CaliSoxFanViaSWside

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Jan 4, 2017 -> 05:35 AM) Pretty sure Bellinger could play at least average-above average D in LF. I read a scouting report that said he could probably handle CF at times if really needed. But if he's a GG caliber 1B there's no need to move him. He's not a base clogger and he can save runs on D, I wouldn't worry about position value with a guy like Bellinger...not that I think a deal is likely with Bellinger or the Dodgers. Recent scouting report? In his early days he was pretty lanky, around 180 lbs. Now he's listed from 210-215 at 21 yrs old and height of 6'4". Probably will fill out even more. And yea he probably will be stepping in for Adrian Gonzalez in a few years.Really good LH power bat . Might be ready as soon as 2018. Look for huge numbers for him this year in AAA.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 08:05 PM) Really curious what the Braves and Astros offered. Hopefully some names come out to give us fans a better idea of what we might expect. I thought we already had an idea what the Astros offered ? Keith Law or someone thought it was light and since that was posted many posters have followed along with that viewpoint.

QUOTE (kwill @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 06:57 PM) You know the more I read on Dodgers prospects it seems like Bellinger is a top 10 prospect in the game and rated low on MLB Piipline. Everybody raves about the bat and glove. I would probably take him over Meadows for the centerpiece. I'd rather have him over Josh Bell but I'd hesitate with a 1st baseman as a headliner for Q. Pretty sure the Sox want some outfield prospects. The Dodgers do have some pretty interesting OF prospects in their top 10 ,Yusniel Diaz and Alex Verdugo. There's always Puig and Trayce Thompson to also consider. They also have a catcher Will Smith who has moved ahead of Austin Barnes ( but Barnes is major league ready). At this point Barnes could be a throw in at 27 yrs old already. Pretty sure the Dodgers aren't considering Q but they were a good fit before they resigned Hill. Still might be but again prospect misers .

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 05:02 PM) https://twitter.com/ChuckGarfien Listening to Sox Podcast with Chuck Garfein, Ryan Mcguffey, and Chris Kamka. Chuck said he KNOWS that the Astros, Pirates, and Braves have made offers for Q. I know the Sox are asking a lot for Q and it's understandable. He keeps getting better and better every year. Seems like these teams are waiting out the whole off season to drive down prices. With Q though I can't understand why he hasn't been moved yet. If he goes to the NL he could get even better and a team could potentially recoup a lot of what they lost trading for him while also getting a couple years of good production from him. It really seems like a win win win situation for the team getting him. Production, salary, recoup talent later. More NL teams need to step up and take advantage of such a unique situation. It's too bad the Dodgers are such misers with their young talent. Friedman has brought the Tampa Bay mind set to a very rich team and looks like the Dodgers will keep hoarding prospects . Some of their moves just boggle my mind. I remember commenting last year how they signed all these broken down starting pitchers and was pretty sure they didnt have enough starting pitching to be a serious World Series candidate. Why would they sign guys like Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir and Brett Anderson for $110M worth of contracts or give a 36 year old Rich Hill 3 more years at near $50M ? Now again they are low balling the Twins for Dozier who is a perfect fit for them. The Dodgers were last in baseball by a wide margin last year in OPS against left handed pitching and need a 2nd baseman. It's like a King dealing with peasants.

162 known ballots or approx. 40% of votes counted.Bagwell and Raines still above 90% .Ivan Rodriquez and Guerrero still both above the 75% needed to get in. Bonds and Clemens both with big spikes upward compared to last year.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 06:11 AM) Not a bet I'm taking. I don't think Sox need to target DH now with assumption they may be expensive in four years. Depends who might want to take a 1 or 2 year contract. Say if Trumbo was signed by the Sox and at the trade deadline had 30 HR's that's just trade bait for more prospects . Of course contract plays a large role but he is more of a sure thing than spending on cheap bounce back types and contenders like sure things.

QUOTE (klaus kinski @ Jan 2, 2017 -> 07:24 AM) OF Minnie Minoso Ken Berry Ken Henderson Scotty Pods Harold Baines IF Nelson Fox Paul Konerko Jose Valentin Robin Ventura Louie Aparicio Jorge Orta C Pudge Ed Herrmann SP Mark Buehrle Lamar Hoyt Wilbur Wood Chris Sale Joel Horlen RP Bobby Jenks Hoyt Wilhelm Terry Forster Eddie Fisher Bobby Thigphen DH Frank Thomas Jim Thome Pinch Hitter Smokey Burgess Didn't think I'd see a list with Ken Berry on it along with Joel Horlen my 2 favs as a youth . I am pleased. Interesting side note on Berry , he was the baseball consultant on the 1919 White Sox movie Eight Men Out and had a tiny role as a fan also.

