Lillian

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Feb 20, 2018 -> 04:41 PM) If the White Sox can't afford the type of free agents that will actually supplement this rebuild, they might as well just give up now and say they're not planning on competing in the foreseeable future. I for one, am not asserting that the Sox "can't afford" to sign a free agent, who would complete the rebuild. However, if they are going to spend the kind of money required to sign Machado, I'd prefer B. Harper, who would provide that middle of the order, LH bat, along with a much better OBP.

QUOTE (Real @ Feb 20, 2018 -> 04:06 PM) Nice, Todd Frazier 2.0 He doesn't draw as many walks as Frazier, but he doesn't strike out nearly as much, either. And, of course, he hits left handed, which is why he appeals to me. Remember, his stats away from KC, were really impressive last year; 24 HR's, in 74 games.

I would prefer that they sign Moustakas to a 4, or 5 year deal, at approximately $12Million per year, than try, next year, to sign Machado to a 10 year deal, at $30 to 35 Million per year. Their future lineup is shaping up to not need a $350 Million, RH hitter.

Projected line up, vs RHP, for 2019: 2B Moncada LH LF Avi 1B Abreu 3B Moustakas LH RF Eloy C Castillo SS Anderson DH Delmonico LH CF Engel, Leury, Tilson?????? That line up could score a lot of runs and provide decent defense.

I would guess that the front office recognizes the same need, that I do, for a middle of the order, left handed bat. Moustakas fills that need, while providing adequate defense, at a position of need. It's not surprising that the Sox would be linked to him. With the exception of Moncada, the best hitters on this current roster, as well as the best two hitting prospects, are all right handed. Unless Delmonico, Gillaspie, or some other free agent, emerges as a productive LH bat, that will likely remain a significant hole, in the offense. There is also hope for Collins, but whether or not he will become a middle of the order producer, is a question mark. "Moose" provides a solution, without blocking anyone. Burger could always become a first baseman, or DH, if he develops quickly.

Another good showing for Beer, in Clemson's 2ND game of the year. Here's the Box Score: http://www.clemsontigers.com/pdf9/5467559....DB_OEM_ID=28500

QUOTE (daggins @ Feb 16, 2018 -> 04:55 PM) Beer hits a double in his first AB. Law seems to be extraordinarily high on him, he seems like a comp round guy. Here it is, with Beer's comments, in the audio:

Engel's appeal is not based solely upon his elite defense and athleticism. He is also very fast and possesses legitimate power. It's easy to understand why management might want to give him every opportunity to learn to hit. Whether, or not, he is able to accomplish that is very questionable, but I'm rooting for him. He is one of those guys who probably spent too much time playing another sport. Perhaps if he had concentrated more on baseball and less on football, he would be further along in his development, as a hitter.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 14, 2018 -> 12:47 PM) I know the Sox won't sign him but it's more for the draft pick and bonus money than him not being very good. I realize I am often stuck in the past because when you saw a .275 batting average 38 HRs 835 OPS . 521 Slg that always implied someone was pretty good. To see him constantly disparaged for his OBP and other deficiencies while he's made 2 All Stars teams in the past 3 years is sort of strange. If he's not considered good then I would like to take a poll of Sox fans and ask them if they would take his 2017 numbers at 3rd base when they are contending. Yea I know last year might be an outlier but he is in the old school prime of his career and if he's not good then some of the new things that we use to tell if a player is good or not devalue too many things. I truly love defense and his isn't that good I can give you that but if anyone thinks Yolmers D makes up for the fact he isn't a LH middle of the order bat like Moustakas then defense and OBP is extremely over rated in todays game and the reason why power hitter have been devalued also in todays game. . Exhibit A Jason Heyward. I'll take his offense and passable D at 3rd every time. His road stats, from last year, are even more impressive. 24 HR, in 74 games, suggests that he might be very productive in our ballpark.

You guys know me, so you won't be surprised by my question: Is there a left handed, middle of the order bat, somewhere in this discussion for a big free agent acquisition? Why not wait for Harper? He would fulfill that wish. Unless Avi and, or Abreu are traded, our middle of the order in 2019 will likely be composed of 3 right hitters; Avi, Eloy and Jose. A left handed bat, stuck somewhere in the middle, would be very helpful. Remember, I'm hoping for Moncada to emerge as a dynamic, Ricky Henderson type, lead off hitter.

Sorry if this question has already been answered, but I'd like to know whom most of you prefer, between De Sedas and Turing, if you wanted a H.S. SS?

I'm still hoping and rooting for Engel. His upside is much higher than the other candidates. I understand that he needs to make more contact, but he has the best tools. That Podcast, for which I provided the link, sounds very encouraging. Delmonico made a special point of mentioning how much he has improved, over the winter and how great he looks, in the batting cage. I'm really looking forward to seeing what adjustments he has made.

I think that you will all enjoy listening to the latest Sox Podcast, on CSN. Nicky Delmonico is very impressed with the strides made by Engel, during the offseason. He believes that we will all be pleasantly surprised by how he is going to hit. Very encouraging: https://art19.com/shows/white-sox-podcast/e...2b-0e26a9a8fa0f

How does this affect the possibility of the Sox trading him? He now has a very attractive contract, for this year, but it would be a little disloyal to trade him, now that he has agreed to take less than he could have gotten, in arbitration. I hope that he is extended, but just wondered about the implications of this year's contract.

