Balta1701

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 04:00 PM) Why would Ventura care what you think? "I think it would be a good thing for us to practice appropriate technique on how to handle things like popups and rundowns." RV: "Ha, I'll show you!!"

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:58 PM) I'm happy with the guy looking like a major leaguer behind the plate. The rest is gravy. He's still striking out at about the same rate as last year so far. To be a major leaguer while doing that he's going to have to start killing some balls.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:56 PM) How is that on the coaching staff? Usually "how to handle a popup" is something you'd hope a team would practice.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:52 PM) I am of the belief we could have an excellent pitching staff right now with the right bit of tinkering last offseason. We have literally the 2nd worst pitching staff in baseball right now. A bit of tinkering would not have done it. We would have to fundamentally have changed what we were doing, and that includes not giving Johnson a shot to learn the big leagues (that he has earned), so adding 2 starters at least, as well as not relying on rookie relievers so basically 4 additional bullpen pitchers. "A bit of tinkering" = replacing 1/2 or more of the pitching staff.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:49 PM) Even if it's around .350, he might be a .250 hitter, which I'd be fine with. But you have to realize that luck is not a skill. The chances of Flowers replicating his high BABIP in following years is pretty unlikely. What would be really nice for Flowers is to see a few more balls banging off the fences/leaving the park right now.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:44 PM) Dunn could hit .300 with 40 HR & 100 RBI this year and be non tendered in the offseason Actually Adam Dunn will not be "non-tendered" in the offseason.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:38 PM) I guess overachieving isn't on the table in sports nowadays. If we had gotten a good starter instead of that stiff Paulino we'd have a rotation of Danks, Sale, Q, good pitcher. Not half bad. Then acquire a couple good relievers (Sox had the money) and let some guys overachieve. But no. We suck on paper so we have to suck again this year is how some people seem to feel. And look what has happened already in reality. Garcia out for the season, Jones out for an extended period dramatically weakening the bullpen, Lindstrom injured most of ST and poor out of the gates, Beckham hurt and hitting below .200 at AA in rehab stint, Semien seeming very much not ready, Eaton banged up, the one bullpen pitcher we did spend money on disappointing, Abreu needing coaching even about basic footwork at 1b. A couple guys have achieved, Gillaspie and Flowers and Viciedo for example, but this team is a really weak team right now. They might not be by the end of the season as these guys grow up, but this is a basement team right now. A couple guys overachieving would almost always be balanced by a couple guys struggling, and now we've got one of our pieces that destroyed his shoulder on a dive to boot.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:33 PM) Yet when he played game 2 this season you were b****ing Viciedo wasn't playing instead. Which was another reason why it made no sense to me to platoon them. If he takes a while to get started...sticking him on the bench or as part of a platoon would probably make his numbers by the trade deadline look even worse.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:29 PM) These ADA at bats have been awful. He got off to a really bad start last year too and it took until May for him to find a groove. That's one of the reasons why I thought "Oh we'll platoon him and then trade him mid-season" sounded like a poor plan.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:22 PM) Him or DeAza really only choices. I am not that high on Semien's future. Being small does not automatically qualify a person as a leadoff hitter.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:17 PM) While I am not on the Marcus Semien is already stud bandwagon, who would have been a better choice to lead off today? Gillaspie 3B Abreu 1B Dunn DH Viciedo RF Ramirez SS De Aza LF Flowers C

