Dick Allen

The Astros are without a doubt the most sabermetrical team in baseball. So if you're a saber guy, and knowing how thin catching is league-wide, and they trade him for a rental, wouldn't it make you think they aren't very high on him?

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:57 PM) Honestly embarrassed You're embarrassed the Sox didn't get Nottingham for Samardzija? Have you ever even heard of Nottingham until this trade was announced?

I think the outrage over Cranick's tweet is silly. If the Astros were offering something the White Sox wanted, I am sure a deal would have been done.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:56 PM) 7 of those 10 are in the majors right now, that's not bad for a lottery ticket And so is Flowers, but supposedly he is the worst baseball player who ever lived. And these were the top 10 in the league. You can sign guys like Soto for around minimum every year. If you are trading Samardjiza, I think you are aiming a little higher than that. Maybe in 5 or 6 years Nottingham is, but the odds are stacked against him and almost every minor league catcher of being anything but an extremely mediocre major league player. As I stated, Flowers was a better prospect than this guy.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:53 PM) Jerry Crasnick ‏@jcrasnick 55s55 seconds ago The #Astros also had Jeff Samardzija on their radar, but couldn't afford to wait for #WhiteSox to decide on a course of action. https://twitter.com/jcrasnick Well there's some good news(major sarcasm) It will be interesting to see what the Sox get for Shark vs. the Kazmir return. Personally, I hope they get a more advanced prospect. Do you really want the Sox to acquire a guy who needs to go through their system for a few years?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:48 PM) Worth highlighting that Flowers, while in the minors, had several other things going on with him, including a steroid suspension. Yeah, in A ball. Top 10 MLB catching prospects Jan 2008 Wieters Clement Towles Soto Conger Bryan Anderson Montero Mesoraco Cervelli Teagarden Not a lot of potential HOFers there.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:40 PM) The fact he is still here should have done that anyway. If there was a big return to be had, he would have been gone. Exactly. I don't know how anyone can conclude they waited too long and the seller's market disappeared. What trade was made that indicated there was a seller's market to begin with?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:39 PM) I'm not sure what this post actually means? Nottingham will bust because Flowers did? Nottingham is a poor prospect because he's a catcher? No, it means minor league catchers are very difficult to project, because there is a lot going on with them. Flowers was .275/.391/.876 his minor league career at was a top 75 prospect. He was supposed to be all offense, no defense. Now he's the opposite, and the defense, at least to me, seems to be declining. That would project a lot better. An A ball catcher, even if he is having a "break out" season, is still just a lottery ticket.

Tyler Flowers was a breakout catching prospect once. Didn't KW watch him hit a bunch of homers in the AZ Fall League? The kid would be nice to have, but still there are very few catchers anymore with really nice offensive games.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 12:22 PM) Do I need to add my reply or does your text already give it away? I'm out. The thing you ignore, which is odd since you seem to be very concerned with JR's bank account, is De Aza also makes $4.5 million more than Avi. But let's revisit when Avi is hot and De Aza is cold.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 11:43 AM) Fans undervalue players who are not awesome, but not black holes. We could call it the ADA Effect if we wanted. Maybe, but this was bumped when De Aza was on a hot streak and at the peak of his value. Feeky likes to mention BABIP, yet, he isn't even looking at De Aza's. I'll use a line he used for Avi, he is going to crash, and crash hard. He loves to bump threads the second he supposedly looks good, like second Flowers dipped below .200, and when Semien had an .850 OPS. He remains silent when the tide turns the other way. De Aza was underappreciated, but to really think the White Sox would be a better team with him and not Avi is so beyond laughable.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 09:07 AM) Harold Washington made a deal with Jim Thompson in 1987 that if the state were to finance a stadium, it HAD TO BE at 35th and shields. Jerry couldn't go anywhere but Florida at that point. And the south loop is not as attractive as you think. A site at Clark and Roosevelt would be 2 blocks from the red line(and the orange line was still years away), no access for the green line, and 5 blocks from the Dan Ryan. And traffic on that stretch of Roosevelt is murder at 8pm in November, never mind after getting 12,000 cars in the area. Oh, and that target that people keep talking about wasn't built until 2004. There was zero development on Roosevelt between state and canal for almost 20 years after the sox stopped looking at the south loop. And of course, the bears wanted NOTHING to do with the sox in the south loop, near west side, or at 35th and shields. Well the Bears play at perhaps the most inconvient stadium in the US.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 08:58 AM) Of course the city wants the land developed. It'll generate tax revenue. Something an ISFA-financed stadium won't do. But the larger point remains. If the city balks at an intersection project at 300 million(and one that WILL save lives. Google Western and Pershing accidents), I doubt it can swing a major construction project to move several railways and create access points for a stadium that will make the city and state little to no direct revenue(seeing as most teams pocket parking and ticket money). It certainly was a consideration 30 years ago. And it would have been a state project.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 07:52 AM) Dick Allen: I still can't believe to this day that JR had the opportunity to have a stadium built in the South Loop and instead wanted to go to Dupage County. They would have drawn alot more people in the South Loop as opposed to their present location OR Dupage County. It has to be the biggest mistake in the history of the franchise. I will shed no tears when JR no longer owns the team. The bad thing is the next owner will have the same problem with the Cells location. Especially considering JR made his money in Real Estate, although I think the reality of it was his hands were tied. If he wanted the state to build him a stadium, he was going to have to make a lot of concessions. I don't think building it where they did was his ideal answer.Closer to downtown, you wouldn't need all the parking lots. People could have taken trains. But that was almost 30 years ago, and the South Loop was pretty much a dump back then. JR made out fine with his lease, and the team stayed. I live in the city and take the Red Line to games, so it's current location is fine for me, and there is a point that it is more accessible than Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, the United Center, for many. As for the neighborhood, it is what it is. The White Sox can't make it a party area, and the residents understandably don't want it to become one.

