Dick Allen

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 12:49 PM) It just sounds to me like you are viewing this as a poker game or something...and Chris Sale and Abreu are Aces and Q is a King...and we can only hold 5 cards, so why trade our Aces and Kings? Well what if we can trade one of those Aces for an Ace, two Kings and a Queen? If the White Sox were bagging the next 2 seasons, I would think they should think about trading him, but that is for injury purposes. Trading your better players for prospects, rarely works out player wise.Greinke to Milwaukee seems to have worked a bit. Colon to Montreal, but even then Phillips was a bust with Cleveland and Cliff Lee took a while to be good, and they wound up trading him for a bunch of garbage. I do agree, if you are going to trade him, it better be for more than prospects. You better have something that is established in the major leagues coming back, or, if he doesn't wimd up on an operating table, it is a fireable offense.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 11:16 AM) Wrong, option B is how you end up like the Royals of the 90's, having a couple stars but not having enough depth to ever make a run. Thats the option where you get to see players like Chris Sale win championships in other cities while you remenice on his time as a White Sox and how he should have won Cy Youngs, but couldn't win enough games because of the talent around him. In option "A" you move one of those players and supplement the other stars that remain with above replacement level players, if some reach star status that is icing on the cake. The teams in the WS this year are great examples, neither could be considered to have more than a couple of star players (especially with Cain out), but are solid enough all around that they make up for it. Obviously Sale and Abreu are off the table, but a Q trade could fill a lot of holes and provide enough upgrades that the Sox can contend next season and each of the years that they still have Sale under contract. The Royals did exactly what you are proposing. They would trade their stars for prospects.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 08:14 AM) How'd Hanley and Anibal Sanzhez for Beckett work out for the Red Sox? But this isn't even worth arguing over....Sale isn't getting traded anytime soon. Just a fun thing to think about, I'm a junkie for trade ideas lol ReD Sxo won the WS. So why would the White Sox give someone else a better chance ar a WS?

You need to find a mix. You don't want your business out there so much it actually hurts your chances of getting something done, but as was posted above, each time the team is mentioned with these players, it is free pub. Keeping your fanbase engaged IMO, is very important. Especially White Sox fans who can spend their winter switching to the Bulls and Blackhawks, and might not become fully engaged to the baseball team until the season is halfway over, and that is even if certain criteria have been met.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 07:42 AM) Chris Sale is 1 (great) starting pitcher....if we have the chance to get 2 or 3 offensive starters and 2 SP's in return we wouldn't be punting anything in 2016, we would be a much better team actually. I like Sale as much as the next fan, but when you are talking about building a WS winning team no 1 player is too valuable to trade. Like I said, everyone has a price. Look at all 8 of the names availabke for King Felix a few years ago. Some have had OK careers since, but even if Boston gave you all 8, you still lose.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 01:19 AM) By my count, the Red Sox have 9 outfielders..... Cespedes, Castillo, Hanley, Victorino, Nava, Craig, Bradley Jr., Betts, Holt Their starting rotation is a mess. I can't imagine with this wild spending spree that they don't just go for broke (sound familar? Beckett, Gonzalez, Crawford) and bring back Lester or even add Scherzer. I'd like to see the Sox target Betts to play LF. Even though it may be a slap in the face, I'd like to see us offer Montas + a lesser prospect for Betts. Maybe Montas + Beck. I think Betts would be an awesome fit for this team as he just turned 22, he hits for good average (.346 in 99 games in AA-AAA, .291 in 51 ML games), hits for decent power (11 HR in AA-AAA, 5 in ML), steals a lot of bases (33 in AA-AAA, 7 in ML), walks MORE than he strikes out (61 BB, 50 K in AA-AAA, 21 BB, 31 K in ML), and plays CF and 2B, meaning he should be able to play a good LF for us. I mean, he's a super impressive player who absolutely dominated baseball at age 21. Combine AA-AAA-MLB numbers last year, and he hit about .320 with 16 HR, 40 SB, 42 2B, a 400+ OBP, and he still has 6 years of team control left. I mean, he'd be a pretty phenomenal get, in my opinion. It would probably cost us a LOT more than Montas + Beck if it wasn't for the fact that the Red Sox have so many damn OFers already, and it's certainly possible they will clear other guys in order to KEEP Betts. But I wish Hahn would really press Cherington and try and dangle some of our pitching prospects for him. They aren't going to be desperate to get rid of Betts. If they want to trade him, and I doubt it, there are 28 other teams that probably wouldn't mind having him. it is crazy to think the Red Sox are into givng the White Sox gifts. i think they want to keep Betts. If not, maybe he is part of the package for Hamels. Certainly not for a guy they threw into a trade last year and another guy who probably is a journeyman at best.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 24, 2014 -> 11:24 PM) I don't get you. You don't want Cespedes (not that I'm advocating him either) because of his low OBP career wise, yet you want Reddick because he's a couple years younger... and he has a lower career OBP than Cespedes does with over 200 more PA.. Reddick's closest comp on B-R is Viciedo.

Don't these signings make it pretty likely Hamels will be in Boston?

So he hit 1 more Homer than Tank and reached base 1 more time per 50 AB. If you hate Viciedo at $4.5 million , Cespedes will lead you to a rubber room.

Does Diehl say " it most certainly is" more than Frank Thomas says "no doubt about it"?

