chitownsportsfan

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 26, 2018 -> 03:53 PM) Per Hahn at media scrum, Rodon has been cleared to start throwing next week. wow, that's a great update and perhaps lends more credence to the "minor" version of his shoulder surgery story the Sox are selling. Hell, if he's already starting his throwing program you'd think he's only a few weeks behind. Maybe a May debut?

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Jan 26, 2018 -> 10:17 AM) The teams that signed Pujols Fielder Ellsbury etc may be tired of setting their money on fire. But I would ask you how many of those franchises are having financial problems because of it. They may not have gotten player production vs dollars spent but did the signing of those players generate income? Did they sell more tickets?? Did they sell more merchandise? Did their advertising revenue increase. These owners are not dummies. They are making money by the truckloads. When their bottom line gets affected they will watch what they spend on salaries. But if spending X ( even if they don't get their true value) nets them X+ they will continue to spend millions on salaries to make more millions in revenue. If their revenue was affected up or down it's really just a drop in the bucket. As I mentioned up thread because of the national money pouring in from revenue sharing, MLBAM, etc -- winning has never been more decoupled from revenue. Baseball's economics are broken right now. We need a salary floor and to seriously reconsider revenue sharing and the bulls*** "small market" compensation crap. There are no "small markets" in MLB right now -- only profitable markets and more profitable markets. Not really. I don't think a single franchise has been "crippled" by any FA in the last decade. What teams are doing is in response to the economic incentives currently in place. Those incentives, for the most part, encourage teams not to spend on FA.

QUOTE (wrathofhahn @ Jan 25, 2018 -> 07:43 PM) Like I said in the other thread players contracts are bloated. His players would sign in a NY minute just not based on the bad deals of the past. You can go through these 7-10 year deals they almost never work out. Pujols. Fielder. Ellsbury. Crawford. Owners are tired of setting their money on fire and I don't blame them. Until you can build a competitive team via FA why should rebuilding teams bloat their caps with a bunch of unmovable deals? Contracts are "bloated" only in the sense that vets are overpaid relative to the amazing accuracy of WAR/$ projections and their younger pre-arb and pre-FA counterparts. (And of course nobody ever b****es about the FA signing that turns into a bargain for the club.) The thing is that the MLBPA did an unbelievably bad job at the last negotiation. The luxury tax is not just a nuisance it's a defacto hard cap. It's also a helluva an excuse not to take on salary not just to go over it -- but to approach it -- in that ethereal Garpax patented "financial flexability" corporate speak. Also, and this is a helluva factor -- revenue has never been less tied to performance. With the revenue sharing, MLBAM revenue, etc there's less incentive than ever to win in order to make money. s*** is really bad and I am pretty worried there will be a strike just as the Sox get good again.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 25, 2018 -> 05:11 PM) Scott Merkin‏Verified account @scottmerkin 1h1 hour ago White Sox pitchers will be throwing Fri morning for Dr. Cooper f*** yea. let's get on with it.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jan 25, 2018 -> 07:29 PM) And now they get Cain. I bet they sign Darvish or Arrieta as well That would probably piss Cubs fans off quite a bit if they get Darvish. That would be like a 5 game swing on paper in the division.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jan 25, 2018 -> 06:37 PM) I would not agree. Maybe Eloy, Hansen and Rutherford. I would be okay with the sox making this kind of trade if they had shown any ability to regenerate young players like the Astros do. But they haven't. What we see right now is about all we'll get. I would probably stop being a fan for a year or five if the Sox traded that package for Yelich. You're talking about trading away potentially 10-15 WAR a year, including a absolute "A" prospect in Eloy for a 4 WAR 26 year old coming off a OPS+ of 117 in the JV league. I'd seriously write the Sox a letter if that trade went down and I've never even considered doing something like that. Or better yet I'd probably go down to spring training this year not with a great sunny outlook on the club but with a paper bag over my head.

No. Now, onto more important matters: http://www.springtrainingcountdown.com/#sthash.ZBd61ddn.dpbs

QUOTE (3GamesToLove @ Jan 23, 2018 -> 11:51 AM) As I heard someone say once... "Carson Cistulli is definitely an acquired taste, and I've definitely acquired it." I find it ironic you have a quote from DFW as your sig but like Carson. DFW's brilliance and self awareness and humility is about as far from Carson's style as it gets, author wise. Carson is the type of writer I find insufferable. The constant self promotion, the false humility passing as real humility, the "quirkiness" that he lays on thicker than the butter on an obese person's bread -- I can't stand it.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 23, 2018 -> 12:09 PM) ignoring that Anyway one thing I've been thinking about that worries me about Rutherford only from media, is Collins, Burger and Sheets had issues last year and from everything we heard have attempted to make substantial changes to improve them. With rutherford, we heard last year his swing prevented him from generated power. And all I've heard out of him is that he grew, and that he'll be fine. This is all part of the process with guys, and I hope he's right, but I worry about whether he's going to resist necessary updates and just rely on getting stronger. One thing is for certain, if he doesn't improve his power this year he's going to tumble down prospect lists. Similar to Basabe last year. Yea these guys are young and toolsy (and Basabe battled injuries) but you have to produce. I wasn't big on Rutherford when they got him and I'm not now. But I'm not going to argue the "raw power" that made him such an attractive draft pick to the Yankees (an org that has certainly shown they can scout lately) isn't in there somewhere. It's up to Chicago and Blake to draw it out and produce in game.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 21, 2018 -> 08:37 PM) Another update from the Brewers insider: "Multiple" trades that are separate from this one are in place as well. Trades will happen dependent upon this (A.) move and possibly other free agent moves. Multiple trades are already agreed upon, but only to happen if (A) happens. wait what? that sounds rather fantastical.

