witesoxfan

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 01:06 PM) I'm not sure it's right to judge Valbuena based on last year. He's got a career wRC+ of 88. One good year doesn't make him a 116 wRC+ type of hitter. So because he was good last year and it was the first year he was good, we have to throw it out? The Cubs very well could be selling high and he may regress to a 100 or so wRC+, or they could be selling right as he's beginning to peak. He's cut his IFFB's quite a bit, he's hitting more flyballs, and his power numbers increased across the board. Most projections have him around 2 WAR right now, which is the same as Fowler, and the Astros are getting Straily as well.

I think you guys are overrating Fowler. He gets on base at a decent clip but Valbuena is a solid player and they get a decent arm in Straily too. Just because I feel this is worth pointing out: Josh Donaldson: .255/.342/.456, 10.9% BB, 18.7% K, .351 wOBA, 129 wRC+ Luis Valbuena: .249/.341/.435, 11.9% B, 20.7% K, .342 wOBA, 116 wRC+ Donaldson is a superior player because he's much, much better defensively, but Valbuena is a good player. The Cubs are just dealing from a position of strength.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 11:34 AM) to be fair, the sox didn't plan to contend in 2012. But they did and Dunn hit 41 bombs.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 17, 2015 -> 02:47 AM) 4 yrs/$11M??? So a total commitment of 4 yrs and $16M so far? Uggggggh. I mean, I think there's potential to have sneaky value there, but it's not a big deal that Sox didn't end up with him.

QUOTE (Douglas Rome @ Jan 17, 2015 -> 05:10 AM) why are you guys apologizing for him? Adam Dunn sucked, he was awful, he was the worst p[layer to put on a Sox uniform in the last 20yrs, name me one worse? and who got paid more? Oh, he was a nice guy in the clubhouse, who gives a crap? For 56mil we paid him to be terrible, I could be as good as he was. we made him a rich millionaire he's laughing all the way to the bank. I hope I never see or hear from adam dunn ever again, geeez! thanks, douglas No you couldn't. QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 07:50 AM) Dunn produced on terrible teams. And when he was expected to produce for a team that intended to win, he failed. He was perfectly fine in 2012, and the Sox were in that until the very end.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 10:27 PM) I'd trade Melky in a blockbuster and acquire some pieces for him. You may be able to do this in a video game, but you cannot do this in real life.

It's still awesome

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 05:51 PM) Anyone care to see the seismic signal generated by the Seahawks going to the Superb Owl? This is an excellect typo/autocorrect.

do you guys even know how to f***ing grammar

QUOTE (lvjeremylv @ Jan 17, 2015 -> 01:01 AM) You can't pitch 200+ innings for 14 years in a row, win 199 games, throw a perfect game AND a no-hitter, and help lead your team to a World Series if your "heart isn't in it". Why? Can people not excel at jobs with which they are not happy? Mark Buehrle talked about retiring at 28/29, and talked about retiring at 32/33. I think he enjoys baseball, but it's work. He's made more than $100 million in his career, and he doesn't appear to be the type to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. Just because someone succeeds in their career exceedingly well does not mean that they enjoy it or want to be apart of it as long as they are a capable worker.

QUOTE (dynamic_symmetry @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 02:09 PM) I tried signing up for an account at WSI but they banned gmail addresses...wtf. I tried using a non-gmail address and my account is still waiting for approval after several weeks. Luckily it was approved quickly here You are gladly welcomed over here. Hope you stick around a while!

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 02:22 PM) How are you getting 600 plate appearances with those numbers? I'm a scrappy player, and I do a lot of things that really go underappreciated. I hit to the right side and advance runners a lot by dinking balls out in front of the plate and moving runners up that way as well as swinging at pitches that the catcher has no chance of getting and reaching base that way.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 02:34 PM) Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi 6m6 minutes ago Extent of Tigers' interest is unclear, source says. But there has been contact between James Shields' agent and the club. oh god please yes

Tyler Flowers, September: 43 PAs, .268/.302/.683/.985, 11 H (4 1B, 2 2B, 5 HR), 1 HBP, 1 BB, 18 K, 1.43 GB/FB, 71.4% HR/FB Bolded for emphasis.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 12:53 PM) Jon Heyman ‏@JonHeymanCBS 49s49 seconds ago Phoenix, AZ samardzija settles with chisox at $9.8M Damnit This does not rule out an extension. This was more or less a formality.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 12:52 PM) That's quite the caveat when you say outside of the worst season in the history of the sport. That was the season the Sox cared about most when they signed him. They weren't even thinking about 2014. How much salary is -3.0 WAR worth? Oh 2011 was an unmitigated disaster and it really sucks that it happened like it did and he sucked. I won't say that it was a good signing or that he was worth the contract, because he clearly wasn't, but he doesn't owe anything to the White Sox. That was all I was saying.

