Dick Allen

What will be interesting is what happens after the rich get their tax cuts. Trump will be trumping around telling everyone how much he's accomplished, and how great he is, but I do think the republicans that have spent their time looking away at all his BS will start to actually frown upon his behavior. Any usefulness to their party is coming to an end.

John Fox would look good in an orange Tennessee polo.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 09:45 AM) It would be fun to watch Darvish do it. When he was missing the whole season due to whatever surgery he had, he said he could pitch left-handed (who knows how well that would have gone though). Speaking of Venditte, I think he signed with the Dodgers the other day. It's basically like carrying a 26th man which is kinda how it would be like having Otani DH and pitch. Hopefully some kids get the idea and it starts to show in several years. My best friend had a son about 19 years ago and he told me he was going to teach him to throw left handed, assuming he was going to be a righty, and be a switch pitcher. Turns out the kid WAS left handed and never did try anything from the other side. And he's a decent pitcher. Plays in college now.

QUOTE (FT35 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 09:33 AM) Yes! Seems like the value is HUGE. However...have you tried to throw with your off hand? When I try, I look a little like Chuck Knoblauch in his "lost" days. I'm lucky if my arm moves forward--and who knows what's going on with my legs...bunch of jerky circular motions that usually end with a trip to the chiropractor. Apparently it's difficult to achieve for most. I just wonder if it really is attempted much. Switch hitting has been something every kid who has every played in a playground has tried. If you really trained to switch pitch, obviously it wouldn't be easy to be major league quality on one side, not mentioning both, but you figure a few would have made it. It would really help a bullpen out, and speed up the game.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 09:28 AM) Like...Pat Venditte type of switch pitching? Yes. Less taxing than 1 arm. Can switch hitter to hitter. With all the switch hitters in history, you would think switch pitching would become a thing. It's not like you would have to throw 95 from both sides. Throw gas right handed, and be Wimpy's favorite funky left hander on the other side.

How will you spend your $4,000 "raise" Major companies including Cisco, Pfizer and Coca-Cola say they'll turn over most gains from proposed corporate tax cuts to their shareholders, undercutting President Donald Trump's promise that his plan will create jobs and boost wages for the middle class

Supposedly this guy will make about $20 million a year in endorsements, so that will ease the burn a bit. I still think he's foolish for not waiting. I hope he can do both hit and pitch. It would really be fun if he was successful at both. One freaky thing I still don't understand why we don't see more of is switch pitching.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 08:39 AM) I'm sure there have been a lot of teams that have gotten lucky with this. What year was this exactly? Was he only like, 20 years old at the time? Young enough to not warrant a 40-man roster spot all season? 2014, the year after the Sox took Nieto. He had just converted to catching, and didn't have a very big year in high A. He broke out the next year. He was the Cubs version of Magglio Ordonez, who the Sox once left unprotected.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 08:34 AM) But the Cubs also got very unlucky. Heyward fell apart as soon as they signed him, and there was an "Edwin Jackson" thing that amazingly worked out worse than Edwin Jackson did for the White Sox. The trick remains - you make your own luck. The Cubs got Arrietta because they had playing time to give to pitchers other teams hadgiven up on and one of them broke out. The White Sox are in that position right now with our lineup. The Cubs got Bryant because the Stros didn't pick him, but if they hadn't gotten big offense from Bryant, they could have waited a year or two and had the thing in BHam on its way as a gigantic offensive force. In baseball you make your own luck. If you follow the right path, then you will have some things go lucky for you. That's how it goes - make a bunch of decisions with a long term plan and some decisions will overperform. Put yourself in a position where the decisions that are likely to underperform do not cripple you. If you follow a path of buying free agents where there is a 33% bust rate, then you can't be surprised when you wind up with a 33% bust rate. You need to have a roster that can overcome that, and even the Dodgers and Red Sox and Yankees have been unable to spend themselves around this rule. The Cubs got Arrieta because Jesse Crain got hurt.

