JUSTgottaBELIEVE

And my point is that just because you spend money doesn’t mean it will help the product on the field. If championships were won based on payroll, the Dodgers and Yankees would be in the World Series every season. The Sox biggest free agent signing in franchise history looks like a bust.

You said the Padres were willing to spend money unlike the Sox and implied that meant they have a far better outlook than the Sox. Was that not your point?

There won’t be another true dynasty in MLB imo. Too many playoff rounds and too much parity among playoff teams. But back to the thread title, yes, the White Sox can still be a juggernaut (great team ala recent Astros teams) in the coming years imo.

Juggernaut (a great team) does not equal dynasty. The Dodgers are a juggernaut imo but are not a dynasty with just one title over the last three decades.

Why do you have to spend like the Dodgers or Padres to put yourself in a good position? Not following you.

So the Dodgers only have one title but they are insurmountable like the MJ Bulls or recent Warriors?

The Phillies have also shown a willingness to spend money.

So your answer is no?

Do you believe the Padres have the makings of a juggernaut? They’ve accomplished even less than the White Sox.

I still remember the time when everyone in Chicago thought Javy Baez was far and away the best SS in the city.

Best based on what? Don’t tell me fangraphs...

Sox have some pretty obvious FA signing busts over the years but I don’t think there was a more obvious one to me than Grandal. Surprised so many on here loved the signing.

Honestly, he has more value than Eloy now. I think his bat will be right there with Eloy when all is said and done, and he is a better defender with more versatility than Eloy.

Why not just keep Vaughn in LF and DH Eloy with Yermin catching. Does the defense really drop off much in that scenario? Grandal has been rough behind the plate this season.

#1, #6, #2 per fangraphs today’s update

It’s been well documented that I disliked the Grandal signing from the beginning. It’s not because of his bat either. It’s because I think his defense is terribly overrated and this team needs a strong defensive catcher, not a below average one. I could care less if he hits for a 115 wRC+ or whatever if his defense sucks. This team has enough hitting, need pitching and defense to win the big one. And call my CERA concern a “meatball” take or fluky or whatever but it’s become a consistent trend across the last two seasons that Sox pitchers pitch better to anyone other than Grandal. It’s not surprising either when you see him catch and call a game.

How does Grandal not have a negative fWAR this season? Like I’m not sure if a player can play much worse than he has so far this year.

This is fun. Click on team batting, pitching, and fielding within fangraphs and you get the following rankings for the Sox #1, #7, #2. I thought everyone said this team sucks defensively? Looks like a very balanced team to me and one that’s primed for a nice run here soon.

No one said the Twins are dead but, as a Sox fan, you gotta be feeling pretty good that you’re already up 4.5 games on your toughest division rival this season. If the situation was reversed and the Sox were 7-13, 4.5 games back of the Twins, would you be calling the Sox dead and buried?

Who knows. All I know is that the Padres have committed huge sums of money to several players for many years to come, have a 2021 team payroll $43M higher than the Sox, and are about to be 12-12 after 24 games. While everyone was gushing about the Padres last winter, the Sox quietly shored up their pitching staff to what now appears to be a top 5 staff in MLB and addressed their two biggest weaknesses within the everyday lineup - RF and DH - further strengthening their offense, which was already ranked #1 in MLB last season. But go ahead and keep telling everyone why the Sox aren’t World Series contenders while the Padres are

Yup. Gimme TA all day. He’s the heart and soul of this team. There’s no question he’s the most valuable player on this team. They’re just not the same without him.

100% agree but, in their defense, I’ve never seen them overrate another player as much as they have with Grandal.

Huh? The Sox haven’t played the Tigers yet. The Sox are 11-6 since that rough opening series including taking a series in Seattle (Seattle’s only series loss so far this season) and splitting with the Red Sox in Fenway. The Sox have the best run differential in the AL. Nothing has changed over the course of the first month of the season that should lead you to believe this team is anything other than a top 3 team in the AL and World Series contender. They certainly look like more of a contender than your Padres (team leading MLB in errors).

There were several posters calling him a bust less than a year ago. Questioning his desire to play and saying he was mentally weak. Suggesting he be traded at his lowest value. I’m really enjoying their silence now

Don’t tell fangraphs that. His framing makes him an elite defender!