Dick Allen

Jones was another guy who hit 100 a few times last season. A little further away from surgery, $900 k could be a steal in 2016.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 01:53 PM) Where would they play Murphy? Wright at 3B, Cabrera at SS, and Walker at 2B. Good luck with that defense.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 11:09 AM) I agree here but where did you get the information on the bolded. One of the "insiders" on MLBN sort of mentioned it in passing one day. I can't remember if it was Heyman or Rosenthal, but I think it was Heyman.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 09:59 AM) Yea he also really talked up Samardzija to the Cubs, and Quintana to the Cubs for Baez He also staked his reputation on the White Sox signing Omar Vizquel around 2008 or so. He signed with SF.

Nightingale says Upton. I am sure they have checked in on both. I would prefer Upton, but wouldn't be sad if Cespedes is in the line up. KW went after Upton many moons ago, so I would imagine the White Sox still feel fondly about him. I also think RH and KW pretty much view most players the similarly, so if they wanted him then, Hahn probably would like to have him now. Hahn was trained by KW, you don't work together as long as they have with polar opposite philosophies. There will be differences, but not like it seems many assume. Hahn took his name out of consideration for the St. Louis job when he found out the farm director had the owner's direct ear, and could undermine the GM. That doesn't sound like a guy who would assume the Sox GM job to be a puppet. I think the White Sox preference is Upton. But the contract plays a huge roll.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 03:17 PM) What are you going on about, Dick? Do you have a point? My point is you like to complain. It should have been obvious but you never saw him...They traded him for an All Star 3B who makes $7.5 million in 2016. Seems they did OK. Find something else to moan about.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 03:07 PM) I never saw the guy play in the minors, how was I to know how truly terrible he was? The minute he came up I said move him to third or LF and people said he had a bad arm. Well there have been a ton of left fielders who couldn't throw a lick. Not sure why that would be a big deal. Nice answer considering this is your earlier post QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 02:12 PM) * It should have been obvious years ago that Micah would never play 2B. Not sure what they were thinking.

Anything he provides this year is gravy. They will have control of him for another year or so with his arb status.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) Let's watch the Dodgers use him somewhere other than 2B. How come you didn't speak up about the "mishandling" of Micah earlier?

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 02:30 PM) I was told here that the Laroche/Melky/Duke contracts were insignificant and would not have a bearing on further spending. Why don't you wait until you see how this plays out before you start whining?

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 07:31 AM) Somehow the 92 win Dodgers can find a use for Micah. But Robin and his 76 wins couldn't fit him in. That might require platooning and late inning replacements on a regular basis. It's like the sox run the org. For the convenience of its limited field manager. Sure they stick Sanchez and Saladino out there. They had no other choice. But they could have been more creative in their use and used Micah as well. But why bother when you have Alexei to take all the snaps and beckham to fill in. They sent Micah back so he could play every day and work on his defense. You love Sanchez. How much do you think these guys develop playing half the time?

His problem is he swings at pitches that are hard for anyone to do anything with.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 12:34 PM) I agree. But, I think it'll be 7 years with an opt out after 3-4. Disagree, the OF market is just so slow right now. Literally barely hearing anything on players. They can backload a deal, much like what the Giants did with Samardzija. Side not, Cardinals are working Holliday out at 1B now. I bet they get back in the Gordon sweepstakes. Robin Ventura used to babysit Matt Holliday.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 12:10 PM) You got me too. Only a troll would question 8 million for a pitcher who gave up homers at an alarming rate. I'm just not into 81 wins and home run derby like you sages If they trade young players, you moan. If they sign young players to reasonable extensions, you moan. I think you need a different hobby. Besides, even if his post surgery HR rate continues, he can be a s***ty reliever still making peanuts, with a contract the Sox will be unable to move. Isn't that perfect for you?

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 12:00 PM) I think the chance is bigger than small to be honest but I don't see it as a salary dump. The most obvious salary to move in order to get one of those big OF bats is Robertson, Danks, Melky or LaRoche. Robertson has the most value and would be the easiest to trade. Hahn has been saying they would need to get creative in order to sign one of those FA bats. There is about zero chance they trade Robertson. They signed him for a reason. Creative is not ruining your bullpen.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 11:18 AM) Except for teams that actually win. But the sox were still in it all of last year and Kenny Williams could see a 10 game winning streak right around the corner. Bloody bad luck it never happened. You should move to Charlotte or Birmingham. You would have a much happier life. Probably better at Birmingham because AAA teams hero worship and bring in washed up veterans to fill AAA rosters.

