Dick Allen

QUOTE (spiderman @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 03:21 PM) Hasn't Williams implied that we're in Year 1 of this plan? I think the point of the board is it is always year 1.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 01:45 PM) I do just wonder a bit about how much of an impact they think "making the playoffs" this year would make for them coming out of their rebuilding. They sure seem unlikely to sacrifice any of their long-term pieces, especially since they'll have plenty of money to fill holes on the FA market again, but "making the playoffs even for a game" would really cement the team as on its way up for that fanbase. It might be worth a lot for them to be more aggressive than we'd think. I wonder if Theo wouldn't mind moving a couple of these prospects before they become exposed as frauds. I would guess Baez's value is down. Castro could have netted more. A couple of these others, the value most likely will go down unless the Cubs are really lucky.

I liked Bassitt as a reliever the Sox have that position covered, but Phegley? Soto is putting up a 1.0 WAR where he would be playing making about the same. Ravelo is a 1B/DH with no power in AA. Semien has 28 errors after being brutal at 3B last year for the White Sox, with a WAR in freefall the past couple of months. No need to whine about the trade. Uncle Jer isn't going broke anytime soon.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 11:58 AM) MAYBE related? Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1 20m20 minutes ago #sfgiants prioritize No. 2 SP behind Bumgarner, but can't find match. 1 club asked for SS Lucius Fox, signed earlier this month (cont) It would be bold to ask, but for a rental, considering this guy cost $6 million plus penalty to sign 3 weeks ago, there was no chance SF says yes.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 10:00 AM) One could only wish the Chicago papers employed guys like Posnanski and Gregorian. I don't even think more than a handful of posters here could even tell you who the Sox beat writers are for the Sun-Times and Tribune this season. Who cares? I don't base being a White Sox fan on a beat writer. I really doubt anyone does. Maybe in a cow town like KC.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 09:52 AM) Brilliant! Except when your talent evaluators pick guys like Matt Davidson and Avisail Garcia, two more guys who were "guaranteed future starting position players" at the time of their acquisition/s. Both will probably be jettisoned out of the organization by the end of 2016. So you agree with me. Avi Garcia and Matt Davidson are guys the current regime thought were future cornerstones. It would not be in the White Sox best interests to trade Samardzija for something similar. Thank you. Now go back to Kansascity.com.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 09:49 AM) And your BS line is that the fanbase will be so demoralized when that happens that nobody will ever buy season tickets again (except for yourself as the "one true fan") and that the only coverage you'll ever hear about the White Sox again on the SCORE will be White Flag 2 and how the White Sox blew a great opportunity to start Chris Sale in a wild card game at Houston or LA. If the White Sox actually wanted to compete and not be torn down, they would have played better against the Royals coming out of the All-Star Break. 1-5 in those first 6 games wasn't enough. All they had to do was go 3-3 and they'd now be at the .500 mark and a lot more fans might be willing to buy your argument/s. At any rate, I'll be expecting Reinsdorf to spend $219 million now, so there's that, thanks! Wow. Get help.

QUOTE (spiderman @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 09:43 AM) This is probably true; if they lose 3 out of 4, they will sell. I'm not sure what splitting a series means though to how the organization would think. Again, the other huge factor is what you would get back. No need trading Samardzija for anything less than pretty much guaranteed future White Sox starting position player(s) or useful pitchers, not Charlotte Knights, is what is best for the team. If not, hang on to him, grab the pick.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 09:36 AM) The White Sox were 68-35 heading into August, 2005. They went a disappointing 12-16 in August and let the Indians back into it, then put up a 19-12 September. 31-28 out of the Twins wouldn't be THAT difficult to overcome, but that would mean the White Sox would have to play 13 games over .500 for the remainder of the season. As far as Samardzija making it through waivers, that will never happen, not with his salary being relatively low. He would be blocked at some point and withdrawn...not only that, you're limiting yourself to negotiating with one team using that strategy. If the proposed trade gives you talent somewhere between the Kazmir and Cueto deals (and probably closer to Kazmir, although another no-hitter from a trade candidate on Tuesday wouldn't hurt), you have to make the move. The White Sox took on essentially $145 million in additional contract obligations this past off-season for a slew of players. That won't even get you in the door of the Heyward negotiations. Does anyone believe they're going to double down and spend more than $150 million in NEW commitments again this offseason? That MIGHT, if you're very very lucky, get you Wieters and Gordon/Cespedes, but even then you're still probably $25-35 million short. Does anyone believe we'd be a division favorite with those two guys added (LaRoche would have to be dealt to move Avi to DH or Avi would simply hit only against LHP, PH/PR and occasional outfield work)? Once again, we'd be in that dubious territory of adding "over 30ish" players to long-term contracts instead of building a young core. Once again, you miss the point entirely because you like to read the BS you write. Trading Samardzija depends on the return. They don't need to dump money. There are no 2005 White Sox teams the 2015 White Sox are now competing with to make the playoffs. If the Sox win 3 of 4 in Boston, they will be looking pretty decent. What would not be good for the long term health of the team is trading Samardzija to Toronto for a bust and having the Blue Jays finish a game or 2 ahead of the White Sox for the final playoff spot. The season is still got some time left in it. 4 games in the loss column separates the Sox and Minnesota. One game in the loss column separates the White Sox and Baltimore. All the other teams vying for the final spot have at least as many losses as the White Sox. The improved defense has made a difference. If the offense kicks it into gear, the playoffs are not a long shot.

