yotes score on the PP from the bench minor Q got. 1-0 lead turns into 1-0 deficit.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 06:22 AM) The Dodgers would never do that deal. Urias and Montas won't help them this year or maybe ever and Pederson despite the monster HR's is flawed in other ways. Q would actually give them someone to put in the 2 spot in the rotation. Unless I'm missing something they got a lot of starting pitchers but no one very reliable. Ryu (injuries) ,McCarthy (injuries) ,Maeda ( new league) ,Anderson (injury history), Kazmir (injury history , probably their 2nd best starter who should be a 3 ), Wood (3 or 4 starter) . Do you see anyone who should be a true #2 starter ? I don't. Plus Q's conract is so good what's wrong with asking for Urias , Pederson and Montas ? Urias has the best upside, Pederson could be a HR/walk guy but never hit for a decent average . Many people on this website only look at Montas as a reliever but somehow look at Fulmer as a starter. The Sox could whip their system right back into shape while the Dodger get a better chance at winning now . Their starting staff isn't all that impressive without Grienke. They could be worse than last year. They can't keep sitting on prospects with a huge payroll and not making the World Series. Or I'll also throw out there Q , Avi or Melky and Putnam for Urias, Montas ,Trayce Thompson and Alex Verdugo . The Dodger actually have four other OF's rated above Thompson on their prospect list but they mostly are very young guys for who the Dodgers paid big international bucks .

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 06:18 PM) The only way I could see this being remotely possible would be something like Q for Puig/Wood. When I was reading through the Eithier thread. I started thinking how a blockbuster trade between the Dodgers and White Sox might work and it centered around Q but thinking of it made my brain hurt. I thought of reasonable Dodger targets (meaning no Seager). Pederson. Puig, Montas, Thompson any of their starters not named Kershaw. They have depth but not a lot of quality and a few oft injured guys . I figured it could be done but I don't get paid to figure this s*** out, Hahn does ,so let his brain hurt. Quintana for Pederson, Urias and Montas .Is that a big enough "small army" for Q ? Or we csan take Eithier instead but then we get another prospect.

QUOTE (daggins @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 06:57 PM) Well they also have Scott Van Slyke and KEKE Hernandez and a very full infield. I think they will be fine. And Trayce.

There's been a lot of speculation in the thread about what kind of money Fowler can make . Most are focusing on what other 2nd tier OF's got and the draft pick keeping his value down. I'm not so sure . Everyone seems to be ignoring the biggest factor and that is supply and demand. With so many teams sitting out the big ticket free agents it seems as if there will be many interested in Fowler.The Sox, Cubs, Rangers, Angels, Orioles, Nationals , Indians and some I might be missing. All have expressed interest in acquiring another OF. If I had to guess what Fowler would get for a 3 year deal it might be anywhere from 15-17M AAV.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jan 27, 2016 -> 04:11 PM) Fowler is not worth what becomes a late first round draft pick. If we sign him and lose the pic then keeping the Shark and offering him arbitration was just a waste of time. We should of just traded him at the deadline and picked up prospects. Its one thing to lose this pic for an Upton or Gordon. Its another thing to lose it for 2nd and 3rd tier guys. They already scorched the minors. What's one more pick at this point ? Mybe Fowler can be Upton- lite. Speed, some power, pretty good OPS, really good OBP . Career OPS against RH's .761 , LH's .829 and with RISP ( my fav. stat.) .808 . So everything really does point to him being Upton-lite.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 03:36 PM) I received an e-mail a few minutes ago and confirmed it with the local newspaper that Walt Williams, who played for the Sox from 1967-1972 passed away Saturday at a hospital in Brownwood, Texas where he lived. He was 72. Walt was always generous with his time when I'd call him, always funny, laughing and full of life. So sorry to get this news. He was a tough player who always hustled and gave it his best. It's been a bad year for the White Sox family to be sure. Here is the link to my interview with Walt if you want to learn more about him and his career: http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/rwas/in...=11&id=3909 Mark Great interview. What a good guy with a great attitude. The little man with the big heart. RIP Walt.

QUOTE (QuickJones81 @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 10:26 AM) No one outside of the White Sox holds value in Johnson because he's not a sure thing to be a major leaguer. No one will roll dice in on him unless the ask is a bag of balls. We need him to be successful so we bias towards him being the pitcher he was last year, and not the one who nearly washed out. Everyone else just sees risk. How are you so sure that everyone just sees risk in EJ ? In sports it's always "what have you done for me lately " ? His 2015 was pretty good. Great season in the minors and not overwhelmed once brought up. His struggles and what he did to overcome them from last year are well documented thanks to Tom Verducci. With the cost of starting pitching going through the roof I think it's safe to say Ej has plenty of value as a ML ready 4th or 5th starter. There is built in risk for many 5th starter types .

