Dick Allen

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 29, 2015 -> 04:29 PM) Through 2013-2014, Alexei had a .703 OPS, Asdrubal Cabrera had a .697 OPS. Alexei may be too old to do that any more, fine. Are we ready to pay $10 million for Asdrubal Cabrera to put up a sub .700 OPS the next 2-3 years if he puts up the numbers he did in 2013-2014, or is that a contract we're likely to regret? How can we be certain that his 2015 campaign, during a contract year, is more representative of what he'll do in his 30s than his previous 1200 PAs? One of the years you are using against him was also a contract year.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 29, 2015 -> 04:21 PM) It doesn't make any sense, except for punting recruiting for the second year in a row by refusing to get rid of an interim coach and making the next coach's job impossible. Where they messed up was not firing the AD with Beckman. Then they could have hired a new one by now and he or she could have hired a new coach. How was their recruiting this year? They probably saved that since there would be no coach in place for a while now. Or they hire a guy their new AD may not know , or they hire the guy the other 20 teams looking for coaches left over. You also might have a ton of transfers if no one knew who would be coaching them for a while. In the short term, it doesn't help them, and it really won't kill them, and it probably saves them from totally bottoming out, and next year, the new AD will be in a position to hire their guy. Frankly, I don't like Cubit, and find it hard to believe he was the #2 guy in the program and he supposedly had no idea what Beckman was doing. If he didn't, that shows something is lacking as well, but the players seem to like him. At the very worst, Illinois is punting, and delaying their rebuild a year or so. But then everything should be lined up a bit better. It isn't like some MAC coach 15 teams passed on is going to get a Harbaugh like turnaround out of them next year.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Nov 29, 2015 -> 03:00 PM) For as little as they seem to care or understand about the reality of college athletics, it's truly amazing they even bother to field a team. Since they don't have a permanent AD, this move makes some sense. By the time the new AD is in place, they would be in the back of the line for hiring a coach. Let the new guy pick his own guy, and if they have to pay Cubit for the final year, it really isn't a big deal. They aren't paying Beckmann, and are saving money with Cubit.

QUOTE (WilliamTell @ Nov 28, 2015 -> 01:24 PM) Michigan can't stop the run up the middle or the option overall. Looking pretty bleak. There is no doubt in my mind OSU is the class of the Big Ten. When they get it going no one stops them. I just think they took too many plays and opponents for granted this season and a lot of their games were tight for a lot longer than they should have been. I think of they somehow get back into the playoff, they have a great chance of winning it all. It appears they realize they need to play full games now. Michigan had no shot the second half.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Nov 27, 2015 -> 08:01 PM) Ya, not giving up Q for this clown http://www.tmz.com/#article/2015/11/27/yas...puig-bar-brawl/ Yes, my pursuit has ended. A sister beater.

His advanced MLB numbers where still horrific.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Nov 27, 2015 -> 10:02 PM) I would be pretty surprised if Iowa kept it within 10 against MSU (well, if Cook plays). Purdue, Rutgers, and Nebraska, even without the bad call that gave them the win, kept it within 10 vs. Michigan State. I wonder what Cowherd, who guaranteed fraud Iowa would lose to Nebraska will have to say now. Iowa was playing on a short week vs. Nebraska who had a bye last weekend as well.

NESN had a article explaining how insensitive and classless it was of CBS to show Romo's wife crying after he was injured yesterday. Of course the article contained a still photo of her crying and video of was was supposedly classless.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Nov 26, 2015 -> 11:28 AM) Ok I'll bite, where has Robin failed with platooning in the past? Who should he have used differently? It is amazing how many people think Robin Ventura knows so much less about Major League Baseball than people who have never been in a clubhouse.

Why Hahn didn't' send a couple of decent prospects to Houston to Get Jason Castro, a guy who is actually a worse hitter than Flowers, and pay him double, that would have made more sense. In truth, I think the catching position is becoming like relievers have been viewed in the past. Except for a select few that are worth their weight in gold, you are better off dumpster diving, hoping to catch a guy who will have a good year. There are so many that had that one big year and live off it for half a decade. The middle class catcher is going the way of the Edsel it seems, there are a few, but not many, and if a guy can hit, he can't field and vice versa. I am not going to kid myself and think Avila is going to be the 2011 version. But his OBP is usually pretty decent. It obviously isn't as big of a weapon as if Micah Johsnon could put up a .350 OBP, but at least he isn't making as many outs and is flipping the line up.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 03:17 PM) In 2013 and 2014 Puig was a top 5 hitter in the league. The lowest they MIGHT go is something like EJ, Micah, and Montas. And he is only 3 months older than Trayce Thompson.