QUOTE (RaySox @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 01:27 AM) No rumors at all! So dry this season... yuck Really true. So far a very boring deadline trading season. It obviously will pick up, but nothing but very generic rumors out there now.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 07:33 PM) U.S. Cellular field cost 168 million for a 45k seat stadium. And required no additional infrastructure improvements. Remember, the Dan Ryan, red line, green line, and parking lots were already built. Oh, and Jim Thompson signed a deal with Harold Washington that ensured the sox stadium stayed on 35th and shields The Red Line, Green Line, and Orange Line are pretty convenient to Roosevelt and the river. And your snarky billion dollar comment to someone else seems to be refuted by another article as the city wants someone to build on the land. I doubt any would risk an extra billion to build a development. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/201...h-loop-property Whether you want to believe it or not, the perception is USCF is not in a desirable location. Perception trumps reality. Closer to downtown could have made a huge difference. The after work crowd on weekday nights would have been larger.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 04:35 PM) No way do the Dodgers do that. I don't know if they would or not. It would set them up pretty well. It all depends on how they really feel about Puig. What if Detroit picked up the difference in money this season? I can't understand why the Dodgers would consider trading the guy,maybe he is too big a distraction. Maybe they want prospects.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 02:56 PM) Do you have a spare billon dollars to fix that? By my condo, there is is a rough intersection thanks to railroad viaducts built in the early 1900's. My alderman said the cost to modernize this one intersection( remove some of the beams and help motorists get by with less accidents) would Cost the city 300 million dollars. Needless to say , that intersection remains the same. Do you honestly think the city and state have the money to move railroad tracks ( several lanes worth) and build a tunnel at 16th and Clark for a baseball stadium? And one that won't have nearly as many parking spots as the cell? According to this article, it was going to cost $180 million to build a 50,000 stadium at that site. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-12...tadium-proposal

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 01:10 PM) So, first problem - if the Dodgers are more willing to move Puig because they got Crawford back from most recent injury, then Cespedes doesn't necessarily fill a need for them? Beyond that, I'm too out of touch with LA to know how the team is looking at him right now. Talent-wise no they wouldn't do that, but getting rid of a guy sometimes you do things you wouldn't otherwise do. Crawford remaining healthy is about as likely as you praising the White Sox work in Glendale. For the short term, the Dodgers would have a big 3 of Kershaw, Greinke, and Price. Good luck against that in the playoffs, and Cespedes is a pretty good player. If they are disenchanted with Puig, they can deal him and become the odds on favorites to win it all, if they are not already. The Tigers get a headcase, very talented, who wouldn't cost 8 figures a year until 2019. There is something here for everyone.

I meant Tigers. Price and Cespedes for Puig. Would the Dodgers do it? I think if I am Dombrowski, I would if he is waving the white flag.

For some reason, I think Puig, if he gets traded, goes to the Dodgers in a Price deal.

If the SS position can't be obviously upgraded this next offseason,you decline Alexei's option and sign him much cheaper perhaps with incentives where he gets paid if he performs. His fielding has been better, and he has hit slightly better lately. Perhaps he is coming out of his funk. I don't think he has declined physically as much as some think.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 02:58 PM) Just remember this conversation when we see how terrible the April game attendance looks next year when this season hits the season ticket sale numbers. Next year is going to be UGLY. Then you can pat yourself on the back for being miserable. The Sox have still won most of their home games, especially when rabbit doesn't show up, and people have fun. I don't think the drop will be as massive as you think. They will rearrange the mix of players, and there will be optimistic people. I have fun most games I attend. Even when the Sox lose.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 02:39 PM) They still had a bunch of them in the park, including during the broadcast. They probably also sold "3 game" ticket groupings for those events. I went to the games. There wasn't a bunch of them in the park that were noticeable or announced. Dustin Hermanson did surprise a guy who correctly answered jersey numbers and signed a ball. That was it. I was on the Club Level, and the did advertise Carlos May AND Mike Huff signing autographs there on July 31st, so get your club level seats while you can. Other than Hermanson, the only other guy they showed was Pods sitting in a suite. I guess that is a gimmick that could double attendance, but it seems more than far fetched.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) Hell I'd have gone for that. If you were expecting that un Sunday, you would have been SOL.