Balta1701

Bulls doing well inside and on the boards but still don't have the outside game at all.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 07:24 PM) Navarro will turn 30 in Feb. He's a hard guy to figure out because he looked great in 2008 with the Rays (Caulfield should love that )when he was pretty much a full time catcher and hit very good against RH's. Didn't show much power then so I don't know what got into him last year unless it was just Wrigley Field. But since the Cell is also a hitters park maybe that bodes well if his warning track power suddenly played well in a hitters park. Maybe he just started pulling everything . I haven't bothered to look at his spray chart on his HR's. I think he's a career backup catcher. Chris Widger had a great year for us with the bats. Ramon Castro put up an .800+ OPS when he was 34 with us. When guys get 200 PA's, funny things happen - they get in a string where they hit a couple HR and are feeling good and that's enough to turn it into a great season for them. It's like being in a bullpen - a backup player can put together a string over limited number of appearances and turn it into a good year.

As always, Indiana finds a ridiculous way to blow a game that they had in their hands and probably kill their chances of a bowl bid.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 06:55 PM) Navarro is a switch hitter Balta you got your stats backwards on him. He got the majority of his AB's against against righties, and hit .279 with 7 HR's in 195 AB's . Against lefties as a RH hitter he had 61 AB's hit 6 HR's and had .361 BA. I think splitting time would be just fine , not sure Phegley should get that many AB's but it's splitting hairs. ok, if he's a switch hitter you've got a point, my bad for missing that. But the point stands, if we're signing a guy like that it really is being done with the idea that Rick Hahn thinks Josh Phegley is a starting catcher at the major league level and will show significant growth this year. I got screwed up because Navarro's numbers were so good against lefties last year, 1.123 OPS when his career number against lefties is .778. It's also worth noting that career against righties....which is how he'd get the majority of his work if Phegley was the starter... .650 career OPS. So yeah, he can switch hit, but his weakest side is the side he'd get most of his work.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 06:33 PM) You made a post earlier about the Red Sox adding mid level free agents. Let the rest of the teams who need a catcher circle the wagons around MaCann and Salty . I still think guys like Brayan Pena and Dionner Navarro can both provide the Sox a decent starting option at catcher and yes even AJ . Pena and Navarro both switch hit and had pretty decent years in limited roles . Both of those guy are midt-tier free agents . Navarro also has pretty good power for all those who remember him hitting 3 HR's off us with the Cubs last year. I think they represent a clear upgrade because , frankly, who doesn't ? Flower's might be non-tendered. For the White Sox...going with one of those guys would make sense if they were confident in Phegley or Flowers and wanted a more veteran backup alongside. In that case, Navarro might not fit well since he's a righty. Just keep in mind, neither of those guys has 400 PA's since Navarro in 2009. They're backups. .684 career OPS for Navarro, .651 for Pena. Navarro had solid numbers last year....in 260 PA's as a heavily platooned player against LH starters. I can see how one of those guys can have a role just fine...but it's a backup role next to a starting Josh Phegley who gets 450-500 PA's. Are you confident Phegley can be a solid starting catcher and contribute with the bat like a starter? Is Hahn? I don't know, but that's the situation where adding one of those guys makes sense. In terms of AJ...fine...if we're expecting him to get 200 PA's. The problem is...if AJ gets his usual 500+ PA's and Phegley or Flowers gets consigned to backup duty...we're not doing anything to set ourselves up long term. If you're pessimistic, maybe one of the guys we currently have has a 5% chance of breaking out next year...but AJ would have a 0% chance of being a contributor to the White Sox long term. he'd only be a fit if we signed Ellsbury and had other upgrades on top of that - where they want a starting catcher next year that they can count on to help compete next year.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 1, 2013 -> 11:47 PM) Jay Ratliff visited the Bears, Chiefs and Dolphins Ed Werder ‏@Edwerderespn 9m Former Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff has agreed to 1-year contract to join Bears. Will play against Cowboys later this month QUOTE Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 4m Ex-Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff may not be able to play for a few weeks. but he has a deal. A 1-year deal with the #Bears, per source.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 05:42 PM) Red Sox declined Thorntons option...I know a lot of people here hate him, but I wouldn't mind him back as a Loogy. I dunno on this one...he'd be useful, he could be traded again, he fits in well here, but its not the kind of move I'd make for the long-term...we really do need to be developing some of these younger lefties we have and trying to pull together a couple guys who can be our next generation of LH relievers.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 04:45 PM) I think Hahn realizes we have 4-5 positions that MUST be changed. He has to do it unless he wants another 95 plus loss season. He won't last long if we don't get to .500 soon and start contending soon. Being the worst team or two in baseball won't cut it and currently the Sox are a bottom feeder entering next season. Hahn will change it. Compared to the middle of last season, we've already changed 3...Garcia, Abreu, and Phegley taking over for Rios, Konerko, and Flowers. Phegley might still need replaced again. There's still work to be done, but there has already been a decent amount of turnover from the team that was terrible for the first half of last year and the guy who was by far the most disappointing has been replaced with our biggest expenditure.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 04:48 PM) Hopefully Hahn realizes that and dumps him to the Blue Jays. If someone would give up anything of use for him, absolutely (that includes borderline relievers or backups at this point).

