Balta1701

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 15, 2013 -> 12:58 PM) For starters, two of the veterans the Sox were counting on coming into the season have been just about the least valuable players in all of baseball (Konerko and Keppinger). Konerko is my favorite Sox player of all time and his Game 2 slam in the WS is my favorite sports moment of all time, but I really hope they don't bring him back after this season. And as far as I can tell the team forgot to hire any staff other than a pitching coach this season, that hurts too. Can't figure out what they were thinking going into the season with no manager or practice.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Sep 15, 2013 -> 08:00 AM) Let's re-visit this after the Rule V Draft. You might be right, but I see a lot of bad relief pitching every year. Guys who are afraid to throw strikes, etc. I can give you several examples on the Rockies' staff. (Corpus, Lopez, Oswalt). Kussmaul has been solid every year untill he went on the DL a few months ago. Not that this makes a big difference in the grand scheme of things. I couldn't figure out how teams with no OF depth didn't grab Jordan Danks when he was made available like a year and a half ago. I'm pretty well convinced teams miss plenty of opportunities in the Rule 5.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 09:48 PM) And speaking of the Angels, not to derail my own thread, but holy s***, what a 2009 draft they had! In 2009, they drafted Mike Trout, Tyler Skaggs, Patrick Corbin, Garrett Richards, and a few lesser players who are in the bigs, but not anyone good. Now Skaggs did not sign, and instead signed the following year, but still, jesus they selected an amazing group. And yet we STILL have a higher accumulated WAR. On top of that, the Angels have spent a couple of the biggest salary buys in baseball the last few offseasons, and they're still below .500. Impressive.

Will we win another game this season?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 15, 2013 -> 12:46 PM) I think the prices on the free agent market are going to be super inflated this year because of the lack of depth and new tv money. If you need a CF'er would you rather spend $70M+ on Ellsbury or trade a good prospect to get Upton at $30M? Hell, even if Upton had put up a normal season for him I'd choose Ellsbury out of those 2 options. Throwing in a prospect and on top of it the fact that Upton's put up an Adam Dunn caliber season? If Upton is worth $30 million+ a good player in addition, then you've sold me on Ellsbury being worth $120 million.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 15, 2013 -> 12:38 PM) Ya, I still haven't found a deal like that. People brought up the Toronto trades but that was ALL salary and no prospects. Emilio Bonifacio, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and John Buck, so that rules out that trade. This really isn't quite true. Despite taking on all that salary, a literally ridiculous amount of salary, the Blue Jays still sent along some decent talent. Here was one early reaction: For comparison, that seems qualitatively similar to the White Sox sending along Semien, Daniel Webb, Micah Johnson, Rienzo, and probably another piece while still taking on $150 million+.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 02:08 PM) What are the expectations for Abreu, I have no idea. Besides that, are 3-5 in the rotation going to get better because they absolutely have to. After all that, the pen is an issue as well. If he's going to get the kind of money people are talking about for him (5/$60 or more), then the expectation should be that he steps in and hits .280+ with 25+ HR, and possibly even better on both. If my scouts looked at him and thought he couldn't at least do that then I would not sign him for the kind of money it will take.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:31 PM) You really think Abreu and McCann would only make us 5-6 games better? It's not like those would be our only moves anyways. Don't be a troll Marty. Replacing Konerko and Phegley's offense with Abreu and McCann would make a huge difference. Add in a nice rookie year for Semien, moving De Aza out of CF and a new manager/philosophy/stress on defense and were in business with our pitching. That's going to be the big problem with putting this team together...do you believe they can get back to the level of focus/defense we saw in 2012? If we think these guys are the pathetic screwups we saw on the field this year then McCann and Abreu will only make this a 70-75 win team. If the team hires someone to help these guys with their focus levels, with the day to day routine, someone to make decisions, someone to, i dunno, coach the team, then it could be a different story. Wonder why we don't have one of those guys.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:14 PM) Alex Gordon would be the exception to the rule. I seem to remember the Blue Jays and Dodgers calling for him last July and I doubt he lost all value. At least to a national league team. Someone like you probably thinks he's going to drastically improve after 5 seasons of being less than average. Last July = July of last year or July 2013? He was definitely hitting better in July 13, and July 2012 he was still pre-arb so there was less money to worry about.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:05 PM) Perhaps I should have been more clear, young controllable talent. Gordon Beckham 2010 - .252/.317/.378/.695 2011 - .230/.296/.337/.633 2012 - .234/.296/.371/.668 2013 - .270/.325/.370/.694 (2nd half-.207/.296/.299/.594) Is Beckham really still waiting on his prime? This is going to be his 5th straight year of playing 100 games and at this pace he'll be lucky to finish the season above .260. He may still have value so lets move him while we can. Semien is more valuable at 2B, not 3B. Yeah, he's not at his prime seasons yet. That's how the age works and that's how young he was when we pushed him up. Alex Gordon, for example, came up at 23 and didn't put up a solid season until 27. If Beckham is being moved, it's the team non-tendering him. He's right on the edge of it after the 2nd half, and I'm not going to be mad at the franchise if they do so. He's probably played well enough to have 1 year under arbitration this year, but he's extremely likely to not be offered arbitration next year without improvement. He literally has zero value in a trade right now. He'd probably get picked up on waivers.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:05 PM) You don't build your team with the goal of being in the pennant race which is what I believe the Indians have done. WTF? Yes, you do. That's "exactly" what you do. Especially when you're already sitting on a great pitching staff.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:04 PM) At what price? This run certainly hasn't re-energized their fan base either. Your plan to lose for years so that you can tell everyone how terrible the team is probably won't do a very good job of that either.