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Dec 30, 2016 -> 06:52 PM) C Jamie Burke 1B Konerko 2B Ray Durham 3B Greg Norton (THE GREATEST!) SS Tony Graffanino (Had to force him in there somewhere) LF Tim Raines CF Lance Johnson RF Magglio Ordonez DH Big Frank SP Mark Buehrle SP Jose Quintana SP Jason Bere SP Esteban Loaiza SP Chris Sale RP Bobby Jenks RP Bobby Howry RP Neal Cotts RP Keith Foulke RP Matt Thornton RP Damaso Marte Favorite Guy Against the Cubs - Carlos Lee Favorite Guy to Blame - Ron Karkovice Favorite Minor League Guy Who Didn't Reach His Potential: Dewon Day & Fautino De Los Santos Favorite White Sox Blooper - Favorite White Sox Play - That's always a fun thing to consider and the hitter was Sean Casey who loves telling that story of how he was gunned out from LF.

QUOTE (Al Lopez's Ghost @ Dec 30, 2016 -> 03:18 PM) Not wrong. Buehrle gets credit for longevity, perfecto, no hitter, and for being a great teammate. And postseason heroics. and tarp sliding.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 2, 2017 -> 10:17 PM) For the love of god Balta, Frazier is not a 1B/DH type so please stop lumping him in with the rest of the bunch. Also, you're assuming a one time market inefficiency is somehow permanent by completely ignoring other factors at play (numerous teams rebuilding, changes to comp pick structure, luxury tax considerations, etc). Let's wait and see what these 1B/DH go for next offseason before we assume it's a market trend. We can sort of already see what the trends are and have been and will continue to be for old slow poor defending 1b/DH types or those who project to be those types. What's hot and has been is the athletic, slick fielding, up the middle types who if they don't stick up the middle can be converted to OF or 3rd base. Versatile talent should always be the key to acquiring young positional players.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Dec 31, 2016 -> 11:34 AM) Add Giolito and Kopech to the list of pitchers with walk issues. That's what I don't understand why people are down on Glasnow due to his walk rates when we've already been through it with Rodon, going through it now with Fulmer, Giolito had problems in his pro debut and Kopech had problems in the minors. Heck, my concern isn't over Glasnow's walk rates, it more about getting a few solid hitting prospects in any trade for Q. For me, one of Bell or Meadows has to be in the deal with Glasnow. To me it's not even Bell or Meadows. It's just Meadows. Bell may end up a better hitter than Meadows but as a 1st baseman with a defensive reputation about the same as Frank Thomas ( yes worse than Abreu), he just can't be the center piece as much as a good fielding center fielder. Bell types are a dime a dozen as we have seen on the market this year.

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Dec 27, 2016 -> 07:33 PM) In my mind this is absolutely a legit theory but we cannot argue with the excitement of the return. I think it's a silly theory. Sale and Eaton had years and years left. You don't trade very good players on team friendly contracts if you are not rebuilding. The importance given to the LaRoche theory is way overblown. Hahn just will not trade Q unless he gets some kind of headline prospect not just a bunch of filler. It absolutely has to be done right. Half assing it would be pushing to trade Q without a headliner. There is all of January and February to trade some of the other pieces. No doubt we may start the season with some of Melky , Frazier, Abreu, Jones , Robertson . It would be very difficult to move them all and some are legit candidates to rebuild value or mentor the prospects. Hahn has done well so far . Rome wasn't built in a day.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 24, 2016 -> 12:47 PM) Todd Frazier on the open market would get how much per year? If EE is a $20 million player, Frazier is probably in the $12 to 15 million range, tops? His arb estimate this year is $13.5 million. He is a one dimensional hitter, who had by far his worst year defensively. He put up big negatives in UZR and Range factor. He even put up a Dwar that was negative by two wins. That would make him a one dimensional player. There is probably only 1 reason for those supposedly negative defensive stats and that's Frazier's range. It's not because he is a butcher at 3rd base.The eye test will tell you he can pick it and throw it just fine. He doesn't get high marks for range but he is accurate with his throws to 2nd and 1st base . There is no where near the fear or trepidation in having him at 3rd base as there is with putting Trumbo in the OF or the 37 yr old Encarnacion or a Pedro Alvarez anywhere on the field. He had a .972 fielding % whereas the avg for all 3rd basemen is .959 last year. He set career highs in assists and double plays. He is pretty much your average 3rd baseman . That is in the acceptable range not the OMG he sucks range .

