Balta1701

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 26, 2014 -> 10:58 AM) Every team I west is scary. Would you take Bulls in seven game series vs Blazers? They are usually kryptonite. I'm just gonna enjoy. Last few years the entertainment was how this team could overcome everything to win each night. Now it is just great basketball. Their pace is so much more fun. Last year Noah was our 2nd best offensive player. Now he's at least our sixth, taj has certainly surpassed him now. Right now no, but really impressive has been watching key guys finding their groove in December. Jimmy started off on fire, great, Taj missed a bit of time fine...but if you've watched Rose, Mitotic, and Noah over the last month, they're clearly a step up from where they were in November. If they keep getting healthier and getting their games back, even if they miss some games for minor things, these guys could be an incredible force by March/April.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 25, 2014 -> 12:49 PM) he would be a great addition i wonder what will be the cost? So, he's an underpaid player worth more in "value" than Samardzija was, equally close to FA, he ought to cost more than JS. He wouldn't rise to the level of Rodon, but something built around Anderson + Montas might be plausible if the Rays like those guys.

Probably should still be working honestly.

Maybe they look over your shoulder sometimes.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 24, 2014 -> 11:23 AM) but what will the cost be to get him??? Anderson, Montas and Rodon? That's about what Tampa Bay should ask for.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Dec 24, 2014 -> 11:27 AM) LaRoche has a .718 OPS vs lefties in his career. That is tolerable. Who are we going to find that is going to do better in such a limited role, let alone find two of them to platoon with both Gillaspie and LaRoche. I just don't see it. In my opinion, LaRoche will be playing everyday. Stop using career numbers, what a guy did in his 20s doesn't reflect what he did now. In 2014 he put up a .620 OPS against lefties. In 2013 he put up a .566 OPS against lefties. That's who he is now. Read those numbers again - Dayan Viciedo, as terrible as he is, would put up an OPS 50 to 100 points higher against lefties than what LaRoche has done the last 2 years. You can't play him regularly against lefties. You just can't. That's the kind of thing that will cost you a season.

QUOTE (BigFinn @ Dec 23, 2014 -> 04:59 PM) If Longoria can play at an all-star clip (WAR > 5) for the next 3 to 5 years, you have to start thinking about him as hall-of-fame material, don't you? Yes. But then again, maintaining all-star level performance for 5 years isn't easy.

