Balta1701

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 31, 2014 -> 08:47 AM) well the team strategy for this offseason is anybody guess. I personally think that sox have a great foundation of nice looking arms in the pen. young, yes, but a nice selection. that is why I mention that yes get a closer (2yr), not a top closer or 1 in his prime. but a closer who will be willing to share the duties with the young pitchers. use this season or the beginning of this season as mentoring and then have a closer by committee type. they need a stabilizing veteran who can lead the young pitchers. I look up the old 2005 roster and I notice that a young 24 yr old Bobby Jenks was not an option to close. but Dustin H was the closer that season. we all know how important Neal Cotts was that season as well. a group of very good pitchers that season. Hermanson was not the closer at the start of that season, Takatsu was. Hermanson was a reliever recently converted from a starter who had something like a couple decent months in the role in San Fran and was brought in as a fairly cheap but veteran bullpen option. He got on a roll early in the season while Takatsu struggled.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 31, 2014 -> 08:58 AM) I kind of disagree, I think Jose A is that kind of leader, but when you team have a player like Paulie, not need to look elsewhere. remember there are different types of leaders. I think the sox have those leaders on the team, I think the sox needs a player, a veteran who can be a calming factor. Just to say again...the 2013 and 2014 white sox did not look at all to me like a team that anyone would ever call well led or motivated. The best you can say about them is "they didn't completely quit in September of 2014". Sloppy, barely improving over a 2 year stretch, completely uninterested on defense, can't even do basic things like run hard to 1b or hit a cutoff man.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 10:10 PM) I'd be shocked if they get to the ECFs in fact. Tell me who in the East outside the Bulls is going to be able to take that team out in round 2?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 10:01 PM) *yawn* Gets a 2 year head start...brags when ahead by a year...

QUOTE (chw42 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 10:00 PM) The Cavs aren't looking very good... This is a Knicks team playing in a back to back and they just got blown out by the Bulls. And tomorrow night the fresher Bulls team will have a huge task on their hands somehow.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 09:59 PM) Is 17 to 20 million considered cheap now? I'm asking in a serious tone. Cause if I'm a scout ... the James Shields that pitched this postseason was a Jeremie Guthrie clone. He was not the old James Shields that is for sure. No. It's considered what you have to pay for a middle rotation pitcher. Which is why I have no interest in paying full price for free agents with this team right now. If a team like Cleveland had him this year, that probably would put them in the playoffs and that playoff appearance could easily be worth $100 million+ to the franchise. The Royals run this year will probably be worth more than that to them.

So, 4 SEC teams in the tourney?

::Drops Mic::

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 03:57 PM) I would add one caveat. You really have to identify 6 starters. Many ML teams started this season with at least 1 starter out with an injury. In the White Sox case, I assume that #5 is Carrol until Rodon arrives. Everyone has Rodon arriving next year, including me, but if he doesn't you better have one solid option among Danks Noesi and Carrol. They could also think of Bassitt as a potential 6th starter based on his current performance. Carroll seems to be a good fit in the bullpen to me. But that's still iffy enough, depending on how soon they have Rodon coming up in their ideal situation, to consider bringing in someone on a short term deal (Masterson seems like a plausible fit in that role as a guy on a 1+ year deal looking to recover value from a terrible season).

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 09:21 AM) Jimmy Claussen Josh McCown Jason Campbell Caleb Hanie Todd Collins Rex Grossman Kyle Orton Brian Griese Certainly these guys are better than Cutler. Well, those guys plus $12 million in extra cap space...

Bumgarner warming.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 09:39 PM) And a freakin layup At some point, Dunleavy will hit more shots and Hinrich will hit fewer.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 06:31 PM) We saw what happened with Chandler Parsons. If we think we can get him to a fair contract, there is something to be said about it. Yes, we still have ability to match but that might mean a team comes out with a poison pill or something else that puts us in a tough spot. If the cap goes up $10 million+ next offseason...it'll make it almost impossible for anyone to poison pill that deal because they'll hit the max contract level.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) My heart says that's moronic, my brain kind of agrees that's a good decision. He's a good player, but if this seasons ends with them still needing a 2nd scorer at the 2 you gotta replace him. With the cap going up, he'll get a big offer somewhere if healthy, but the Bulls will have the opportunity to match and they'll be able to go over the tax level to do so if they really had to. It's more of a gamble for Butler's side than it is for the Bulls really, with him already having dealt with a bunch of minor nagging type injuries.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 06:08 PM) How many people are going to have the resources/means to sneak into a country? Very, very few. Across a border in West Africa? I bet you already have more resources than you need. I think it probably requires feet.