When Saladino and Dan Black were teammates in Charlotte, Black hit for a slightly better HR rate. In about a 1/3 of a Korean League season this year, Black hit 12 homers and had a .333/.413/.576 split. Dan f***ing Black. Maybe this guy is good, but I wouldn't count on it. This is all on the scouts.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 01:01 PM) The A'a designated AJ Griffin. Wouldn't mind the Sox adding him for some depth if he's healthy. They released him. He was a home run derby pitcher when he was healthy. I don't think even if he got close to healthy he would work with the White Sox. I also don't think he would be released if he could be close to healthy.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 01:03 PM) Flying Southwest for the first time on New Years Eve. We booked the "Wanna Get Away" ticket because it was the cheapest, anyone have experience with that? Its the same as any other ticket.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 12:42 PM) Anyone want to take a stab at the average salary for a backup catcher. Don't have any idea, but with Flowers/Avila, the Sox aren't spending too much on that position overall.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 12:05 PM) are you kidding me, the FO made everything possible to redirect the accountability factor against the players. Putting the blame on who was responsible is also very shortsighted. I will tell you this, if I owned a 7-11 and some clerk failed to show up at work because they were hungover, I wouldn't fire them, I'd fire the manager. He or she should have trained them better. And anyone here who is a manager in whatever line of work you are in, just remember, when those below you screw up, it is totally your fault. If your boss doesn't fire you immediately, you should have the decency to tender your resignation.

Catchers almost as a rule can't hit. It's better the Sox spend no trade chips on a mediocre guy. This guy is a lot like Geo except left handed. No average, decent OBP, power, decent defensively. He has been the starting catcher on many playoff teams and he is still in his 20's, and signed for less than what Geo received.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 10:40 AM) Can't wait for Hawk every game to talk about how beat up Avila gets behind the plate. This was the most obvious signing of the offseason. With Hawk and Stone always talking about him, you knew he was a future White Sox at some point. If he had continued to play like he played 4 years ago, it would have been when he was 34 or 35, but there is still some upside here.

QUOTE (Whitey @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 09:14 AM) Sitting through the past season, I anxiously awaited the accountability and change that undoubtedly would have to come as a response to the overall ineptitude and lack of effort we witnessed last year. Instead, we get the same coach and management back next year, with no real plan in place. Next year could range anywhere from them being a perennial contender, to them needing a complete rebuild… they just have to let it percolate a bit to figure it out I guess. This shows that they have no real vision at all for the future, and no faith in their own scouting abilities. If they did, they would know exactly where they stand, and they would be hitting the ground running. Instead, they are just flopping in the wind, going day to day (decision by decision) it seems. That is pretty alarming to me. The fact that they don't have their 2016 roster set before Thanksgiving has to be alarming to White Sox fans everywhere. All the other teams have made tons of trades, there are hardly any free agents available to sign...just a colossal fail again on the White Sox part. Thinking you could get something done at the Winter Meetings is silly. Everything should be finished weeks before. And not sharing their offseason plan with the world? What are they thinking?

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 08:42 AM) there is a degree of preferential treatment and it really can tear a team apart. with the sox and the ineptness of RV and how to deal with this distraction, i really think it is a bad idea of getting him. Robin can handle him. He's gone toe to toe with Sale. He could go toe to toe with Puig if necessary.

It would be nice if Engel made himself a future contributor. He has so many tools. If he can put it together, it would be amazing. I hope Trey makes it for a couple of reasons. The White Sox really need a 3B, and secondly, those buying his jersey would really get a good bang for their buck with all the letters in his last name.

I would love the Sox to get Puig. Huge core piece, at a most likely a discounted (at least a little) price. I don't care if every White Sox likes him. The Dodgers have won a lot of games with him supposedly being a huge distraction. So what? This guy has as big of a ceiling as anyone in the game.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 01:41 AM) What if the home plate umpire was just s***ty those games? That's probably it. But if the home plate umpire is going to be bad and call balls strikes more often when Flowers is catching, it's still a good thing for White Sox pitchers. It is amazing how far Flowers has fallen from the pedestal he was placed here in about 2011. AJ had to go. If Flowers hit nothing, he still was better than AJ. Now, anything positive attributed to Flowers is quickly shot down as unimportant. There are more than a few people on here that really can't mention pitch framing as a positive to any catcher they may like moving forward without looking foolish. I just don't understand how having more balls called strikes when you are catching can't be considered a really good thing.

I think Avila is a White Sox in 2016. I didn't mind Geo, although I do think that yips deal could explode. I watched him warm up pitchers in between innings when Flowers made the last out or was on base, and he didn't do that.

QUOTE (Baron @ Nov 24, 2015 -> 06:44 PM) We have the ultimate pitch framer though...we dont need him 2nd in baseball for getting balls called strikes.