Lillian

I'd love to see them make Boston burn through their pen, in the first game of the series. Knocking out the starter, with 1 out in the top of the 4TH is a start.

10 Game hitting streak for Sanchez

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 04:30 PM) I don't think there's any chance they're "going in another direction" with that contract, but they're at least giving him some time off hopefully. Of course, the real irony would be if he got today off then faced a lefty later this series. I can dream, can't I? I've been saying it all season long: "This team is going nowhere, this season, or next, with Adam La Roche hitting in the middle of the order."

The fact that LaRoche is sitting against a RH pitcher is the most encouraging part of that move. If he were just sitting vs. a lefty, it wouldn't be all that significant. Sitting even against a righty, should give us hope that the Sox are finally ready to go in another direction, unless he's injured or ill.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 25, 2015 -> 07:32 PM) Can we bring up Micah and have him DH instead of LaRoche? That has been my thought, for a while now. The problem is getting rid of LaRoche, first.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jul 25, 2015 -> 07:20 PM) Nice to see Sanchez up to .207 now after that dreadful start. This has been the pattern in his young career. He seems to take a little time at each level, but makes the necessary adjustments, and ultimately begins to hit. I still think that he is going to become a very good player at this level. You have to love his defense. He also seems to have a pretty high baseball acumen, for such a young guy. I hope some of you are beginning to warm up to him.

QUOTE (bighurt574 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 05:40 PM) I'm not seeing it, and I don't think he'll be worth the contract he ends up getting, so I almost hope we don't sign him. And if he's willing to give a hometown discount, I'm guessing the Cubs will get it, not us anyway. Why do you think that he would be more likely to give a "hometown discount" to the Cubs? I understood that he has some hard feelings toward that organization. Moreover, he's always been a big Sox fan.

I assume most of you have seen this article today: http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/137...10400-819207683 Anyone have strong thoughts on these players?

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 20, 2015 -> 08:29 PM) Would you really want to give him a chance over Saladino? IMO, Tyler is the better player both offensively & defensively and it wouldn't even be a question who I give the everyday at-bats at SS to. If it is true that Saladino is a better defensive SS, I would absolutely prefer Tyler. In fact, I even like Saladino better if he is only as good as Garcia. It was my understanding that Leury was clearly the better defensive SS. If anyone can make a comparison of the two players' respective defensive skills, that would be helpful.

Why isn't Leury Garcia in the mix to temporarily fill the hole at SS, if Alexei is not brought back? He's a strong defender, with a canon for an arm, and is having a pretty good year at AAA.

I've said it before, but it bares repeating: The problem with La Roche is that he is counted on to be our clean up hitter, which he clearly is incapable of doing. The objective should be to unload his contract and clear a spot for someone, who hopefully can fill that spot in the lineup next season. Do you really want to go into 2016 with Adam La Roche in this lineup? How many at bats Shuck gets, in his place, the rest of this season is irrelevant. This team is going nowhere this year, but has the pitching to be contenders next year, if the offense can be fixed. Upgrading La Roche should be one of the highest priorities, in achieving that objective.

An under appreciated fact is that he hits both right handed and left handed pitching equally. He's only had a hand full of at bats vs. LHP this season, but he has proven that he can handle southpaws. I've liked him for a long time, and have been disappointed that he hasn't been given more playing time, especially as poorly as so many guys have performed. Although he lacks power, he gets on base, and doesn't strike out much.

Regarding Sanchez: Remember that he has been able to make the adjustment at every level, and has proven that he can hit at AAA. He hit .300 there last season. He had a great Spring, and tore up AAA this year when he was sent down. He has had some pretty good at bats, lately. I think that he will make the adjustment, and become at least a League average hitter, for his position. Don't discount that he is a switch hitter, and historically has been about the same from both sides of the plate. I think eventually he will be a very good #2 hitter. That is the place in the line up where he was having such good success at AAA. He seems to have a very high baseball acumen, and to me, looks like he knows what he's doing. He is still very young, and appears to be a quick study. I hope that he is given more time to learn to hit MLB pitching. And finally, his defense at 2ND really is very good. Is there anyone here who disputes that? The difference between Johnson and Sanchez, in terms of giving a player time to adjust, is that Sanchez has proven that he is a good defensive player, which is a skill that translates at all levels. Johnson has not demonstrated that he is a good defensive player, anywhere. They both hit at AAA, but you never know about translating that to the Majors.

I didn't say there should not be a trade. What I said was that I don't think that the Sox can afford to trade two starters. As you know, I have been favoring a trade of Shark, for quite a while.

