Dick Allen

You must have really hated Robin Ventura. Similar college profile. Started off really slow, but became really good his second year. This guy was going to have growing pains. You'll see.

I think the odds of Kimbrel netting you total salary relief and a player that can help you win are very slim. He didnt net those types when he as cheaper and younger and had fewer questions. It seems the reward for picking up his option and trading him is a $1 million buyout savings. The risks don't seem worth it. Unless they trade him fairly early, he basically holds your offseaon hostage, not only with his salary but with his role. Say they want to bring Tepera back. He isn't going to wait around for them to unload Kimbrel if he has other similar offers. And that $16 million is going to effect other moves as long as it is on the books.

It's really not problematic if they all play well. Eloy will be better. I think TA will be better. Moncada should be better. Vaughn should be better. This offense is potentially awesome . I would be more worried about 2B than RF. It's a far more important position defensively. The Sox will be fine in RF with what they have defensively in the OF with a little better luck health wise. They still have Robert who wasn't 100% when he came back. They can still throw Engel out there late.

I think the irrational hate anyone has for Vaugn is hysterical. The guy hardly got any minor league time in 2019, played at the alternate site in 2020 and had to mostly play a defensive position he had never played before all while making his major league debut. He held his own and until he either hit a wall or his back was bothering him, was starting to shine at the plate. If the Sox trade him, they will regret it.

Neither Lynn or Rodon were 100 %. That's 2 of the 3 losses.

Hernandez has the 2nd highest WAR among free agent 2B the last 2 seasons.

I would imagine if the Sox were not thinking big at 2B, they would have just exercised Cesar's option.

OK.

So is Grandal, but the board has a problem with Grandal.

It's funny, Conforto doesn't have very good advanced defensive metrics, yet you would think he is a possible savior.

There is always going to be a label on him, and probably deservedly so, but if the texts his side released aren’t fake, the woman at least faked she was into what he was doing, which to me, gives him a career reprieve. If he plays again, he will be heckled. There will probably be protests and demonstrations. His teammates will probably not want to go near him. It will be a tough situation for all, but I agree with you, some team will take the chance. He is too good of a pitcher for everyone to ignore the rest.

How much positive press did they get out of it? How much have the Sox gained? This isn't theoretical. It happened. Seems pretty risky offering someone $125 million and banking on his wife wanting to live in Philadelphia. To think the Sox didn't want Wheeler in a bad way is pretty crazy. In the end, all that matters is if they signed him or didn't sign him. No one except maybe JR's lackeys care about the effort.

I don't see what they would have gained with that. Trying is for school, and Little League. In the real world, people look at results.

I'm sure they wanted him, and they wanted Machado, but they didn't close either. East Coast preference for the wife, nothing they could do. Although Machado was a bit weird. The, 'we had the best offer out there, but we can't match what he signed for" line was, is, and always will be bunk.

Because they want to look like they know what they are doing and 9 figure contracts are a place the Sox haven't gone.

Sox like quick strikes. Almost all of their big free agents were signed early. Boras likes to drag things out.

Yep, but i wouldn't rip them later like you will if Rodon is suddenly healthy for a full season. .

Yes he can be wrong. I don't ever want to see Rodon in a White Sox uniform, he wasn't any good when he was healthy- wrong. You're familiar with that type of wrong.

It's easy for Boras to say he wouldn't have taken the QO now. To me it's simple, if he is healthy or can at least convince someone he is healthy, not offering it was dumb, but I don't think it was so cut and dried he wouldn't have taken it, and if he is healthy, he's worth it. If not, you were burned.

It's just another 6k per game. I am sure they got a lot closer selling 2022 ticket plans with 2021 postseason access.

I wonder if there might be a rush to get some players signed and traded before the lockout.

Wait, I thought the problem was lack of home field advantage.

Like who? The Sox are going to need a 1B soon. I kind of like what Vaughn brings to the table. I think those who have issues with him aren't looking at the entire picture. Gets drafted in 2019, no season for him in 2020 and in a pennant race in 2021 where he held his own playing positions he never played. He is going to be a stud.

Yeah, get rid of all the young cheap players. Make the window as small as possible.

Always be leery of anyone wearing a plain black baseball cap.