Balta1701

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:50 PM) We may well have refused that deal. Maybe we don't like those guys (it WAS pitching heavy, which doesn't seem like what we'd go for) and maybe Rick has been offered packages that he thinks are better. That's fine, I'm just saying if we refused that deal...we shouldn't accept a lesser deal for Jake.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:35 PM) You have to assume if Jake was their first choice, they would have called the White Sox and made the same offer. Otherwise that is a really bad general manager. I'd also personally say that preferring Garza to Peavy would be "being a really bad general manager" as well, but that's maybe a little closer.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:27 PM) Yes, but it still might also make sense for the White Sox to accept a package that is less than what the Cubs got for Garza. Other than setting the market for assets, the Rangers-Cubs deal has very little to do with the future health of the White Sox. So while that is definitely a factor, it isn't really as relevant as some think it should be. It would really suck to take an offer less than the Cubs got for Garza since one option should have been to call up the Rangers before the Garza deal was completed and say "We'll give you Peavy instead of Garza for that offer".

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:26 PM) The thing about the Yankees is they gave A-Rod a 10-year deal at age 31, the length killed them. Braun will be 30 at the start of 2014. If he were a free agent, I'd be willing to bet a good size 3-4 year deal on him, maybe 5. Anything past that would be too much of a gamble IMO. and i'm sure you know you'd probably lose him to some team offering a 7 year deal.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:06 PM) I'm going to assume that he hasn't been juicing his entire career...although I admit, I was wrong about him juicing in the first place...he's been an awfully good player for a long time now...I think his PED-less performance would be a bit better than you're giving him credit for, but I could certainly be wrong, as I was about him before. The real question is...if you're in the shoes of a GM...how much would you be willing to risk on that bet? It seems like the Yankees, for example, are going to be out >$100 million on it.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 02:28 PM) For teams in contention, I think you will see these players really fight through the appeals system. In the case of Braun, the Brewers are f'ed this year anyways, so he can take his suspension at this point and come back next year recharged when the Brewers will hope to contend. Cruz's problem is free agency. If he takes the hit now like Braun did, he could sign as a tainted FA but able to play in April if someone signs him. If he waits until the offseason and MLB wins 100 games, then he's a guy who a team will sign knowing he won't play until August. The former makes a helluva lot more sense to me.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 02:12 PM) . We would be estastic if we could trade anyone on the roster this side of Sale for a young, cost controlled pitcher who would go on to post a 2.85 ERA and strikes guys out at an elite level. Probably meant we got a Top ten prospect in all of MLB back. Oh wait that is Santiago. I just dont see how we could possibly get fair value for him. If he can learn to keep his pitch count down with a little more development, he will become an ace. Same thing with Quintana. Both of these guys are young, high-ceiling, LH starting pitchers who could literally be a year away from leading a team's rotation to the playoffs. These guys ought to cost a fortune if someone wants them. I'd listen if someone was willing to offer a fortune, but their price ought to be set by "what their ceiling in a year or two could be".

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 09:34 AM) I think Rienzo is much more likely to make an impact next year than Snodgress Very much agreed, although SS might have a good shot at a bullpen spot before long. It'll be darn hard to find an opening in the rotation with him, particularly since it's already loaded with lefties.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 09:24 AM) Ah, that is what it sounded like. No way, Braun is guilty as can be. I am just saying that by taking the sample home, he gave Braun the opening he needed to void the test. I already found 3 FedEx offices within ten miles of Miller Park that are open very late on Saturday nights. I agree he gave Braun the opening. However, I refuse to acknowledge that the collector personally did anything wrong. Taking a sample home and storing it on a weekend was absolutely standard procedure in both internationally accepted and MLB approved tests. It was spelled out as an option for collectors to use. However, MLB's drug testing agreement said that it should only be used under special circumstances but did not spell out what those circumstances were. The collector followed the procedures as well as he could have. Storing the sample over the weekend was almost certainly standard procedure followed by everyone. It's normal in international testing. The collector did not do a darn thing wrong. I will give Ryan Braun's legal team credit for finding a loophole that even MLB did not realize they'd left in their agreement, and MLB deserves the blame for not clarifying the circumstances under which "weekend storage" could be used. But Braun went much farther than that in his statements, alleging he had found negative things about the past of the collector and that they had good reason to believe the sample was tampered with. Neither of those things were correct. They're so far incorrect that if Braun actually apologized to him for those statements, his apology would probably wind up evidence in a libel suit.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 12:10 AM) With Johnson and Snodgress looking as if they'll be able to contribute in 2014, I'm convinced Peavy is a goner. Last time I said this it was pointed out to me that, despite last night's game, Snodgress had pretty mediocre numbers on the year.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 08:44 AM) What do you mean? He would still have to pass through waivers, right? He wouldn't have to "pass through" waivers entirely to get traded, only get to the Braves. Whether or not a team in the NL might try to block him getting there is a different question.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 10:28 PM) I don't know, I wasn't at his house. And it was determined that there were FedEx offices open in Milwaukee that Saturday night. So you're now alleging that he tampered with this sample also?

