Dick Allen

What kind of contract would Cespedes be looking at had he repeated his 2014 numbers last season?

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 08:34 PM) I hate that a pick is attached to Fowler, but given the money involved, the makeup up the current Sox roster, the future, and a number of smaller reasons, I actually want Fowler more than Cespedes. I think it's a better fit. Cespedes career OPS .805, Fowler .781. If it saves you $70-80 million, it does seem Fowler is the better choice. If the 2015 Cespedes shows up in 2016, 2017, then he would be worth the payout. Cespedes is the better player, but maybe not if the 2013/2014 version of him shows up for the 2016 season. I think of the big 3 he had the highest ceiling but the lowest floor.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 08:23 PM) We only have so much information to go off of, so lets use the facts we have. 1. It was reported today by national outlets that the White Sox were one of the finalists for Cespedes 2. It has been very much established over the last year or so that Bob Nightengale is a mouthpiece for the White Sox in so many ways, and has a direct line with someone very high up in the front office. 3. Nothing has been reported by members of the Sox traveling press core that there have been any negotiations or any serious talks between the White Sox and Cespedes. Meaning, the Sox beat reporters for the most part get there information from the team or someone close to the club, and in some ways serve a certain master. If things are getting close, there is no advantage for the White Sox to leak that out there and get people excited. 4. Where you have to make a bit of a leap is guessing why this report came out now. My best guess would be talks started back up, and have now hit a snag. The Sox want to put pressure on things and make a statement(whether or not you think that's the right strategy is another argument) that they are staying firm on 3 years. If you are the White Sox and have that information, are you giving it to Scott Merkin or Dan Hayes, or are you going to go national with someone like Nightengale, to achieve a bigger reach? If I am the White Sox and was offering 4 years, I would want it out there that I wouldn't go more than 3 for other teams' sake. It could keep a teamfrom offering 5 years because they think no one else is offering 4. You can't believe everything you read because the White sox don't negotiate in the press, but like you pointed out, agents and teams leak things for a reason. They are playing the game. Hopefully when this wraps up he is a WhiteSox or else we are going to have to go through this crap,for the next candidate which I think would be Fowler. Steve Stone keep mentioning left handed hitting the other day. Cespedes cover that with reverse splits. Fowler is a better hitter right handed but does get on base and has more power left handed.

QUOTE (captain54 @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 07:36 PM) . I'd appreciate if you didn't put words in my mouth. I never said I was offended. I said I was interested in the topic of discussion. But guess what? You get to have the last word. Go for it! Have a nice day Yup. Whatever. Believe whatever you chose to believe. The paying customer expresses dissatisfaction with the product they support with their $$$. Yea those schmucks, they deserve to be ripped to kingdom come Your post at WSI. You sure seem offended to me. If you are not offended, why did you make such a big deal about it here and at WSI?

I wonder why JR had lunch with ARod today.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 06:59 PM) I asked the question because I'm curious where expectations will be if Cespedes is signed. It seems like that will meet the fans expectations for a very good off-season. What if they fail, and it's an 81 win season. Who is to blame at that point? KW

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 04:49 PM) I absolutely, positively, 100% believe that to be the case. Even if that was the case, and I don't buy it because the White Sox outdrew the Cubs Harry's first 3 years at Wrigley and on the superstation, the fault that the White Sox weren't broadcastigpng 120 games on WGN isn't on JR or EE. It pre dates them.When they had the team, the Cubs had the dates. There was no way they would have anything but a limited schedule on WGN, and then the Tribune bought the Cubs meaning there was no way they would ever be able to trump the Cubs on that station.

QUOTE (captain54 @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 05:49 PM) Then I would assume then that if you go to US Cellular and pay top dollar to see MLB, and the Sox decide to put their AAA team on the field, you would be totally cool with that because the Sox don't owe you anything.. no business owes you anything You're kidding, right..? I happen to be an independent business person and I damn well owe the people who pay for my service something. Timely delivery, professional quality product and service… Good Lord... How many games do you go to? Do you know what the Sox roster looks like before you buy tickets? if people don't like your business, the choose another. No one is stopping you from doing that. But if you think everything about a business is against you and you continue to patronize that business, quit complaining. That crap is on you. And I would be willing to bet either you have never had a complaint, or had complaints and just gave every customer exactly what they wanted even if they couldn't have been more wrong. Have you ever had an argument with a customer? It is pretty apparent you tell the neighborhood kids to stay off your lawn. You're at least as cranky as Cooper. The funny thing about Cooper is one thing message board posters have loved about him was how he would treat radio guys like Rongey like s***.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 04:39 PM) See Harry Caray/superstation WGN exposure impact. He has been dead 18 years

The other thing is the assumption that whatever Don Cooper thinks reflects the entire White Sox organization is just some more craziness. If every little thing about being a White Sox fan pisses you off so much, spend your time doing something you enjoy. You will be much better off.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 02:34 PM) Why does everyone assume that all people from Cuba are friends? I don't know if they are friends, but Cespedes really talked up Abreu before he came over, and Abreu has said similar things about Cespedes.

Why would Cespedes have a bigger market than Upton?

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 01:56 PM) Re: Bowden's report of Sox, Mets and Nats being the finalist. I think the Angels are the Sox biggest competition for Yo. Another team I can't understand didn't seem fully engaged with Upton.

QUOTE (captain54 @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 01:43 PM) You're wrong. It's not originally from WSI. I'm totally serious That's where Lip got it. The whiners here can't hold a candle to you guys.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 01:35 PM) I just can't imagine getting worked up about this. It's from WSI. They literally get upset if the guy taking the money in the parking lot isn't smiling at them. I am totally serious.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 01:09 PM) The Upton discussions with Tigers rumors happened like 10 minutes before it was finalized That entire Upton process was spectacularly secretive. This one, not so much. What I don't understand is why would the Nats be interested in paying Cespedes but not Upton?

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 01:02 PM) They won't report unless they're 100% confident in their report Yeah, but if I was Cespedes' agent, I sure as hell would leak it to those guys and a few more that things were getting close to a conclusion in case any team wanted to make a late run.

I don't know why I'm so enthralled. Rosenthal and Heyman have nothing. You would think if anything was close they would have something.

peavy knows what he is talking about. Sox to cheap. Cespedes no sign.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 12:21 PM) I have a feeling he won't sign for another week. It seems his market is out there. I don't know what waiting around another week would do. If I were him, I would want to get the ink on the paper ASAP. What if he injures himself working out?

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 11:35 AM) They traded for Ben Revere to play center. Forgot about that. Does that mean Werth would be out of a job,

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 11:18 AM) He's Sticking to it: @cronebender I'm aware of people's issues but I don't see what I did wrong. It's true. Report will come out soon. Just watch. https://mobile.twitter.com/JakeBauer21/stat...855725254922240 About the same as that guy who said it was a 6 year contract a couple weeks back. Then said the issue was the Sox would only go 5.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 20, 2016 -> 11:18 AM) http://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/01/shoul...-cespedes.html/ More fuel for the fire. So sell high on Granderson, and buy even higher on Cespedes. I like the way these guys think.

Well it is Wednesday. If they are going to sign him, it probably would be today.

The Nationals need a CF. I don't think Cespedes is a CF. Would they move Harper to CF? Would they want to do that?