Considering what middle relievers are getting paid, if Jones is just better than average, he should be a bargain for 6 years. He took less money to play for Robin.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 10:58 AM) As someone who has lived very near both cities, I can fully understand why somebody who enjoys living in Cincinnati would not want to move to Washington. Does he actually live in Cincinnati or just hang out during the season? It isn't like there is a ton of time during the season for them to do other things. If he wants to win, it is a pretty simple call, but he might as well try to extract a few more dollars. If he lives in Cincy, that could be another story. The other thing is many players live by the spring training facility, and one is in FL the other in AZ, that is 6 weeks less of living at home, and could be persuasive, especially if he has a family.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 10:14 PM) Also, is Albers 100% gone. He was a big piece last year for that bullpen... Chances of him repeating that performances are about as slim as he is not slim. Let someone else pay him and sign another guy. The Sox are usually halfway decent at picking up bullpen guys off the scrap heap. Putnam, Albers. Those guys get really cheap in about 3 weeks.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 09:12 AM) Ken Rosenthal just said on MLBN that an O's beat writer said that the O's aren't spending 100 million+ on a player other than Chris Davis. So now, that is the Angels, Giants, Cardinals, and O's now out on the big OFs. That leaves the Sox, Nationals, Tigers, and Royals that have reported interest in the big 3 OFs. If the Royals are lowballing Gordon, offering him about $50 million for 4 years, they aren't in on the others. They are out. There are always teams that say they are out that are in, and some surprises, but it does seem to be working in favor of signing one of these guys nowhere near what the prices appeared to be in October.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 08:54 AM) How exactly are they expendable? Have you seen the bullpen? Have you seen how thin this starting rotation is? Hahn just traded 2 young pitching prospects for 2 more bullpen guys with no control that he hopes "Coop can fix" although Coop hasn't fixed a thing in years. Need all the arms they can get and hope a couple can do something. Avi in RF Thompson in CF May in LF Saladino at 3B Rondon as SS Sanchez at 2B 6 year minor league free agent at 1B Nieto at C who cares as long as he is making minimum at DH Do you get hard looking at that line up?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 07:59 PM) Cespedes is a much more dynamic and exciting player. He's a natural companion piece to Abreu in terms of teammates/camaraderie and marketing. He can also play any of the OF positions, but is much stronger in RF and LF. Having Cespedes and Eaton together improves your defense quite a bit...and psychologically, knowing you have a competent fielder on your left side allows you to cheat a bit more to the other side and protect Cabrera in the gap. Upton is an average fielder, at best. All of his value comes from hitting and speed/athleticism, which is on the verge of declining in the next couple of years with all of the wear and tear on his body from being healthy for such a long stretch. Yoenis is proven in the AL and NL. He basically was the borderline NL MVP last year, certainly for the last two months. He performed well in both the AL West and AL Central. Upton hasn't shown that...doesn't mean he's not capable, but it's not a given at this point either, not with all the recent issues we've had in that area (LaRoche, Dunn, Samardzija, etc.) With his age and the current White Sox "open window" of 2016 and 2017, a contract for four years for Cespedes with higher average value (or maybe an opt-out again after 2017) makes a lot more financial sense than possibly being "stuck" with Upton for six years. Upton hasn't hit very well the last three years against the AL in inter-league play, only a .207 average in over 200 at-bats. Now the Sox window is the next 2 season? Who have they lost the last few days that has destroyed any chance of them being good in 2018, when you said was the best case scenario of them being good last week?

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 18, 2015 -> 08:49 AM) Serious question about that, do you think he had to get permission by the team to where the Sox jersey in Cuba? I understand why he would, but he is a free agent. It's really not important, but interesting to think about. Why would he need permission? You can wear a White Sox jersey, why can't he?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 02:32 PM) We need to add an impact bat to the lineup somewhere. Simultaneously, we need to NOT degrade the defense. Resources are limited. I think it's easier/more cost-effective to achieve our goal by upgrading RF and living with the light-hitting, glove focused Saladino than it is to find a difference-maker at SS. That is what I think. The upgrade offensively and defensively in RF could be huge. Maybe Alexei hits better than Saladino at SS, but fielding seems like a a wash. The overall upgrade isn't that huge, and it could go the other way. Spend the money on the rightfielder. Let Avi go down to Charlotte or somewhere else. Sign some relievers in January. Maybe sign a starter or 2 off the scrap heap. The team should be pretty good.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 11:06 AM) Celebrate all you want, but the most important part of the offseason is whether or not JR will open the wallet on Upton, Gordon or Cespedes. Do that, you win back everyone you've lost and skepticism diminishes almost completely. Start Opening Day with Avi, Saladino and LaRoche in the line-up and expectations are tempered. Half-assed and pointless. Hanley Ramiez, CarGo, Ethier, Blackmon, Peralta, Fowler, Span or Parra leaves you somewhere in-between. 3/4's of the way but that undoubtedly means the Tigers and/or Royals have one of Upton, Gordon, Davis, Desmond or Cespedes. Please leave the Royals out of all conversations about big name free agents. According to this they are offering Gordon 4 years $52 million, what the White Sox did when Ventura was a free agent and they wanted to show the fanbase they "tried" http://www.royalsreview.com/2015/12/16/103...9892.1442855805