Lemon_44

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Dec 14, 2015 -> 12:39 PM) I think 2016 is a year in development. Get Rodon/EJ more IP/experience, get Thompson/ Sanchez/Saladino more atbats to see if they progress, keep Lawrie at 3B to see if he can get back to his pre-injury self, Avi- don't know what the f*** to say about him. Using 2016 as a year to develop gives the Sox a chance to see what they have in the majors and minors. After 2016 they will have a better idea and both Danks/LaRoche salaries off the books so they will be in better shape to take on more salary through trades. Also, most of the Sox minor league talent is at AA or below so allowing a year of development gives Sox minor leaguers more time to develop which will raise their values for next off season. Another year gives Montas and Fulmer time to develop so if one or both show they are ready, then the Sox can trade one or two of Sale/Q/EJ. Next off seasons FA pitching market is horrible so that's when the Sox should strike and go for the " haul " that's been discussed so often. If the Sox can stay patient for just one more season things would really line up well for next off season to put out a legit contender for '17 and beyond. The Royals are still riding high and the Twins are rising ast so let them have their moment in the sun, for 2016 anyway. Plus, unlike many, I'm not throwing in the towel on Garcia just yet. He's 24 and played 1 full season in the majors. I still think he has a lot of potential and want to see what he can do in year 2 before dumping him. But I could also see adding players while developing. I wouldn't mind him moving to LF, Melky to DH, and signing one of the big 3 OF's to play RF. As for Frazier, I wonder how highly thought of Trey M. is in baseball circles. Maybe Trey, Beck/Danish, and Micah could get it done.

Hawkins doesn't seem like the type of prospect Billy Beane would even remotely want to acquire.

Sox acquire Pedro Alvarez and Josh Harrison in a trade with Pittsburgh.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 9, 2015 -> 02:51 PM) 86 games in 2012 82 games in 2013 50 games in 2014 Never has played a full season due to injuries. He is always injured, but we know this. I'd take 20 games of CQ over another season of LaRoche.

The first step if the Sox are going to try and contend is to bite the bullet and eat some/all of LaRoche's contract in a trade for anything. If LaRoche is on the team, they are not planning on contending. The next thing I'd do is try and trade Melky. He has some value, probably not a lot, and they should be able to deal him. Ideally, I'd try to make a deal with Miami with Melky heading that way and Martin Prado heading this way. Their salaries kind of match up and it would be more of the other players involved that make the deal. Maybe Melky and Tyler Danish for Prado and low level prospect. Next, I'd deal Quintana to the Dodgers and try to get Puig and Barnes. If that fails, I'd look to Colorado and try to acquire Gonzalez and Rosario. I wouldn't include Quintana in that deal as the Rockies are looking to unload both of them and they shouldn't cost as much in trade value. Maybe Erik Johnson, Tyler Flowers, and Micah Johnson gets it done. I think they can get Rosario back to a decent enough defensive catcher to play him there. Lastly, I take Pedro Alvarez off the Pirates hands. Maybe giving them LaRoche and eating a big portion of his contract gets it done. That gives the Sox a lineup of(I'm moving Avisail to LF in either trade scenario): LF- Garcia/Thompson CF-Eaton RF- Puig/Cargo 3B-Prado SS-Alexei 2B-Sanchez 1B-Abreu C-Rosario/Barnes DH-Alvarez SP: Sale, Rodon, Quintana/Johnson, Danks, Fulmer/veteran FA signing.

I think they should bring the exact same team back next year. They were so fun to watch this year and maybe, just maybe, they can win 78 games next year.

Yep, Garcia's played 1 complete major league season and didn't hit .300 with 30 HR at the age of 24. Get rid of him, he's a bum.

I still say the biggest mistake they made with Ventura is providing him with a staff that didn't have a guy(bench coach) that had previously been a ML manager. Having a mentor-type bench coach, like a Gene Lamont, I think, would have helped Robin immensely.

QUOTE (LDF @ Sep 6, 2015 -> 06:16 PM) should the sox give him another tryout, maybe at dh?? It can't be any worse than giving LaRoche AB's there. I bet Davidson is glad tomorrow is the last game so he can keep the average over .200.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Sep 3, 2015 -> 11:44 AM) Man, the SoxTalk scouts are out in full force with their reports of writing off Saladino and Sanchez. Pessimism is a never ending swirl down the baseball toilet. Uh oh, seems the TP has run out too! Ohhhh s***! Agree 100%. If they're not ROY candidates from the start, they suck or are backups. Guys can never improve. Look at the aforementioned Dozier. His first year, 84 games, he hit .234 with .271/.332/.603 line in 316 plate appearances. Saladino's number are pretty similar through 147 plate appearances at .233/.270/.326/.599

I don't get why people are on Avi in the first place. The guy clearly has talent and just because he doesn't come in and light it up from day 1, people want to give up on him. He's been fine this first full year and is not one of the Sox's problems.

