Dick Allen

Hopefully they locked up Steverson for a few more years as well. The way teams are going through hitting coaches, you know letting him get close to being a free agent would be a costly mistake. Trick’s boys don’t hit.

They won 89 games, and didn't have Cano half the season. Middle isn't nearly as bad in any sport except the NBA.

With the TV contract up, it is getting to the point from where they would never do it, to maybe they would do it, to they would do it, to they have to do it. They miss out on this class and Arenado signs an extension, what's left that will create any kind of buzz? It's really the only thing that to me, makes this somewhat plausible. I just think in the end, it won't happen. They will never have problems having someone take their money. We just need it to be better players.

First installment for season tickets is due next week. I'm sure the Sox don't mind the chatter. But they need to do something. Attendance has declined from the previous season 11 out of the past 12 years. The only exception was when they significantly slashed ticket prices and tried to win, and it was a minimal increase. Last summer, Forbes had an article about local TV ratings. The Sox were 29th in the league, and lowest among teams based in the US. I really think a guy like Lucas Giolito, one of their higher profiled players, could walk down Michigan Ave wearing a White Sox hat on Black Friday, and not be bothered in the least. You can say everyone will come back when they win, but they had a few good seasons in there where they didn't come back, and more left. And it's now been over a decade of this. Whether it will lead to something as radical as this, I doubt. But they have to kick it up a notch.

Obviously, the money was different back in the day, but the first big name they signed, they did exact that. They gave Carlton Fisk 3 years. When JR talks about it, he said Roland Hemond figured Fisk had 2 good years left, but they thought paying him the extra year was worth the credibility. Ob course, he lasted a decade longer.

The last Forbes evaluation, and really we don't know how accurate it is, says they made about a $30 million profit in 2017. Of course it also said the Cubs made a $102 million profit, and Philadelphia, who is said to be a contender for both, $91 million. A lot of teams have money. It depends how how JR is really willing to go. If the Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies are in, I think he's in trouble.

What is the likelihood of Jerry Reinsdorf and Scott Boras hammering out the biggest contract perhaps in professional sports history? I think the Sox are in with both of these guys, but outbidding the others isn't what they are going to try to sell.

I think it means the Sox aren't going to be the crazy team that far outbids them all. The problem with that is they really aren't in the position of being the most desirable destination if the money is the same. But we will see. One seems to be a longshot. Both seems riduculous. It reminds me of all the other times they added free agents over the years, and there was speculation among the "experts" and all of us non experts, that they would be trying to finish it off with some big names. They wound up shopping at the clearance rack. If they signed both, they almost certainly would lose a ton of money in 2019.

GM meetings start tomorrow. One thing on the docket is a change to the trade deadline. The proposal is to make it August 15, and eliminate waiver trades.

I do not think the Tribune has a White Sox beat writer.

They had the lowest payroll in baseball in 1988,1989,and 1990, and had the third lowest in 1987. Defiinitely a full rebuild.

Yes it was. Their best player and your top 3 starters, They kept their catcher, LF, and SS. Their 1990 team featured a draft pick at 3b, holdover at SS, holdover at C, trade at 2B, draft pick at 1B. holdover in LF, prospect trade in CF, prospect trade in RF. The rotation was Hibbard, trade for Bannister, McDowell, draft pick, Perez, trade for Bannister, King, trade for KW, and Alex Fernandez, draft pick. Even Ron Kittle was re-acquired. It that isn't a full rebuild, then there is no such thing.

You had a better chance of winning both the Powerball and Mega Millions last week.

In 1987 the White Sox traded their top 3 starters for prospects. Then they traded a guy whose number they retired while he was still active for more prospects. It was a teardown.

I think the Nats would bail him out if ultimately his dragging cost him a bunch of suitors, and other teams had to look elsewhere.

We saw an opportunity to accelerate the rebuild, and were aggressive, but ultimately the price did not make sense for us. We will continue to explore every opportunity to make our team better, with the ultimate goal of sustained winning, and multiple championships.

I think if you went by WAR, neither one would beat the other one 5 years straight. Pretty much a toss up IMO, but if the price was the same I would prefer Harper due to his mystique. IMO, if you asked 100 casual fans who was the better player, 90 of them would say Harper. He is the better draw. I think there are more people from LaGrange who would go to a White Sox game to see Bryce Harper, than to see Manny Machado. But I'd take either one.

And he can change his dog's name to Guaranteed Rate.

This is different. The Nats along with the Tigers and maybe a couple of others have always been one of Boras' fallback teams. I don't think there is any chance the Nats won't bail him out to re-sign Harper if dragging causes teams to pass.

Boras does like to drag things out, but if I am Machado's agent, I try to wait until Harper signs. Teams that miss out then have these funds they were hoping to pay Harper. It could improve Machado's final figure.

Not only that, he gives the Sox credibility, even more than Machado, even if ultimately Machado is the better player. Suddenly, the White Sox become relevant in a way they haven't been since the halcyon days of the Big Hurt.

It was the same thing. They just didn't have stars. They traded Dotson, Bannister, Deleon, Baines. It was a total rebuild. They were committed to being bad from when he took over through the 1990 season. The goal was to have a good team ready for the new park. They arrived a year early. They won 94 games with the lowest payroll in baseball.He kept a few guys like Ozzie and Fisk and Calderon. And as a thank you, Larry was shown the door. The reason Hawk got the GM job was because of the state of the the White Sox system.

Reading Hahn's comments, they aren't going to sign a 2B, so IMO, the question is Machado, and it makes it pretty clear in their best case scenerio, Moncada is not playing 2B. They would love to add Machado, have him play 3B. And they want Madrigal to be an every day 2B. So IMO, the question is whether Moncada moves to 3B or the OF. If they signed Harper, 3B.

Seriously if you are looking for a bargain, signing stars during free agency will get you none. You have to pay up for these guys. It's the only way you will sign them, because at least one team will go crazy.It seems like the Phillies are pretty hellbent on getting at least one of them. There is a pretty good chance that year 8 or 9 or 10 or whatever if these guys get that much, are going to be a tough swallow for whoever signs them. If that worries a team, they have no chance. For me, I would love to let them opt out about 4 or 5 years in. Get their best production and then let them walk.

But your comment was false. Larry Himes tore down the White Sox.