Balta1701

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 07:17 PM) 2 yrs is pretty short term in nature. You are talking about the season you are playing and one follow-up season. That is nothing to fill major positional holes on your team. The alternative, which is having below league average players at two positions, which are pretty crucial. Not when you are trying to contend. At some point, you will have some inefficiencies with the use of the cash if you are going to contend (unless you get extremely lucky). Nothing that is being discussed over a 2 year time frame is going to be an extreme detriment to the franchise. 4 years, sure, but 2 years, you aren't hindering yourself. Santana at the proposed 2 year deal is at a market friendly deal with minimized downside risk because if there was an injury you aren't looking at a huge capital outlay. But it sure seems like even with the "Trade Danks for someone else's garbage" the end result is that we have a below league average player at least at 1 position in either case. Either its Danks or its whoever we trade Danks for. Either way we're overpaying for a below league average player for the next couple years. Then, on top of that, we're paying market value for a player like Santana to fill a hole we created. Every time someone comes up with another free agent plug I feel like I have the same response, all we're doing with that free agent signing is moving laterally and then hoping that our trash turns into treasure

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 07:09 PM) I presume you are doing it because you are trying to field a contending team sooner. You aren't replacing Rodon, rather you are replacing Danks with Santana and putting less pressure on Rodon. You are going with a rotation of Sale / Q / Santana / Noesi / Rodon. You then are running out a more capable outfielder that you got for Danks (say Ethier) and then moving guys like Bassit / Carroll to the bullpen and maybe making another bullpen signing. Plus you might be exploring other positional upgrades as well. Clearly you also have to figure out a way to add one more bat to the mix as well. A 1-2 WAR upgrade can be a pretty significant difference in the grand scheme of things, especially if who you got for Danks (while overpriced) is a 1-2 WAR upgrade as well over your existing starter in the outfield. Now you are talking 2-4 WAR upgrade, which doesn't amount to 2-4 wins and could actually have a much larger impact then that. Bottom line you are making your team better while not adding on any extremely long term deals so when guys like Ethier / Santana come off books, the timing goes well with other young guys on the existing roster who can get raises, etc, plus you also have flexibility to add new pieces to put you further over the top potentially. See, my biggest disagreement is on the latter part. I think you're completely destroying your flexibility if you sign a >$10 million+ pitcher and you have to take on a separate bad contract to move Danks. You're stuck dealing with that bad contract and you're dealing with a pitcher probably on a multi-year deal on top of that. If we take on a $10 million+ pitcher to fill a rotation spot and move Danks for someone with equal salary, then we're talking about a salary commitment for the next 2 years of >$75 million+ just for those guys without solving the bullpen holes or the lineup holes. Unless they guy you're trading for under the bad contract for bad contract swap suddenly returns to whatever form earned him his contract, by going out and spending money on a veteran to replace Danks you're leaving yourself the same hole. It's a lateral move that to me removes flexibility by tying up additional money.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 03:45 PM) Santana at that price is a good move. He's been a 2.5-3 war pitcher in 3 of the past 4 years all while throwing over 200 innings in 3 of the last 4 years (I guess technically he hasn't done it yet but I believe he has 2 starts left this season). Stuff is good as well and what he does struggle with from time to time would appear to be something our coaching staff excels at. I really like this idea, more so if you can find someway to get some form of cash savings for Danks. There's the problem. Any of these 2-3 WAR pitchers are a tiny upgrade because you don't put them in the spot Rodon is going to take before next season ends, you need to put them in Danks's spot. So, we're paying $10 million+ a year for Santana and we're paying money to get rid of Danks, so we're paying $20 million+ per year for a 1-2 WAR upgrade in the rotation. Financially there's no way this makes sense unless Danks is swapped for a different position player at a similar cost, putting the sunk cost onto a different spot. And if you're doing that, why are you spending money on your starting pitching staff when you're just trying to run out the contract of someone like Upton in the OF?

QUOTE (Whitey @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) I'd like a trade of Danks and a prospect (even Micah) for Eithier and Van Slyke from LA.... Lineup problems solved, with little increase to payroll. Maybe if you only look at the first 2 years, but Danks has $28.5 million remaining on his deal, Ethier has $56 million.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 02:46 PM) Yikes. Hello another season of 5-10 games under .500 baseball. This is entirely possible anyway, but the motivation to do so continues to be "We got a really good haul for Alexei".

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 02:34 PM) Think the Yankee's would be willing to part with Dellin Betances for Alexei ? Maybe David Robertson or Brandon McCarthy ? Yankees probably go for Scherzer or Shields ,can afford to give up McCarthy maybe a prospect with McCarthy. Both of those guys are free agents I believe.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 01:33 PM) If Carroll is any part of the 2015 White Sox, something went terribly wrong. I don't see why its impossible for him to have a role in the bullpen.

