Dick Allen

I wonder how much the recent disappointment in several high profile Cuban signings will do much to his price tag. It only takes one team, but there have been some big time busts lately.

QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 8, 2016 -> 03:12 PM) That's what happens when you have an incompetent GM Didn't their minor league system get a real high ranking from many of the "experts"?

Abreu's son was at the game today, and it was the first time Abreu saw him since the winter when he was back in Cuba. That was the first time he saw him in 3 years. 3 hits today, has been hot lately. Maybe a reason for his decline this season.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 7, 2016 -> 04:35 PM) Check out the K/9 and BB/9. Not good. The walk rate sucks but 9.8 k/9 i.

QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 6, 2016 -> 12:36 PM) Ever think that maybe their price is ridiculous and they might never get traded? Or do you just automatically assume that whatever price they are asking for must be correct? There's a reason they will probably both be on the roster during Spring Training. The price is silly and no one wants to pay it. I think Rick Hahn fully understands that and he doesnt actually want to sell them. Plus let's shoot down this whole notion that because more teams are involved that definitely means they'll be traded. There's something called free agency. Now whether you think that talent is scarce in free agency doesnt matter. Free agents only cost money. Chris Sale costs prospects. That's going to hold up the whole process for months. Teams will wait for Hahn to lower his price if he even wants to trade him which I really doubt. Not all teams can afford to sign free agent aces, but probably every team could afford Chris Sale. Unless you can tell us a package that the Sox rejected for Sale, you are advocating trading him just to trade him. And they might both be on the roster next year, but if you really are gung ho for a rebuild, trading your biggest pieces and settling is really setting you up to suck for a real long time.

The longer this goes, it makes you think Trump basically was running to guarantee Hillary the presidency. No one can really be this dense can they? If he is, these intelligence briefings he's about to start receiving should scare everyone.

I'm sure a couple of those guys were available. Maybe not everyone, but I'm sure they want these guys to think the organization is so high on them, they wouldn't move them for anything. A guy just called up thinking he was trade bait a few days ago isn't going to make his transition any easier.

QUOTE (FT35 @ Aug 5, 2016 -> 12:56 PM) Couple things... 1. In regards to the fan base not being ready for a rebuild...I agree...if we had to endure a rebuild with the guys currently in our system, we would all invest in brown paper bags for the next decade--until 2 or our mostly blown 10 top 3 draft picks hit pay dirt--and subsequently get moved for other prospects or aging vets. However...the types of prospects we would get for Sale/Q WOULD be worth watching and hoping for! I think I'd be ready to root for the best prospect in the nation to pan out for us, rather than watch the likes of Jimmy Rollins and Mat Latos try to rediscover their lost form from 7 years ago. Neither model is fool proof to failure--but one is MUCH more interesting to watch. 2. Dick Allen...I might be alone on here but I love your posts! You're grounded in your thoughts and I enjoy reading what you have to say. Now to poke the bear a little...you mentioned the GM's comment about being mirrored in mediocrity and how he was going to change that--"because he said he would." Couldn't help but to chuckle at your confidence in him to fix this : ) Now jokes aside...knowing what we know about RH, how do you predict he's going to change it? Free agent signings? Will he trade Sale/Q? New manager? 2016 waiver adds? He literally could go anywhere with this...just curious to hear your take based on what we know. The reason I ask is because I think your thoughts will be closer to reality than anyone else's predictions on this site. I don't know if anyone should have confidence in Hahn, I am just pointing out that they aren't going to try to make it work with the same players again. It will be a very different mix. Whether they still will be mired in mediocrity, I don't know. I choose to hope not, but I can understand if people think it won't work. But many of the same people who say KW, JR and Hahn have no clue, want these guys to get rid of all of their good players and choose prospects to replace them. I have no idea why someone would think that's a good idea with no confidence in the management team. The fact is, if you are going to totally rebuild and you are trading pillars of a core, you have to have the utmost confidence in the people tearing it down. If not, you are only going to make a bad situation worse, and worse for a long time.

QUOTE (sin city sox fan @ Aug 5, 2016 -> 12:52 PM) Where do you see the scarf? I don't see that on the calendar? I think it's one of those where you have to buy tickets on line and they give you a code you print up. They keep it to a few hundred people.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 5, 2016 -> 12:34 PM) I think the bolded is a myth. The issue isn't that these guys themselves come up and struggle a bit. The issue is that these guys are placed in a position where a team designed to be competitive needs them to succeed in order to actually be competitive. This creates an atmosphere where the organization, the team, the player and the fans are placing so much reliance on the prospect to immediately contribute that it sort of ruins the entire mood for everyone. If we were to rebuild, I think there would be an acceptance for struggles and growing pains because of reduced expectations that simply doesn't exist when you are trying to compete year in and year out. What is the difference now when they really don't have much of a shot? Are you saying the Anderson and Fulmer questioning wouldn't be happening if the traded Sale and/or Quintana at the deadline and instead of losing 2-1 the other day, they lost 9 or 10 to 1? We are at the point where the White Sox intention at the beginning of the season is irrelevant. They are playing out the string. If you can't take an 0-4 from Anderson or Fulmer giving up a HR, you aren't going to accept a season or 2 or 3 or 20 of it where the entire roster is players in the same boat. The team waved the white flag in 2013 and for the 2014 season. The roster, the record, the play, were still held against any and all management.