His Home/Away & Vs. RHP/LHP Splits might provide a different perspective.

This is relevant:

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 21, 2017 -> 10:24 AM) It's obviously a bargain, but still hurts the White Sox, so no. Any contender would and should do that. It is hard to argue against this point. As has been stated many times, in this thread; the Sox would be trading for a meaningless one season of Machado. That is dramatically different than the same proposition for a team, vying for a Championship. It makes no sense to give up valuable future assets, just for, what amounts to negotiating rights to a, soon to be, free agent. Under different circumstances, it might be worth giving up Cease and Fulmer. However, under these circumstances, it is not.

QUOTE (ChiSoxJon @ Dec 20, 2017 -> 10:49 AM) Not sure why but have a feeling all these offers were low Have a feeling Giolito and Adams were all that was offered (hate to lose Gio) Time for JR and Hahn to work on an offseason pitch What gives you the "feeling" that Giolito was included? I really doubt that.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Dec 17, 2017 -> 07:41 PM) Common response from Orioles fan is that he had a "slow start". Lots of people are ok with it, but this slow start was really about 3 months, or half of the entire season. You have posters trying to DFA Abreu for a similar stint over 3 weeks, so I hope it wouldn't become a chronic issue with Machado if he played here. In addition to his "slow start," last season, he also had an unimpressive second half, the year before: .266 AVG and a .306 OBP. in 320 plate appearances. He's still very young, which could explain the inconsistencies, but it's worth noting.

Looking at the big picture, do we really need Machado? If the Sox extend Avi and Abreu, the lineup would be fine by the beginning of their contention window: VERSUS RHP 2B Moncada 3B Sanchez RF Avi DH Abreu 1B ?LH Hitter? LF Eloy C Castillo CF Leury/Engel/Cordell SS Anderson What is missing is that elusive LH middle of the order bat, which I always complain about. If no one emerges out of the current roster (Gillaspie, Delmonico), it shouldn't be that hard to sign a free agent, to either DH or play first base, and it shouldn't cost $350 to $400 million. The focus should continue to be on the pitching, which has the potential to be exceptional: Rodon Kopech Giolito Hansen Cease Lopez Fix the bullpen and they should be fine. There could even be enough internal options, by 2019, such as Fulmer, Dunning, Burdi, Clarkin, Adams, Stephens and Vieira. If not, that might be a better place to spend some money. Giving up a couple of Major League ready starters, to acquire one year of Machado, still makes little sense, to me. I'd rather gamble on extending Avi, than spend $17 million and a couple good prospects, for one year of Machado and the pipe dream, that he would sign with the Sox.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 17, 2017 -> 11:57 AM) Fulmer & one of Adams/Stephens for Machado would be the dream deal as it would leave us with all our high pitching prospects. Plus if we end up losing him in free agency, we’d get a comp pick that would greatly offset the overall cost. I just can’t see the Orioles doing that deal though. I think the best offer for us that maybe they’d accept would be Cease & Fulmer. Again, that would not be consistent with Hahn's assurances. That doesn't mean that it couldn't happen, but it would surprise and disappoint this fan.

If reports that the Orioles want a couple of Major League ready pitchers, are true, Cease doesn't qualify. He isn't expected to arrive until 2019. Moreover, he is MLB Pipeline's 5TH ranked Sox prospect, which would not be consistent with Hahn's repeated assurances that "nothing has changed in terms of what we are trying to accomplish. We're very interested in adding premium young talent to what we've already built, but at the same time we're not going to rob Peter to pay Paul, if that makes sense. We are headed towards a bright future. We want to make moves that are going to enhance that, not necessarily take away from it." Therefore, I don't see Hahn letting Cease go. It seems more likely that something like 2 of the following might work: Fulmer, Stevens or Adams. Even then, I would be reluctant to include Fulmer.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 16, 2017 -> 04:18 PM) Everyone is in agreement the Sox will have to offer a similar contract to the contracts offered even if they traded for him and he loved the culture. How about this. The Sox would have to pay him about $17 million in 2018 to show them how nice they are. Save that money, put it in the bank or buy some bitcoin futures with it, next offseason offer him the same contract as the other teams, yet add a $17 million bonus to year one. You save prospects, and money as you will make some interest, and you have an offer that can't be refused. Cano took the most money, but even if the Sox offered the same next offseason, if they traded for him, they ultimately would have paid much more. His salary during a rebuilding season, and prospects. Just offer him more money than anyone else, in a way he can't say no. Your idea makes sense to me. Are we missing something?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 16, 2017 -> 09:14 AM) Besides NY based loudmouths, who says Machado wants to be a Yankee? And what are the loudmouths sources? I have no idea.

Some of you may find this interesting: The point that I found most interesting is this; Since Machado wants to ultimately end up on the Yankees, why wouldn't Baltimore try to at least remove a good prospect, or 2, from New York's future roster?