Dick Allen

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 10:31 AM) Brantley, Gomes, and Santana were all really good players for them though too. I think it would be hard to say they had a crap team, but probably a mediocre team. They also had Corey Kluber who was ridiculous this year too. It's hard to say exactly, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that a good bullpen would have gotten the Sox to .500 this year and I think that's the high end of that. Anything more than that - 83 wins or 85 wins - IS a stretch. And Abreu, Eaton and Ramirez are pretty good themselves, with Sale and Q. I think Cleveland's bullpen helps the White Sox starters this season. There were many games lost from the 7th inning on. 8 wins takes you to .500. I really don't think 10 or 12 is a stretch with a really good bullpen, and that is still with all of the other problems. And if you are that good, you aren't playing the Andy Wilkins of the world at the end of the season and maybe getting a couple more victories.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 10:39 AM) But what is the difference between their bullpen plan and ours? Theirs could have imploded too. The Sox actually have a great recent track record of piecing together good bullpens with strong arms from the farm system complemented by a couple veterans. They failed this year, but the process is one that's worked in the past and is no different from the processes working elsewhere. But it didn't. They picked the correct guys. That happens to be the most important part of the process.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 10:14 AM) I'd be surprised. He was quite effective out of the bullpen this year and he'll cost less than that of a guy like Belisario or a Downs. If he comes back next year and is ineffective, they can just get rid of him by whatever means is best. Wait a minute. You have been an Addison Reed is terrible guy all along. Check out Guerra's xFIP and FIP.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 08:58 AM) I think this is what bugs me the most. First and foremost, a 10 game improvement is a 10 game improvement no matter how you slice it. If they improve by another 10 games next year, they're above .500 and competing for a Wild Card spot and possibly division title all year. That's not chop suey. This team also included two guys - Paul Konerko and Leury Garcia - who had to be on the roster together because of what each of them brought. Those two combined for -2 WAR. Simply be removing those players are getting two guys in who can play their position(s) and hit a little bit, the Sox have improved their team already, and that's not including adding a starting pitcher, improving the bullpen, or finding a good LF. Also, if you know the team isn't going to be good going into the season, then spending a lot on a bullpen is a bit of a waste. A bullpen alone isn't going to make or break your season if the team behind it isn't that good, and this team wasn't. So you take a few chances on guys and try and find a diamond in the rough here or there and if they don't work out, you move on. The Sox moved on from Downs because it appeared he was done. They didn't from Belisario because you could see from him pitching that his stuff is still there and very real, but he has a tendency to miss with his pitches out over the plate, where they get hit very hard. Still, there are a few guys who should compete for a role in the bullpen that they found this year and then they'll got out and make a few moves. It's not totally unreasonable nor unheard of that a bullpen goes from crap to awesome in an offseason, but you want to get everything else in place before that time. The thing is, you can have a crap team with a good bullpen and compete for the playoffs. Just look at the Indians. Swisher was god awful. Kipnis was down. Bourne was hurt. Asdrubal and Masterson sent packing and bad. Yet they put together an almost entirely new bullpen that was nails and were in it until the last week or so.

Will this get Guerra non tendered?

I really don't understand why some want the Sox to get Ackley. He blows. And then Rasmus? Did you read some of his stuff the last couple of weeks? The man needs some help. Seriously. He seems like he is nowhere near mentally healthy now.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 06:48 AM) They are going to hire Molitor after they just fired him? I wondered that initially, but all of their coaches had their contracts expiring anyway. The new manager will be able to pick his own staff. So technically Molitor is gone, but apparently still a candidate to take over. Personally, if they are saying they didn't win enough with the players they gave Gardy, I don't see how an internal hire makes sense. But if I were a manager, the Twins job has to be about attractive as there is. A loaded system and an organization that doesn't like change in that position. You could ride it into retirement.

