Balta1701

If you sign Machado and you really want to play this game - you realize that you now have your infield sewn up and you are not moving Moncada away from 2b any time soon because you're not starting over with development and a rookie if your team is competitive, so Madrigal is your top trade bait. Who has the best starting pitchers available on the trade market? We don't like the answer but it's Cleveland. A deal for one of their starters with Madrigal and someone else from our 5-10 range as 2 key pieces...that could work if the Indians didn't hate Madrigal. And conveniently, it would make the Central division more attainable in 2019.

Imagine the scenario where the White Sox go into this offseason thinking that because they have Kopech they have a much stronger rotation this year. Maybe they still trade for Nova to cover innings at the back end, but now they're thinking that Kopech is going to lead that rotation and then they sign Machado and think they're right there with the Indians...and then Kopech's arm goes out in April or May. Now he's rehabbing until the middle part of 2020, all the beautiful plans to have a solid rotation in 2019 implode, and we still waste a year of control. You could have timed it better if you knew it was coming, but you could also have timed it worse.

The White Sox aren't just going to up their offer every day until Manny signs, they're going to put an offer on the table and wait until Machado's side comes back with a contract offer that they would sign.

I'd say this makes sense except yeah what happens to Howard?

This is exactly where the White Sox should be, with a deal on the table that is respectable, enough to put them in the game, but not their best deal and the agent and player know that. I was a little worried about that earlier - when Levine was reporting that they wouldn't go past 7 years, there's a chance that wouldn't get them to the table at the end. The White Sox now have to wait for Machado's side to make a move and put an offer on the table that is both reasonable and something that he would actually sign if the White Sox accepted it. Once both sides have said "Yes we will sign with you if we have an offer we are satisfied with", then we're down to what should be fairly ordinary details of a number in-between what both sides want and which year is his opt out. If Machado's side isn't ready to sign yet, then they'll hold onto whatever their initial ask was and there's nothing much to talk about yet.

If you're going to convince yourself this is a playoff team then it's time to send Robert to Cleveland and actually be serious about it.

Current forecast for next sunday in KC is a high of 17 F.

The way that teams who had the bye have played the last couple years...not sure I have confidence in that.

Agents might have other ideas but if I were a FA - 2021 is the year that I do not want to hit free agency again. MLB's next Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1 of 2021, and if we are going to look at a labor impasse, even if it's a short one, it's going to totally f*** with that offseason's free agent market. If I were putting in an opt out, I'd take that 2022 season as my main first opt out so that I'm not scrambling for a contract sometime in April or May of 2022 after the strike/lockout ends.

Ah, ok. Was fairly confused, thanks for clarifying.

Why is this in reply to that post?

Stories tell of the last of the white sox fans. Rumors have it that as you traverse that underground tunnel between the terminals, you can hear their voices in the distance singing "let's go go go white sox".

Sign them both at exactly the same time to exactly the same deal each $1 more than Stanton and done.

He'd be much more valuable in the national league where the pitchers spot has to hit. If the pitchers' spot is up in an inning and you can buy a couple outs with him on the mound against a righty or two, or you pinch hit him in the pitchers spot when there's a righty leading off the next inning - you extend your roster and get extra platoon advantage with both the pitcher and the hitter.

So are the top 4 teams just this good or is the bye and home field really this important? The Chargers and Colts looked absolutely dominant last week and they have been absolutely dominated themselves this weekend.

With the level of injury he suffered last year, and the amount of missed time, you gotta at least be skeptical.

The last time we said "This is probably the last time we'll be picking this high" was the 2014-2015 draft picks, ending with Fulmer. That statement makes alarm bells go off in the back of my mind.

Pick your team, 15 fWAR out of 4 players is not really anything. The Mariners got nearly 16 from their top 4 last year. Last years' Rays got 14.3 from their top 4. Last year's Diamondbacks got 15.3 out of their top 3 players. It's acceptable, it's nothing special.

Honestly? I'll believe it if I see it.

Their 2 best players were comparable to our best 4 players combined and people defend that as a strong core.

I think Rick Hahn is the worst GM in baseball and no.

That "Good core" of 3-4 players put up less WAR than the top 2 players on the Angels every single year it was here. That "Good core" of 3-4 players together each year put up less WAR than the left side of Cleveland's infield each of the last 2 years. And that's without the F***ing cy young caliber pitchers. THAT's a good core. It was an OK core, not deserving of substantial praise. If that's your core, you're a mid-70s win team.

just think, we're finally going to be drafting in the top 5 the next few years.

Albert Belle signed on November 20.

Excluding the last pick that cannot be evaluated yet - since 2013 I don't think it could possibly have been worse.