Broncos coach John Fox is having a heart attack.

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 1, 2013 -> 04:22 PM) I've been thinking about how the GOP and the rift between "Tea Party" types and regular and wondering if it is by design. At first it seemed like a Dem technique to tag ultra conservative members as "Tea Party"and possibly paint that in a negative light, but I've seen now mainstream REPs using the label. And in turn the Tea Party types refer to those leaders as "RINO"s. Could it be helpful or shooting themselves in the foot? Looking ahead to the next election, it seems that it will take a moderate candidate to win. Will that be a regular conservative or RINO? But to get the nomination, the person may have to be much further right. I don't know if that is a "U" turn that is possible. I may not be typical, but there are a few Reps that I may vote for before Hillary. A couple have been mentioned as possibly running, Christie for example, and Perry. My litmus test would be immigration and the ACA. So Perry may be out based on the ACA, which he opposed for Texas, not certain his position nationally. I'm only posting this since you brought him up...a couple of those Washington-Insider writers have an article in Time this week giving what they say is the Romney campaign's summary of Chris Christie and why they started looking elsewhere for a VP pick. They had some personal problems with him but they had some particular problems with several investigations in his background that had found a lot of improprieties but not enough to bring charges. Worth reading if you're interested in him as a future candidate.

A chart making the rounds this week:

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:16 PM) And Jon Favreau, but he's done well for himself, hasn't he? Thor started out around 87% at rt.com, now around 84%...right in the vicinity of Avengers and Iron Man 3. Everyone's saying it's the funniest of all the Marvel movies so far. If it stays there we're set, hopefully it doesn't decline more.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:19 PM) Jose Quintana had a 3.51 ERA last year, threw 200 innings, had the #42 ERA in the big leagues and the #17 ERA in the AL. #16 in ERA in the AL was Justin Verlander (who has an easier ballpark to pitch in), #18 was John Lackey. Last year he was an above-average #2 starter. I should also add...Quintana was 6th in the AL in bWAR. (Sale of course was 2nd).

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:22 PM) While we're talking ERA....Guess what Hectors ERA as a starter was???? 3.51 That's why I threw in the innings. Hector couldn't get there yet...because of how he was moved back and forth. He might well be there next year, we'll see. (And of course, if we're talking ERA, let's also remember how many of those earned runs were given up by terrible defense that didn't get labeled as an error).

