Balta1701

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 04:21 PM) His last 12 starts. 11 times he has gone at least 7 innings. 8 times he has given up 3 runs or less. 10 times he has given up 4 runs or less. 6 times he has given up 2 runs or less. 7 of those starts he has given up the same or less hits then innings pitched. I realize his strikeout numbers are down, but he is still getting 7K / 9 innings, which is pretty strong and has good ground ball rates (especially after his early struggles) while home run rate is up significantly (fluky stat, but from .6/9 inning to 1 / 9 inning). He also has a new hitting coach and might even be strategically pitching to contact. He is also pitching slightly deeper into games (on average) this year vs. last year. By no way am I saying he's having a great year, I'm just saying that I don't know how much of his production is combo of a little worse luck and a full season in a better league (vs. only partial season in AL in prior year and that was all in a pitchers park). Are strikeout numbers down because he's pitching more to contact and working on getting more groundball outs / early inning outs to go deeper into games? To me the question is what is the deal but I don't know that I would bet more on him being like he was thus far this year or more like him being how he was the past 4 years (blended average). Unless we think his stuff isn't their or has degraded. The bolded is exactly what I'm focusing on with his K-Rate. His K-Rate is the worst of his career. you giving that list of his positive starts could be answered by me giving the list of his negative starts from the beginning of the year. Reality? Jeff Samardzija last year had the best strikeout rate of his career and the best numbers of his career for a reason - they're directly linkes. This year his K-Rate is very much down, 30% lower than last year, and that's not a statistical fluke, it's been that way the entire year. Almost entirely because his K-rate is down, he's a worse pitcher. That doesn't make him a bad pitcher, it makes him a middle of the order starter right now. He'll have some good games, like he did against Toronto, but when he can't put people away with the strikeout he'll also have some weak games like he did his next time out against KC. The balance between them is set based on whether or not he can strike people out. If people are putting the ball in play enough against him, he will get beat too often. If he's this pitcher again next year, he's a solid #3 starter that can help a team with a good offense to the playoffs. But...that huge, sudden drop in K-rate should be extremely concerning to any team wanting to bid on him. If he's giving up strikeouts for those other things...he's losing games because of it. If he's willing to lose games because of this strategy, then we should expect he's a 4-ish ERA pitcher in the future. If the White Sox win 86 games this year and need a pitcher in the middle of the rotation to put them over the hump and have a ton of money to spend, fine he's a candidate for that. For a long term deal, for a team that struggled this year, is extremely weak on offense, and keeps spending their first round pick on pitchers anyway? I wouldn't touch a guy whose K-rate plummeted like this with a 20 foot pole.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 03:42 PM) The 2015 budget has already been passed. That said, who replaces him in the rotation? The sox already have FOUR GOD DAMMED LEFTIES! And who can be the lone decent right hander? Mind you, I also think rodon should be back in the minors, and Danks released Erik Johnson should be in the rotation within the next week. He's 100% earned the shot. Since they're not going to eat the money on Danks, Danks can start in the rotation next year and then Carson takes his place sometime early in the year assuming the normal White Sox like progression. That's when Danks finally moves to the bullpen and we near the end. It's still not a very competitive roster since Rodon will be a still-learning sophomore and there will be a rookie and a rookie and a half, but you give the guys a chance to pitch through their difficulties as youngins for the next season+ and maybe, just maybe, by 2017 we have a really strong rotation where everyone is young and still has a good amount of experience.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 03:39 PM) Where do you get the $4M number from? I'm kind of confused. Comp picks don't get $4M. Or are you talking about paying him for the remainder of this year? That. $10 million for the season, prorated for 2/3 of the year, give or take the extra 10 days, winds up somewhere around $4 mil. It's not huge, but it's not worth ignoring either.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 03:26 PM) The Sox get a comp pick if Jeff walks, and they shouldn't accept a return that doesn't contain a player with at least as much upside as that comp pick would have, and I'm 100% fine with not trading him at all if that kind of offer doesn't come. Worth noting that this costs the White Sox an additional $4 million-ish as well (price of a reliever, maybe ~price of a decent backup catcher next year, etc.)

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 03:13 PM) Don't want to nitpick here, but your stats are off. I picked him up on fantasy baseball a few weeks back ... only reason I know.... July 48 5 14 2 0 1 3 4 0 2 2 1 .292 .340 .396 .736 Last 7 Days 14 2 3 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 .214 .294 .429 .723 The "last 7 days" is the time since the AS break. That's the .214 you show. The last 7 games includes the 3 game series against the Cubs where he went 1/11, since he sat out one of the games against KC. I did not give the July numbers, but they're generally positive because his 10/23 streak happened starting on July 1. His June numbers were terrible, he had 1 good week, then he's been rotten again the last 7 games. Every stat I gave still appears accurate.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 02:46 PM) Any chance Pittsburgh would trade their competitive balance pick in return for Ramirez? I'd take that deal for the White Sox in a heartbeat. Those picks are released today. I think Pitt clearly knows they need IF help, I have no idea what competition there is out there which could push the price down though. They definitely have the need and the room to add players, but if there's other middle-IF options out there they might wait a bit & see what the lowest priced object is.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 02:43 PM) He'll probably hit 2 HRs tonight after all this. He usually does when people start noticing. His last HR was 59 PA's ago. Yeesh. He has 2 in his last 133.