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 03:19 PM) Maybe not, but they are 2 games out of first. A little less wear and tear on the bullpen might go a long way, and if you signed him to a multiyear deal, he would already be in place for next year. They are 2 games out of first...and 4th in their division, 0.5 games out of last.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 01:29 PM) You can look at it either way, but it behooves the White Sox to speed up the pace. Sale and Q are a great 1/2 punch, but the way pitchers have been dropping, the longer they pitch pretty much meaningless games, the bigger the waste and actual cost is. Danks has been pretty good himself. One big reason why I wanted them to go after Jimenez or Santana was the price in dollars and in draft picks. If the Sox aren't horrible again, it is going to cost a first round draft pick. Well, the good news is...by not signing either of those guys, the Sox have helped make sure it only costs them a 2nd round pick to sign a FA next year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 01:09 PM) If the Sox are successful in the least, signing a guy like Santana will cost a first round pick. It is funny how Jimenez's start is mentioned a lot, but no one mentions Santana. If your goal is not to have the best pitching staff, just some run of the mill 4th or 5th starter, there is a lot on that list to at least have some interest. If your goal is World Series, the guys on that list that you really would be interested in are going to cost close to 9 figures, if not 9 figures. Ervin Santana has gotten off to one of the best starts in baseball. If the White Sox replaced Felipe Paulino, one of the worst starters in baseball, with Ervin Santana, one of the best for the first few times out...their team ERA would go fromm 29th to about 25th in MLB. Clearly that's the kind of move that would have put them over the top.

I guess the good news is that Marcus has stepped up to earn that leadoff spot the leadoff spot isn't all that important we're sending a strong sign that we care about getting swept the Rangers aren't all that good It's a beautiful day.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 12:27 PM) Oh look, it is a list of the exact same crap we passed on this year. The same level guys are available every year to fill mid to back of the rotation slots. Only 1 person insists that isn't the case for some reason.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 12:02 PM) Point them out for me, please. Ervin Santana Brett Anderson (been at least as consistent as Jiminez in his career) AJ Burnett (getting up there in years, a 1-2 year deal could readily fill in back of rotation) Bruce Chen (Worth 3 WAR to the White Sox solely because the White Sox would not have to face him) Kevin Correia (should be cheap back of the rotation option, probably in the 2-3 years, $5-6 million a year range) Johnny Cueto ($10 million option that Reds may/may not pick up based on health. would make sense at perhaps that $ amount, give or take). Scott Feldman Gavin Floyd (probably will be shooting for a multi-year deal if he can have a healthy rest of the season this year) Aaron Harang - literally carrying Braves rotation right now after no one wanted him (a lesson right there). Jason Hammel - AL East experienced, back of the rotation option JA Happ - another guy with an injury history who could be had for 1-2 years Robert Hernandez (Fausto) - put up ERA in mid 4's last year, probably available on cheap 1 year deals. Hiroki Kuroda - will be 40 next year but has been **** great the last couple years in late 30's. If we're shooting for a competitive team next year might be my favorite name on this list for a 1-2 year offer. Colby Lewis - literally beat us last night. John Lannan - another guy whos been hurt but not far removed from putting up sub-4 ERA's and still on the good side of 30. Paul Maholm - Regularly solid, unspectacular contributor to several teams, could be really good at filling 5th starter spot cheaply. Justin Masterson - will be pricey but would fill rotation role after Quintana for multiple years. Really good to have an extra $12 million available here. Brandon McCarthy - another injury name, worth a shot if we also have another young guy like Beck we think can fill in when he gets hurt Jake Peavy - we kinda know what he has & doesn't. Jeff Neimann - regularly puts up an ERA aroudn 4 with the Rays. I'd expect him to go in that 4/$48 range you're obsessed with. Wandy Rodriguez - solid but aging vet. Probably available cheaply on a 1 year deal. Ryan Vogelsong - veteran who could probably fill 100+ innings for less than $5 mil. Carlos Villanueva - again will give you >100 innigns with an ERA around 4.5 ish. Edinson Volquez - maybe the most exciting stuff on the list, will be interesting to see what he does numbers-wise this year. Jerome Williams - AL-experienced, could probably be had cheaply, will eat innings as a 4/5 and give a chance to win some games. So at the level where you wanted to throw money away this seaosn or cheaper, there's about 20 guys who could be had for various degrees fo cost and performance depending on what we actually need (i.e. what Johnson and Beck and others do this year). So either go through and tell me why those guys don't exist or will be priced out of the White Sox's range or go away.