Spring training starts 3 weeks from Monday!

they both have about as much chance of posting a positive WAR next year as I do. CF is Leury's for now.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 18, 2018 -> 01:24 PM) The owner of the Athletic wasn't kidding when he said they will suck the papers dry of the best talent. The problems are obviously myriad for the traditional newspapers but IMO they hastened their own demise by cutting their talent rather than doubling down. The Athletic is actually paying for premium talent and attracts a readership because it's worth paying for. SSS has been a wasteland since Jim left so the best Sox coverage will be here and at the Athletic this year. I'm not sure how much actual reporting Jim will be doing at Sox Machine. He mostly is just a "reaction" guy now. Only Future Sox and the Athletic consistently have access to and talk to Sox players and personnel.

QUOTE (GenericUserName @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 06:02 PM) IIRC there were questions about his speed because it was above average to plus when he was in Cuba and they thought if he filled out he might slow down to average speed. But once he got out of Cuba and got better training and I'm assuming much better nutrition/supplementation, he had times that were plus-plus or even 80 based on some times. So it looks like what happened is scouts thought he might slow down when he filled out, but instead he put on muscle and got faster. one of the absolute dumbest tropes in baseball scouting. There isn't a single scout in any other pro sport that thinks guys will slow down as they add muscle. That's just something out of like 1960 thinking. As if they are just training biceps! Come on.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 05:26 PM) Not sure how they can say that this early. Avi Garcia was a "5-tool center fielder" at one point too. It kinda makes me question the scouting on this guy if all of a sudden he's gone from a corner type with average speed to a CF with above average or even borderline great speed. Like, are the stopwatches in Cuba subject to time dilation? You'd think the one thing they could pin down would be his running ability. He's what, 19, so it's not like he's developed a ton from a 14 year old kid since the time of those reports last year. Maybe he was injured and is now 100%? That's the only thing I can think of that would result in such a scouting report change on his speed.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 16, 2018 -> 07:29 PM) Stat line https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/germego01.shtml http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playe...&position=P he had 28 walks (three of those IBB) in 40 and 2/3 innings in his last MLB action in 2016 with the Rockies. Who says you can't walk to Japan?

Some tidbits from the article on the Athletic: I'd highly suggest subscribing. It's worth the $5/m and if you buy a year it's cheaper. There's more good stuff in the article on Moncada, Micker, Eloy etc. https://theathletic.com/213760/2018/01/16/l...y-on-instagram/

That's a great goal and glad to see he's been around the facilities this off season but I'd be thrilled if he finishes in AA this year and is on the "Eloy Path" from 2017.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 05:00 PM) I honestly believe Hahn is looking for one big FA signing or trade this off season to ease the heavy lifting for next off season. To do EVERYTHING right as you expect to contend is difficult to do. I think he's looking to buy assets that are undervalued and is kicking the tires and sniffing around any potential deal that offers that opportunity. Salaries seem highly suppressed this offseason. If the Sox can take advantage of what appears to a near historical lack of FA interest they should do so.

I'm not complaining but man the players really need to get their s*** together in the next CBA negotiations.

QUOTE (Knackattack @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 02:50 PM) If Rodon refined fastball command he could top out at 92 and be a TOR starter with his slider. As we saw with Danks, it's not just diminished velocity it's also diminished control and command. I honestly don't think he can be effective at 92, his fastball command was horse s*** even before he was hurt.

Anytime a pitcher has shoulder surgery and misses most of two seasons there is a non zero chance his career is irrevocably altered for the worse. Rodon is relatively young and the Sox obviously have a great record at rehabbing pitchers and keeping them as healthy as you possibly can -- but shoulder surgery and missing almost two years is what it is. It's not good and expecting him to come back 100% is naive imo.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 01:34 PM) Realistically he will likely be ready by June the earliest. I wouldn't be surprised if they wait as long as August to get him going. There is no reason to rush him back in a developmental season in which the 2018 campaign will most definitely be. Hopefully Fulmer can take advantage of this opportunity and turn some heads this year. This is a very important year for him . Personally I think his career as a TOR starter is over. I don't trust what the Sox are selling about the surgery. I think he'll probably be a reliever by the time he's on his first FA deal. It looked like a great pick at the time but I don't think it's going to work out for the Sox or Rodon how they expected.

Not exactly an encouraging report: He's on the dreaded "there's no timetable for his return" it appears. Sox do not expect him to be ready by April.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 11, 2018 -> 02:41 PM) Miguel is OK by me. How were his peripherals before I decide whether he's good or not. I don't despise him or anything. As far as Shields/Opening Day. Geez. If he pitches Opening Day it's telling the world and our fans: "The White Sox wish to tank one more season. Please bear with us as we tank. And please enjoy your 25 dollar parking and 10 dollar beer. We are allowed to charge that while giving you James Shields one more season before we get good. That is all." And you wonder why people think you're a troll. Stop trolling, and maybe people will stop calling you a troll. And FYI his peripherals aren't very good, which is why he's a 5th starter on a one year 4.5 million dollar deal. Best case the Sox flip him for a lotto ticket in July.