Dick Allen

If there really was any financial benefit that may have been gained by landing this, it would have no doubt been quickly squandered by politicians. So unless you were looking forward towards 50k new neighbors, higher rents, higher home prices, sigh, they didn't pick us.

The problem is the White Sox really don’t have any significant vets to deal. Prospects for prospects are interesting trades but really hard for speculation. And I doubt Hahn is going to trade a few of his higher rated prospects for vet at this stage. The Sox blew their wad with trades once Q and the trade with the Yankees went through. Now it is pretty much a waiting game.

The White Sox have never had a payroll as much as $128 million. At least what they are paying out. To think that suddenly they will be riding $150 million payrolls when fan interest has been at its lowest levels, is not being realistic.

Speaking of catching, wasn’t Harper a catcher at some point?

As long as Palka isn’t the answer, it’s fine. He hits more homers than Avi, but everything else is a downgrade. I know some expect him to improve a lot, but he and Avi are the same age. Obviously at this point $8 million is too much to pay Avi. It is too bad because he is a hard worker and has a lot of talent, but When it came together it didn’t stay together and he is constantly injured.

The message has been sent to Avi’s camp. He is getting non tendered. The missed trade coming out now does suggest it was leaked by the Sox, but they aren’t going to move the needle with any team for that alleged offer. A pitcher who struggled and underwent surgery and will miss 2019, is not exactly an impressive return. So either they don’t want Avi or are trying to get him to sign for less. I don’t think Avi Garcia at $8 million is on any team’s must have list. Unless it was part of something bigger, I would be shocked if they could trade him now.

I wonder who hired her.if what she is saying is accurate , it doesn’t appear Dipoto was on board with her from the beginning.

I would think a guy who was supposedly the number 1 or number 2 prospect in baseball, who was acquitted for Chris Sale is expected to hit near the top of the order. Whether it works out, who knows?

It is pretty much career suicide to do what she did if it isn’t true. Probably is career suicide if it is true, but she is a doctor with a decent work history.

I have never heard of this woman until today, but you have to wonder what exactly would be in it for her to lie.

6 of the bottom 8 teams in strikeouts made the playoffs.

I don’t agree. I read in MLB there were 11;000 less balls in play this year than in 2008. Make the opposition field the ball, and some will find a hole on their own.

I would offer Harper 10 years $350 million and a no trade. No trade players like but unlike the NHL, they don’t mean too much. It just gives them some control where they are going next, and with a contract this big, it’s limited anyway, See if Boras gives it the time of day. If not, I would move to Machado, and circle back to Harper later if necessary. I also would leak that offer to the world if they turned it down.

Unless another team is offering similar money and says he is a SS, I would imagine getting him to agree to play 3B shouldn’t be too difficult. But we don’t know that for sure. I am sure with the other stuff, it will be like when Albert Belle signed. Fresh start, no trouble...but he will be the asshole he has always been. He isn’t in Alberts league when it comes to assholes, but he is an asshole. If he is our asshole we won’t mind.

One issue Boras may have dragging this out is contenders need to make moves. They all can't hold aside the money they would give Harper all winter. If they missed out, they would really be behind the 8 ball. So that seems to be one advantage the Sox may have, although the Phillies seem to also be able to wait it out. And probably the Nats as well. I wonder about the Braves. I think if Machado doesn't sign with the Phillies they are going to blow everyone away for Harper.

Andujar is brutal at 3B.

Grow up.

I wonder with all this tanking, and how many think it is really killing the middle class free agents, is at some point, will MLB goes to a draft lottery?

Boras is trying to sell SF mentioning how much Bryce loves the atmosphere at their park. They do seem to be a bit like the Blackhawks now. Sort of desperate. Probably thinking they are better than they really are, trying to win vs. Father Time, with a ton of unmoveable contracts. But if there was no cap in the NHL, I think Rocky would sign their equivalent to Harper in a second, and of course if there was no cap in the NHL, they probably wouldn't be in their current situation.

Creative is a mountain of extra cash. Really, that is what the White Sox have to sell to both of these guys. I just wonder what the general mood will be if both of these guys sign elsewhere. I don't think anyone really was or is counting on it. But I wonder if it goes where most think it will go, if most White Sox fans would have been better with it if the story of their interest never was known.

The thing is Avi would have almost certainly been non tendered by the Astros. So if the Sox really wanted him, they could have brought him back at probably a cheaper rate than they have to give him now. But, at least for now, it's really no big deal.

Apparently Scott Boras didn't always have the same attitude towards rebuilding as he does today. From the Washington Post: Shortly into his tenure as the Managing Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals, Ted Lerner shared a conversation with agent Scott Boras. Lerner wanted information about free agents Boras represented, particularly first baseman Mark Teixeira, who loomed in a class to come. Their discussion both surprised Lerner and changed the course of his franchise. “I wanted to give advice that was relevant to having a good team,” Boras recalled. Boras suggested Lerner consider a different approach than adding talent. First of all, Teixeira wanted to win and wouldn’t play for a rebuilding team like the Nationals. Second of all, Boras told Lerner, the Nationals had so little talent that even top-tier free agents wouldn’t change their lot. To get better, they would first have to get worse. “That kind of started a process,” Boras said. “I told him, ‘Your objective is, you got to get the top picks, because the top picks that are coming are extraordinary. I would not follow that plan [adding through free agency], because you have too many holes and you don’t have a minor league system. If you really want to do what’s best for your franchise, I would focus on how I’m going to get those draft picks. When I look at this system, I wouldn’t be spending a great deal of money on major league players.’

It will be interesting to see what happens with Avi in the next few weeks. If he gets non tendered, then this was a tough break, although Martes isn't exactly the top of the line prospect he once was with his surgery and struggles. IIRC, Houston didn't want to include him in a trade for Q, and there was talk he could come into their rotation and be a stud immediately. It didn't quite work out. If he gets tendered, we have to hope the injuries are behind him, although it seems to me he has some sort of leg injury almost all the time. He did hit HR at a much higher pace last season, although he still seems to swing at just about everything.

It was wrong. I never ripped Renteria's hustle rule. It's your claim. Trumpian is claiming something with no proof. Just saying something that fits your narrative. That is what you have done. It eats me because it its a made up lie. You are a liar. You told me a couple of posts ago, I don't have an original thought. Now, you say I make things up as I go along. Seems someone is trying to throw a bunch of things out to see if anything can stick. You wrote I ripped his rule. Show me where, or everything you just claimed, I am not guilty of, you are. It's all you trolling yet telling others to get a life.

I would give him credit for it. It did get done. The fact that he couldn't build around it is very troubling.