Is a B prospect for Samardzija really the best move for the "long term health" of the franchise? A win or two the next couple of days makes things more than interesting. Are the Sox coming out of hibernation? Probably not, but what if they are? Again, jumping teams is not that big of a deal because of the similar loss columns. The Sox just need to win games. They just need Minnesota to fade. Who knows, other teams fade as well. The 2005 White Sox faded quite a bit IIRC. If teams want to give the White Sox a really nice prospect or 2 go for it. If it is a middle of the road guy, trade him in August when teams out of it won't claim him, and the team that probably needs him does. If Forbes is to be believed, the White Sox don't need a salary dump. They claim the team has made a cumulative profit of $219 million since 2002.

QUOTE (BigFinn @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 10:27 PM) At $7 million per WAR, and a three year history of 2.9, 2.9, and 4.2 WAR prior to this year's current 2.5, you could figure 3.5 x $7.0 million or $24.5 million per year asking price. Asking for $24-25 million per year and getting it are two different things. But he doesn't have the mileage on his pitching arm that Shields or Price or other front-of-the-rotation starters have. While I understand the mathematics, the reality of $7 million per WAR doesn't exist. If $7 million per WAR is the going rate, and WAR is a counting stat, maybe the John Danks complainers should stop complaining. He is on a pace to be a $10,678,000 a year pitcher.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 27, 2015 -> 07:35 AM) The deadline is Friday at 3. They only have four games to work with. If they split with Boston, I still trade Samardzija if the deal is right. 3 out of 4, I'd stand pat. It's that close of a line. Even though it's hard to buy into this team, I agree, especially when you consider the loss column. You need Minnesota to lose, but you don't have to rely too much on the other teams losing if you win because the losses pretty equal. Jumping teams isn't that complicated of a task in that situation.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 06:19 PM) We were dominated by 2 good teams, and we beat a bad team. Nothing has changed. Honestly, this continued White Flag paranoia is what is unsaleable. This ceaseless sojourn for some veteran that Kenny Williams believes is "elite" is what needs to stop. Dominated? Did you watch the games? They should have won the last game vs. STL which would have given them 3 out of 4 on the season . They were 1-3 vs. kC and could have been 3-1. This post with your Michael Saunders post is really making you appear not in reality. The White Sox have beaten good teams this year. Just because they beat a bad team, and the first bad team they played after 19 straight series vs teams above .500, should be heald agsinst them. They, despite all their probkems are .500 the last 92 games. Thye are pitching, they have been catching, and perhaps they can start hitting. The hitting may be a few game thing, but if they do well in Boston, unfortunately for you, they will have a shot.

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 07:56 PM) I hate to say it but this f***ing team has pulled me back in. Like Dan Hayes just RT'd, this team has been down & out 3-4 times now & yet, going into Monday, this is the closest they have been to a WC spot in a while & are playing their best ball of the year. In a couple of days, the tide may turn again, but a big series in Boston, they can be right there despite everything.

Besides Minnesota, only 2 teams in the WC hunt have fewer losses than the White Sox,and they each have one less loss. Jumping 5 teams isn't so impossible in that situation.amazingly, the White Sox are only 2 games out from having the 6th best record in the AL.