He had a bad outing yesterday against about the hottest hitting team in baseball. Those are going to happen to almost every pitcher. I think he's been very good for about 2 months and about exactly what the Sox thought they were getting. $20 mill is a lot but I like that the Sox are trying to lock him up long term.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 30, 2015 -> 10:29 AM) Or you trade Avi and some low level guy for Gonzalez. i'm not a fan of trading Avi. To me, he's the kind of potential guy you keep in the long term plans. Granted, LaRoche will be very tough to move without the Sox taking salary in return or eating some of it themselves.

i like both Cargo's but prefer Gonzalez because he fits the Sox needs better and will probably cost less to acquire. i still think to acquire either, they have to move LaRoche and move Avi to DH and go with that lineup rather than trying to find aat bats for both Avi and Adam.

i hope i don't break the streak. i am going my first Sox game of the year tonight. its my first trip to oston ever. Figured may as well see the Sox as my first game at Fenway

St.Louis can get LaRoche for next to nothing and he has a history of decent production in the NL. I doubt Milwaukee would give Lind away. LaRoche could platoon with Reynolds and they may even get the Sox to kick in some cash.

LaRoche doesn't have to go to Colorado in a deal. Ship him St.Louis or Pittsburgh for scraps. At least they'd be rid of his salary to offset Cargo's.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 29, 2015 -> 03:19 PM) Davidson, Montas, Danish, and Anderson for Longoria I'd keep Anderson if at all possible. I think he's going be a very good player. Maybe get them to take Micah instead.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 29, 2015 -> 02:26 PM) Not really. LaRoche is a whipping boy, but he'll hit again. Wasn't too long ago Melky's contract was an albatross. I was told by one, he wouldn't put up a 4 WAR total from his low point for the balance of the contract. He is already 25% there. He has eked his way back to a positive WAR. LaRoche will hit again. Any grief LaRoche receives is well deserved. He's been awful. I hope he hits again, and, at some point, he probably will but if I could dump him for anything, I would. He's shown too many Dunn-esque qualities to wait around and hope he turns it around. I do like that RV isn't just throwing him out there in the middle of the order everyday like he did with Dunn.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Jul 29, 2015 -> 11:39 AM) Hopefully for a bus ticket to send LaRoche far from here. I wish they'd send him to Pittsburgh for Alvarez, or to any team for anybody.

Adams may be the top pitching prospect in the system. He's not going to be used in a trade for Cargo. Tyler Danish is a more likely, and reasonable, price to pay. Danish, Thompson, and a low level guy would be a good offer. Also, I don't get why people are so hot to trade a 24 year old Avisail Garcia who is completing his first full year in MLB. He's the kind of player you keep.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jul 28, 2015 -> 02:22 PM) just out of curiosity, where does Avi play if we get Cargo? DH, and give LaRoche the Conor Gillaspie treatment.

For all of this KW bashing and trading away prospects, who has he traded away that amounted to anything of significance? Gio Gonzalez is the only player that comes to my mind. Here's the recent deadline trades abd I don't see anything alarming at all. Maybe I am missing some trades but I don't see the Sox giving anything up of significance over the years. 2008: Griffey for Nick Masset and Danny Richar= nothing trade 2009: Acquired Peavy for Poreda, Rusell, Clayton Richard and Dexter Carter= good trade 2010: Edwin Jackson for Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg= nothing trade 2012: Brett Myers for Matt Heidenreich and Blair Walters Francisco Liriano for Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernandez= I do that trade everyday even though Liriano didn't fare all that well in Chicago. 2013: Peavy for Garcia, Montas, Wendelken, and Rondon too early to tell but looks promising.

Alvarez for LaRoche would be an incredible deal for the Sox. You make Alvarez a full time DH and he may excel, well, at least improve, in that role. He wouldn't have to worry about his defense at all and that may be affecting him mentally. Plus, I'd do about anything to get LaRoche off the roster.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 20, 2015 -> 12:12 PM) Good read. Biggest problem is the Sox don't really have anyone to play SS other than Saladino or Sanchez and then that opens up 3B and 2B. Or you could do 3B - Saladino, SS - Sanchez, 2B - Johnson, but then you have a very, very light hitting offense. At this point, I may be more inclined to do that and just turn the page on Alexei. I could totally see him bouncing back next year, but his poor ABs and often lackadaisical demeanor have sort of worn thin on me. I just think it is time to move on if you can get anything of value for him. I don't see the Sox picking up the option. The Sox already have very, very light hitting offense and this is the lineup I'd like to see given a chance to see what they can do. I think Sanchez has started to look better at the plate the last few weeks and is not necessarily the lost cause some seem to think.