More so than that, his performance this season suggests he would be a terrible choice for a long-term, high-dollar investment, particularly for a team where it's at best questionable whether they'd be able to field a decent team around him in the first year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 02:05 PM) I meant Tigers. Price and Cespedes for Puig. Would the Dodgers do it? I think if I am Dombrowski, I would if he is waving the white flag. So, first problem - if the Dodgers are more willing to move Puig because they got Crawford back from most recent injury, then Cespedes doesn't necessarily fill a need for them? Beyond that, I'm too out of touch with LA to know how the team is looking at him right now. Talent-wise no they wouldn't do that, but getting rid of a guy sometimes you do things you wouldn't otherwise do.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 01:53 PM) For some reason, I think Puig, if he gets traded, goes to the Dodgers in a Price deal. For some reason I disagree.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 12:38 PM) The problem I have with this approach is that it puts fringy defenders at all the IF positions, which is part of the problem with the ML roster this season. Sanchez at 2B is high end defender, but fringy at SS. Johnson is definitely below average in the IF, but could be at least average in the OF. Saladino can play well enough to cover any position at a super utility guy and perhaps can handle 3rd, but has not really put enough work in there to make that determination. Anderson is going to be another guy that is a fringe player at SS, but if the Sox move him off now and get him some work at 3B, CF or RF he has tools to be above average to elite at either of those spots. I think the approach in trading at the deadline this year should be to get a strong gloved SS that can come in and take over for Alexei and solidify the IF defense for next season. Please read thread title.

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 09:47 AM) Trade Alexei and John Danks for salary relief plus maybe a couple lottery ticket prospects, then either trade Samardzija for a good prospect or give him a QO in the offseason and take the comp pick (whichever looks better). DFA Bonifacio. Call up Erik Johnson and Noesi to fill out the rotation, let Beckham man SS, bring Trayce Thompson up to be a 4th OF. Play young guys the rest of the season, be bad, get another high draft pick. Let KW go take over another franchise. Fire Robin. Fire Steverson. Fire Bell. Spend as much as necessary to bring in a coaching staff that will preach fundamentals and defense and something that resembles a prepared approach at the plate. No one is giving you anything for John Danks. He will clear waivers in August and will wind up on the White Sox next year because the Sox aren't going to pay him to pitch elsewhere. You might be able to get some salary relief for Alexei, but probably not much more than that.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 10:13 AM) haha ...... who are the active menbers of that camp??? Hi I'm Balta.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 12:23 PM) Anyone know if we got an option on him next year since he's on a MiL contract this year? B-R lists him as a free agent this fall.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 12:47 PM) and people need to remember if he is swinging with relatively 1 hand, he is still making contact and making singles. He's 2/20 since the AS break.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 11:05 AM) If the SS position can't be obviously upgraded this next offseason,you decline Alexei's option and sign him much cheaper perhaps with incentives where he gets paid if he performs. His fielding has been better, and he has hit slightly better lately. Perhaps he is coming out of his funk. I don't think he has declined physically as much as some think. To be clear..."he has hit slightly better lately" = Hit .186 during June Hit .214 (3/14) since the AS Break Hit .160 over his last 7 games. He had 1 7 game hit streak where he went 10/23. Otherwise, he's been terrible recently.

Given those numbers from Soto...we really ought to trade him.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 09:44 AM) Maybe I'm in the dark but haven't seen anything about him being hurt. I just want him to start hitting the ball hard again. If it takes a DL stint, so be it. Over the weekend he looked just physically terrible and that was after a full 5 day break. He looks half dead. Maybe he'll snap out of it while playing...I dunno.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 03:28 AM) Inquiring minds want to know: Why hasn't Shark been traded yet? Why do the Sox front office types not see what their fans see? That this is one, horses*** team that had no chance of a WC? They are 1-4 since the all star game, predictably. Why can't they pull the trigger on trades? They already are very late in getting some new bodies in here for Shark, Melky, Robertson, LaRoche, Lexi, Beckham, Shuck, Eaton. Keep Sale, Rodon, Q, Saladino, Avi and Abreu and trade everybody else soon, please??? 1. Because they went on that poorly timed run in late June and early July, they probably were hesitant to trade him until they were 100% out of it.2 2. He was actually performing well during that run so the White Sox holding onto him possibly did help him establish that he could still produce for a contender. 3. There are a lot of pitchers on the trade market right now and none of them have moved at all. Teams are being hesitant and aren't pulling out their best offers yet. I think 3 is probably the most important of these. There are so many front line pitchers out there, especially if you count Price, that the teams with starting pitching needs can wait on the market to come down.

QUOTE (harkness @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 11:47 PM) Abreu is scaring me... I'm not sure who the real guy is. He has sucked hardcore as of late. The real worry now is that the real guy appears to be a decently productive player who is extremely prone to nagging injuries, enough to regularly impact his production.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 09:21 PM) Just turned on the game. What the hell happened?! Eaton gave them a free run, Rodon got wild when guys got on base, then the Cardinals really started hammering him. Just one of those days, some really good pitches by Rodon but a lot getting away from him.

1-4 since the AS break and the only win from Danks. Crazy.

D'OH.

OW.

COME ON NEW YORK