QUOTE (MEANS @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 09:27 AM) I thought Gotham was decent last night, a little forced in the beginning to set up the story but overall, pretty solid. Yeah, seeing the part that we already knew about played out again was bit tiresome but it had to be done. Otherwise can't complain.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 10:32 PM) No. My point was they are threatening to kidnap people in Australia and behead them. It's been reported these ISIS motherf***ers are also in the USA, thus could kidnap us here and behead us. It angers me to no end. Please Mr. Obama ... stop ISIS! And just remember, no one has any reason to lie to you about that. None whatsoever.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 10:37 AM) I wonder if the slider is what gave him this recent run of injury problems. The injury this year has been described as a broken hand. Hard to see that as a result of throwing a slider?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 08:47 AM) Bassitt has shown some flashes that are pretty darn good so far. Especially for a guy who hasn't even seen AAA and missed most of his AA season this year. That said, I think he's a reliever in the long run. His secondary stuff isn't great, his command gets iffy at times, his fastball is above average and can be plus in short play, and he's even said he's more comfortable from the bullpen. So he may very well be a 2015 bullpen candidate. According to one of the articles I read about his performance last night he just added the slider in Spring Training and then didn't get to work with it much at all this year due to injury. Wondering if that extra pitch, long term, could be a key for him.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 10:02 PM) Shut out again tonight. The Pirates are on fire and it seems like they can't gain a shred of ground.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 09:32 PM) Johnson has to be 100% with his hamstrings, AND he needs at least 2-3 months in Charlotte still. Let's not rush him a bit like we did with Semien. I agree on this...he should get time in Charlotte next year, but the combination of Eaton and Johnson and Semien and the other guys we have makes it seem like Aoki as a weak hitting RF is a pretty poor fit.

QUOTE (LDF @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 08:51 PM) I been mentioning him for a while. I do not trust eaton on being healthy and the sox need a good leadoff players. now don't get me wrong, as a player I really like eaton. Worth noting...Micah Johnson also profiles as a potential leadoff hitter and has a good chance of arriving next year. That said, Micah may have some injury issues too.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 05:38 PM) That is how I feel. I think right now Surkamp has a clear edge as he is showing that he can get guys out, and Ventura is using him in higher and higher leverage situations. If they have some confidence in Snodgress, which they might as he does have a solid fastball at least, another move typical with their history would be a veteran lefty on a 1 year deal with Snodgress taking over the closer's role at Charlotte to start the year.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 04:34 PM) My personal view is that Snodgress is more likely than Surkamp to get a lefty roll in the 2015 bullpen. I think he's got a better upside for that role. Guess based on previous team techniques? They bring in one veteran left hander and Surkamp and Snodgress compete for the 2nd lefty slot in ST.

QUOTE (chisoxfan310 @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 01:18 PM) Looks like LaRoche is likely gone from the Nats after this year and from comments he made, it sounds like he knows it. Zimmerman can no longer play third so unless the NL adapts the DH this off season he will be playing somewhere else. Could be a solid plan B if we don't sign Martinez (I don't think we will sign V-Mart personally). Wouldn't the simple solution to that problem be to move Zim to 1b?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Sep 21, 2014 -> 07:11 PM) Now it's very interesting. Broncos are getting the ball with 6 minutes. This has been the quality game between these teams we didn't get in the Super Bowl. Not the greatest game ever, but a good show.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Sep 21, 2014 -> 06:22 PM) They probably shouldn't have traded Mankins. Didn't he get hurt?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 21, 2014 -> 04:01 PM) I think oak is the perfect glue guy if u add that one dh threat. Gordon and butler are really struggling down the stretch....reminiscent of the sox against det and kc in sept 2012. Should easily be 7-2 or 7-1 and moustakas made a completely boneheaded error his fifth on the home stand. Iwakuma has really run out of gas for sea in the last month....so has zunino. Who is Oak?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 21, 2014 -> 02:48 PM) I have zero interest in the MLB Draft but I am outnumbered on this board. Don't care. And yet you keep coming into the draft position tracking thread to comment about it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 21, 2014 -> 11:07 AM) It is a stupid idea for MLB. The NBA has already turned into a garbage product because of the lottery. I don't want to see this happen in baseball. What is it about the lottery that turns the NBA into a garbage product? I feel like the teams tanking hurts the product on the court more and that would be even more intense if there were no lottery and the worst record guaranteed the worst pick.

QUOTE (LDF @ Sep 20, 2014 -> 09:45 PM) my initial response would be, and he is coming back an injury that required surgery. after rethinking I am still will say that. I remember early in this season he went back to the bullpen to work on something. I remember the tv announcer saying something or an other about how danks was not feeling comfortable. this is a lame excuse but I am going to use it, some players takes longer to rebound and yes he may have a tired arm or something. last lame excuse, how many other pitchers will not pitch that amount of innings in a season? yeah I tool wish his record would be better, but he gives the sox an arm that is good for 180+ innings a yr. esp in a rebuilding yr. The simple response is that he has to be a lot better than this. He's being paid like a #3 starter and performed like a fringe #5 this season. There's nothing that can get around that. We need him to pitch like a #3, he's paid like it.

So...if i started driving now, i could probably make Nick's before it closed...but then again I couldn't get there legally....

THE F***? THIS IS THE B1G BEATING A RANKED SEC TEAM? WHAT THE F***?