QUOTE (reiks12 @ Dec 24, 2016 -> 07:49 AM) Pirates deal unlikely unless they can stay under budget. We thought Jerry was bad, they have a real Scrooge in Pittsburgh. Perhaps soon he will be visited by the ghosts of Clemente and Stargell.

Merry Christmas from father to son. Alex Avila resigns with the Tigers 1 yr $2M where his father Al is the GM.

QUOTE (103 mph screwball @ Dec 24, 2016 -> 04:44 AM) I like that Hahn seems to be insisting on a good return no matter how long it takes. I have enjoyed the rumors. Happy to have some interesting Sox stuff as the Bears are depressing me. Rumors are fun though certainly not worth losing sleep . Doesn't really matter to me if I am one of the first to find out about a trade or post about it. I work 8-10 hr days without a desk or a cell phone . If the national media doesn't pick up a new rumor such as the Q 3 way it loses a lot of steam in a hurry. It's good to know Hahn won't settle . He knows Q should be worth quite a bit as a player and future trade piece if he holds or even increases his stats. He should not be undersold .

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 23, 2016 -> 08:12 AM) We have seen over and over again that one dimensional power bats don't have nearly as much value as they should on the open market right now. If Frazier was a FA, his annual rate would be really close to what he is expected to get this year in Arb.The only thing he has going for him is that he only has one year of obligation coming up, instead of the 2 or 3 he'd get as a FA. If by one dimensional you mean all he can do batting is hit HR's then I guess he is one dimensional. However, the true meaning of one dimensional since you are comparing him to guys on the open market now is power while being severely limited defensively. Since Frazier plays 3rd base and plays it decently I wouldn't classify him as 1 dimensional. Thus the logic behind your opinion of his value falls short.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 23, 2016 -> 11:25 AM) Is there any scenario wherein the White Sox take back McCutchen? Or is this more like the Pirates won't move their top bats, but the Yankees have an excess, so we're getting the Yankees involved in Glasnow to get the likes of Rutherford and Andujar back? I wouldn't rule it out entirely but almost. He was a legit superstar and there's no way at 30 years old he should've fell so low except for perhaps nagging injuries. He should still have big upside for 3 or 4 more years though his CF days are nearing an end. If part of the plan is to get reclamation projects to flip later who better than a youngish superstar who had 1 bad year and might be sold low who has basically 2 years left before he is a FA. Problem is giving up Q for him shouldn't be part of the plan

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 07:17 PM) there is no scenario where this is true. The teams trading for Q want to make the playoffs. Sale is better than Q. sale has a better chance of getting the team to the playoffs and WS. The Sox will not get the same talent in return for Q that they did for Sale. To be fair Caulfield was responding to a post of mine where I said , "Meadows has to be the headliner. Not only that but I was thinking Q could require a bigger haul than Sale since he has 1 more year and is cheaper than Sale. Plus the Sale trade had the #1 prospect in baseball who cost the Red Sox around $64M which maybe Hahn took into consideration as far as valuations go." Throw in the fact that Pittsburgh as a small market team cannot compete with the free agent money and you kind of have them bent over the proverbial negotiation table . But still it's mostly the extra year of control and the cheaper contract.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 06:54 PM) The problem with Q is the same one that Nats/Rizzo have with Eaton. As Sox fans and with most of us aware of even the simplest metrics like WAR, we all know the values of Eaton and Q, and can articulate arguments why Q might be worth the same or even more (rather than the 95% often-quoted) than Chris Sale. HOWEVER, if that Eaton trade blows up for the Nationals or any future trade for Q, the respective fanbases will be even more enraged because at least Chris Sale's a known quantity to nearly every baseball fan...the old, well, Dombrowski really rolled the dice and "went for it" line of thinking. When you're trading the same packages or potentially better ones for "non-star" players that aren't going to draw fans by name recognition alone, it's a dicier game for GM's. Another good example would be Shelby Miller, who was acquired partially because of "attachment/sentimental" reasons by LaRussa. When those trades go bad, they get you fired. With all that said, there will be a ton of GM's interested in Q still because they know his true value, contract, everything...and that doesn't mean we have to lower our trade expectations because of everything I just highlighted. But it's an additional factor to consider. I don't think it's a factor between the GM's/ teams making the deal. I can't see the Pirates GM saying " hey Rick your killing me here asking for all that. I don't want to be Rizzo-ized . Besides after the initiial backlash against Rizzo its come back around to well Giolito isn't everything he's cracked up to be. Backlash is just peoplse opinion all copying each other. The results of the Eaton trade won't be known for a few years.