I wanted Jackie Bradley, Jr. when he couldn't hit at all in the majors his 1st 2 years. But noooo the Sox didn't get him and his bat is starting to catch up to his fielding now and probably nearly impossible to get him. Probably starting for Red Sox now yes ? Also might as well mention Brock Holt too. I wanted him for a few years also. It wouldn't be the off season if I didn't mention him. I just don't see the Sox making a trade unless it's a big one with current 25 man roster guys going. Melky, Robertson, Avi, Saladino , Sanchez, Erik Johnson, any reliever. I'd add Danks and LaRoche ,just in case, cuz ya never know. We all love those 3 ways.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 03:44 PM) I'm getting this same feeling and it's making me sick to my stomach. If he starts 2016 as our RF, then I want Rick Hahn to be accountable if/when he fails. You don't tell your fanbase you're serious about competing and then trot out one of the worst players in baseball last year at a position where numerous upgrades were available. Until Avi learns how to field & run, the chances of him becoming a productive OF are slim to none. And quite frankly, it's nearly impossible to coach up a lack of instincts & stupidity. I think he needs to come to spring training weighing at least 25 lbs. less .

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 11:32 AM) These were my thoughts, exactly. Me too .I was one of the few who tried to say all his inconsistency , OBP and work ethic was overblown by his less than humble nature , the backlash that always comes when discussing a polarizing player, and the fact his numbers with RISP was fantastic and OBP wasn't much of a necessity when a guy makes habit of driving in big runs. I also spoke of combining him and Abreu to form the Cuban Connection and make the Cell a big fiesta when they started really rolling. You can't buy that kind of publicity and it would draw attention to the Sox like nothing else could have.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) Its fine to have the opinion but my response was more to the other post that said "its good to hear that he is doing this". JR does not have to do this nut its his philosophy for the good of baseball. He believes that they should have rules to keep baseball from being the league where the most money wins most of the time. There are individual exception like the sox and royals. He does this more for the game than for being buddies with Selig. I don't think he really cares if the fans complain about the actual contracts. They are going to build a team within the confives of the rules. I dont know for sure but he has stated repeatedly that they put most of the profits into the team. I don't doubt that they keep some but I don't think they maximize profits either. Your right they havent done well with positional players from the minors. But I see a difference in the organization since RH took over. Whether that is just him or the whole organizarion is changing is debatable as KW always said at the beginning of each off season he would present JR with multiple scenarios, including a total rebuild. I see progress ans im willing to see it play out. Thad Bosley seems to be a pretty well informed poster. I wasn't quite sure what he meant when he said " it's good to hear that he is doing this". I have to think he knows a little bit of the history of Reinsdorf and Selig's relationship because there are flaws that he is usually quite adept at discussing. Yes its a hardcore opinion but not of the meathead variety at all. Which is kind of where I go from time to time. I want to be informed before I draw my conclusions. I've probably forgot more then I remember about how Reinsdorf has operated over the years. Much of the complaining is because we bemoan our own fate as Sox fans and the miserable history of the team whether it was The Black Sox or Disco Demolition or midgets, or changing the uniform so many times or the lack of ever having had any kind of sustained winning. It's not something we can change or turn on and off . The Sox might've had more position player talent if they had drawn names from a hat than they have actually trying to pick the best talent. That's how sad its become. I'll rant once in a while because its just hard to see all the failures and accept it without forming opinions . Oh and sorry I just can't buy into the idea of Reinsdorf as the Mother Theresa of Baseball that you put forth because someone did a terrible job of making sure the rule breakers would regret breaking the rules .