QUOTE (Armchair Hahn @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 11:53 AM) Johan Santana was in his prime during all of Buehrle's prime years....had a far better peak, but fell off faster...any opinions on if he's a HOFer? He was the absolute best starter in the league for a 3 year period and a top 5 pitcher for probably 5 years, but he was only good otherwise and then he fell off and had no longevity of which to speak. I think he's going to fall into the same boat as Buehrle where he'll get a fair amount of consideration but he'll ultimately fall short. His peak wasn't anything like Sandy Koufax's, which is what you'd need in a situation like that. Personally, I think if Buehrle pitches till he's 40 (another 4 years) and he accrues another 10 WAR or so, I think he should be in, but I'm not sure he wants that. That would likely put him at 240-250 wins, a good ERA- and FIP-, 60+ fWAR and 65+ bWAR along with a World Series ring and, using revisionist history, a brief period of time where he could have been considered a top 10 starter in the AL and otherwise a good to very good pitcher. I'm not sure he wants to pitch till he's 40 though.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 10:49 AM) Wite would you really be that bad of player? I mean jeez man. =) I believe so. I struggled catching up to 80 MPH heat in high school and had virtually no chance against bad breaking balls. That was 10 years ago. Since then, I've slowed down and put on 60 pounds due to eating/drinking, so I've slowed up quite a bit too. Maybe I'd do better than 3 for 600, but it wouldn't be pretty.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 10:56 AM) Lol because while Mark Buehrle played for the s***ty White Sox and won 19, 16, games etc, he would've won more with those sick Atlanta teams of the 90s. In no world is that a stretch of a statement. Glavine won the Cy's because of his 20 wins and low ERAs in the National League in the 90s where there was no roided up DH to deal with. Then by your justification, Buehrle should have won 20 games and a Cy Young with the 2005 White Sox, who were the best team in the league and eventual World Champions. That didn't happen. Really, 2005 is the only year you can say Buehrle was one of the absolute best starters in the league. He should have garnered more Cy Young votes than he did, as he was the 2nd best starter in the AL that year. Also, Glavine won the Cy Young awards because he was a phenomenal pitcher whom the writers felt was the best pitcher in his league in those seasons. There was some circumstance that aided it, but "pitching for the Braves against no roided up DH" is not why he won.

QUOTE (TheBigHurtShallRiseAgain @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 09:42 AM) I have not been able to stop playing Destiny. I've been able to put it down, but find myself repeatedly coming back to it. It's definitely a really fun game, if frustrating overall.

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Jan 15, 2015 -> 06:13 PM) I would have given him less money than Guerra FWIW. The market would not have. Starting pitchers are going to be inherently more valuable than relief pitchers. Based on the 40/60/80 arbitration value scale, given these initial contracts, Guerra's open market value right now would be roughly $2.5 mill while Noesi's is $5 mill. Neither of those seem to be far off. Nate Jones is a little different given that he's coming off an injury and will be rehabbing quite a bit this year.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 15, 2015 -> 05:24 PM) I know about his profile but admitted I only watched him pitch maybe twice last season and nothing stood out for me. What did you like about him? A bland straight fastball but a good cutter and I think both would play up with full time relieving, nice curve that generated some swings and misses, solid command/control, fair changeup. As a starter, I don't think he has enough velocity to make the change in speeds of his stuff matter, but in the bullpen it plays up a bit. It wouldn't be a big loss, as I don't think he's anything special, but guys who aren't anything special can have long careers. His average velocity last year was about 88-89...if he got that up to 90-91, I think he'd be perfectly fine and perhaps good as a 2nd lefty in the pen. The Sox already have a 2nd lefty in the pen, so he may be gone, but he's a good guy to have as a camp body.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jan 15, 2015 -> 08:52 PM) Might be the last $650K he earns in MLB. No chance. Guys that can throw 97 with a wipe out slider like he has will get tons of chances. Anyways, he's under Sox control for a while still and they aren't just going to get rid of a guy like Nate Jones.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 15, 2015 -> 10:05 PM) You know what would be a good tradeoff: Dump Danks for Buehrle in our rotation. Mark's style of pitching rubs off on others and he always sets a good example. Danks arguably has better stuff, but I'd take the tradeoff. I realize Mark makes a ton of money now, though. I can't rip the Sox front office since they've added a lot of salary already since last season, but in theory ... That would be a good tradeoff for the White Sox. That would be an absolutely terrible tradeoff for the Blue Jays. Why would they trade a better pitcher who has a decent contract for a bad pitcher with a poor contract?

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 15, 2015 -> 05:06 PM) Unless they make bigger/more moves, I actually have them finishing 4th in that division. I think the Cardinals, Brewers and Pirates are much better than them. Better line ups, and better pitching. Everyone stays healthy and gets back to career numbers, the Reds could even push them to 5th. I just don't see it. I wouldn't say the Brewers are in that class quite yet, but St. Louis and Pittsburgh I'd definitely say are better. QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 15, 2015 -> 05:09 PM) It wouldn't be the most shocking thing ever because there is a lot of potential on that club. Now it'd be really surprising if it does happen considering how young and unproven they are but it's not completely out of the question. Unfortunately for them the Cardinals are still there and you and I could be their 3-4 hitters and they'd still be in the playoffs. I don't think a playoff appearance is completely out of the picture, but I just don't see how they're better than either of Pittsburgh or St. Louis. Also, I do not think St. Louis could win with me as their cleanup hitter. I would require a $10 million contract and I would hit .005/.008/.008. I explained this in PHT today. With my lack of range, weak arm, inability to catch the ball, terrible base running, fear of bunting a 94 MPH fastball, tendency to run out of the batter's box at the mere sight of a breaking ball, and incapability of sliding (my "slide" is some drunken version of a summersault), I believe I'd be worth roughly -15 fWAR per season, which would make me the worst player in major league history.