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 02:40 PM) I have to admit they blew that call hard.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 10:29 AM) I will say I'm just somewhat disappointed in that it seemed like this would be beginning of a new team strategy for using our position players. For first time since forever, the possibility that our DH could be switched among 11/12 position players could have happened rather than just having two 1B. In all likelihood finding a LH non 1b for this would have been extremely expensive. But, just feeling a bit of "more of this then, eh?" Read Hahn quotes. Abreu needs a lot of DH time. A first baseman was needed. I am sure they are still in the market for an OF.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 09:49 AM) Yeah, I find myself having a lesser opinion of companies that just refuse to tell me anything. I would think no one would have a problem with the first 3 . It takes a minute to write an email, and you can copy and paste the same message to all the candidates. I have never understood why some companies leave people hanging. My wife is on a hiring committee. Her company had some blind ad in the Tribune many years ago, and she brought home the mail. People sent their resumes and cover letters, and she was rifling through them like one would when they dropped something in the trash. She was looking for one specific thing on their resume. I was part amused watching her do this, and part sickened, thinking how much time some spent applying for this job, having someone not read your letter and spend about 2 seconds on your resume. I would never expect a resonse from a blind ad.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 09:23 PM) I declined the counter. I need to not have the stress in my life. That was the smart thing to do. The rule of thumb is to always decline the counter. You will be perceived as disloyal, and ready to flee at any moment. Many counters are just to get you to stay until they find your replacement. If you have a staff, probably lock them in, and screw you over. Many years ago, I accepted a counter offer. When I received my next check, it was a little light. I went to the dope that gave me the offer, and he told me the amount of my check was correct as far as he was concerned. IIRC, 70% of people who accept counter offers, at least those wiling to share, are no longer employed by that company within 1 year, and it is over 90% in 2 years.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 12:23 AM) This article suggests he can be drafted. I find it hard to understand how he's not protected, given some of the mediocrities (and worse) on the 40 man. L Garcia defines credulity if Rondon isn't protected. (and I realize that Ventura apparently liked L Garcia despite his complete inability to hit). http://www.southsidesox.com/minors/2014/8/...league-baseball I believe Myles Jaye is eligible as well. some people were high on him a year ago, although he didn't seem to progress much. Leury and Rondon both were in High A as 20 year olds and put up prett similar offensive numbers. If you don't like Leury, you most likely won't like Rondon. I don't know exactly when he signed, but I find it hard to believe a team would be willing to stash him away on their major league roster for a year just to see if he may develop. There haven't been many rule 5 guys who became better than average since they changed the rules.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 02:38 AM) Hey guess who had the same OBP as our beloved leadoff hitter. Yep Adam LaRoche. Hey guess who was 7th in MLB in GWRBI . Yep Adam LaRoche with 17. I think he was top 7 in the NL in HR, RBI and BB.

Over the past 2 seasons, Lester has a 10.4 WAR, Q has a 9.0 WAR. Over the next 6 seasons, Q is owed at most, around $40 million, Lester will get about $100 million or more more than that. Q has 2 buyout years at $1 million if something goes wrong. Lester will be quaranteed all his money. Q is 5 years younger. I always thought Alexei was underappreciated, but the thought that anyone here would be willing to trade this guy, when he gives you the performance of a star, and allows the White Sox to spend big money elsewhere because he gets paid so little, makes me believe he is perhaps the most under appreciated White Sox ever. I have seen it posted here he is a decent #2 maybe a three on a championship team. He was 9th in baseball in pitching WAR, and got paid like a reclimation project. There really is no realistic way the White Sox would trade him. I am sure they would take Mike Trout, but that isn't happening.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 06:45 PM) Has LaRoche made any comments about signing yet? I am sure he won't until the Sox open a roster spot and make it official.

Maybe Erik Johnson looks like he was supposed to look this year, in 2015.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:39 AM) Please stop with this suggestion. Rondon would be so bad offensively that it would negate any value his defense would provide. On top of that, you'd be stunting his development significantly. Just an all-around horrible idea when you consider short-term and long-term goals. Exactly. If you think Leury Garcia can't hit, Rondon in the major leagues now, would make Leury look like Tony Gwynn.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:18 AM) Rumors are just that. Was that prior to giving Stanton 3 billion dollars? Plus that's just one team so it's not like there was a huge demand for him, if they wanted to sign him, I would have let them. To me, LaRoche is the final piece on a contending team, a guy that can come off the bench in a pinch a hopefully be productive. I don't think he's a guy you count on as a main weapon. At least not on a good team at his age. He batted clean up on a team that won 96 games in 2014. The Nationals wouldn't have let him go, but Zimmerman, because of his injuries, can't play third anymore and is moving to first. The White Sox had to get someone who legitimately could hit 4th. IMO, Abreu is goimg to see a spike in free passes next year. If they couldn't get a legit cleanup hitter, it would only have been higher. I know, walks are good, but limiting Abreu's opportunities to do damage is not.

I am no fan of Keith Law, but that twitter comversation does make you understand how it was possible Schilling doesn't have a dime left of the $114 million he was paid to play baseball.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Nov 21, 2014 -> 07:59 PM) He's not a plus defender in 2015. At best he'd be run neutral at 1B. Yay. Right.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Nov 21, 2014 -> 07:52 PM) Eh, I literally have no idea who is available in a trade and who isn't. I'm not a huge fan of addressing weaknesses like this via FA for a team that's baseline is closer to 75 wins than 85. As I said, if this is a move towards bumping the payroll the full 40 million or so -- fine. If not, well, it's even more puzzling. He did mash RHP last year. I just don't like 1 skill players in general though. If he doesn't hit, he's worthless. He also is a plus defender and won a GG a couple of years ago.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Nov 21, 2014 -> 07:22 PM) Reds aren't looking to add payroll. It would be really interesting to have a team gamble and have an entire rotation going to become free agents after the season. Performance tends to peak.