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 08:51 AM) That article is not being fair at all to the Sox. Gordon wanted to stay in KC, Cespedes wanted to stay in NY, Upton didn't want to play for the Sox and the Sox had no chance at Heyward with his roughly 200M price tag. The Cards and Nat's are rumored to have offered more than the cubs but Heyward chose the cubs. What else could the Sox have done, lol? The problem is not that the Sox were unable to sign one of those four outfielders, the problem is that Sox fans assumed that the Sox would sign one of those outfielders. Bad assumption. I usually enjoy Margalus' writings but the whiny undertone in the article is a bit much. I understand the frustration but fans need to keep their expectations in perspective too. I didn't expect the Sox to sign any of them because well its the Sox. But when you start hearing the Sox connected to all 3 of them at some point you start to want to believe . You want to gladly eat your own words of doom and gloominess. Hey maybe the Sox will surprise me for once. Even the national guys like Rosenthal held onto the belief that the Sox would get one of the 3 for a long time. Then at the end he ( Margalus) takes a jab at the Sox inability to find position talent by saying "hey if we hear the Sox didn't like them then that makes me like them." And it is a well deserved jab. The fans have to keep their expectation low because we know the Sox don't operate like a big city team but a small market team ? That's cool but have fun getting anyone into the ballpark then.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 07:45 AM) The day someone can prove that he is maximizing profits as opposed to putting back into the team is the day that any of this non-sensical complaining makes. You say you think he is cheap and doesn't care about winning. You can say he alienates fans with his attitude. But its all opinonand not proof. Odds are its somewhere in the middle. Its a business they are allowed to make a profit for the board of investors. Of course it's my opinion. What else am I supposed to think. Lots of teams go way over budget and accept the penalties for doing that because they want the talent Why is it Reinsdorf HAS to play by the rules when quite a few don't ? The proof is in the pudding. One of 3 teams not to have ever signed a player over $70M ' check. Never has gone over international signing pool money , check . Sure he's allowed to make a profit because that's the goal of any business even though sports teams are somewhat different animal. If you or them want to stop the complaining then do something the fans can get behind.His loyal henchmen failures to recognize impact positional talent on the minor or major league level is killing every supposed plan they make up . The long run of failure especially in the minors couldn't just be bad luck. The fact is for a long time Reinsdorf didn't want to put much money into the minor leagues. I haven't seen it change too much now that we have an international pool also. When the Sox manage to get into the playoffs 2 years in a row under Reinsdorf's Rule it'll be the first time ever in Sox history. I know the failures before him have nothing to do with him but great we got 1 World Series win during his reign but all this sustained success BS talk has flys buzzing around it.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 04:55 PM) What's going on with Alexei Bell and Yadiel Hernandez? Will either be available before the season? Could be worth taking a look see. Well we will see if the Sox have any intentions of spending money when some of the big boys are out of it. It'll be like the free agent class this year .And we know how that went. The Sox have never shown any indication of going over the allotment for the high end talent. I don't expect that to change. The Sox just do not outbid teams for the best talent available on any level. Abreu fell in their lap basically and they probably hoped the same thing would happen with any of the big 3 but hoping most of the 29 other teams disappear is no way of doing business. I know the Sox have hired different personnel lately for some of these things but I'm pretty convinced they will have to work within budgetary constraints and do the best they can within that framework. Reinsdorf has always benefited and maximized profits by just playing by the rules whereas other teams exploit the loopholes. He's always been a good boy with his buddy Bud Selig because bucking the system made trouble for the commish but mostly because it fit his agenda for limiting spending.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 07:28 AM) Many of us believe if the Sox don't sign one of the big 3 OFer's ( Gordon, Upton, Cespedes) that signing Frazier will have been a waste. Needless to say signing one of the BIG 3 will be the richest contract ever given by the Sox. How likely is that ? Would it be more likely the Sox pursue a guy like Fowler to play CF and who's OBP is very high to create a 1-2 OBPunch at the top of the order ? It would mean better OF defense but he's not even close to being the kind of impact bat Upton or Cespedes are. Still Eaton and Fowler at the top of the order would certainly give guys like Abreu and Frazier many opportunities to get RBI's. Maybe Fowler takes a 3 year contract and then the Sox have more room to sign that RH starting pitcher they have been reportedly seeking or add another BP piece like Albers. Or both. Would this kind of back up plan be acceptable or seen as a 1/2 measure ? Said signing one of the big 3 wasn't very likely because the contracts would be too rich and called the re-signing of Albers. That makes me 4 for 4 . Fowler and a RH starter and I'm 6 for 6 . Also spawned all the copycat threads that are going on now that Cespedes ship has sailed. I never really advocating signing Fowler since I'm not a huge fan of giving up any more draft choices but I can still see it happening. I just won't want it as badly as I wanted Cespedes. Blast away at what a dick I am if you must.

I'd like to add one more thing that Mike (Eminor) missed when talking about pitch framing since I've made a nuisance of myself in the past about it. The umps also play a key role. Perhaps the strike zone is called tighter than it used to be but catchers know which umps have certain tendencies to call the high strike, low strike ,inside and outside corners and they roll with it and hope the pitcher can take advantage of it. I was listening to LaTroy Hawkins tell a story on MLBN where he said to Greg Maddox ," You know those pitches aren't strikes don't you " ? and Maddux replied along the lines of I can't help it if I can hit that spot 8 out of 10 times and you can do it only 4. Meaning if you can do it that consistently the ump will give it to you. Another thing I was watching about Livan and Orlando Hernandez defection from Cuba and when Livan was pitching in the ALCS or World Series and the ump behind the plate was calling everything away off the plate a strike. So Charles Johnson ,the catcher ,goes out to the mound and says to Livan, "I think we just need to stay away away away." Livan agrees and ends up with 15K's .That kind of thing has a domino effect. Hitters see it being called a strike and they end up saying "well now I have to swing at that pitch" and when the pitcher gets them swinging at it he goes even further outside. Being an intelligent pitcher is an art form that involves the catcher and the ump and the pitchers ability to take advantage of his reputation and change a plan when the circumstances call for it.