I'll believe Soriano will be traded once he's played 10 games in another uniform. they've been talking about it being close to done for like 4 years.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 10:10 PM) Putting these three in a group is kind of weird. Viciedo is still a key player in their plans moving ahead. Those are "cheap guys the Sox have who could play some 1b next year, have some power, and are under the Soxs control next year and longer." If any of them could become an effective bat somewhere its a win and the Sox have to give up nothing to get them.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 10:10 PM) He refers to the collector and the entire process, and since the collection wasnt shipped immediately, it could have been ruined by Laurenzi or by anyone else. The collector didn't follow protocol and ship on Saturday, he is not the victim. Who else had access to it and how could he follow protocol when protocol requires him to ship using a company that is closed?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:43 PM) He questioned the entire collection process, of which the collector was part of. He didn't specifically accuse Laurenzi of sabotaging the sample himself. MLB's rules may be stupid, but an arbitrator ruled that the process wasn't performed correctly. IMO he does not owe him an apology at all. He questioned specifically the integrity f the collector.

“@scottmerkin: Cabrera looked to be walking very gingerly to the dugout after scoring on Martinez's single”

QUOTE (Big Hurtin @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:23 PM) I think he will still be with the White Sox in August because "the right deal wasn't there." I gots that feeling too.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:22 PM) Um, the collector f***ed up and didn't follow correct procedure. If he had done his job correctly, Braun would have been suspended last year. Braun may still be a jackass, but facts are facts. He followed the correct procedure and his work was sound by international standards. However, MLB had not clearly spelled out the procedure in their rules, so no matter what he did Braun could challenge it. Anyone else could have challenged a positive test if it occurred after the close of FedEx on Friday if they'd had a good enough lawyer. But he didn't need to come out and say that there was some horribly suspicious thing he'd found out about the tester.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 07:20 PM) I agree with your last comment, but 1B is the one position that doesn't always have a ton of demand in the free agent market. Plus Morales' overall numbers will be somewhat diminished from playing in Safeco. If you can get him at a reasonable price, which is obviously not a guarantee, I'd easily sign him to a 3 year deal and buy us some time for Barnum or another prospect to be ready to take the reigns. Again depends on what happens over the next week. If they move everyone I wouldn't be opposed to giving Viciedo, Flowers, Wilkins, and whomever else they can find a chance to fight it out and see if any of them can become an actual impact bat.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 07:00 PM) There will be no available free agents next year who will be worth more than a 2-year contract to the Sox.if the White sox move both peavy and rios you are correct, no reason to sign anyone like that. If they do not move those guys, then a big signing makes a lot of sense, and OF starts looking like a place to do it.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:53 PM) I love Choo and he would fill a ton of needs for us offensively. In all honesty, I wouldn't have a problem paying him a big annual salary, but I worry someone will give him a stupid amount of years. One nice thing about the Sox doing so would be that you might get lucky and be able to keep him productive as a DH during the latter years. But just remember, when you buy a free agent, the "extra years on the end" are the premium price you pay to try to compete in the first year or two of the deal. If you can't compete that year, don't sign a big money FA; if you can compete with the guy that first year or two, then you start seeing whether the investment makes sense long term. Basically, I think if you assume the last 2 years of any long term deal are a "sunk cost" and ask "am I willing to waste the money in those 2 years in order to compete next year", you've got a decent line of thinking for how to play the FA market. You might go last 3-4 years if you're talking an 8 year deal for someone, but you get the idea.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:41 PM) Again, I'm not saying I'd give Choo $20M per year, but some GM likely will do that or something close to it. If the White Sox don't trade Peavy or Rios and start looking like they're going to try to be a competitive team next year, I'd think they'd be major suitors for him.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:31 PM) No, not to play CF from age 32-37 or whatever it'll be. Why would use Dunn's disaster of a contract to justify signing another one? None of that means "we can't afford him" which was your original claim.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:33 PM) Indeed I do. The bar where this incident happened, Dunnkirk, is a bar that the Prall family (who own Sports and KOK) opened up just before I graduated (Spring 2011). It's right at the corner of (you guessed it) Dunn and Kirkwood. It essentially replaced Uncle Fester's and the Jungle Room. Upstairs is still there, though. Festers closed? Kinda a shame, they were one of my Live from Bloomington venues.