southsider2k5

If you follow the Kopech line, Cease is probably a 2020 call up. Remember Kopech spent the end of last season at AAA, and then went back and spent until the middle of August there. Cease only got 10 starts at AA. He could very well start out in Birmingham again for a couple of months, and move up at the ASB like he did this year from Winston Salem to Bham. Early to middle 2019 is WAY to quick for a guy who is at such a low innings total.

Cease is probably a guy who gets here in September of 2019 at the soonest. He still has a pretty big innings deficit to make up before he is really ready to pitch in the big leagues.

2018 might be Avi's last year. He is about to get expensive in his arb years.

Looking back, it is actually $16 million, but yes, it isn't happening.

About the odds that they play their home games at Wrigley Field next year. If Shields was a $20 million pitcher, he would have been traded a long time ago. Now it wouldn't shock me if the White Sox decline his option, and then bring him back on something like a 1 year/$5 million deal as a bridge man, but no way he gets his option picked up.

The deal was a two year deal, with an option for 2020 at $8 million, or $500k buyout.

I really think the Sox want to keep him down until next April, but man is Eloy just making it brutally tough to do so.

I am still hoping he gets scratched and traded, but it is, what it is.

With Castilllo still around, Smith and Narvaez showing major league worth, and then Zavala knocking on the door, I can't see the Sox signing another catcher for a major league deal.

That was sarcasm, I believe.

Also this.

The rebuild is progressing as should be expected. We are auditioning guys at the major league level while we wait for the most talented guys to get here. Some are struggling to adjust, but this winning streak and hot period is largely because we are seeing progress from guys who will probably be around for the middle and longer terms. This isn't Jose Abreu and Avi Garcia carrying the team. Abreu is out and Avi is slumping. The good news is that this winning streak is because Adam Engel has had a very good last month. In the last four weeks his OPS is over .800. Omar Narvaez has been one of the most productive hitting catchers around baseball for nearly 3 months now. Tim Anderson is over .800 OPS for the last four weeks and is fielding like we knew he could. Daniel Palka has come out of no where and given the Sox a + bat. Nicky Delmonico has started to hit again (.941 OPS for the last two weeks). Yolmer has been on base in 15 straight games. On the other side of the ledger the pitching is even picking it up. Lucas Giolito all of the sudden is looking like the pitcher the Nats drafted out of HS, and not the pitcher they ruined and the Sox have spent two years rebuilding. Over the last month he is averaging a K an inning, and his walk rate is 3/9IP. His ERA has fallen by a full run since the beginning of July. Michael Kopech is as advertised. Carlos Rodon is looking like the guy who was supposed to be the #1 pick. Juan Minaya's last month has been very good. Jace Fry has recovered from an awful July and put up an excellent August. Even a guy like Gomez has been usable over the last month. While people nitpick out individuals, what you want to see is progress by the unit as a whole, and by most of the players. It isn't going to be a 100% thing all of the time, but this team is moving along. It is only going to get better as we start to add more guys from the next tiers of the minors. Hell we have half of the future bullpen waiting in Charlotte. That alone will make a huge difference going forward.

Hopefully they repeat the same mistakes as Houston and LA and piss off their fan base and lose viewers because their providers no longer carry the channel the team is on. Seeing as Comcast/NBC is losing the Cubs you KNOW they are going to play hardball over carrier fees. That is a big chunk of local viewers, even if Dish picks the up right away, which isn't a given.

10 of 13 wins for the Sox

Madrigal isn't a low ceiling. Also, posting on a message board isn't going to change anything, so I am not sure what raising your concerns is for. You don't draft for need. Teams still bid for talent, what they aren't overpaying for is guys who can't play a position. That is not Madrigal. If Madrigal really doesn't have a place to play when he is ready he will be the surplus value that we can trade for a need. And it is done. Reveling in our players struggles so as to be "right" is just a miserable way to be a "fan".

Kahnle throwing 93/94. Damn Cooper dialing him down.