Princess Dye

Susan Slusser ‏@susanslusser 14s15 seconds ago The #Athletics are actually getting four players in the Samardzija deal I hear. And #WhiteSox getting two. Susan Slusser ‏@susanslusser 22s23 seconds ago I don't think second player going to #WhiteSox is on #Athletics big league roster. Susan Slusser ‏@susanslusser 21s21 seconds ago It sounds as if Samardzija deal could be announced in next 20-20 minutes. #Athletics #WhiteSox

QUOTE (VAfan @ Dec 9, 2014 -> 11:31 AM) But let's not forget he had enough games to start last season but couldn't keep us from going back to Gordon Beckham at 2nd, and then the Sox didn't go back to him after Beckham was traded. Semien was sent down so as to keep more future team control, if i'm not mistaken (and thus his value was kept higher, as perhaps evidenced yesterday) He didnt earn a spot but he also wasnt sent down purely for performance reasons.

Carl Crawford is a gamble, but if LAD money and Danks are involved --- then i'll take that gamble over the Danks-being-passable-for-x-innings gamble

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 08:52 PM) What is taking so long!?! A whole day at the meetings and we haven't done anything!! o my god. settle it on down

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal 3s3 seconds ago Sources: Barring late change, Lester choosing between #Cubs, #SFGiants.

If we would never pay Samardzjia's next contract out for a top flight starter, then we are pretty darn intent I guess on being Tampa or Oakland. My belief is the Sox need to spend to ignite their fandom. It's a fandom that is present but need to be sold on the team. And they do have to build lasting connections with players. That's part of the thing here -- instead of what Beane does which is moving talent out ASAP to get younger nonstop. A ton of people live within driving distance of US Cellular, and you saw them at the '05 parade. Interest is there but has to be sparked. We need to sell a product to those people. Not sign bargain deals only and hope a pitching staff magically arises where everyone is cheap for years on end. If we're serious then a guy with Shark's career pitch count would be paid what he's about to get. By us.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 04:05 PM) I'd count that team as a $90 million team that I'd still put well below .500. Sale, Shark, Quintana and potentially Rodon puts you in any playoff series with some confidence. But the question is getting there. Yes. The holes are LF, 2B, starter, reliever. That's what we're looking at fixing. This offseason. And 2b is a place where we have organizational depth. Things like Flowers,Avi's defense,Conor's defense...those are holes that just will kind of remain being holes. You hope some of that gets struck by the good luck wand. But we're moving towards win-now, those warts aside. The win-now team that has no warts, and zero need for luck.........well, look around and show em to me. A lot are in our boat.

Lying constantly in the background: we dont know how big the Abreu & Sale window is. Abreu, reason being, age. Sale -- we dont know if he is a genetic freak that can pitch like that and take a career long pounding on his arm (there are rare individuals like that, but we wont know til his career is over ...if he.......was one) So with a set window right now for success, and several nice bargain contracts (Quintana, Eaton) the time is now to spend and take your shot. You just wait and wait and suddenly you dont even realize you missed a serious, clear shot at it. If we're not ready then why the heck did we sign LaRoche? Or for that matter, Abreu?? If we were chasing the top pick in the draft and a full rebuild, we had other ways of going about it. But we chose to pursue wins based on a few recent moves, and now we have to make the pursuit worth it. That means adding a few pitchers and a OF.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 03:59 PM) If were going to blow 9 figures on a pitcher, just go add Shields. The career pitch count is part of the allure of Shark. Shields has the highest # thrown ( i believe) of this offseason's top available guys.

I am fully willing to take the risk of Marcus Semien being a run of the mill guy his whole career. There are risks you take in order to move forward as a team and Semien-for-Shark is not even something that I ...even...put in that category. The plus side is you get Shark extended and it cost little. The down side is he just leaves after a year. Playoffs: you just have to get in. Looking around the league we are as viable for a jump in wins as many others. The competition is not at its fiercest right now, if we're talking Upper Tier Teams. Have to know the full team in order to judge.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 03:39 PM) I said this earlier today and stand by it. If the White Sox were an 87 win team last year, Tim Anderson for Jeff Samardzija would make perfect sense. Prospect with talent who is raw, ~top 50 in the big leagues, 2-ish years away from being a big league rookie and 3 years away from probably making a difference, decent bust potential, in exchange for pitcher who outperformed contract last year, no injury history, could easily push team to 90 wins and into the playoffs, fits in the rotation, and could be offered a QO/return of a draft pick at the end of the year if he's unable to be resigned. That's a perfect deal for a team right on the cusp of winning a division/right on the cusp of competing to make. Even an 85 win team last year, that's perfectly sensible for the White Sox and fair value for the As. The problem continues to be we're closer to a 75 win team than an 87 win team. For that reason in my eyes there continues to be literally no version of this that makes sense to me. Gotta judge the offseason as a whole after it happens though. We dont know all our moves yet, so it's impossible to properly judge the (potential) Shark one. In proper context.

