Balta1701

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 7, 2016 -> 02:46 PM) At the gate and for advertising purposes? I would think that answer would be obvious. You tell me. I think the answer is pretty obvious. The White Sox had the 28th prime time TV ratings in MLB this year (Torotno not counted same way because different country). For a 78-84 win season, they had the 2nd worst TV ratings in baseball - only Oakland was worse. That follows a 2015 season where the White Sox had the worst TV ratings in baseball. So basically, can we be worse than last or second to last in the league in TV ratings? No. It's fundamentally impossible to be worse than last. Aside from the people on this board, there is no one left watching this team.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 7, 2016 -> 02:42 PM) Except we could well be a 95 loss team when we are negotiating those rights. Is that substantially worse than an 84 loss team?

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Nov 7, 2016 -> 12:25 AM) Well it would be playing to the strengths of our ballpark which is something we haven't done for about 15 years. Yeah the starting pitching wouldn't be good but the bullpen would be good enough. Just get our starters to go 5-6 without going off the rails. We would still have Q, Gonzo, and Shields who all pitched pretty decently at times. We would need to develop a starter from the minors and find a serviceable starter off the scrap heap. The team has been able to do this plenty of times. Q would get a Cy Young if we could put together an offense like that. When your response is "yes but James Shields pitched decently at times", you've told us why your idea doesn't work.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 09:33 PM) Ah, so you can tell me my theory is wrong. Got it now. I am not saying a rebuild can't work. I am just saying that the historic odds aren't nearly as high as they are being portrayed here. We could just as easily see it blow up in our faces, just like we have seen in Minnesota with their rebuild. They are starting over again. Well yeah, I think if you're going to tell others why their concept is flawed then telling us a better way seems like a logical next request. Yes, it could blow up in our faces. I don't see that as any worse than where they are right now. A 4th place team is not that much better than a 5th place team and shouldn't be treated as a major accomplishment worth protecting. 8 playoff misses in a row isn't an accomplishment.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 10:28 PM) Why? It isn't like my opinion matters. What are you trying to pin me on now? Because you replied about how bad the path I advocate is without stating a path you'd find to be better. I think that's a fair thing to ask for in reply.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 09:47 PM) It is just as easy to say that you haven't gotten the lesson of decades of failure by other mid market teams trying rebuilding. You still haven't answered the question? Does this mean you're up for another go-round of free agent signings?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 09:33 PM) I'd still contend that this team would need a miracle to pull of a successful rebuild on the first try with its lack of resources to carry it through the process. When you look at how many times it took teams like KC, Pittburgh, and company to do it, I don't see the excitement for rebuilding that others do. So what other option do you see? You haven't rejected the statement/lesson of the last 2 seasons - that this team has no where near the talent that the other teams in this division have and are in 4th place for a reason - so where do they go next offseason when Frazier, Cabrera hit FA and they've stumbled into a 3rd/4th place finish again?

QUOTE (SonofaRoache @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 07:41 PM) We went the youth route a few times and that failed miserably as well. The problem is this organization hires bad managers most of the time and sucks at drafting hitters and trading for them. People want to rebuild but that is no surefire way to be good either. This team is close to competing as is. They just have to open the wallet a little bit more. 1. This team is no where near competing as it is. They were 15 fWAR behind the Indians this season and even farther behind the Cubs. If we're looking at $7-$8 million per fWAR, then we're talking about needing to spend $100 million to catch up. If they landed Cespedes, Wieters, Fowler, and traded for a reliable starter, they still wouldn't be the favorites in this division. 2. You're right, rebuilding is no surefire way to be good either. This management staff sucks at multiple things. But, if like me you've seen them finish in 4th place and 4th place despite their best efforts the last 2 years, you say that this team is not going to win this season without a miracle, especially given that it's the worst FA market in recent memory. Therefore - comparing a path that isn't a sure way to compete but has some chance of competing with a path that requires a miracle to compete, I pick the one that at least has some chance.