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:18 PM) I still don't like Obamacare much. Why is everything so complicated in legalese? Bottom line ... if I get fired tomorrow and need to buy my own insurance, about how much will it cost me a year? What do I do if I can't afford that and get sick? I rot and die? If you're totally unemployed next year, move to a state that expanded Medicaid. It's working well, your state just wants its poor people to, as you said, rot and die. Medicaid was supposed to be expanded to cover people with incomes below the poverty line, but your state opted out of that and consequently there are no options or subsidies available whatsoever. If that's too complicated of legalese...blame your state leaders who chose not to accept free money from the Federal Government. If you're making $16000 next year (just over the poverty line), on average, insurance in Kansas should cost you $320 next year for the entire year to cover you and a spouse.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:05 PM) Yeah I think Q has already cemented himself as a legit #3 starter and should be a staple to our rotation for a while. Jose Quintana had a 3.51 ERA last year, threw 200 innings, had the #42 ERA in the big leagues and the #17 ERA in the AL. #16 in ERA in the AL was Justin Verlander (who has an easier ballpark to pitch in), #18 was John Lackey. Last year he was an above-average #2 starter.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:15 PM) I know that. I agree that the player I am referring to is not in the organization yet. It's easier said than done. I still would not want to pay for past performance though. If Ellsbury loses his speed or goes on the DL the whole plan is shot. It's like investing in Jose Reyes. Investing that much money in a player whose game depends so much on speed is a problem for me. It would make sense if the White Sox were coming off an 85 win season and their CF had performed as badly as Konerko did this year. Neither of those are the case.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 03:13 PM) Steverson should bring Beckham in for a week and start making the necessary changes, the final changes, to his stance/approach. If we are going to keep Beckham, this is his last chance at becoming a productive hitter in a Sox uniform. If Beckham doesn't want to work with him ... that's a bad sign. I don't think "Changing his approach and stance" for Beckham is the problem any more.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 01:41 PM) Who are these guys that are similar to Ellsbury that were effective into their mid-30's? We're talking $20M a year effective, not just good ball players. If the White Sox are going after Ellsbury, it's not because of what he'll give them in his mid-30's. At least that's not how they should be looking at it. If the White Sox are going after a guy like Ellsbury, anything you get from him in the latter years should be looked at as gravy. The only reason you sign a guy like that is that you're expecting to be competitive in the first 2-3 years of the deal. If you don't have a team that can win the series with him in the year you sign him...it's the wrong deal to make. That goes for anyone getting one of those 7 year deals; the last few years are the lottery ticket at the end that might be nice, the first few years is when you need to be ready to compete if you're signing one.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 01:28 PM) I can't see any way anyone ever considers Santiago a #2 starter. That doesn't mean I think he has no value, but let's be realistic, he's a 3/4. It's fine to say you still think he has upside, but it isn't like his stuff is overwhelming and he just needs to learn to harness it. Until the latter half of 2013, his fastball was comparable to Chris Sale. He doesn't top out as high but he also is more consistently in the low 90's.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 01:07 PM) And Balta, they had 3.5 years and millions of dollars to make that website. A website, they same thing Sean Parker made in a dorm room in 1999 while being pretty broke. This, unfortunately for you, cant be blamed on Republicans. Its an in-house failure that just shows how incompetent these people are in charge of this thing. You're 100% right and I'm not trying to offer any excuse for the performance of the feds here. It was do-able. A dozen states pulled it off and the feds flat out f***ed themselves. There's a reason I was the first person in this thread saying Sebelius should lose her job over this, it's simply unacceptable.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 01:20 PM) And I love when hometown fans overvalue every player on their favorite team. Its only been a few days since I joined this site, but already I've learned..... - Viciedo and Beckham are good players who are just slumping. They'll be better next year. - Alexei Ramirez is a very good player who should only be traded for a top prospect. He's too valuable for anything less. - Hector Santiago is legit frontline starter and possibly even a #2. - Chris Beck is a top prospect with a bright future. I don't know about Beckham but I agree 100% with the rest of those. Maybe it's hope with Viciedo...but damn he's so talented he just seems like he has to find it at some point.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 01:00 PM) You're bias is clouding you're judgement. Santiago is 4/5 starter on a good team. He has good, not great stuff, marginal control, and has never shown the ability to get into the 7th inning on a regular basis. He'll keep you in the game for 6 innings, which is definitely a good thing and he is a valuable member of a team. But he's just not a premium talent, he kinda is what he is. His trade value really isn't as high as you think it is. If his trade value isn't that of a really solid young starter then we'd be stupid to move him.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 01:00 PM) I certainly don't think the Sox are even close to being in a position to consider themselves contenders in 14. Now that they have the gaping hole at 1b filled...they can tell themselves "if everything goes right they have a shot" and be serious in it. If their guys are able to remember to catch the white flying sphere instead of having it hit them in the face, and the talent they have with the bats plays like they're capable of, this could be a solid team, but based on last year that's a lot of if's. They can now say "what are the guys we think we need to pull the plug on" and try to move them or replace them with something they'd prefer, and they can sort of wait on the right deal to come along.