witesoxfan

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:31 PM) Also, I think it's a little criminal that Peter isn't ranked in the top 30. He might not of been highly regarded, but he proved his worth in half a season to deserve a ranking between at least 20-30. I want to see more of Peter, and there's a chance, but a non-top 30 ranking is appropriate for him. Many, many guys hit the dickens out of the ball at rookie ball only to fall by the wayside. I look at the numbers he put up at Winston-Salem moreso than I do the numbers he put up at Great Falls. Those were not as good: .236/.277/.303, 4.3% BB%, 13.8% K%, 1 SB. He hasn't been written off and he definitely received votes, but we need to see more of him.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:42 PM) 2. stl has a stack team with good, very good prospects. this sox team is trying to do both and at some point need to sacrifice a little of one to help the other. The Sox are trying to be like the Cardinals. It takes time. Rome wasn't built in a day.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:35 PM) i would then trust our chances with them in the rotation and help on the workload. what happen if you take that cautious route, only to learn the prospects does not fully develop as hope. it is like roulette: and betting on the double zero, it can be a long shot. waiting. The Sox aren't taking the cautious route. The cautious route would have involved them not trading for Samardzija or signing LaRoche or Duke or Robertson or Cabrera. The cautious route would have had them going into the season with Viciedo in LF. They have not been cautious at all. They have also not been reckless, which is what I'd argue you are advocating.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:41 PM) Really? The Marlins have a pretty good team. I think they'll contend for a Wild Card spot. I wouldn't count on Morse being available. I am not a big fan of the Marlins offseason acquisitions, but they may not be terrible.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:17 PM) Shields is bad. Do not want. Shields is a really good starting pitcher, so saying he is bad is wrong. I just don't think, given the current construction of the White Sox, that he is a fit.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:27 PM) It's also diminishing returns for us. Under the current climate where there are TONS of teams in the running for some very shaky playoff spots, the difference between a "solid" team and a "great" team, in terms of WS chances, is smaller than ever. Pushing in more than we have takes a big chunk out of the core of the future just to add a couple percentage points in the present. Right. I know James Shields would be a good fit baseball-wise on the club right now, but what does he increase the Sox odds of reaching the postseason to? From 40% to 65%? Maybe? Meanwhile, the moves made prior to this increased the Sox odds of going to the postseason from like 5% (or worse) to 33-40%. The Sox have a team that should be very good this year and could legitimately be great. How much more does a guy like Shields, Zimmerman, or Strasburg really add to the current club? And then as a result, you are sending away a ton of money or a couple of very good prospects.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:07 PM) with all due respect, but this team is really 1 very good sp away. most teams can deal with 1 or 2 weak hitting positional player. there is no way a team will field a team of 100% really above avg players. 1 sp to help in many ways. short term contract. They are further than one starting pitcher away from being a guaranteed playoff team. Essentially guaranteeing a playoff team would result in them adding someone like Chase Utley at 2B, replacing Garcia in RF with a surer bet, AND adding a starting pitcher. That would result in a ton of damage to the minor league system and would be putting all the eggs in the 2015 basket, because that team would get really old with no replacement parts in tow in a hell of a hurry.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 11:34 AM) The Rays, too. They have to replace Myers and Joyce in the power department. I don't see them as a fit unless it were on a minor league contract (and Viciedo is more valuable than that). They have Loney, Souza, Dejesus, Jennings, Kiermaier, and Guyer who can all take plate appearances.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 11:25 AM) Writer argues that Philly should take a chance on Dayan. http://www.csnphilly.com/baseball-philadel...rth-it-phillies I think they should too. They have money to burn and there's no commitment beyond this season and their current outfield starters are Grady Sizemore, Ben Revere, and Dominic Brown with Ryan Howard at DH. There are plenty of ABs for Viciedo on that team.

I think we're getting to the point where MLB should start exploring sites for expansion. Tropicana Field is not a good spot for a baseball team, but I don't think the Rays should be moving at this point because, as I recall, the Rays have some of the best local TV ratings in the league. People really do like the team, but I seem to remember that it's a bear for most people to get there and then get back home.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 11:06 AM) I want some of what you're smoking. Both in how many runs we score and how many runs we allow. A 5 ERA out of Danks and Noesi is not completely unlikely. Nor is a 4.25 ERA. More than likely they'll both be somewhere around 1 WAR pitchers, below average but not absolutely killing you. That's also not including the possibility of calling up guys like Beck or Rodon (or perhaps even Montas).