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Dec 24, 2014 -> 07:49 AM) platoon at 3b? It's Conor's full time The fewer games Conor starts when there is a left handed pitcher on the mound, the better the 2015 Chicago White Sox will be. This should apply equally with LaRoche. That's just the reality. Those 2 guys are solid or even really good hitters against righties and terrible against lefties. Removing a terrible bat and replacing it with a tolerable bat when there is a lefty on the mound is a major upgrade.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 24, 2014 -> 09:42 AM) In an ideal situation, you wouldn't have to count on Rodon for anything, but the Sox were a 89 loss team with a mediocre at best farm system. There aren't enough resources to pay/trade for enough talent to make this a contending team in 2015 without a significant contribution from Rodon. Given the relative ages/experience of Sale-Quintana-Rodon, 2016-2017 is really the most likely time frame for contending. If we are relying on a rookie who has pitched 20 innings above college ball to make this be a contending team next year we will not be a contending team.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Dec 23, 2014 -> 03:51 PM) Dayan Viciedo It'd be convenient, but the small problem of him being previously unable to hit lefties or righties makes him a less than ideal candidate.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 23, 2014 -> 11:53 AM) I trade any Sox prospect sans Rodon for Longoria and I wouldn't question it at all. And if the Rays trade Longoria for any Sox Prospect Sans Rodon I'd ask what the heck they were doing.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 23, 2014 -> 11:27 AM) This has to be the worst theory yet. I'll stand by it vanishing into magic black hole.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 23, 2014 -> 09:58 AM) lol ..... great counter. i can't think of a counter statement, except, they are the world series chanpions. the sox need to add a final piece or 2 and 1 of them is in the pen. too many uncertainties there, at least for me. IMO, the biggest uncertainty/issue for me is that I still don't see a righty who can take at-bats away from LaRoche, and he's terrible against lefties. I'm game with this rotation, I know who my top 6 are and there's even a potential backup or two after that, and I'm ok with the bullpen - the major roles are filled and bullpen pitchers are up and down enough that there's bound to be someone from that group who has an up season.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 06:35 PM) An appendectomy, for example, can cost anywhere from $1,529 to $186,955, depending on how good of a deal an insurer can get from a hospital. And people blame insurance companies when it's doctors/hospitals making up arbitrary values ranging from 1,529$ to 186,955$. That's what this law needed to put a stop too, and did nothing of the sort. And of course, the reason why those charges are now public is this law.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 07:06 PM) thanks for the update on #4 pitcher. when you are saying that the sox are better, are you using the Advance Stats?? here is the main point of my assessment. outside sfo #1 Chris needs to be completely healthy for the whole season based on this club as it is now. but in general the sfo pitchers has pitched 180 innings. there is some questions about the sox #4 and #5 pitchers. i am comfortable with Danks but i do not have that all sooo nice feelings on Noesi reproducing his success. this is where i started this post, do the sox rush Rodon up? can he put up the numbers that is needed for the team absorb his numbers and do the same in the playoff and further? I don't even need to use advanced stats to say this one. Tim Hudson vs. Jose Quintana...Quintana has had a better ERA each of the last 2 years while pitching more innings, and just going off ERA is giving a huge hand to Hudson since last year he pitched in San Francisco, one of the best pitcher's parks in the league. Matt Cain, worse ERA than Samardzija each of the last 2 years, ERA over 4, again while pitching in that pitchers park in San Francisco, and only pitched 90 innings last year. Jake Peavy...hell they let him go what, 1 inning in the world series because they were so confident in him? He's better than Danks/Noesi right now, but not by much. Lincecum put up a 4.74 ERA in San Francisco last year. John Danks put up a 4.74 ERA in Chicago last year. Tim Lincecum put up a similar ERA to John Danks, pitching fewer innings, in a much larger ballpark.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) therein lies the problem. the sox do not have time to wait. not with the main players on this team entering their prime. the sox may get into the playoff and depending on how Bos and Det continue to address their list of improvement needed. so the sox need to add 1 more pitcher. if the sox do not want to trade for one then Max Scherzer should be sign. this is an insurance for JS, if he does not want to sign, or ask for a lot of in salary. the sox will go with a solid of 4 sp with 2 more in reserve, 1 will be a #5 and the other will be as insurance if there is an injury. i am looking at the NL team as SFO and their starting Pitcers. #1. M. Bumgarner #2. T. Hudson #3. M. Cain #4. T. Lincecum #5. ??? i know i am jumping to the final game but the sox need to address those weakness now. The Giants #4 starter right now is Peavy, and as you show it, we are ~tied at #1 if Chris is healthy, better at #2 and #3, Lincecum was worse than either Danks or Noesi last year and the couple years before it. I would take our rotation over that rotation if Chris stays healthy. Hands down no contest. That should tell you something about winning the world series. That Giants rotation is very weak outside their #1, their worst starter is actually a lot worse than Danks or Noesi.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 03:58 PM) While I love all the improvements the Sox have made this offseason, we're still on the outside looking in as far as contenders go. Part of that is the back-end of our rotation. Even as a rookie, Rodon could be a big upgrade over Danks and/or Noesi. Given our expected margin for error, I really don't think we can afford to wait two months or more if an upgrade is presently available. Also, what does 54 games get us? No super 2 status? I'm all for the extra year of team control, but avoiding super 2 status isn't worth the cost if you feel that Rodon is better than Danks or Noesi. I would be genuinely surprised if you could take Rodon with 20 innings above college level ball and stick him in as a starter on this team as of April & have him be a major upgrade over the guys we have when you fit everything together. Maybe it'll happen, but I'm still extremely skeptical about this claim. Very few guys can pull that off. If he's that much clearly better in spring training maybe you'll get me changing my tune, but even if he goes out and takes control of a rotation spot in the spring we're going to need someone to start 8-10 games or so for him just to keep his innings down. He'll be exhausted by the time he gets to ~150 innings. Skipping a start would seem like an option, but we also want to keep everyone else in the rotation, particularly Chris Sale, healthy and rested for the playoffs also, so hanging 15-20 extra innings on their arms still seems like the kind of move that will cost us by the time the playoffs hit.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 03:28 PM) That has gotten harder to do. Teams are less willing to give up multiple picks to move up in the first round. You have to catch a break and have a player available at your pick that somebody 10+ spots farther down really, really wants. One other thing to keep in mind is that with the updated salary cap rules, the value of a top 10 pick has actually gone up in the last few years. If you hit on it, you've got the guy for what, 5 years at a fairly minimal cap hit before he's a free agent or 4 years before his extension kicks in. That's also where you can get franchise changers.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 02:21 PM) The Chicago Bears should have the highest paid coaches in the league. That family has been stealing from this city for years. They should also have something other than the smallest stadium in the league, but well.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 12:53 PM) I wonder how he would do with a coach like Thibbs. He really should be an all world defender and if you really managed the offensive side, he could be something. Was an awful move for the Pistons. I'd guess that a couple years with Thibs on a developing/rebuilding team and you might see real solid development from him, but on the current Bulls team he'd get buried in Thibs's doghouse and would never work his way out of it because they're a team trying to win.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 11:56 AM) Buehrle and Garland did it as well. In 2000, Buehrle got 120 innings in the minors and another 50 in the big leagues, with both starts and bullpen work in the bigs. That I'm ok with.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 11:44 AM) What is the argument that starting a guy in the bullpen makes sense? 1. Get him to 150 innings when his peak previous innings total is about 130. 2. Get him those innings against lesser competition so that he's building up his arm and working on his offspeed stuff but doing so without having to face top level MLB competition/extremely high stress levels. 3. Get him exposed to big league hitters in a controlled way, where he's only seeing how they handle his fastball and maybe one offspeed pitch, so that he has a bit of experience against big leaguers to fall back on this offseason. 4. Add in a few extra innings in a controlled way at the end of the year to keep building up his arm but without pushing him so far. 5. Maybe win a few extra games in September by bringing up a lefty who can throw in the low/mid 90s with really good stuff to the pen. 6. Maybe get him experience in a playoff hunt if things don't fall apart beforehand.

Didn't the same thing get said about Tom Coughlin prior to NY? And maybe Belichick pre-New England?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 11:13 AM) Maybe one of these days somebody will just absolutely blindside Stafford in retaliation and then maybe that will wake him up a bit. Refs don't notice when you do those things to linemen, at least not all the time. Refs will not miss if you do that to a Qb.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 10:58 AM) I hope whoever the #5 is pitches well enough where we don't have to worry about calling Rodon up until further down the line. I'd rather he take care of his arm and work on his command than come up right away and learn on the fly. My ideal situation for Rodon would be what David Price did in his age 22/first year out of the draft season. He pitched >100 innings in the minors, jumped up a couple levels, then was called up to the bullpen with the september callups and got a chance to pitch in the playoffs. Probably try to give Rodon about 40-50 more innings than Price got since Rodon's arm is a bit more stretched out, but if we wanted to do what was best for his development that's the path I'd look at.