Balta1701

He has 3+ years of control remaining so it isn't wrong to ask for a ranked prospect or two in return for a guy like that, but Eloy was I believe consensus top 10-top 15 at the time so Eloy was worth a lot more than your standard ranked prospect.

At present we don't have any other backup infielders. He has a roster spot for at least several weeks. Why he is a regular starter at positions like DH and 1b I cannot say other than to shrug confusedly at the manager.

If Giolito would take one I'd probably go for that. Eventually if you do enough extensions one or two will burn you for whatever reason, but if you're regularly buying out 1-2 years of free agency for guys as soon as they show enough, you'll come out ahead in the end.

To stress with Moncada and Robert...both of them got extremely large paydays when they came to the states. $25-$30 million, WAY more than even a top first round pick gets. When a guy got $1 million or less to sign like Eloy, a $30 million guarantee is huge. When a guy like Moncada already banked $30 million, a $30 million guarantee isn't as big of a deal. A guy who got that money upon arriving should aim for the really big extension. If Moncada keeps playing well and getting better, then in a year or two he can genuinely start talking about a $150 million or $250 million contract as the price tag for extending him. He should absolutely play a year or two, show that he can grow into an all star, and then if he's willing he can talk about a 9 figure extension.

Ironically, by putting Rondon in lineups at the DH spot, they are actually increasing their chances of losing the DH. Right now the White Sox have 1 backup on the roster who can cover 2b, SS, or 3b reasonably, and that's Rondon. Leury is starting at SS while Anderson is out, no one else on their bench can cover any of those positions. Collins backs up 1 position, Rondon backs up 3, but Rondon was in the last 2 lineups as the DH. If Moncada, Garcia, or Yolmer get hurt or ejected, you have a choice - Jay or Abreu or Palka over at 3b or you lose the DH spot by moving Rondon to the field. It sure seems like the White Sox don't care at all about losing the DH spot if Jose Rondon is being put at the DH spot.

Michael Kopech is a beautiful man.

It's not just about Service Time. The last 2 seasons, Kopech has started the year healthy but at a higher level, and he struggled for the first half of the year - particularly with his control. For example, in 2018, he was average at best until the end of June, includinng a short outing where he walked 5 or 6 people, then he ran off a string of 7-8 exceptional starts with 0-2 walks the whole time before he was called up. If he needs some time to find his stuff or control again, as happened last year, then there is good reason to start him off in the minors and give some innings to a Santiago/Covey/whoever is signed for that role. They clearly need one strong starter since Lopez/G/Kopech/Cease is only 4 names, but they certainly could use a swingman in case Kopech comes out of the gate struggling.

That Rick Renteria is doing something stupid by benching the guy who should be getting at bats (Zach Collins) does not mean that we should do additional stupid things to placate him by adding in an additional player who would block the guy who should be getting at bats. We should stop doing stupid things and do smarter things instead.

That's assuming they option him to the minors rather than putting him on the disabled list.

Something I've been pondering lately without knowing the answer - obviously we don't have anyone in baseball doing anything like the stuff Raines and Henderson did in the 1980s, 100+ steals, but it seems to me like the guys who get to 40 or 50 steals these days are constantly getting hurt and they can only do that for a couple years Am I wrong in that impression? Is there something about the way the game is being played these days that makes guys more injury prone on a stolen base than they used to be?

Maybe Ricky really didn't want him called up yet and this is his way of expressing that.

One could make the excuse that they don't want to lose the DH by having to insert the DH at that position, but yeah...the catcher is only 1 position and Rondon is the only backup for 3 positions right now.

A couple people wanted Trout if he fell to our 2nd round pick at 38, particularly Fathom, but no one in the entire thread was wanting him with the first round pick, they wanted a pitcher. Here is literally the only post that was made when the Angels picked Mike Trout:

No, they start noticing that his OBP is dropping close to .300 which is getting into the bad area when his batting average reaches that level.

They should certainly try, but there's no pressure to do this one. If no one brings a surprising offer for Abreu then even though he's expiring there's limited pressure to move him, he'll almost certainly be back at least for one more year, and there remains some benefit to having him around when Robert arrives (and when the new Cuban they just signed comes to ST next year). Colome may be at peak value, but he's not a free agent and he's potentially quite useful to us next year. If they trade him, then relief pitching becomes a void they have to fill, so it has to be worth it. Leury, sure if someone wants to offer something I'm listening, but utility guys don't bring huge returns even when they're doing well, and he's under team control in 2020 and 2021 when this team could use him.

This is one year where I don't see there being huge pressure to get off one's hands in the trade deadline. The Sox don't have a lot of things they must absolutely trade, which means that they only will be making moves if the market comes to them.

I would also like to find someone with the best control in baseball history. It's a new game right, not like you just asked for something seen once in 150 years.

Also worth noting that even if they do pick up Quintana's option, which they should barring injury...moving money off their payroll for a small return could become more important this offseason if they are making a run for Cole. It may all have been smokescreens, but how many times did we hear about the Cubs making efforts to clear payroll last offseason to go after Harper?

He also hasn't played in a month. Every reason to expect that his Kanny stint will be short.

They know they could trade him, that's why he wouldn't be let go as a free agent. It wouldn't be a lot that we'd have to give up based on his current performance, but it wouldn't be 0.

Yes. If you get injured several times you will have a reputation for getting injured.

Not really. They're going to have to get a starting pitcher no matter what and there's not going to be that much of a difference between anyone not named Cole, and Cole is probably too good of a fit as a Yankee for us to really try. They'll probably add some relievers also, and there's a RF weakness to deal with, but the last batch is all short term guys. They're going to sink or swim based on the talent of all the guys they've brought up, and with Madrigal and Robert both looking like they'll be up early next year, pretty much all the major reinforcements will have arrived.

I think it is entirely plausible that the Cubs could move on from Quintana at a low price this offseason in order to move money elsewhere or go after another pitching target, and he would fill our need of a LH starter. However, it isn't a big, major upgrade with how he's pitching right now; he'd be more of a "Nova-like space filler". I still have never figured out how he collapsed so completely starting in 2017 (with the White Sox I note) without losing any obvious velocity until this year.

They have a legitimate shot at doing so. They definitely need pitching help though. Greinke is not a bad idea, but no he would cost nothing near Madrigal, not with the amount he's being paid. Frankly, it will be fair to judge the manager and FO based on what kind of jump they make next year, because it should be a large one.