witesoxfan

He's a ground ball pitcher, his velocity numbers look good, and his peripherals are really nice. I have no idea how or why everything clicked at the MLB level in his 15 games and 14 starts, but it's a bit fishy. He looks like a nice piece but I'd want a diversified return and he alone would not get Alexei.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 12:30 PM) Just off topic question real quick, are the GM meetings still going on until tomorrow, like an all week thing or have they finished? They'll be done tomorrow. The GM Meetings are always typically quiet.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 12:24 PM) Why does everyone think A.) the Mets don't value Lagares and B.) they would want to create another hole by trading him? I have no idea, I was just commenting on the idea if he were included. I think it'd be safe to say he's one of the top 100 players in the game today and he may be one of the top 40-50 most valuable players. If he can remain a league average bat or develop to be a little above average, he's a building block type of player.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 12:15 PM) Certainly not straight up. I know this is in reply to something that got buried pages ago but I suggested Niese and Lagares+. I'd love Lagares but I'm kinda backing away from him being the 2nd piece now that VMart is off the market. I don't think they can significantly upgrade DH enough to be able to get by with Eaton and Lagares in the OF offensively. Defensively it'd be a lot of fun though. If the Mets offered Niese and Lagares for Alexei Ramirez, you turn it into the Commissioner's office and ask questions later. The guy, hitting at a replacement level value, is already a 2 WAR player who's under team control for 4 more years. If/when he hits (because he still does), he adds even more value. Hell, with Eaton and Lagares in the outfield, you damn near only need 2 outfielders with all that speed and range. Move Avisail to rover.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 12:02 PM) Niese is certainly more than a #4. Last 2 years he's ranked 57th in total WAR among SPs. His FIP ranked 37th. His xFIP was 40th. An arguement could be made he's moreso a low end #2 than a #4. Perhaps you can use the NL to AL argument to lessen his performance but still. Niese has team options in 2017 and 18, so unless he blows up, that's 4 years of control. No, I'd agree that Niese is a 3-4. He's a nice starter and I wouldn't mind the Sox acquiring him in a separate deal, but you can't trade Ramirez straight up for him.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 12:01 PM) Well they link to it, and it does say FutureSox right there when it opens. So they didn't steal it or anything. But I guess I could do that for fun, haha. Right, and that's exactly what it would be. There's obviously no reason to be angry or anything, we publish the videos on YouTube so people can access them for free.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 11:55 AM) Ha! I just noticed that at least two of the videos they linked to, are ours. Nice. I think commenting on the article would be awesome. Basically saying "you're welcome for the videos" in a very nice way to get a plug out there.

This is just awesome, awesome, awesome stuff. Every fan who has more than fairweather interest in the White Sox franchise and the direction it's headed needs to take time to read this because it's seriously that good.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 10:05 AM) I feel like Hr/9 is a number that bounces around fairly often for starters, so just intuitively I'd guess that there's a ton of variation in HR/9 for relievers from year to year. Am I wrong in that assessment? You are not wrong. There are guys who are going to limit or be prone to home runs, but as is true with ERA for relievers, it can take one or two bad performances to really morph that number from something great to something terrible. I mean, Francisco Rodriguez has a pretty standard HR/9 of 0.83 and HR/FB of 9.9% for his career, and that comes after the 1.85 and 23.3% he put up this year. Which is more likely to be accurate, the outlier that still is following a trend (as it was worse in 2013) or the career rates of one of the best relievers of this generation? I would guess the latter. It doesn't mean it won't ever be a concern, but I think Rodriguez would be worth a look, personally.