QUOTE (daggins @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 04:10 PM) If this happens, they still wouldn't sell for less than they think their guys are worth. You'd just see more like last year, adding "value" FA at the tail end of the cycle in hopes to hit where they didn't last year. And the end result of that - they finish another season around 4th place, they have a bunch of guys get a year older and even hit FA, and Sale and Q's value starts slowly moving down since they're actually only under control for 2-3 years. That would also be a front office faceplant.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 12:43 PM) One of my favorite moments from the last week was a news radio station interviewing someone who literally said, "I have never seen the Chicago River blue before." I totally used "This is the first time the Chicago River has been the color of water!" as a joke during class this week.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 04:48 PM) The first time I read someone around here say "Yeah, that's less than I think he was worth, but at least we were willing to sell him," I'll concede that the board would be happy with a strategy that ignores the reality of the market. If the tiny sliver of tolerable CF and C's on the market get bought out while Rick Hahn is waiting on the market to develop, he will have left himself little choice.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Nov 6, 2016 -> 12:54 PM) The story said "The dark-horse Phillies could land a center piece for their rebuild and level a devastating shot at their NL East rival." Mark I kinda like that move for them. They have CF covered and moving Cespedes back to CF is a poor move by whoever makes it, they look pretty weak at the corner OF spots, and they're basically out from under Howard's extension so their commited payrolls for the foreseeable future are all well under $100 million when we know that org can afford a lot more based on the fact that their opening day payroll 2 seasons ago was $180 million. Maybe they set a price limit and someone bids more for Cespedes, but man, $80 million in available funds would make Cespedes easily affordable.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 01:37 PM) He definitely can be, but he's also one of our three elite trade pieces. We have to hear out offers on him. I'd hear stuff out but you're going to have to pay me Sale prices (with a cap S deliberately) to get Eaton away.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 01:21 PM) Let's be real, you'd hate anything the Sox do. It won't matter - take it to the bank. I can come up with a list of things I wouldn't hate, including trading Sale - but you know the correct reply to this? I hate 70 win White Sox teams. Those who don't hate that can be thrilled with the last couple years.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 01:23 PM) But not Eaton? Eaton is under contract for SO LONG it only makes sense to move him if a team blows you away. There's no reason why Adam Eaton can't be a contributor on the next competitive White Sox team even after a rebuild. Eaton is where Sale was 2 years ago - if you don't screw up the next 2 years, you still have Adam Eaton under team control after a couple years of repair.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 11:44 AM) And to your second point, Collins probably doesn't stay behind the plate given the Sox tendencies. And I may as well point out that I agree with you and I disagree with the move in advance. Leave him back there, give him 2-3 years to work his way up, and see if you can pull together a really good hitting catcher when the team is ready to compete. He'll be in RF up in June next year to save the season because how could a competitive team be falling this far out of the wild card race when we did everything right again? I'll hate it when it happens.

I think you guys better start emotionally preparing yourselves for that.

QUOTE (La Marr Hoyt HOF @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 10:08 AM) Maybe the effect is that we too can get an awesome song like 'Go Cubs Go' Today is going to be unbearable

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 10:23 AM) Who out there would be considered young catcher of the future? I can't imagine many teams wanting to give up one of those. If you're giving up Sale/Quintana/Abreu, that's a position you can target as a high priority. Alternatively you could just leave Collins there, but then you're going to have to be patient with him on the way up because rushing catchers tends to be a bad thing for their ability to handle a pitching staff.

QUOTE (Tony @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 09:48 AM) https://twitter.com/mmflint/status/794411799579922432 So....this could be something? He's trying to allege coordination between the FBI and the Trump campaign, that 91u1iani had advance notice that the FBI was going to intervene in the race.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 08:23 AM) I expect them to rebuild and trade off some pieces. I would be stunned if they signed a FA with a QO attached though. I don't think it happens but I could see the Lind/Alvarez, Jason Castro, CF offseason again. I'd actually sign Jason Castro regardless if they deal off some guys. His pitch framing is an asset for a rebuilding or contending team. I think Castro is going to be WAY more expensive than people are prepared for - just from supply and demand. There are 4 catchers on the list available this year who had positive fWAR last year - in decreasing order, Wieters, Castro, Avila, Suzuki. I count 4 teams that would be interested in or need a new catcher...in the AL Central alone. If you've got an otherwise playoff caliber team, Castro is the 2nd best catcher option on the FA market. Wouldn't you pay a premium for that?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 04:26 PM) Eh, early voting numbers are looking very solid for Clinton in more than enough states for a strong 270+ EV firewall. Scary NH poll today because NH is part of that "firewall" and that poll had "endoftheworld" ahead.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 04:02 PM) Good one. Last time I checked the Indians and Royals have been in three straight world series. I guess if you literally mean EVERY year then sure, there's only a few clubs (Sawx, Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs) that could maintain a massive 200 million payroll from a team laden with star vets. But when is the last time a team laden with star veterans (and imported, high price tag FA) won the world series? It's all about arb-eligible youth and locking your home grown talent up to team friendly deals early so you avoid the perils of FA. Maybe you could point to the '13 Red Sox. 2009 Yankees.

Well, as of now the only remnant in our system of the Edwin Jackson/Mark Teahen Trade is Charlotte Pitcher Will Lamb.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 02:35 PM) So you pull an article from 6 years ago asking if the Royals have the best farm system of the decade, which also mentions in it players that NEVER PLAYED FOR THE ROYALS? Their top 3 names from that article: Jesus Christ, you're really doing a poor job of trolling today. Yup, their top 3 players never played for the Royals. Not a single at bat.