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:51 AM) The Sox will not outbid the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, among others for the top of the free agent pitching market. After those guys, not much left. That's why signing a mid-rotation guy this offseason made sense. "Not much left" = Ervin Santana Brett Anderson * Josh Beckett Chad Billingsley * A.J. Burnett * Chris Capuano Bruce Chen * Wei-Yin Chen * Kevin Correia Johnny Cueto * Jorge De La Rosa Ryan Dempster Scott Feldman Gavin Floyd Yovani Gallardo * Jason Hammel J.A. Happ * Aaron Harang Dan Haren * Roberto Hernandez Luke Hochevar Hisashi Iwakuma Josh Johnson Kyle Kendrick Hiroki Kuroda John Lannan Colby Lewis Jon Lester Paul Maholm Justin Masterson Brandon McCarthy Brandon Morrow * Jeff Niemann Ross Ohlendorf Felipe Paulino * Jake Peavy Wandy Rodriguez Carlos Villanueva Ryan Vogelsong Edinson Volquez Jerome Williams Multiple guys on that list who could easily fill a back of the rotation slot as reliably as the guys you wanted to spend money on last year.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:44 AM) Are you ruling out guys like Scherzer, Lester, and Shields? Lester yes because I don't think the Sox will have any need of another LH starter when their 2 best ones are already lefties. The other 2? I don't know, I'd guess because I still think the White Sox have enough pitching on its way that a 9-figure deal for a starter would be counter-productive. But then again, if the catcher's spot winds up being solidified this year and Davidson gets handed 3b at some point and succeeds, and Viciedo keeps hititng like this, their list of actual needs long-term starts shrinking a lot.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:37 AM) Any names? Traditionally, the Sox go cheap on their pens. I doubt they will spend poney on that until the rotation is addressed. I don't know what they'll need to do on the rotation yet, Erik Johnson is still a rookie and we don't know what we have in him yet. His velocity dip is troubling even though it's early. We also still have a lot of other guys in AA or higher who we don't know how they'll close their seasons (Rienzo, for example, got off to a poor start in 2013 and really caught fire around the start of June). I'll see what I think of Beck here in a couple weeks. Just for an example, everyone would have replaced Tyler Flowers coming into this season if we were competing and as of now he's been one of our few bright spots. He'll come back down to Earth, but he's suddenly showing promise as a potential major leaguer again. And there's still a good chance that some guys out of Beckham, Flowers, Gillaspie, and De Aza will be moved before the end of the year - that could provide bullpen assistance as well.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:32 AM) $24M to spend on who? We will see what their needs shape up to be at the end of the season. It certainly looks like a portion of that extra $12 million will have to go to finding a reliever or two.

Yankees Ivan Nova partial tear of his UCL, put on disabled list, will be reevaluated.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:29 AM) I'll take my chances with Jimenez. How would paying Jimenez prevent the Sox from contending this year? It wouldn't because they wouldn't be in either case, they'd have the #29 ERA in MLB in either case. But having $24 million to spend next year instead of $12 million will absolutely be helpful.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:20 AM) Not for a second. The contract made sense because it was a six year deal, and not a 1/2/3 year deal. Then why did you comment to me when I was pointing out basically the same point?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 11:20 AM) I do not give one damn about what Astros fans think. This is not some $500 fantasy league where picking Paulino in the 30th round might be considered "a good risk." It was an awful decision from the start. No it was not and it continues to not be one. The only way it's an awful decision is if you think that he's preventing the white sox from competing this year. Here's a remarkable one for you. The White Sox have the #29 pitching staff in the league right now. If they had replaced Felipe Paulino with Ubaldo Jiminez, at a cost of nearly $50 million like you desperately wanted...their pitching staff would be...#29 in MLB.