Dick Allen

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.

This is correct. Guys this productive and this young are rarely available in major league free agency. If they have a wad to blow, this is the time. But their other circumstances just don't line up with it being successful.

A. I doubt they will offer as much as some teams who will be more desirable due to location and current team status. B. Even if their offer is somehow very similar, due to the fact that they suck, and Machado for one seems to really prefer the east coast, I think he says no thanks. In other words, they are going to have to blow the Phillies', Yankees', whoever else's offer away. Even the Marlins who could be interested. If he is going to play for a team who sucks, might as well be in his hometown.

Unfortunately, that is probably where this is headed. It will leak the presentation was great and it was tempting, and the team is going to be great, but..........just like with Tanaka. Just like with Torrii Hunter... It is hard to sign these guys in the White Sox current state unless you drastically outbid everyone else. That's how the Angels got Pujols, the Rangers got ARod and Seattle got Cano. Does anyone really think the White Sox will drastically outbid everyone for Machado?

Not many. That is why it is not being illogical to think a team that has never even given a $70 million contract, and doesn't have a history of being much of a contender recently, even when trying, will not win this bidding. There isn't a difference between coming in second and coming in last bidding for these guys.

To say the White Sox won’t be signing someone to a $300 million + contract is not a comment void of logic or reasoning at all. It is almost 5 times more than they have ever spend on a free agent. One of the guys desperately wants to play on the east coast where there is a team with a blank check who wants him. The other guy is represented by Scott Boras, a guy the White Sox have historically not had a really good relationship. The team is also currently awful, and although plays in the 3rd largest market, still has a red headed stepchild existence.

Hahn didn’t say anything different than he has said the past year or so.

There are going to be some disappointed posters when they eventually find out the Sox had virtually no shot at Harper or Machado. The one hope is that the Phillies sign Harper quickly, because if they miss on him, Machado is going to get even more from them, and it's the east coast, where he wants to be, and you can actually see light at the end of their tunnel. Some even think the Phillies will sign both. That seems a bit crazy to me, but signing one of them may keep the price they would pay for the other down a little bit.

Can’t spend $1 if all you have is $0.50.

Texas had to pay the option and teams probably don't want to pay Smyly $7 million. Cubs netted adding $13 million. Wating could have cost more. Not picking up the option might have cost more and more years. It could be anything. I hope it means they are at their limit as they do have several players they will soon have to pay. I will say Theo is being Whie Soxian with how many things are going to have to not age or get hurt in his 2019 rotation.

One reason why they had to do that could be the possibility of adding one of these dopes to their payroll. I hope it is because they are tapped. Lack of a couple of rounds of playoff games does hurt revenue a bit. If they got him, in Chicago we are all 8 year olds and the Cubs are Disney World and the Sox Santa's Village.

IMO one thing signing Harper would do that even winning the World Series really didn't do, would be making them relevant around the league again. Not just road draws, which they have been one of the lowest for years, but even ESPN would remember they exist. I don't exactly know how much that is worth, but I would guess it's at least as much as the difference between what you must guarantee each of the big 2. When they mentioned the rebuild, they also specifically mentioned this free agent class. What a gut punch if they get nobody and somehow the Cubs get Harper or Machado rendering the White Sox Chicago relevance to zero for another decade. Bryce Harper to the Cubs would be an awful development for the Sox.

LMAO