harfman77

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 10:28 AM) I would imagine the top end talent is better, with much less depth of talent. The pool here is much bigger, but it is also less developed as there isn't the pressure to develop at such a young age. This. There is a lot more talent here, but it is much more distributed. The showcase leagues in the Dominican are made up almost entirely of players that will sign. There aren't many leagues in the US where almost all of the players end up getting signed.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 09:38 AM) According to Ptatc, Floyd's injury and surgery was also slightly more severe than the usual TJS so it's not unreasonable that it will be >12 months before he is pitching in games again. His surgery was May 7, so August would be almost 15 months.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 09:09 AM) It isn't a big leap to say that our team this year is a result of bad "luck" to a large extent. It is a lot smaller leap to say time is what has happened to this team. Most of this roster is on the wrong side of 30 and just are not going to improve any more. With the decline of PEDS, players are not maintaining their level of play through their mid-30's as they were when PEDS were everywhere. You make your own luck, this team is just not good.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 09:32 AM) I'd have no problem with it in theory, but where would he pitch? Maybe in Danks spot is he is moved at the deadline next year? I think the Sox will trade from their position of strength and move multiple starters before Floyd comes back.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 09:26 AM) I think there's a very good chance the Sox will do exactly this. Agree, but it will be a MLB deal, cause some other team will offer him that if the Sox don't. He will probably be ready around this time next season. Brandon Beachy had surgery on Jun 22 last season and will be back by the end of the month. Floyd is older so figuring a little extra time for recovery he should be back near the trade deadline next season.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 08:52 AM) If not get anything of significance for Thornton, how would you guys feel about getting international pool money for next year? Could very well be a possibility. I believe you can only acquire pool money for the current season as the "slots" aren't established until around February. You can not trade money, you have to trade slots.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 06:20 PM) I accidentally posted this in the Sale thread for some reason. Bowden's speculation: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-of...-id-like-to-see I think this would be a fantastic return. You are essentially trading two quality major leaguers for one good prospect and two fringe guys. I think there is a better deal to be had splitting the two up.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 03:36 PM) Cubs and Mariners in a battle for Ellsbury, with the other one getting Choo The Cubs will get Ellsbury.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 08:44 AM) I don't think they will sign 3 guys, no. The reason I don't think they will is that I don't think teams will come through with offers that make trading Rios and others worthwhile. But I think if they're smart, and they get a little lucky with development from Phegley, they can sign 1 guy, hit the jackpot, and be right in this race next year. So the strategy for contention should be "luck"? I don't see one player out in free agency this season that will make this team significantly better. I expect Dayan will revert to being the player he was last season, and that this season is more of an outlier, but 3B production will no doubt regress.

The Sox are not close to contending at this point. The Sox can go out and spend to be competitive and be a mediocre team for the foreseeable future, but with a lack of talent on the major league level and no help in sight in the upper levels of the farm system there is really no foundation to build success. As we have seen this year, pitching can only take you so far. There is no reason to not rebuild this team from the ground up to try and generate some prolonged success. I think we are looking at a 3-4 year rebuild, and delaying that only makes the period of time which this team will not be a contender longer. If you can make deals that bring back MLB caliber starters and prospects in addition, you really need to look at them. If Sale can turn into three everyday players with some upside plus a starter with a high ceiling, it makes this team a lot better than one guy going out and dominating every five days, but losing becuase the offense and defense behind him is crap.

Next year is pretty much a lost cause as well. There just is not enough offensive talent on this team to compete. Rios is not a leader, he is a good player but is very influenced by his environment and would definitely benefit from being a guy outside of the spotlight. PK is gone at the end of the year. Just too many holes to fill and not enough players to fill them. I think they should move Peavy, Santiago, Rios, Crain, Reed, De Aza and Beckham if they can get an adequate return. Re-sign Gavin to an incentive laden contract as he sits next year, sign Corey Hart to a 1 year deal, and try out guys on the mound to see what you have. In 2015 you start spending to fill holes on offense and by 2016 the farm should be producing position player talent to go with the pitching that will still be in place.

The comp I think of for Sanchez is a switch hitting Jose Altuve. Not really anything in the power department, but makes contact, gets on base, and plays good defense. Which is really all fine with me, I think he projects really well to a #2 hitter if he realizes his tools.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 9, 2013 -> 12:39 PM) You are seeing his floor right now. No power, no position, low average, not even a serious consideration for Chicago. If you think he is a finished product, this is his floor. Though at 20, he likely still has some development ahead of him. One big issue that I have is how the Sox rush their hitting prospects along. Hawkins should still be in low A, Sanchez should have started the year in AA and just have moved up at the AA All-Star break. You can argue that Thompson, Mitchell, and Walker were all promoted aggressively as well. Let the kids get to the point where they are dominating a level before pushing them up, cause it sure doesn't get any easier. I live in Cedar Rapids, the Angels had Trout here for the first half of the season the year after he was drafted, and now the Twins just did the same with Buxton. Not that we have anybody on that level, but if those guys are moving at that pace, we surely should not be moving guys up faster than that with a worse track record of success.