QUOTE (Jake @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 01:44 PM) As experts keep saying, if you don't let people come Africa, they'll go somewhere else first. And they'll lie if you promise to treat them inhumanely when they arrive. You want to be able to find them on the way in rather than incentivize them to sneak in. Australia also has had a long running "illegal immigration" type controversy over refugees arriving in that country IIRC so this probably somehow fits in with their domestic issues in a similar way to the "Isis will bring ebola to the US from Mexico!" stuff does in this country.

QUOTE (Jake @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 01:39 PM) I'd give them Bassitt. I think Lind is really good as long as you have a platoon plan. That's a higher price than I think I'd go for him, but maybe I could be convinced. He would be a good fit as you note, but it's not like he's underpaid for the production he gives by all that much, whereas Bassitt could be a contributor just about as useful as Lind next year. QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 01:40 PM) Mike Recchia. Slightly more reasonable than Bassitt since Recchia hasn't yet hit the AAA/Big league level.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 12:53 PM) I saw a reply of the salary and the old comment from Hahn saying that it est to be at 90+ mill. if I remember correctly, I think I posted a article and a link of Hahn saying or quoting that the actual number increased to something like 105+ million. something like 15 mil more than originally thought. I can't remember the reason. so in essence the sox have a little more to use and spend. either way, there are many options that is available for the sox to take advantage of. The one thing Ricky also said is that he won't "Spend money just to spend money", which if true is exactly the way he should be thinking.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 11:35 AM) It's just glimpses here and there of watching him and looking at his numbers, but there are a lot of red flags. He is a power hitter but hits a ton of ground balls. His overall peripherals are actually OK but he still hasn't ever put up a really good year. He's a terrible defender who is probably best served hidden at 1B. I think he'd be best served as a 1B/OF guy off the bench solely against RHP, and I think Danks is a guy who is already much better suited for that role. The question with any setup like this is what the team is hoping to accomplish this year. If they're going to stay with buy-low guys, like Masterson in the rotation and Morales at 1b/DH or some equivalents of that, maybe with some added bullpen help on top of that, then the question with a guy like Brown would be "tell me a better option that we'd have a shot at". If they're looking to spend beyond that, then f*** it, no room for him whatsoever.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 10:51 AM) He's got a plus fastball and a slider that is looking quite good. The issue is, he's really a two-pitch pitcher, at least right now. That could change of course and I'm sure he's working on that, but right now he profiles as a reliever for me. I guess this is partly a question of timing. Do you want to... A. Make him a reliever, and in that case IMO, he's MLB-ready today or B. Keep him in AA/AAA to refine secondary stuff and see if he can make another pitch or two at least playable or MLB average (knowing that may or may not happen, but the value then goes up) I don't have the answer, though I'd lean towards A myself. He definitely has a 3rd pitch, his curveball sits in the mid 70s and it looks like PitchFX has him throwing that just about as often as the slider last year. IT's not IDing his pitches perfectly (calling some a change) but it looks like when he gets good break on it, it's a strong pitch, but he hangs it sometimes and when he does that it gets destroyed.

A couple leaked clips from the event yesterday: The Infinity War intro: An Age of Ultron short:

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 10:03 AM) Yeah it's not a makeup thing. It is partially his comfort level, but also some questions about the breadth and quality of his secondary arsenal that make a relief role more likely. But then again, by all accounts his slider was significantly improved during ST this year and times afterwards, so that could put him as having a better chance at being a starter.

Next disaster, if you're thinking of giving to the Red Cross, this is probably worth a read.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 09:00 AM) Nope. Just repeating what was said to me. That was before his WS performance. SF's 2015 interest in Peavy prob depends on what they expect out of Cain and Lincecum. I'm sure Peavy likes pitchhing in that ballpark. Either way, I will bet that you will hear Jake Peavy tell you about it.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 08:40 AM) I have a feeling that is going to play into the greater arc of Thors character, ie. he will not be worthy to pick it up at some point in the movie, maybe carrying over to Thor 3 Like he was in...um...Thor?