The idea of shooting for the middle - meaning a Wild Card - and building for the future is an idea that I think most teams in the game are copying at this point because it makes so much sense. Given the parity across the major leagues right now, you could acquire a ton of high upside players and build a fairly decent looking team while boosting the payroll to exorbitant levels, and still end up missing the playoffs simply based on dumb luck. And in the event that those guys actually end up declining and getting way worse, you're left with some of the worst contracts in the game (like Josh Hamilton or Albert Pujols). Being the optimist I am, I'd handicap the Sox odds of making the playoffs somewhere around 33-40%. I think there's a good chance that they do end up playing at least in the Wild Card game, but more than likely they just miss. A lot will depend on the back end of the rotation and the bullpen closing games out.

What is the difference between being a contender and being competitive? I really don't understand.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 09:41 AM) It has "competitive" written all over it. Not contender. We have a s***-tastic back end of the rotation and three black holes in the lineup. I also wouldn't be surprised at a high 3's ERA out of Shark. 3 black holes? I see 2B and C (with guys who can be non-terrible hitters in house). What's your third?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 01:16 AM) I'm optimistic about the team and this year. Totally. But that said, those of you thinking about upper 80s to 90 wins are - in my mind - completely out of touch with reality. BP is projecting 78 wins, and while we usually beat PECOTA by an average of 7 wins/season, that STILL only puts us at 85 wins. Things would have to swing astronomically in the right direction for us to be in the playoff picture. 5 more wins is a lot to get out of this lineup/pitching staff. Not impossible - it happened in '05 - but unlikely. I don't think there's any world in which Robin gets fired this year UNLESS the team does worse than last year, which I also don't see happening. Side note. Gordon Beckham is a better baseball player than Emilio Bonafacio, so in that regard, I like the move. Expecting wins in the high 90s is a little crazy, but unless you're the Dodgers or Nationals, expecting to win 90+ games is a little crazy for any team in the majors right now. There are going to be more than two 90 wins teams. Those win totals are almost certainly based on projected WARs for the individual players on the team, and projection systems have been bearish on the current version of the White Sox, and to some extent, there's reason for that. The team isn't particularly deep, there's older talent on the roster, it's not that strong defensively, and there are quite a few players who are at risk of regressing (the two that come to mind are Ramirez and Flowers initially, though you can make a case for a ton of guys). It's a good team though, and you don't have to squint to see how they could be a contender (like you have in previous seasons). The keys for me are: -Avisail Garcia having a good year (2 WAR would be a nice start) -Adam Eaton stays healthy enough to play 140 games. -Conor Gillaspie keeps hitting righties well -SOMEONE forms a viable platoon at 3B with Gillaspie (between Bonifacio, Beckham, and Saladino) -the bullpen is good -a legitimate 4th starter steps up -the Sox get positive production out of 2B and C These are aside from things that we already expect - the top 3 is very good, those guys expected to perform do so and stay healthy, et cetera, et cetera. The error bars on those projected win totals are incredibly large as well. 85 wins would put the Sox right in the thick of things until the end of September, and I'd be perfectly content with that sort of season. They give us some basis of projection, but they shouldn't be taken literally. They just give us the median outcome of what we should expect given the information we have. The information we do not have is the outcomes of the 162 game schedule coming up from April through September.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 05:59 AM) Just when I thought I would never have to see Adam Dunn or Gordon Beckham take another AB in a Sox uni, they do this. If Hahn wanted to give away $2 million dollars, I would have gladly accepted it. Hows your defense at 3B? Can you handle a 120 mph line drive?

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 04:50 PM) I know we saved $4M, but I kind of wish that we kept DV on the roster. Bonifacio, Beckham, Soto and Viciedo would give us one of the best benches in the league. The drop off between Viciedo and Shuck or Taylor is pretty significant offensively. Ideally, Boni would backup 3B/CF/LF, Beckham backs up 2B/SS/3B, Viciedo backs up LF/RF/DH, Soto would backup C/DH. As of now, I think the chances of Soto winning the backup catcher spot increased a little bit. Historically, he's pretty good against lefties, so it wouldn't surprise me if he gets some look as the DH for LaRoche along with Beckham. Boni and Beckham alone just doesn't provide enough pop at DH. Now let's see if we are tabbed or if we could use some of that money saved to bring in another bullpen arm or reclamation project starter. I had forgotten about Taylor, and I have a mancrush on him. I think his swing is a little long and he lacks good contact skills, but he can hit the ball a long ways, and as I recall, he's a lot better than Viciedo in the corners in that he appears to actually know what he's doing, even if he's athletically limited. I'd be on board the Taylor train. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 04:55 PM) It is exactly the argument. Is he worth $5 million? According to advanced stats, he put up just under $5 million of WAR last year, and more than that in each of the previous three years. The argument was the Beckham's defense alone will make him worth $5 mill. I don't think we can make that statement. If he were the full time starter, and he'd received a contract for $5 mill, I think he'd justify it over the course of a season based on $/WAR, but that's mostly because he's a non-terrible bat who plays non-terrible defense at a light-hitting position.

