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The astros haven't been tied to EE in a week, not sure its worth wondering their contingency plans for something that isn't likely.

That's adorable, guys.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 01:50 PM) I think you need to hold on to Jones and let him close for a while, then try to move him for a return similar to what the Phillies got for Giles. I'm open to that but only after we see what happens after Jansen signs.

I really like the note about how he was striking out looking a lot, seems like a symptom of going through Boston's great system of developing prospects. I hope he takes it with him and learns how to find his pitch.

Was debating making a thread on this subject, but I disagree with premise. But here is Olney on subject: http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post?id=15322 and Lindbergh on his podcast was saying he thinks sox could stop now and maybe even compete this year. I ... disagree.

Do we see Diaz getting pushed at all or more of a Winston-Salem guy? Would be funny if him and Leyer were together after getting that comp.

I don't think Abreu's market is that good anyway, and he's such a head down put in your work type guy.

It is one of the reasons why I subscribed to WaPo after the election and not NYTimes.

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 11:33 AM) Not sure if it was posted but baseball tonight suggested a trade: Houston gets: Q Sox get: Martes, Reed, Daz Cameron They went around the table and said who says no and everyone agreed it's was a perfect trade. I know everyone wants Tucker but would you be okay with this? They said Martes is the best prospect so we would get another top prospect plus Reed and Cameron (who's Mike Cameron's son). Ha, I was reading this and I think I assumed Tucker was in it and thought maybe. Hard pass for me.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 11:31 AM) Depending on how the rest of the off season goes, the Sox could be a team that will be a force in 2019 and beyond. If everything goes right with the guys they've already acquired, and they pick up some more great talent by trading Q, Robertson, etc., the thought of playing for the Sox could be quite exciting to some FAs. However, I would be shocked if the Sox even have a chance at Harper or Machado. Again if things go right, the holes the Sox might need to fill would be 3B, and outfielder or two, catcher, and some pitching. After Machado, the FA class for third baseman looks meh. The outfielder options are a little better with Blackmon, Martin, Pollock, and Tomas being possibilities. Pitching options look decent. I'm hoping for the best next year with the development of the new guys that could spell the beginnings of playoff contending teams as early as 2019. Maybe the direction of the team grabs the attention of some big name FAs. Let's hope, because the Sox will need some. Just one note on 2018 class, it's headlined by Machado/Harper, but it is the first monster class in quite a while: http://nypost.com/2016/03/05/10-mlb-stars-...-the-best-ever/

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 11:02 AM) If you're counting on Paul Ryan to save this country's soul, he's made it very clear he'll sacrifice that for lower taxes. And if you're counting on the Supreme Court to save it...we saved Donald Trump a seat so that they won't save it. Our institutions, the norms, the rule of law don't matter when people stop enforcing those things as a tradeoff to get what they want. There is no way in hell Anthony Kennedy would allow that, let alone Justice Roberts. Supreme court isn't seriously in trouble unless RBG dies.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 11:01 AM) Seattle does not have the prospects for a Q deal. I liked Lewis in the draft, but he took a big injury during the season and who knows how the recovery will go? Yeah, I agree, I'm just looking for the team to get desperate and they could fit bill. But I do like Tyler O'Neil a lot so it isn't just Lewis.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 10:54 AM) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald...4b058ce7aaaf3c0 The conflict with Trump Intl Hotel in DC...foreign countries wanting to book it to curry more favorable reception or treatment...and, most alarming, dealing with the GSA, which he would obviously be in a position to influence in their bidding/negotiation process with the government over his own leased property. This one ranks right up there. Supposedly he dumped all the stock related to the Dakota pipeline, but there's no way of knowing what his hedge finds are holding in their portfolios. He said he dumped all stock in June across board, which there should be filings for. Of course, we could just get his tax returns.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 10:47 AM) They also are a landing spot for Abreu. I'm not sure they have the prospects to land Q though. Yeah it would be a quantity discussion for sure and depend on how much the White Sox valued a player that they chose not to select in the first round just 6 months ago.

Supreme court would not let that happen, as one, congress has not declared war. But as much as I hate Ryan for being a flake and pushing a brutal agenda, there is no way that guy does not reach out to democrats to stop that. But nothing has been real for a while.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 10:04 AM) I think you're hitting the nail on the head here. I also think the Pirates believe they can exploit a market inefficiency with defense as well, and avoid the urge to acquire premium pitching from anywhere other than the draft/international FA. And I trust them, they are a great front office dealing with difficult constraints.