Interestingting http://southside.locals.baseballprospectus...ar-it-all-down/

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 01:57 PM) Then nothing is going to matter except leading the AL Central next July 31st.... That won't matter either. See 2012.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 01:53 PM) So Comcast will overpay to improve the Sox? As a community service, or because of the leverage JR has with the Bulls? Hmmmm... If the Cubs dont start their own station/network in 2019, the argument for paying the White Sox more than they're currently receiving is what? And WGN and WBBM radio already lost out on the Cubs. Think they regret that now? They will give more money than you think. As for the radio stations, they don't make much money off sporting events. Not a whole heck of a lot of people are listening to the games on radio. WGN let the Cubs go because they were taking a bath on them even when the team was doing well. The money is in TV where most spend their time.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 01:45 PM) Dumping Shields and adding Puig will at least sell some tickets this offseason... No it won't.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 01:43 PM) Farmer and DJ were just talking about old jerseys. Whatever happened to the sleeveless jerseys? Most teams, if not all, have ditched them. I thought they were pretty cool. Maybe Majestic didn't want to make them because they couldn't put their emblem on the sleeve.

2 years ago, the Cubs had some of the lowest ratings in baseball. Baseball viewership ratings change quickly. These contracts teams sign are for a long period of time, and it sort of helps the buyer of the rights to spend some money. The more money they give for the rights, the more money the team can spend on players, the better the team, the better the ratings. So anyone thinking the Sox will sign a 10 or 15 year contract for the lowest rate around, isn't paying attention. The rights buyer obviously wants a deal where they can make some money, but a lowball contract doesn't really do much for them either if it means the team will always suck.

Hopefully Q can adjust to have some runs to play with.

Let Avi play when he's hot. Unfortunately that means putting him in the field, but he does go on some nice hot streaks before looking clueless for a month or 2.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 09:28 AM) Since coming off the DL, back in June, he's put up a > .300 average and a damn good OPS. I'm not going to write-off two years of success and all the tools. Oh and he can actually play some D whereas Avi is one of the worst defensive outfielders in the majors. That's fine. Avi had a OPS over .800 and was hitting over .300 his first 58 games of 2015. And again, I never said Avi was better than him. Puig is obviously better, but he's owed over $17 million after this year, and the trend as been going in the wrong direction. If he's doing so great, why is he in AAA? There are obviously some issues. I have a hard time believing the Dodgers are not going to have to eat some of that contract if they want to trade him.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 12:07 PM) Did you read the post, or did you just jump immediately into attack mode as usual? OP literally did the opposite of writing him off, saying "personally I see him as our everyday SS down the line, but not a reliable top of the order bat like Robin is trying to make him into now. I'll say something like .250/.290/.400 with 30 steals and an above average defender at short....good player to have on the team..." I thought it was a good post and I'm not sure why he's getting heat for it. He's not a top of the order bat. A career .290 OBP guy. How can that be concluded right now? If you are coming to conclusions this quickly with inexperienced players, you are not going to have many high opinions of lots of players. I wonder what he would have thought about Greg Maddux his rookie year.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 11:53 AM) Who gives a flying f*** of fans can "handle" a rebuild, if it's the right strategy then go for it. Only a horrible GM would accept mediocrity to appease his fans, short term interests. They are not accepting mediocrity. The GM said so. He is going to change the roster again. Whether it's a total rebuild or not, we have no idea at this point, but they have made a lot of changes each off season since this suckage began. But now questioning Anderson after question Fulmer..these guys are young and inexperienced, finding their way. There are very few Frank Thomases, or Mike Trouts that are instant stars. If a fan doesn't have the patience to watch Anderson struggle or Fulmer struggle, whether they want to believe it or not, they are going to hate a total rebuild. And the race to see who can be the first to write someone off will continue.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Aug 2, 2016 -> 08:21 PM) With a miserly five playoff appearances - just five, Dick! Count 'em! - in the past now going on 56 years, I'd say our beleaguered fan base is certainly owed something at this point. How many playoff appearances did they have when you became "a fan"? Why wasn't that important to you and everyone else then? Then they had a period where they won more games than most but not a lot of playoff appearance. They have a couple, win a WS, then the bar is moved to CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES. Once that is accomplished, the bar, like it was when the seats were the wrong color, the ticket prices too high, the video board isn't big enough, will be moved again. The White Sox have a fanbase who say winning is most important. The reality is many are like you. What is most important is having something to complain about all the time.

Fulmer now Anderson... Another thread that shows people can't handle a rebuild. Rookies do struggle. Did you know JB Shuck led AL rookies in several categories a few years ago?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 3, 2016 -> 09:05 PM) You said the money owed to Puig was a nice chunk of change when we owe more than that to Shields. What does that have to do with Puig and his market?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 3, 2016 -> 09:01 PM) Sure, of course that same amount of money owed to Shields won't be a hindrance at all this offseason. Then it it will the fair, going rate for a 4th/5th starter, just like Danks. What? You're unraveling like Trump.