QUOTE (ron883 @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 05:14 PM) The hand on the statue is way too big I think it is just the picture. I saw it yesterday and I am pretty sure I would have noticed. The 6 inch thumbs on the Harry Carey statue have always freaked me out.

Ray Donovan was pretty good this season. I thought the first season was kind of dull except for Jon Voight. But season 2, he was just as spectacular, and the rest of script definitely picked up.

I think it may be something to keep Rodon on track this winter. Young guys who think they are basically owed a spot, usually wind up showing they probably shouldn't have assumed as much. I am happy the Sox drafted him. It is who I wanted them to draft all along, but it doesn't hurt to send a message basically saying you can have it, but you have to earn it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 02:24 PM) This would be awesome The Professor ‏@TargetField101 9m Report: Ozzie Guillen 'Very Interested' in Twins Job (via http://ble.ac/teamstream ) not sure how I'd feel yet. http://bleacherreport.com/tb/df3zj?utm_cam...rce=twitter.com … Let Oney and Ozney become Twins fans. Their behavior sitting behind the White Sox dugout hoping the White Sox finish last ( I was sitting right behind them) about a month ago was shockingly (sarcasm) classless. If they want to hate the White Sox, fine. But don't go to USCF and sit in White Sox house seats for nothing, and do that.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 02:28 PM) In the back of my mind, I wonder if this is supposed to be a message to the rest of MLB that we don't need to trade a starting pitcher this winter, or that we don't need to overpay for a reliever... or both. That's all fine and dandy, but the rest of baseball does have access to the White Sox roster and knows they need starters and relievers.

I bet this is Robin's idea.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 01:34 PM) I posted some good articles awhile back about the Pirates success with pitching and defense. Essentially, they are teaching all their starters to induce ground balls, which they then can take advantage of through extensive defensive positioning. Sounds like what Hahn is trying to do.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 01:24 PM) Fire Ventura; get Gardy. Gardy is known for not going by the book, and doing strange things. If the record remained the same, as much as a lot of people seem to think Ventura is a buffoon, they would think Gardy is worse.

Who is the Pirates pitching coach? Last year, he fixed Liriano. This year, Volquez.

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Sep 28, 2014 -> 03:51 PM) Nick Markakis or Chase Headley seem like better solutions to me. Both will be cheaper, both are younger, and both have the ability to hit for power. Headley is actually perfect for this team because he could take the starts at 3B vs. LHP and start in LF vs. RHP. In fact, I'd rather the Sox use $25 million per year to sign those two than use $20 million per year to sign Martinez. It will pay a lot bigger dividends both short term and long term. Chase Headley playing the majority of time in LF is not a solid idea. He is a GG like 3B.

