Balta1701

Honestly, I've sort of stopped caring about the "service time windows". Really have, its so far away and if Reinsdorf can't pay to keep his own players that's on him. For me, I have started caring a lot more about what these undeserved callups and promotions do to the players and the people around them. We just had a team go completely toxic, literally ripped itself apart, and had an unbelievably set of poor results from what should have been an epic class of prospects. Do we really believe that the bizarrely inconsistent treatment that the prospects got in the minors had nothing to do with that?

Of course, we wouldn't have to find clugey ways to "get by" had Getz signed a person who could play SS, rather than adding depth only to 3b and 2b where there was already a glut of players before he added someone. It's amazing that it's this hard for a GM to understand the spots in his lineup where players would be most useful.

This kind of smoke, pumping guys upwards not based on what they've actually shown but based on their prospect status, is very Rick Hahn.

This was probably because Rodon didn't look ready at all and got the "Hahn" callup, where callups are almost never based on guys actually being ready for the big leagues.

Rojas on travel leaving no chance for a physical?

I do think that on paper they have more arms who should be starting in the big leagues than they have spots for to start the year, but I can't be too mad about having an extra option because no one ever makes it all the way through April without an injury or two.

I think this is likely to be the single most profitable year of Jerry Reinsdorf's life.

Just adding another possibly useful detail:

The season before he hit free agency, Prince Fielder put up a .981 OPS. For a 5 year period before hitting FA, he averaged a .951 OPS. He turned 28 in the first year of his new contract. Last year, Pete Alonso put up a .788 OPS. He averaged an .854 OPS during his entire time with the Mets, and it was .804 the last 2 years so he's been trending downwards. Pete Alonso just turned 30 in December. The performance of these two players has never been anywhere close to each other, one guy seems to be trending downwards, and that guy is already 2 years older at the time of his contract.

They should have signed a big time 1b.

I mean, there's a reason why they have 1 division title since 2005. I can't say they'd never win the division again because "Years when the rest of the division is bad" do happen. But yeah, it's going to be rare. If you are signing guys with a $100 million limit, you get what we've seen recently - relievers who go up and down in their performance or get hurt, guys who are at the end of their career who break down rapidly, guys who no other team wants due to horrid attitudes, and mid- or low-level players who either fall apart or get put in roles where they aren't compatible. Chris Getz has taken steps to improve the White Sox's system and made some trades he had to make. But, if I were to look at their system right now and their system mid-2017 and ask which I think is better, I would say the mid-2017 system without any question or doubt in my mind, and we saw how that worked when they tried to supplement it with guys at the end of their career in Keuchel, Lynn, Grandal - they broke down. If they try to supplement their current system in the same way, with mid-level free agents who break down, DHs, and poor character "leaders", it is probably a lost cause.

Isn't that exactly what I'm saying will happen if they try to sign a bunch of mid-level free agents again? DHs and relievers? That's exactly. how they got themselves in trouble.

No I'm saying its difficult to insist that spending their full international pool is important when they didn't do so last year and are already talking about trading more again this year.

if a $100 million or less contract is all that's realistic for Reinsdorf, then frankly I don't care. If Jerry Reinsdorf thinks he can half-ass another rebuild, without being willing to fill in gaps like an adult, then it's not worth talking about. Perhaps the number 1 biggest problem with this franchise in the last rebuild was his unwillingness to go out of his comfort zone, on contracts, scouting, drafting, expanding his staff, player philosophies, Jason benietti being too smart, etc. If nothing has changed, then yeah to hell with him. He can enjoy his 4th place finishes.

While I sincerely doubt the White Sox would have the stones, Kyle Tucker covers a lot of this team's needs. Corner OF, true 5 tool player, power, LH hitter, postseason experience.

like the international bonus pool they forfeited last year by not using?

Also worth adding that he received a qualifying offer so the White Sox would lose a high draft pick if they signed him.

I don't know if accurate but this was described as "far apart".

Check back a few pages, right around Christmas his people spoke to someone at ESPN and placed an article saying he was interested in coaching the Bears. Yeah the age thing is an issue at least to figure out. I have no idea what his motivation is right now or why he's thinking this, but a Super Bowl winning coach saying "I want to come out of retirement and coach this team, put an article out saying that" at least gets my attention.

What counts as a high price to you?

If he truly is interested in the job Pete Carroll is not a bad option at all either and I’d have zero complaints if somehow he wound up as the Bears coach. He’s just a flat out good coach and we all know it. If they somehow wind up with none of these options, that’s the moment to worry in my eyes.

If they signed either of these guys I’d be laughing about how Reinsdorf won’t spend money on anything but relievers and DHs still. if they signed both? There’s only 1 DH spot?

Who in Chicago would be this excited over Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander? For this to be “tremendous PR”?

Maybe they should have tried not losing 222 games over 2 years.