I know I should but I don't.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:02 PM) High risk/low reward strategy is not the way to respond to this miserable season. "Pennant race" = low reward in marty's world.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 12:58 PM) Welp, you asked how a 100 loss team(94 might as well be 100) can contend by signing Free agents and we answered. Whether you like it or not it obviously can be done, and I don't think we need to add as much as they did to get it done due to our pitching. We're actually even underperforming our run differential somewhat. What we really need as much as anything is to fix this team's mental state/focus. Their level of focus on the field is embarrassing. That might mean replacing some of the players, but it absolutely should fall on the coaching staff.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 12:52 PM) The Indians plan is not the one I want followed, but too each their own. We know you don't want it followed, you want the team to keep losing.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 12:50 PM) I think we should move Beckham at this point. At this point, I don't believe there is anything Semien can't do there except maybe the defense and that's considering the learning curve Semien would have. We need to get younger so Semien at 2B and picking up a young position player for CF/LF/3B could really help along with Avisail Garcia in RF. Replacing the 26 year old 2b isn't exactly what most people mean when they say "We need to get younger". Usually you say that about guys in their 30's who are past their prime, not guys still before their prime years.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 13, 2013 -> 06:06 PM) If the Sox match last year's last 15 games at 4-11, the Marlins would have to go 9-8 starting tonight. I guess stranger things have happened, but we pretty much have the 3rd pick locked up. 1st pick isn't happening. We're 2-13 in our last 15 counting today. Miami is 5-6 in their last 11. Hell, even Houston is 5-5 in their last 10. The White Sox clearly have packed it in.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Sep 13, 2013 -> 05:57 PM) I wish I had a positive spin for this. Our projected performance based on run differential is several games better than what we're actually seeing.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 13, 2013 -> 01:26 PM) That wouldn't explain why were the only day game today... However, we do have an owner with a last name "Reinsdorf"...

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Sep 13, 2013 -> 01:15 PM) I dont think Beasley is necessarily the answer. But I think he, along with a few other players that were in free agency, is worth the gamble, with little to no risk involved. It's just mind boggling to see how the best team has the chance to get much better, yet we are not taking these chances to get a lot better. Weren't the Bulls in to the last on Oden? Part of the problem is that these players aren't dumb either, they know that if they're playing for Thibs they're going to have to work harder to earn playing time, whereas on the Heat they're going to get playing time by being warm bodies and they're going to look better playing next to Lebron.

Largest peer-reviewed study to date, surveying over 30 years of data nationwide, controlling for well over a dozen different variables, finds that gun use is a significant predicting variable for higher homicide rates, for every additional percent of the population that owns guns, the homicide rate increases by 0.9%. Fewer guns = fewer homicides. And since I always get asked, that is "Criminal homicides", so the additional deaths are not due to heroic self defense.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Sep 12, 2013 -> 10:13 PM) Sox are going to find out trade market for him is very small. Then find him an actual manager.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 12, 2013 -> 08:27 PM) Sox down 4-0 in the bottom of the first. Can this offense muster up 5 runs and can this staff shut the down the tribe for 8 innings? De Aza Beckham Ramirez Dunn Konerko Garcia Viciedo Phegley Semien no.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Sep 12, 2013 -> 03:11 PM) Right. He's just not dynamic enough to be called "great." The advanced metrics think he started off ok at second base and has gotten worse there every year. I'm not sure I disagree, I certainly feel like he seemed to have more range a few years ago.