QUOTE (JenksIsMyHero @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 10:08 AM) See, right there you're putting these two examples in a Putin category. That's the extreme position i'm calling out as BS. Trump responding to an individual on Twitter is not even remotely in the same realm as what Putin does. Trump getting a royalty check (IF that even happens!) is not the same as him using the government to advance his own business interests, let alone a way in which he can control the media Putin-style. Trump is getting money from a private company He has not divested from his own company He has put his children in charge of his own company He has had his children in meetings with heads of state that happen to have influence over projects that his own company is involved in. The appearance of conflicts of interest is an issue. He is getting paid by Comcast/NBC. There is a current merger for AT&T and Time Warner. THATS BAD. It may not influence him, but there's no reason for it to be happening.

Presidents of the United States shouldn't criticize private citizens for criticizing them (there are actually few scenarios where this is okay, one of the reasons why Obama invited the police officer who arrested HLG to the white house after) Presidents shouldn't have jobs or positions in private or non profit sector while sitting president. These are good rules. It's up to you to answer why you think Trump should be allowed to do this instead of spending all of your time trying to police everyones language criticizing things that should be criticized.

Man Jakson reetz. Totally forgot about him. Doesn't look like his bat carried over, how is his defense? He isn't even top 30 rankings for nats that I see.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 09:56 AM) Advanced metrics guys will never like players like Anderson who can't walk. The fact his plate discipline hasn't really developed at all does not help. I am totally speaking with my heart here, but because he always is starting at a new level, it seems like he gets comfortable by swinging his bat. But look at his walk totals by month last year: June - 1 July - 1 August - 5 September/Oct - 6 http://www.fangraphs.com/statsplits.aspx?p...amp;season=2016 So that's a 5% walk rate in Aug/Sept. If that's what he tops out at, that's not great. But I think we'll see him improve even more to maybe 8% next year. He may top out at that but it's better than 3%. He had a really great Aug/Sept but if he walked 8% of the time with his high average that would have put him at a .350 OBP. But that's if he improves, if he stays at the 5% we are still looking at Alexei Ramirez with better base running if his defense gets better. But yeah, his average could drop. And if it drops to .260 with a .290 obp his defense will have to be amazing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 09:49 AM) The one thing that Q has going for him right now is that a low payroll team that wants to play the "be in the race every year" game can look at him and say that 4 years of control is perfect for what they want to do. If the Pirates want to compete every year, he fits there. The Astros are looking at a 5+ year horizon and 4 years basically falls in that. The closer you get to his FA date, the value might not substantially drop, but the number of teams that could get in might drop. He's still the price of a #2 starter either way, but if you start having teams drop out because they will only look long term, then your chances of getting that return could drop. This is 100% what I thought would happen, but his low cost is equally fighting that those teams view their prospects as tools to keep their cost down. There is no "fill in for free agency" for them, so it is stealing from Peter to pay Paul or whatever that folksy saying is. I have been very surprised at how out of it the Pirates are, I thought they would have some urgency but they seem resigned to their fate as being behind Cards/Cubs.

Is Trump becoming a true authoritarian the most likely course of his presidency? No. Being a bad president is. Being a good president is also a possibility. But just because it's unlikely doesn't mean you open up the putin toolbox for him and say "Hey, be good with these. I trust you".

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 09:46 AM) I would not want to sign him to a three year deal at all. Not because of the money, but the years Meh, while not T-Ball putting up huge Korean league numbers does not impress me when translating that to the major leagues. The pitching staffs are so much deeper and better at the mlb level it's hard to compare MVP numbers there to a solid season here. When you listen to the interview, it's questionable whether Brewers were even negotiating against other MLB teams or Japanese league teams on his services. Good for Thames but this is crazy to give him 3 years.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 9, 2016 -> 09:42 AM) What's Q's value this year compared to next (or at the deadline), assuming he keeps pitching to form? I don't think it will be that much different. I think main thing I worry about with Q market right now is there are basically 6 teams that are at the point where they are trying actively to compete AND have a farm system that works for us. And 2 of those we cleaned out. Would the deadline find teams like astros more desperate to get over the top? They could equally find a dumpster dive SP with a career year. What about other teams we haven't considered having a great first half, they may be in desperation mode. For those teams - their farm may develop in that time like some 2016 first round draft picks having great years that we don't see as a great haul now. So I'm fine waiting on Q. I'm 100% confident he will be awesome.

I know we've gotten several elite prospects and figure to get some more with Quintana, but you are going to be getting a more typical B/B- prospect for Robertson in maybe a 1 for 1 swap. He has red flags and is not dirt cheap, just more reasonable. Robles would not be considered, and honestly a player like Kieboom + wildcard 20-30 arm would be enough for me. Others have discussed Severino, who is a near ready plus defense catcher with a stick that is questionable to make him a regular in majors.