I think oldsox is an undercover cop trying to bust people for illegal marriages.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 04:15 PM) $2m could have gotten us some BS starting pitcher to throw in the fray. I just don't see how we needed him. We have defense-only utility men aplenty, and there's no way this was the best platoon bat option we had for the bench. I don't disagree that they could have found better candidates, but I think Beckham is OK if his role is merely a backup and any playing time beyond that is legitimately justified. And I mentioned earlier, it's also not so much that they can't just DFA him if he's not producing. They do have Rodon sitting in AAA for if/when Danks/Noesi needs replaced, plus the veteran Penny who could make a case for coming up too (though I doubt he does). I also think the organization is fairly high on Chris Beck too, and both Montas and Danish lie in the weeds as sleepers for late season call ups too.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 04:06 PM) I agree. Who do you see as options? It's slim pickins at this point. Eric Young Jr looks the best bet to provide any sort of positive value, but he's in the same mold as Bonifacio and really isn't an attractive option. If this were 2 years ago, Reed Johnson might have some appeal, but based on the way his numbers are declining, he looks done. Nate Schierholtz is coming off an absolutely dreadful season but still appears to have enough range to make for an OK corner outfielder, but he's not really CF material anymore. Really, to add anyone of significance, it's probably going to be a Spring Training move. A guy with some ability becomes available via trade or free agency because he isn't going to make the team.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 03:40 PM) I don't disgree but there is an opportunity cost associated with that 2 million. I would much prefer Denorfia/Ichiro when Eaton ends up on the DL. Beckham brings what Bonifacio can already do. Saladino can very likely do what Beckham can do. As far as the last part, you're right and I think it says a lot about what the White Sox think about GB as a person. For the record, I am in full agreement that I'd like to see another outfielder brought in, especially someone we won't hate seeing in CF, and I really don't want that player to be Emilio Bonifacio. Unfortunately, I think that player will be Emilio Bonifacio. QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 03:42 PM) for the record, when we had Beckham and were paying him $5mill, he was easily worth that on defense alone. I'm not saying I'm a fan of the move, but he had value when he was here. His defense is a little overrated because he made some slick plays. His range is fairly average to slightly below average and he doesn't have the strongest arm, but he turns the double play fairly well. The fact that he can play those 3 IF positions without embarrassing himself means more to me.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 03:18 PM) Ichiro and Saladino looks a lot better than Beckham and Shuck. I don't know that Shuck is making the roster, but those honestly don't look that different to me. Frankly, it's $2 mill, and if Beckham isn't hitting and Saladino is, I doubt the Sox will have any second guesses about DFA'ing Beckham too. It provides them a veteran player coming off a year where he hit lefties particularly well. He seems like a good guy to have in the clubhouse too. To me, the big deal that people are making about this is that Gordon Beckham had a long tenure as a 2B with the Sox and it's basically "too soon" to have a reunion, even if it's a small role. If he had a different name and hadn't played for the Sox, we'd be saying "Huh, nice addition, not a big deal."

How did Quentin come up? Even if he could still play the outfield, the Sox have Cabrera and Garcia in the corners, and then DH is covered by Abreu/LaRoche.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 02:08 PM) Would you trade all of the guys that we signed in the July 2 class this season for Byron Buxton? That is the closest equivalent I think you can find to Moncada, both are projected to be future stars and have some elements of their games that are major league ready but neither are a sure thing. Personally I would do that, as with an advanced prospect like Moncada there is less projection and more skill which you can make an evaluation of. The Sox are going to get shut out of the major guys in the July 2 class now that you have the alternating teams breaking the limits to grab up the top talent. These aren't perfect parallels though. Byron Buxton cost $6 million to sign. By all accounts, Moncada is going to cost $75-80 million, taxes included. That money has to come from somewhere, and that means you are likely trading away anybody that has money, and that doesn't seem like a good idea. The signing bonus itself can be split into payments over 3 years, but the taxes have to be paid immediately. It's not going to happen, even if he is a great prospect. QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 02:24 PM) We can still sign players, just not for more than $250K each. $300K, but the point remains, you technically can still sign players, but you won't get the cream of those crops.

$2 million is not starter's money either. This is a platoon and backup infielder situation.