Dick Allen

The Sox have Abreu playing 1B, and Palka a LH DH. Hahn has stated over and over again how this winter is about long term pieces not short term fixes, if even Alonso can be considered a fix. Picking him up is about 1 thing and 1 thing only. If that doesn’t happen he blew $9 million for what? Wouldn’t spending even less than that been better to see if Avi Garcia could hit .330 again? Not only that, he helped Cleveland at least a little bit with their payroll problem. if the Sox don’t sign Machado after spending $9 million to do so, they are a joke, if it makes Machado a White Sox it is a great move. It is that simple.

Than a joke? If they miss out on both, they still will be irrelevant.But this trade actually has made me more optimistic. I am no fan of Hahn, but I don’t think he would make this trade just as part of his presentation. He must know more than that. There is no other explanation for this acquisition. He is short term, and his position is already covered by players better and/or younger than him. This must be part of the tax the Sox have to pay to keep him from the Yankees. If it is not, this winter has been a total bust for them.

It isn’t, but it would be a whole new level. Trading for his brother in law, while helping a division rival, offering the most money, and still can’t close the deal, would have to be close to rock bottom. Anytime you ever mentioned you were a White Sox fan to someone who was a baseball fan of any other team, there is a good chance it would be mentioned.

Yes, but......the White Sox will be non contenders that first year. It should make it more bearable, before they supposedly put a winning team on the field. And, he probably has faith that Alonso will be so good, he wasn’t acquired to be a one and done. To me, the problem would be if a year from now the let Alonso and Castillo go, and the team is still stuck in the mud, then what happens? I also think they run the danger of creating cliques. The Sox clubhouse could be like high school. And there is really very little chance they will give him the plate appearances for his option to vest, unless of course, he plays so well they want it vested.

If Machado signs, it’s a great trade. Maybe one of the best in team history. If he doesn’t sign, the White Sox will be the butt of jokes.

He should be, but no chance.

If rabbit is correct and the Sox really had no chance despite their best efforts. It would mean their best efforts aren’t good enough. Time to change the regime. Again, while Alonso is pretty mediocre, it is hard to imagine the White Sox would trade for him and help out a division rival, even if it is only slightly, if they didn’t have a really good idea of its ultimate effect.

TBH, the first thought I had when I saw this trade,and I have long thought there is next to no chance of them getting Harper or Machado, was OMG, they ARE getting Manny. There really is no other reason to make this trade.

The Sox have room for him. The Phillies, not so much. Hahn hasn’t shown he is a great GM, but he is a bright guy. To think they just made this trade just hoping it may move the needle with Machado would be hard to believe. IMO, if this doesn’t work, they should be banned from playing anything but circus music at GRF in 2019.

Yeah but how do you ever live down offering the most money, bringing in family, and still getting rejected?

It is pretty obvious what this acquisition is all about. If it works, it was fabulous. If it doesn’t, it will be a laughable move. Almost laughingstockish.

Yes it is. Makes me think Grandal wasn’t a consideration if Manny was the one they were going to sign because they wouldn’t want to do his buddy Castillo wrong.

We are now on official Machado watch.

I think Joc Pederson is tight with the new batting analytics guy. That might be a match. Although he doesn’t make much. I think to take Kemp off their hands they would have to give me Pederson and still another of their better prospects. The reality is you would be saving them more money than you are taking. That is obviously only if I was out on Harper and Machado. But one of the White Sox or Phillies will be if the Dodgers sign Harper. And maybe both.

If Harper is no longer available, you may be able to buy prospects from the Dodgers with the cost being their contracts they want to dump. Everyone would rather have Harper, but if you cannot have him it might make sense depending on what is attached, to help the Dodgers out. To me it would have to be guys at or near their top.

I was riding my bike along the lake many years ago back when Kendall took up boxing. He was running along the lake on the south side with no shirt on. He is a specimen. His waist looked like it was about 18 inches and his shoulders looked like they were about 80 inches.

The only thing I can think of is maybe they think teams like the White Sox and the Phillies if they lost out on Harper and Machado would be the best match to dump a an undesired contract or two for less than what they are being asked for now

I found this guy. He is in his early 20s. An Indiana grad living in Chicago. Looks like he has some connection with Anaheim with another twitter account. So I am guessing he is either related to or in some way knows someone with the Angels who gave him the Bour stuff. As to Harper, the same guy may have told him he is going to the Dodgers based on opinion or fact. But I would think if an Angel employee knew, it would be more well known.

If they had to reject outright every rumor that came out, they wouldn’t have time to go to the bathroom.

I wonder if they tried to sell Harper on Gio and Lopez as 2 main cogs in the rotation of.a multiple championship run. He probably has a take on them.

I think this write up is spot on. https://www.blogabull.com/2018/12/11/18133119/chicago-bulls-john-paxson-jim-boylen-mutiny

Which is the complete opposite of what your solid source originally said.

Twitter is BS. Facebook is where its at.

If he ultimately signs somewhere else many White sox fans will feel silly. I re upped my small ticker plan today as it was the very last day I could, just on the off chance they sign one of these guys. But if there is no decent improvement in 2019, I will not re new anymode.

Maybe he knows something, maybe he doesn't. It could be he heard the Bour stuff, doesn't really have a continuing solid source but took a shot to remain relevant. Or he could be Magic Johnson and knew Bour early because maybe the Dodgerz kicked the tires. It could be anything but I don't know why it would be so important for a guy to make sure he gets credit if he wants to remain anonymous.