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 03:24 PM) Russell+ got them 1.5 years of Samardzija AND a rental of Hammel (who was having one hell of a year at that point). Good point. And of course - i hope my logic is wrong. And perhaps they have interest in our super young types. That's possible.

If 1.5 years of Shark cost Addison Russell, it makes sense that one year (plus the advantage of being Shark's hometown team) ... would equal Tim Anderson. This is not from an i-like-the-Sox perspective but from the perspective that you need to believe there are multiple Shark offers out there. We have to beat other offers, and you dont beat them with Marcus Semien+Ravelo or whatever. You need to offer something of worth. From the A's perspective, which again you have to consider-- Tim Anderson helps Oakland save some face for losing Addison Russell.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 03:02 PM) Just submitting for general consideration: After seeing the return the A's got for 2 years of Moss, if I think "Hey, I'll miss that guy" for more than five seconds about whoever we give up for Samardzija, I'm gonna be pissed. proven starting pitching with his amount of career pitches is a TOTALLY different ballgame.

QUOTE (Al Lopez's Ghost @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 02:59 PM) I never thought Tim Anderson's tweets would get so much attention. "roll tide." It's very clear to me we've traded him to the Norfolk Tides

Semien has never shown that he's going to be great with the glove. And he's older. So it all comes down to his offense. Now, I'll grant that the major league #s were absolutely nothing like the minor league ones. But we're basically at the point where he's been around the minors and back, so this is the time (and when it comes to establishing value, last year, well, was the time) It's not late in his career, but it's late as far as finding out what will be The Thing he's awesome at.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 8, 2014 -> 12:54 PM) We need Semien. We need a 2b and a utility infielder. If Shark is on the table: No we don't.

For what OFs are going for right now price-wise, why didnt we just keep De Aza at what he makes (roughly wouldve been 5M but compare that to what a Markakis is about to get paid)...and spend wildly on Russell Martin or a pitcher? ADA was always over-hated here. We're probably about to overpay some no-field LF when we couldve just thrown ADA in left and spent money elsewhere. from MLBTR Alejandro De Aza hit well in a brief stint with the Orioles, and was useful with the White Sox. He’s a left-handed hitter who could be a good fit for a platoon. The Orioles already lost Nelson Cruz and seem likely to lose Nick Markakis as well, increasing the chances De Aza stays put, even with a projected $5.9MM salary that the White Sox wanted no part of. De Aza and Markakis are closer than you might think — check out this comparison of their last three seasons. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...ayers=5930,3371

Hawk is willing to retire if the Sox get Markakis. He'll have accomplished everything he has set out to do in his 8 decades. Either him or C. Gomez

John Hickey @JHickey3 · 7m 7 minutes ago Source close to #Athletics says A's will not be trading Jeff Samardzija to #Braves.

Very often rumors break when it's something that just recently happened to not work out

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Nov 29, 2014 -> 04:16 PM) Hope we get an update soon either way. Anything else from the Illinois paper guy who said it'd be done this weekend? His latest: Jim Benson ‏@Pg_Benson 42s42 seconds ago ISU 36, YSU 35, 15:36. All sorts of offensive problems for Redbirds. Defense saving grace, but YSU had 4-pt play. Ouch. #isuhoops

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Nov 29, 2014 -> 02:51 PM) Anderson and Rodon better be far away from this package. Agreed on Rodon but the thing is.....regarding Anderson..........if not him, I dont really know what else we can put together that's of value. In JS, this is still a really good starting pitcher we're talking about here. 1.5 years of this guy cost Addison Russell and that is MLB.com's #5 on the planet spect.

if JS wants to be in Chicago badly, he can tell OAK he isnt interested in negotiating extensions. Help his future club and steer himself to his preferred city by saying...there's one team i'd think about it for..

Baehh instead of tearing up our farm system, wish they could sign mccarthy, melky and play some young guys in hopes of catching lightning somewhere