QUOTE (Charlie Haeger's Knuckles @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 12:41 PM) reading the tea leaves, it sounds like he really pissed off someone in the front office... Maybe, but he and Terry Ryan are both going to be at the press conference. I think if he pissed someone off, that would be a little unusual. But if he did, it could make it very entertaining.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 12:21 PM) That is mind-blowing. I didn't think that'd ever happen. Whoever is hired will only be the 3rd different Twins manager I will have seen in my life. I wonder if they're cleaning house or if Molitor is a guy they'll consider. Their entire coaching staff is getting pink slipped. edit. They all were on one year deals. The new manager will pick his staff, so all, a few, or none may be back.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 11:59 AM) You can't look merely at the surface and say "the team was bad so Hahn was bad." That's shallow, naive, and wrong. He didn't bring in any bad long-term contracts. He got a guy who has a bit of talent in Nieto. He brought in enough minor league free agents and other young relievers that we can say "hey, maybe they have the makings of an OK bullpen heading into next year." He brought in a #4/5 starter for the cost of a waiver claim. He got something for Beckham, De Aza, and Dunn. He signed Jose Quintana to one of the best contracts I've ever seen in my life. He drafted a guy represented by Scott Boras and then actually got him signed, and said player is already one of the best prospects in all of minor league baseball. He continued expanding the Sox horizons in Latin America. He didn't trade away any valuable, long-term pieces from the minor league teams. Oh, and he also signed some Jose Abreu guy. Frankly, I'd like to hear your reasoning for why he deserves anything other than an A. The bullpen is a mess, although Cleveland showed it can be rebuilt in a season, and there are a couple of pieces that could be decent. Webb was obviously not ready to be the closer, but if he could ever get some sort of command he could be pretty good. I think the book is still out on Petricka, and Putnam didn't pitch much the last month leading me to believe he probably was injured, so he could very well be a flash in the pan, certainly not someone you say "look at his ERA last season if he is awful next and say it was next to impossible to see coming." Paulino, Belisario and Downs were busts. Abreu was genius, Eaton was genius. Davidson, not so much. There was a lot to like, but there were enough total misses to take his "grade" down a peg. I am sure they were looking at winning more than 73 games.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 06:32 AM) Not only do you need to factor injury risk, but we also need to realize that Victor Martinez is having his BEST season by far. This is a career year. He's not likely to repeat even if he DOES stay healthy. You're suggesting that he's been a superstar his entire career, but he never approached this type of season at the plate even in his prime. He's a career 125 wRC+ -- which is very good, especially for a catcher -- but is at 167 this year. That's in a different ballpark altogether. Additionally, there are several outlier peripherals that are major red flags for regression. Chiefly: 6.6% K rate (compared to a career 10.4%) and a 16.0% HR/FB rate (compared to a career 10.7%). All the performance risk that applies to Russell Martin's career year applies to Victor's. More injury risk applies to Victor thanks to age. Because half of Martin's value comes from defense (and most of that from aspects of defense that age well), he's MUCH more valuable even if they both regress 25%. And Victor is probably going to make more money, at least on an AAV basis, despite the fact that they were similarly valuable this year: Victor @ 4.4 fWAR, Martin at 5.2 fWAR. They both come with risk, for sure, as any free agent does. But I definitely think Martinez comes with more, and it's primarily due to age. I disagree about more injury risk when one is pretty much strickly a DH and the other is catching.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 06:32 AM) Not only do you need to factor injury risk, but we also need to realize that Victor Martinez is having his BEST season by far. This is a career year. He's not likely to repeat even if he DOES stay healthy. You're suggesting that he's been a superstar his entire career, but he never approached this type of season at the plate even in his prime. He's a career 125 wRC+ -- which is very good, especially for a catcher -- but is at 167 this year. That's in a different ballpark altogether. Additionally, there are several outlier peripherals that are major red flags for regression. Chiefly: 6.6% K rate (compared to a career 10.4%) and a 16.0% HR/FB rate (compared to a career 10.7%). All the performance risk that applies to Russell Martin's career year applies to Victor's. More injury risk applies to Victor thanks to age. Because half of Martin's value comes from defense (and most of that from aspects of defense that age well), he's MUCH more valuable even if they both regress 25%. And Victor is probably going to make more money, at least on an AAV basis, despite the fact that they were similarly valuable this year: Victor @ 4.4 fWAR, Martin at 5.2 fWAR. They both come with risk, for sure, as any free agent does. But I definitely think Martinez comes with more, and it's primarily due to age. Victor is having his best season. Still he is a lifetime wRC+ 125 . If he has an average for him year that is a lot more help in a spot the team has nothing than if Wilson has an average year for him vs. Flowers.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Sep 28, 2014 -> 01:40 PM) He could have easily slid during or after that catch to avoid going in to the stands. Not saying he did it on purpose to be flashy, but saying he played it wrong and stupidly, yet it's constantly being shown as one of the greatest SS plays of all time. And if he slid he would have crashed into the wall maybe breaking a leg or ankle or screwing up a knee.

I guess all of us who thought Hester was done were a little off.

Brutal call on Peppers to keep the drive alive. Sweet.