bmags

Just as it seemed he may have a real shot at the HOF. RIP to a great.

Man I am excited to see our HS guys in the minors this year. I hope Kanny includes Dalquist, Thompson and Kelley.

I wonder how Paddy has viewed Asia pipeline.

I thought they demoted him last year? Was that 2 years ago?

Iglesias could be a nice buy-low...but he's been awful and the reds have plenty of support to turn around pitchers. I don't blame them for not wanting to pay arb for an underperforming closer, where they will make too much.

He's been ok against Righties in his career (average). If you use Engel/Leury against LHP starters, what you are banking on isn't insane offense (though it could happen), it's he would be an insane RF. I don't know that that is a bad idea. I'd prefer joc because he also should be pretty good in RF, it has graded out as his best position in OAA the last several years. But I'm ok sacrificing getting plus offense in RF if it means great defense, and I think Joc should be good next year but it may not happen

One other thing is it pretty much puts stiever at what we saw now, 92-93. I'm going to guess that's not just majors but also what he was in Schaumburg considering so much of the other reports were based on schaumburg notes.

There are other teams that exist outside the cubs.

The list is pretty what you'd expect but those with BA subscriptions, the scouting reports are really great. Clearly lots of stuff pulled from Schaumburg, and it makes sense all the hitters and pitchers in top ten were there. Here is one last tid bit on Thompson, whom they call "the best athlete in the system": "Thompson’s fastball now sits 92-95 mph and touches 97 with carry through the strike zone. He’s always shown an advanced feel to spin the ball, and now his curveball is a bona fide plus pitch in the low 80s with better-defined break. His changeup is a clear third pitch but flashes average. Thompson’s whippy arm action limits his control to fringe-average, but he throws enough strikes to project a starter."

I'll give one cool note on vaughn: "When Vaughn joined the White Sox, the team wanted to install a concrete, day-to-day routine that would help him manage the grind of professional baseball. He settled on one that featured a front-flip drill designed to keep his legs underneath him during his swing, and evaluators inside the organization say it has helped him become a better hitter. Vaughn does an excellent job keeping his upper and lower halves synced throughout the course of his swing."

You could probably fill out the best tools section in your sleep. https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/1026/chicago-white-sox/organizational/?year=2021&type=P Pretty chalk which is fine 1. Vaughn 2. Kopech 3. Madrigal 4. Dunning 5. Crochet 6. Kelley 7. Thompson 8. Stiever 9. Dalquist 10. l Gonzalez I think I'm going Thompson over Dalquist, but i'm sure for them these lists are pretty hard with little to go off of.

That's not what he said, he said the league told teams to proceed as if it won't happen. Just a matter of league and players union continuing their horrible negotiations.

I am still trying to understand if this winter meetings is less arbitrary than the already arbitrary winter meetings as a time period to sign players.

After Springer's premiere bat, there are two "bat-specific" additions that match up very well to what sox need. Positionally, unfortunately, they don't. One is Brantley, the other is LaStella. If they got LaStella here, I'd spell his name right (space?) but also be very happy.

Thank you. I just want to be clear what we are arguing because it is getting obscured over whether this is an isolated case, (springer has preferences) or the capstone on what we've had to deal with since last year - the sox will not sign a premier deal (and springer honestly is getting rumored to make less than justin upton in 2016 so this is a pretty good deal. I can live without Springer if it's just "sox would rather build a high end pitching staff and spend on it. But this is "springer high contract scared them away"...again. And there is something so annoying about them thinking 16 million for a 37 year old DH is not scary or wasteful but 25 mill for springer in 2025 is terrifying.

That will be 40 mill plus, I promise you I can make a better team with 40 mill than what you listed. I can't wait for colome to get signed for $14 million and have his shoulder injuries start in spring training.

"The right thing to do" is not a statement that can be followed. What is not the right thing to do? Tear Springer away from his love of center field? Because I don't buy for a second they think it's a poor allocation of money because of their total budget, they've lost all benefit of the doubt there. And if you are trying to convince me that Garret Richards + Joc is better than like Mike Leake + Springer, I am not sure I trust the white sox objectively horrible FA scouting to believe that to be true.

Well, as the article makes clear, the white sox are not going to sign bauer or Springer because their total contract value. Full stop. I actually do like Joc, but the takeaway for me and others isn't "haha we thought springer was an option now we learned he isn't" it's that the reason he isn't is because the white sox will not sign a top free agent. And no, Grandal and a 4 for 72 are not much more than a normal signing for most teams. Can the white sox still have a good free agency? I hope so, but they have to cobble it together from a tier of players they have been absolutely awful at scouting as seen by last years Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Encarnacion (and cishek).

The report is not "Springer isn't a fit for sox because his own internal wants" which is YOUR argument, Passan's is laughing off that the sox would try to sign a high ticket free agent. I get you try to mind meld to what is possible to the sox as you learn what they want, but there's no reason for us, who don't work for the team, to constantly live in their limited mindset as the correct choice. As many have said, if the white sox want to be the As or the Rays, then go be the As or Rays. But they think they aren't, so prove it.

oh god, cry me a river. Money is cheap as hell right now and there is greater clarity of things recovering, 2022 should be back to normal. Every other league is handling this fine but the mlb owners are going to lose their shirts? GMAFB.

The sox don't do well under stealth mode, they just don't sign high profile players that reporters cover. The stealth mode stuff may have been a thing with KW trades, but hasn't been a thing for years and years.

It depends what "never made any sense to the sox" means. If it means "unlikely that sox would sign them", of course. But obviously it should make sense to sign a very good player that is available. Trying to nail the perfect roster balance is a fools errand, take the very best players you can get. Every year a teams win the world series and teaches us something different. 2015: Sequencing! Need contact and defense! 2016: Power! Slam dingers and play defense! 2017: Oh it's between the two! Get players that with low k totals and power 2018: Have Mookie Betts 2019: Have Rendon 2020: Have Mookie Betts If sox win, it will be some weird trope about aggressive hitters or some shit. But you just put talented players together, not try and get the optimal rotisserie roster.

He is but at least with lastella you can find him playing time. He's not zobrist talented...but we don't have a lot of depth if a moncada injury happens, and lastella would be great depth.

Don't care if it's new. Nobody should.

So in Rosenthal today he says the Phils were absolutely listening to deals for Wheeler, but may not have progressed to point of bringing it upward. Obviously middleton shut it down spectacularly. Good luck hiring a pres, should probably just assume McPhail/that acting GM may be what phils roll with. To add to this, what the heck is going on with GMs this year? Cohen indicated they've struggled to get meetings with their targets. The new GMs? 2 are from the MLB office. AZ getting an ATL guy is the only other I can think of. Are teams shutting down meetings for their guys while shedding a lot of their ops roles? Seems pretty ridiculous.