Have to set your DVR to record hot stove every day . As long as the Sox are in the headlines for their past and future moves and the rumors flying it's fun to watch. A lot of fluff on the show but since the winter meetings I've seen numerous guys talking about the Sox .,,Heyman , Morosi , Rosenthal , Dan Hayes, Rogers, Joel Sherman , Merkin . By the way here's the link to it http://m.mlb.com/cws/video/?content_id=121...14&c_id=cws . It's on the Sox website. It's not the whole phone call so don't know if it's much.

QUOTE (FT35 @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 11:57 AM) Couple thoughts about a Quintana trade. Some of us need a perspective check because I keep hearing sheepish suggestions of trade offers--many leaving out the top names of other teams' prospect lists. Reiterating what another poster brought up earlier...we got Moncada and Giolito in trades earlier this off season. Those are top 5 prospects. I'm really surprised to see so many posters say certain prospects are "surely off limits" when we have already been receiving the very top 1-5 prospects in the game as a starting point to even larger packages! When guys like Austin Meadows are mentioned--they are blue chip prospects, but not even top 5--I'm looking at what else can be added to get that value up--not whether Meadows would be available--it's more whether they have the depth to add enough to Meadows to get a deal done. The fact that we are even talking to the Pirates is BECAUSE they have a guy like Meadows to headline a package that would be enough to get Q. There are many teams right now who do NOT have that top 10 name to START the discussion. SO...if you are one who has been nervously hesitant to bring up certain prospects' names as if to say we shouldn't even mention them...I would suggest thinking MUCH bigger--because if they are a prospect at ANY level of the game, they ARE in play for a player like Quintana. Quintana isn't just a guy you trade for, he's a guy who you break the bank to make sure YOU are the team who gets him and not a competitor--because whoever gets him will be enabled to acquire a young, controllable all-star front line starter at virtually no cost $ wise. So yes...to pay for that will require a complete scrounging of whatever value your minor league system holds and hope your offer is more than just about every other team who has intentions of contending in the next 3 years. Especially if you are smaller market with a lower free agent budget, this is your very rare shot to acquire a difference maker for very little monetary compensation. On the flip side...if you're the Sox...you can choose which package suits your liking the most. If you don't see that top 5, top 10 name, or an offer that might lack that name but is VERY saturated with multiple top 50 names, you confidently say Merry Christmas to you and yours, but no thank you! Good post. Meadows has to be the headliner. Not only that but I was thinking Q could require a bigger haul than Sale since he has 1 more year and is cheaper than Sale. Plus the Sale trade had the #1 prospect in baseball who cost the Red Sox around $64M which maybe Hahn took into consideration as far as valuations go. 5 prospects ( some of whom will bust) headlined by Meadows for a really inexpensive very good pitcher, to keep for 4 years, or flip him and recover some of what they paid for him, while he possibly leads your team to the playoffs or a World Championship, and your team cannot pay market rate for any superstars thus limiting your means to an end, is not asking for too much. Edit. If a trade happens with the Pirates and the Sox get Bell I have dibs on the " Cool Papa" Bell nickname.

QUOTE (South Sider @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 06:48 AM) This deal makes a ton of sense for the Pirates, even at a steep cost. If their playoff chances start going south within 2 years or so, and provided Quintana is still pitches as he does now, they can still flip him again for an awesome return to some other team to help offset the prospects they lost to acquire him in the first place. Ha you just posted what I was going to say only I'd say Q could put up even better numbers with the Pirates. Then if they end up trading him they might be able to get back almost as much as they gave up.We've seen guys with 2 years left fetch a lot and relief pitcher rentals also fetch a lot . So it's entirely in the realm of possibility that Q becomes even better in the NL with a stronger defense around him.

Means as a prospect he is on the way up. A lot of good buzz on him.

Don Cooper calling into MLBN Hot Stove this morning to talk about the new pitchers the Sox have got.