Dick Allen

People can make fun of him all they want, but he's made a living covering baseball, something a lot of us wouldn't mind doing.

How did you know? Beef is my other guy.

Being a baseball player on the West Coast is a bit tougher. There is more travel. SD weather is nice, but Manny isn't there during the winter. He's from Miami so hot and humid is probably his thing. Chicago offers that during baseball season.

If the Padres are in, there's a better chance Nightengale, Olney and Levine were pretty accurate, and the others....not so much.

I can't see a team going from 0 to $250 million. I would imagine if the Padres are suddenly in, it's at what we all thought would be laughably low when this thing started.

When it's for a player this caliber, it's pretty hard to close the deal unless it's an overpay. You may be the leader, but what is their motivation to sign unless it's a crazy offer? Wait it out. Unless the White Sox were willing to bid against themselves, this was possible. But it still may be all BS.

If Pederson or Machado aren't announced at Soxfest, will it be a kick in the jimmy to Sox fans?

Don't worry, it will warm up Super Bowl Sunday. My co-worker had some Southwest vouchers he couldn't use, so he gave them to me, and I am heading to South Florida Super Bowl Sunday with 3 buddies for 5 days. All we had to pay for our roundtrip flights was $40 in tax. But since I am going, no way it doesn't warm up nicely here. You are all welcome.

I would say very few. Most of the people there tonight either already have season tickets, or are people that would but cannot due to life schedules or living out of town...and their ticket office will be closed. Also, individual game tickets are not yet available.

To be fair, trying to pitch LH might be Fulmer's next move.

If they knew Wednesday or Thursday, that is 2 more days they could have been dominating sports radio and TV in Chicago.

But changing the name of the park to US Cellular Field would? The fact is the people who show up on Friday night at Soxfest either spend a lot as it is, or due to logistical reasons, cannot. It's not the casual fan that spends $400 on a Soxfest weekend.

They would have it anyway. Do you really think if the Sox announced they have agreed to sign Machado, press conference tomorrow a week before Soxfest, the media wouldn't show up? Saving it for Friday night is one of the worst times to get the word out news wise. What news is dumped late Friday is usually news that people really want to be ignored. This isn't reaching the most White Sox fans as possible.

Soxfest sold out anyway. It usually does. This isn't a big money maker for the team. How come the Sox didn't save their new TV deal announcement for Soxfest?

Only fools would travel to Chicago this weekend an hang out outside the hotel. It's pretty cold.

The other thing is, once you do it, it becomes an expectation, and people will be dissappointed if Chris Sale's return isn't announced at Soxfest 2020. .

They have announced a lot more things not at Soxfes than at Soxfest. The fact is, especially how Soxfest is now, which Friday is very exclusive, announcing something on a Friday night news dump hour to a small fraction of your fanbase will make those people that bought hotels rooms happy, make every Sox fan happy, but they would have been just as happy if they announced it on Tuesday and said Manny might even show up on Friday, and they almost certainly would have received at least as much bang for their buck.

It wasn't well received, and I doubt they expected it to be. But they tied it to renovations. That though , is nothing like a player signing. You didn't have Rosenthal and Heyman and Gammons calling around trying to find out if the Sox were going to change the name of their park, so that could easily be announced whenever.

How often does a team get 6 years of relieving out of one guy? Bummer is easily replaceable. He will have his moments. He will also have his gas can moments. Fulmer has been horrible. If the Dodger can teach him to throw pitches not right down the heart of the plate that the opposition will actually swing at, good for them. Rivera is pretty old to be an A Ball prospect. You would have to squint pretty hard, and ignore a lot of things to think the Dodgers would get the best of this deal. Joc is no superstar, but he's at an age where he should be getting to be his best. But Fulmer putting it together seems a longshot. An average reliever like Bummer pitching for the Dodgers for 6 seasons, seems a longshot, Rivera being half as good as he looked playing against guys much younger than him, vs. more age appropriate assignments, seems a bit much. Joc Pederson putting up a 2-3 WAR seems way more reasonable than any of the other three coming close to fruition. I think if this trade happens, the Sox are going to have to give up more.

Rivera is a 24 year old in A Ball. The other two are replacement level at best. If Rick Hahn had to replace what Bummer and Fulmer provide, he could do it quickly and cheaply. Pederson is a bargain at $5 million. To say the almost have to get rid of him isn't really accurate. To say they are bent over a barrel really isn't accurate. A lot of teams can use a guy who plays multiple OF positions, makes $5 million a year, hits left handed with power, provides 2-3 WAR, and is entering his prime age.

They don't technically announce it, but it does get leaked.

Most trades, physicals don't happen. They exchange medical records. With Manny, there will be one due to the size of the commitment obviously. Whether he's already gone through it or not, who knows. I'm sure he could probably have it done in Miami.

In the back of my mind I'm thinking Rosenthal said nothing is close with Pederson. The price seems to be light, why would Machado sign now, and the Soxfest surprise is the signing of Shawn Kelly or someone of that ilk. But many people seem to be suggesting the bigger moves are happening. I hope they do, but I'll believe it when it happens.

It's happened, but it's very rare for someone to back out of a deal pending a physical. Lozano would have a hard time staying an agent if he pulled a stunt like that.

Dodgers Stadium at night the ball doesn't carry very well. Hopefully, several of those flyouts find their way to the first or second row at GRF.