I could see them taking back some bad contracts in return, particularly those that have less than three years remaining. Then at least they will have some roster fillers if they do trade off a bunch of starters.

Depending on Biogenesis, they could be looking for a SS by the deadline.

Sounds like the Yanks have moved to Michael Young to play 3B/1B.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 9, 2013 -> 09:46 AM) 2003 was probably the best paper team in 50 years for us and we missed the playoffs. If 2005 was a fluke we deserved it after underachieving sooften. 2003 was the best team in 10 years maybe. The 1994 team was our year. Makes me rage to this day.

If you consider placing players from the draft directly into the prospect list, than you must also consider doing the same with international prospects. You either include both or exclude both. I am not sure that the competition that Zapata faced is not better that what Anderson faced at his JC. As far as ranking tools, Zapata comps very favorably (according to scouting reports) to Hawkins. Both are big and athletic, have the ability to play all three OF positions, and their best tool is their power. I think he should probably be in the 5-10 range based on his ceiling. He is one of very few potential impact bats in the farm system. And who knows, he may be good enough that he will be in Chicago in three years.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 12:39 PM) Well the Rangers just went wayyyyyyyy over their bonus pool amount Rangers acquired more pool space from the Marlins. From MLBTR : "Texas started out with a $1.94MM bonus pool, but they increased that figure by reaching an agreement with the Marlins."

That seems like a pretty good return for a half season of Scott bleepin Feldman. Cubs get two controllable players that can build value with them and acquire additional pool money to couple with the pool money they received from the Astros today. Arrieta is still valuable, probably more valuable than Feldman has ever been up until this season. This is good for the Sox though, as the Orioles will probably be looking for another SP at the deadline after they realize they got taken.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 10:59 AM) I dont care if we have the worst system out there. A 16 year old doesn't belong in the top 25. They are called prospects for a reason. A lot of top 25 lists are littered with similar players who have a ton of projectability and not much track record or ability to contribute for the foreseeable future. He will likely be 3-4 in most rankings before next season due to his really high ceiling, not unlike former Sox prospect Juan Silverio.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 10:56 AM) I believe it's Jason Parks on twitter saying he's a top 5 prospect in the Sox system Thats not much of a stretch. From his profile he has a huge ceiling and is a pretty similar player to Courtney Hawkins. MLB.com ranked him as the #2 international prospect. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2013/ Scouts love the big corner outfielder because of his plus-plus power, strong arm and plus-plus bat speed, leading many to believe he has the best overall tools in the entire class. Zapata is not as lean or athletic as fellow outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez, but unlike Jimenez, Zapata profiles as a center fielder and can comfortably play all three outfield positions. Tall, strong and athletic, Zapata has an uppercut swing and a reputation for putting on power displays during batting practice. He sometimes struggles with pitch recognition during games and can be susceptible to offspeed pitches. Overall, scouts drool over Zapata's upside and he's been called a "Player Development's dream" because of his tools. However, some wonder about his baseball instincts and how many at-bats he will need before his talents show up consistently in games. Scouts like the outfielder's makeup and his aggressiveness. Hit: 3/4 | Power: 4/6 | Run: 3/4 | Arm: 5/6 | Field: 4/5

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 08:15 AM) I would move him for scraps. The White Sox aren't in need of a utility guy at a premium price right now. At the very least they have the hole that developed last year, 3b, covered with a platoon that could give similar numbers to Keppinger. That's not a strength, but it's not the gaping weakness it was last year. Unless you are going to move Beckham instead, then Keppinger fills a hole and keeps the spot occupied until Sanchez is ready to take it, probably in 2015. Kep got off to a bad start, but has started to hit and will probably add another 30-40 to his BA by the end of the season. With his contract, he definitely has value as I am sure the Yankees know from facing him in their division last season.

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Jul 1, 2013 -> 04:47 PM) FWIW: David O'Brien ‏@ajcbraves #Braves inquired about Peavy, but I get impression it was a just-in-case thing when couple of their starters were struggling. Not saying it has any merit, because its just his opinion. Yeah, that seems like the worst possible fit, they have five solid starters now and Beachy will be back before Peavy.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jul 1, 2013 -> 02:30 PM) I firmly believe that going to a 4-lefty rotation would negatively affect the development of both Q & Santiago. I would rather have both over Danks due to the mon ey & the uncertainty on Danks. Also, any team taking on Danks would believe they could get something out of him, so the second player's value shouldn't be hurt too much. Let's say Peavy/Rios gets you 2 good looking prospects/unproven MLB guys plus 1 further away piece that has talent & is more of a longshot. I would add Danks, take the same deal, and let them keep 1 of the prospects as payment for assuming the risk associated with Danks & paying him. Of course if the organization feels it's probably a 70% chance or better than Danks makes a full recovery, I do none of that, and instead look to deal one of Q/Santiago ideally for a position player. I really think that you need to hold on to Danks and let him rebuild some value and maybe next year at the deadline he pulls in two prospects of his own at that time. I would rather move Santiago now when he is more valuable than he ever has been than give up on Danks when he has a really good shot at re-building his value next season.