Balta1701

I think it's substantially more draining.

I believe that managers who let guys try to play 162 games are setting those guys up to be hurt. Give them an extra day off every 2 weeks or so and you'll play 150, 155 if you're used as a pinch hitter a few times.

About $90 million.

Yes, but for that person's point - it was not in the least due to his performance, it was entirely due to manipulating his free agent calendar. Based on performance alone and doing the best thing possible for his development, he'd have been up in July of 2018, but the service time issue was a bigger priority.

Officially? No they cannot do that as that would provide strong support for a grievance filed later. They can suggest that he will be heading to AAA but they also have to say something about it depending on spring training or his innings or whatever. They cannot issue that firm statement until spring training.

Seems like the back of the rotation options are suddenly going today. Teams got tired of waiting on Boras and making moves to ensure they have something.

All of these big HR total predictions pretty much assumes they have the regular season ball from last year and not the playoff ball.

Robert + Stiever/Dunning might get you in the conversation.

Count em. They have 0 reason to move this player to the White Sox for anything less than a Robert centered deal right now, nor should they.

He's also under control for what, 4 more years, on a team that made the playoffs last year with no good reason to sell him for scraps? The Rays job isn't to help other teams out. The only way you get them to trade that guy is to do the trade-market equivalent of over-paying, so yeah start with Robert and then add minor pieces or you're not getting him.

Yeah, but the Rays wouldn't trade Snell unless you were adding a Robert.

That all these options are bad is why we didn't want to be in the position of picking one.

Because if we aren't going to spend the money for Ryu there are no other options who have any chance of being a #2-#3 starter without trading away someone like Robert, and we desperately need one right now without trading away an untradeable player.

There's an obvious problem with this. If he puts up an ERA of 5+ through the end of 2021 and this team is stuck near .500, since they won't spend on the upper part of their rotation, they would enter the 2021 lockout offseason saying "Moncada and Giolito are gone in 2 years and the rest of our roster hasn't stepped up to push us over the edge, trading them is now or never".

A guy whose contract will likely be what, more than 3x the largest contract in team history?

3 of those years were supposedly "we think we're as good as anyone and we'll be right there at the end" years.

You clearly have failed to understand the meaning of my post. Please go research famous events in the background of the Chicago White Sox at that time and get back to me.

This would be a similar risk as if the Angels miss out on Ryu they might just come in and grab Price with Boston picking up less.

FWIW, last year the White Sox bullpen produced 2.7 fWAR, so as written you've just assumed a substantial upgrade to the bullpen (or more innings pitched by the bullpen - which would reduce the total from the starters).

Yes, 3--4 year deals for them, market value not some imaginary discount. The org is rolling the dice on 1 of those options. They already decided #1 was too risky. You can't choose none of the above because skipping the first 2 is choosing the 3rd.

Which of these is the biggest risk? 1. Overpaying by going to $135 million on Wheeler 2. Signing Keuchel or Ryu despite the red flags 3. Having a bunch of stuff go right but missing the playoffs or struggling and wasting a year of control for Moncada and Giolito because you started the season with a weak pitching rotation

1. Kopech also had a 2018 worth noting - he struggled badly with his control for the first 2+ months of the season. One game I believe he walked 7 in 5 innings or something like that. It wasn't until around mid-June when suddenly everything snapped together for him and he spent a month destroying AAA before his callup. He was like that in 2017 also - struggled with his control at AA to start the year. It is entirely plausible that he struggles more in the early part of the season than we want. 2. Hard to count on Rodon for anything of value at this point IMO, but if and when Rodon comes back he also could be useful keeping everyone fresh. Also a nonzero chance he comes back late or gets put in the bullpen. Who knows at this point. I certainly wouldn't count on him for much.

Good chance JD Martinez will opt out next year. Bradley Jr. They've got $5m this year on Sandoval's buyout. Rusney Castillo's guarantee ends this year.

If I were being my normal personality on here I'd scoff at the notion, but at some point this team seriously needs to find a warm body who can pitch, if they don't find one then they're putting Kopech in the rotation to start the year and costing themselves money in the process. They may have no choice.