I agree with those who reject the idea of trading both Samardjiza and Quintana. That would leave this team with a weak starting staff, and probably still an anemic offense and poor defense. It makes far more sense to maintain the one strength they have, which is after all, the most important part of a team; PITCHING. Of course, they are going to have to acquire one or two more impact bats, but not at the expense of trading two starters. Does anyone think that Davis could be signed as a free agent, after the season? I'm sure that it would require a very expensive contract, but he would look pretty good as a DH to replace La Roche.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 10:42 AM) Would be a pure salary dump at this point. I would rather see if he can rebound in the 2nd half. No real reason not to, it's not like he is blocking anyone. While he isn't blocking anyone now, he would be blocking whomever the Sox target as his replacement, for next season. If they can dump that salary, they may be able to find a legitimate left handed clean up hitter, which this lineup sorely needs.

To clarify: I'm not advocating signing Shark to a long term deal, after the season. My point is simply that if they really wanted him, trading him now doesn't preclude bringing him back. I agree that they should be able to find a 5TH starter somewhere, until one of their prospects is ready. With a season under his belt, Rodon could be ready to fill out the top of the rotation, with Sale and Quintana, so they probably won't need Shark, and they money would probably be better spent elsewhere. But then, this is all pretty obvious, so I'm just clarifying my opinion.

Just to reiterate: I want a player who can realistically be expected to fill a hole, at one of our weak positions, next year, not "potentially" sometime in the future. I don't see the harm in trying to sign Jeff, in the off season. In fact, why couldn't the front office explain to him that they would like to bring him back, but they want to have a better team to back him up, next year. If trading him to a contender for the rest of this season, gives him an opportunity to better establish his value, and play for a winning team, why wouldn't he be thrilled with the chance? If he wants to come back to a better Sox team next season, on a long term deal, then he can sign with the Sox, after the season.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 4, 2015 -> 08:34 PM) They still have the comp pick, so if teams offer crap, they have leverage. I agree. The comp pick would be OK, if they can't get something better in a trade.

Let's just hope that the front office is not going to delude themselves into thinking that they still have a realistic chance for this year's playoffs. It's not impossible, but a bad bet. They need to get something to prepare for next season. If they really want Shark, they can always try to sign him in the offseason. I'd rather see them try to fill another hole.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 3, 2015 -> 01:32 AM) LOL. Might as well ask for Bogaerts while you're at it. I've been talking about the Sox and BoSox making a trade around Quintana for a month now. Christian Vazques, Deven Marrero, Rafael Devers and Edwin Escobar is my package. You are usually pretty astute when it comes to other teams' farm systems, however I guess that I don't see what the appeal is, of anyone in that package. It looks like an undersized catchers, a SS who may never hit better than 9TH, and a lefty, with no impressive track record. I guess Devers is the one guy who could become as valuable as Quintana, one day. But he's 18, so that may take a while. Do you think that any of them have a realistic chance to ever be as valuable as Quintana is?

Ask yourselves this: How many top prospects does it take to find one top line starter, who could be signed to a team friendly contract? That's what Quintana is. There aren't enough prospects in any one organization to equal his value, because they are all too great of a gamble. It makes more sense to ask for an established Major Leaguer, who could fill a hole, and provide the much needed offense, for this inept squad. Oh, and he better be a decent defender. Now, if that player comes with a big contract, then additional prospects could make a trade equitable.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 06:29 PM) What is up with Eaton and the home runs? Also why can we not just hold a team scoreless in the first and after we score a run Maybe that's been part of Eaton's problem. I hope that he doesn't think he's a home run hitter, and that he isn't trying to be a power hitter. I'd prefer that he choked up on the bat, and tried to be the lead off hitter, this team needs him to be.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 06:29 PM) What is up with Eaton and the home runs? Also why can we not just hold a team scoreless in the first and after we score a run Maybe that's been part of Eaton's problem. I hope that he doesn't think he's a home run hitter, and that he isn't trying to be a power hitter. I'd prefer that he choked up on the bat, and tried to be the lead off hitter, this team needs him to be.

Just to offer a little different perspective: Over the last dozen games, which include the miserable 8 game losing streak, the pitching staff has allowed just 3 or fewer runs in 9 of them, and 2 or fewer in 6 of them. That should have been good enough to produce a winning record, over that 12 game stretch. We all know that PITCHING is the name of the game. This team has pitching, and potentially even better pitching. The problem is that this offense is just not very good. Add a couple of better bats, and get a few guys back on track, and this team could be serious contenders, although it's too late for this season. However, going into next season, that should be the goal. Now, how you accomplish that, I have no idea. Nevertheless, the point is that it's not a team that needs to be "blown up".