QUOTE (Tony @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 08:30 AM) The Cubs used 3 catchers in 2016, David Ross received the fewest PA’s of the bunch. Yet game 7 of the WS, who was behind the plate? BTW, another thing the Cubs got lucky with, Contreras was available in the rule 5 and nobody took him. He had to be better than Nieto.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 07:55 AM) Fowler: traded for from Houston so he's removed from this list. Heyward: was awful besides the defense. Any defensive-first 4th OF could have put up close to his numbers for a fraction of a fraction of the price. Zobrist: was actually good Ross: third catcher Pitchers: Lester and Lackey The Cubs A. got very lucky. If Houston drafts Bryant, they are over a century without a title. Theo was second to SD signing Sheilds. He was second to Detroit for Sanchez. Arrieta trade was lucky. Rizzo trade was curious. Hendricks as a throw in worked. B. Spent a heck of a lot of money. The White Sox can't have a payroll anywhere near them. Unlike these other teams, the White Sox won't be able to spend $200 million a year "filling holes". Some luck is going to be needed, and the development team is going to have to do something it has struggled to do for years. Hopefully, it works, but eventually, they are going to have to sign expensive free agents, who may or may not work out.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 06:30 AM) So you dare to add the Cubs who went through several last in their division finishes in their rebuilding process? You dare to tell me we need to spend big in free agency and then name Boston who spent big money on Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez - literally the only reason Boston is competitive right now is because they stopped that route. The Yankees kept trotting out $200 million payrolls and then started missing the playoffs. They backed off and rebuilt around Judge, Sanchez, and Severino, and look what happened. The Dodgers are insanely good at the draft. Corey Seager, Bellinger, their outfielders, they're developing talent and that's why they're on top. These teams are spending money but it is not their main strategy. They are spending money to fill holes, and even then they are winding up with busts. The Cubs have a contract that is Adam LaRoche quality. You have cited him several times as the kind of thing we shouldn't do. Adam LaRoche is far cheaper than Jayson Heyward and Heyward imploded. You still haven't answered why you're ok with giving money to bums like Heyward and Sandoval? Top 3 payrolls in baseball coming into the 2017 season. Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox. Must be nice to spend $230 million on payroll and have spending money not be part of your strategy. The fact is these teams are all loaded with guys they pay a lot of money. It will be interesting when the Astros guys get all extremely expensive at around the same time. Adding guys like a Verlander may not be possible.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 30, 2017 -> 06:32 AM) half their lineup so 4.5 players? Contreras, Rizzo, Bryant, Happ, Schwarber, Almora, Russell, Baez. Which of those are free agent signings? Zobrist and Heyward were, but they have been poor signings, and John Jay was a backup. Out of their lineup please tell me where the major contributing free agents are, because I don't believe you. When they won the WS or pennant as your post referred. Fowler FA Heyward FA Zobrist FA Ross FA Pitchers FA. Yes. Half.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 10:06 PM) Name a team that has won a pennant dominantly through Free Agency. Literally the last one I've got is the 09 Yankees. That doesn't mean teams don't get some free agents, but literally everyone is using a path different from what you said. No team can make the method work that you keep saying we shoudl do. And if you would have read the post in the Avi thread only 2 or 3 posts before you talked about how "they should sign good free agents instead of bad ones", even the teams that are winning - they have free agent busts. How about your Royals, they have a pennant right? Wouldn't they prefer to no longer have Alex Gordon's contract on the books? The Cubs and that Heyward deal? If you sign 3 free agents, the odds are one of them will be a LaRoche level bust. That's how the Free Agency market works. Cubs. Half their line up was free agents. A quarter of it was trades and a quarter was the draft, int. signings.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 06:57 PM) It was on the Garfien podcast yesterday where they said the WSox weren't in the article now Yeah you can get the article from Carfados twitter and they definitely were removed.

How come Clarence Thomas isn't being revisited? If Al Franken should resign, Long Dong should as well. BTW, the "clever" nickname Trump gave Franken actually pops up automatically. So once again, Trump isn't as clever as he wants you to beleive

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 03:10 PM) my god. Why are men in power such f***heads? Women in power abuse it as well. Probably not as often sexually, but in other ways. People with status let it go to their heads and think they are more important.

3 years of control isn't bad. Look at the White Sox 40 man roster 3 years ago. Only 7 remain from the 40 man. Only 9 remain from the 2015 40 man. A lot happens in 3 years.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 10:47 AM) Looks like they are now focusing on Brohm That would really suck for Purdue.

Illini fans make Lebron look like he never complains. Basketball has got to be the hardest to officiate. The best athletes, not the best angles, a lot more running around than other sports, and a lot of officials are pretty old. They can't hang with these guys.

Abreu is a fine person, and seems to be taking over the leadership role quite well, but 2 years of control, with the team not in contention, makes you wonder. Someday, Ron will be correct, and Jose won't be worth his paycheck. Will he be like Carlton Fisk? Will he fall apart all at once like all of the Adams? I think you use the Dodgers old philosophy here and go with trading him a year too early is better than trading him a year too late. His stock isn't going higher.

The one issue is Boras is JBJ's agent. Could be a killer.

JBJ is a guy controlled for an extra season who also could be extended, and since he is younger, maybe a better candidate for that. Premium GG quality defender up the middle. If you could get a good prospect or 2 with him, I have liked Abreu as much as anyone, but I'd make that deal in a heartbeat. Jose could come back in 2 years and DH.

If there is one GM not afraid to give up prospects, it's DD.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 10:30 AM) I remember him signing while the Red Sox were still in the playoffs. I feel like that kind of hurts negotiations. And they sucked the next season. They had Papi, and Napoli filling the 1b/DH spots. I wonder how bad he would have been at 3B, especially when he was a bigger guy.