Dick Allen

So who is at fault? Blago and Quinn? They are the only 2 Democratic governors IL has had in 42 years.

And to get the top guys, you have to assume the contract will eventually be a little ugly, which means you probably have to overpay. If the White Sox aren't willing to do that, another team will, and if no team is willing to do that, the White Sox record, holes, and lack of any recent success will make them a destination to avoid when other options are available.

This part of Morosi's report makes me wonder what the draw would be. It's a 100 loss team with holes everywhere. Looking for a bargain isn't going to fly.: The White Sox, with one of the smallest committed payrolls in baseball for 2019, have the capacity to add a $30 million-per-year player right now. But Hahn won't be pressured into overpaying in order to make that happen, for the same reason that he refused to rush into trades for Sale, Quintana or Eaton more than two years ago.

His age seems to indicate he isn't long for the major leagues. And his production, while still great, did go down a bit last season. And he's a DH. Would you be surprised if at age 38 he gets injured or his production drops significantly? Do you really think the White Sox have much of a chance to contend in 2019? Do you really think 38 year old DHs bring back significant prospects at the trade deadline? It isn't worth paying him. If he were a few years younger, then sure. Not now.

If they signed Cruz, which I kind of doubt, at least one of Abreu/Avi will be gone. Cruz is a 1 or 2 year player, if that, with limited defensive ability, so as a flip,he really isn't worth what you have to pay him. Targeting him is specifically to win now, which seems pretty crazy, or some requirement from Machado or maybe Harper.

The White Sox lost 100 games with one of the weakest schedules in baseball. To think Machado, Happ, Cruz, and Eloy makes them instant contenders is very wishful thinking. The Sox used to add guys like Cruz and Happ to teams that had guys like Sale and Q and Eaton and in his prime Jose Abreu, and it didn't work.

I hope Machado isn’t very tight with Chris Davis.

What about edibles?

They have to make it more attractive to Harper or Machado. But Cruz is 100 years old.

Under.. Aaron Boone won’t care.

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.