QUOTE (ventura_abreu @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 07:11 PM) Would it hurt the Sox to stand pat and not make any trades before July 31st? Teams are not necessarily going to give us the building blocks that we would want. If that should happen, why not stand pat? We have some good young pitchers and position players either on the major league team or not too far away in the minors. By standing pat, we could build up some depth of talent. Trading Samardzija or a relief pitcher would make sense if we got something in return, but we could always trade excess relief pitchers in the off-season, and we would be in a better position to re-sign Samardzija or at least get a compensation pick if we kept him. Another consideration, I get the feeling that we have 2 young second baseman who can be very good major league players. By the end of the season, we would have a better idea of who we might want to trade away out of the two. One of those two could be packaged with pitching to get an interesting young hitter. If we keep Samardzija either to the end of this season or beyond, we would not have to bring up young starting pitchers such as Eric Johnson or Francelis Montas as soon this year or Carson Fulmer next year. It would give Rodon more time to develop in the comfort of the #4 spot in the rotation too. Of course, if a team does give us the prospects we would desire for Samardzija, then it would be interesting to see what Johnson or Montas could do. As you said, it is all about the return. If you acquire a guy like Matt Davidson who will crap out in AAA, while it will appeal to some, it accomplishes nothing. Jon Adkins wasn't a good return for Ray Durham. I don't understand why some want to move guys like Patricka and Putnam now. It isn't like Nate Jones is showing the 8th inning is his, and the return for those guys who aren't making squat probably isn't going to be huge, and I doubt a contender would give up a hitter in their line up for one of them. There is no doubt in my mind if this current defense was in place all season, this team would have at least 2 or 3 more wins even with just about every player underperforming offensively. That would have made things really interesting. I think the one thing this series did is show teams the Sox don't have to trade him. I think they will, but it does IMO give them a little leverage.

QUOTE (rodh @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 04:08 PM) I watched Cooper pitch for 2 years as the Friday starter for the University of Hawaii. His fastball averaged 87-90 mph but he comes extremely over the top with his pitching motion resulting in a good downhill plane even though he is only 6' tall. It did not appear he had much more projection in his body but I hope the Sox coaches are able to coax 2-3 mph out of him. His plus pitch was a big breaking curve ball that he commands well. This is my first post. I have lived all my life in Hawaii but became a White Sox fan when Chuck Tanner was hired as their manager back in 1970. Coach Tanner had great success managing the Hawaii Islanders (PCL) which my father and I had season passes. Haha, you have to live in Hawaii.

It all depends on the returns. If you can't get anything worthwhile for Shark, there is no reason to trade him for someone who will peak in AA,so some will be happy you appear to be throwing in the towel. I hope at some point we know at least a couple of the offers.

After getting pounded by the worst team in baseball Maddon said you have to tip youe cap.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 03:50 PM) If you draft a pitcher in the first round and he's a reliever his entire career, I guess that's now NOT A MISTAKE because of how important pitching has become in the game. Or have you forgotten when the White Sox drafted Royce Ring and Aaron Poreda...or were smart enough not to draft Addison Reed in the 1st or 2nd? Some would argue that he paid off in 2014 alone (pitching-wise), considering many first round draft picks never make it, let alone are turned into former Cy Young winners via trade. So that's actually an excellent return on investment on a pitcher not even taken in the first ten picks. Could Courtney Hawkins (similar draft positioning, actually a bit higher) be the centerpiece of a Cueto trade? I think not. It was onky a few months ago you were touting Duffy and Fiinnegan as the reason teams in the AL Central need to do nothing but rebuild. Now that he is an ex Royal, he is not good. Since you are a huge Royals fan congrats on the trade. These usually don't work out, but it is one they had to make. I just find it funny how much worse Finnegan is in your eyes now that he isn't a Royal

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 03:24 PM) The Royals seemingly made a 1st round mistake thinking that Finnegan was going to make it as a starter (they did get a meaningful contribution from him down the stretch and in the postseason, though). Maybe the Astros will give him that opportunity. Yes, they also dealt Lamb, but you have to take into consideration they still have Zimmer, Manaea and Kris Medlen for insurance on the starting rotation. That's not a bad place to be at all. LMAO. Now Finnegan is a mistake?

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 03:11 PM) The Sox are chasing 85 wins. Nothing more. Nothing less. I buy this 100%.

Our Chuck just said this was the first series in 19 the Sox faced a team below .500.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 03:06 PM) That was a very fun series for the Sox. To take nothing away from it, but sure seemed like the Indians have quit on the season. If this is true' why is Terry Francona and a roster not making $150 million a good manager?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 26, 2015 -> 10:47 AM) So when you go to Las Vegas, you would change your bet at the blackjack table based upon "feel" or "momentum"? I'm sure you would rather they stood pat and didn't trade Samardzija. On the other hand, I'm sure you're also waiting to defend the organization no matter who they get back in return via trade. Sure, we just scored 10 runs so things (for the moment, which lasts as long as today's starting pitcher) seem more optimistic, but the improvement of those guys doesn't take into account the fact that LaRoche and Garcia have pretty much disappeared. Are we really supposed to believe that Alexei has been psychologically affected so deeply by off field stuff and now he's miraculously back to the player he was in 2014 and will be able to sustain that for the next two months because he's been hot for a week or two? I don't even like Samardjiza, so you really have no idea what I think. But if it is for some #15 and #30 guys in some team's system, if you want to go by the math, the odds are better you hang on to him and the potential draft pick than the others panning out. LaRoche and Garcia will start hitting again. The others won't keep up this mini pace.