For those who haven't read or don't want to read, his BAC was .287, while the legal limit in the Dominican Republic is .05. If he were drinking beer, he probably had something like 20-22 beers in a 4-5 hour stretch, and then thought it would be a good idea to drive.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 09:55 AM) I just find it odd that if Elvis Andrus can be considered worth his contract, why the Rangers, with all their money, would be gung ho to dump him, and the Yankees, who have a lot more revenue than the White Sox, want no part of it. 8 years and $120 million is a pretty big commitment for anyone. Sure Andrus might improve offensively, and some may point that out. But he has 1000 more plate appearances in the major leagues than Gordon Beckham. His is older than Dayan Viciedo, so if those 2 are what they are, using the same criteria, Andrus is what he is. While his glove is exceptional, trading for him IMO would definitely be spending money just to spend money. I think if they brought him in, as is, it would be. Like I said, if the Sox believe those 5 criteria I pointed out, then it would make sense to bring in Andrus. That is very unlikely (Alexei traded, no faith in Semien/Sanchez/Anderson/Rondon long-term, Andrus player cost is fair, they believe he will bounce back or improve offensively). I highly doubt they ever even have a conversation with Texas based around Elvis Andrus.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 09:22 AM) which will even be better. "perform to your best and get a better contract". It can't really be perform to your best though. Incentives can be based on playing time and awards, so while the awards make that to some extent, it would primarily be based on games pitched. $4 million base and an additional $500k for 35, 45, 55, 60, 65, and 70 games pitches. Possible total of an additional $3 mill and, assuming he's healthy, $6 million is easily within reach.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 13, 2014 -> 09:34 AM) interesting on Snodgress. I thought I read his fastball had little to no movement. so with that, if true, I didn't think he will make it. I truly hope I am wrong. I want all sox prospects to make it, a very unrealistic opinion. Smith, I was hoping that he would improve and we, the fans can see it in AZL. he is still young. His fastball is pretty straight, but that's not a huge problem for a left handed reliever with a decent second pitch (which he has). Righties would hit him very well, but lefties can struggle against that type of repertoire. Either way, he's likely going to be in Charlotte all year and will be the 3rd or 4th lefty, which means he won't get called up until September unless injuries strike.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 11:49 PM) His contract is acceptable at 15 mill a year yet Soxtalk freaks out whenever we discuss acquiring guys who make a decent buck like that. Are the Sox different from all other teams? I say acquire Buehrle now and make Danks a reliever. And acquire some other guys as well. No, but the money has to match up greg. You want to bring in a #3-4 starter in Mark Buehrle. I love Mark Buehrle, but he's not going to put the Sox over the top and he's going to make $19 million this year. If the Sox have $50 million to spend, you just spent 40% of it on an area where you can find someone for 1/2 that price (or less) to fill that whole, and that player is a guy who could just as easily be gone or much worse in 2016. That is not a wise allocation of resources. You don't bring in Elvis Andrus at $15 million a year not because he isn't worth it, but because the Sox don't have a need at SS. There are times where it would make sense for the White Sox to acquire Andrus but the chance that scenario does not arise is 99.9999%. Basic economic theory suggests that the highest bidder will buy the product given such limited supply. Consider the White Sox have Alexei Ramirez under contract for the next 2 years, a couple guys in Semien and Sanchez who can play the position, and two others in Anderson and Rondon who have much higher ceilings at the position, the Sox desire to acquire Elvis Andrus is entirely based what sort of competitive advantage he'd offer the White Sox. Frankly, that advantage is limited by Alexei Ramirez's presence right now, so it would really only make sense for the Sox to acquire him if they 1) traded Ramirez, 2) didn't believe Semien or Sanchez could handle it in the short term, 3) don't believe Anderson or Rondon can handle it long-term, 4) believe that Andrus will bounce back to his early career production both offensively and defensively, AND 5) believe that the cost (primarily the player(s) they'd have to give up) will be worth it. That is slim to none. No one has any problem bringing in high priced players, but you don't just willy nilly bring in guys who are making a lot of money because they are supposedly good. They have to make sense. A couple guys that have been brought up are Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier with the Sox also including John Danks, but it's not ultimately clear if the Sox could make that move. The Sox have been connected with Pablo Sandoval, Victor Martinez, and Andrew Miller, all guys who will make a lot of money. There are several others too whom they'll kick the tires on. The Sox can spend a lot of money, but it has to make sense. You don't just spend money to spend money. That's how you end up paying Josh Hamilton $89 million over the final 3 years of his contract.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 10:14 PM) Hochevar will be around $5 million, maybe two years $8.5-9 million. Or one of those options for 2016 based on appearances, like $5 million, then $7 million in 2016 with 65-70+ appearances, something attainable. I think any contract Hochevar signs is going to be incredibly laden with incentives.

Whereas Rick Hahn acts as the day to day manager, Kenny Williams is more of the big picture manager. Co-managers. (Robin Ventura is the assitant to the Regional Manager, although he will tell you he is the Assistant Regional Manager, which is incorrect)

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 05:42 PM) I'd expect this deal to be done soon. Mets are stuck. I personally don't expect a move made between these two. The Sox don't want to move Ramirez but understand they can. There are more alternatives both on the trade and free agent market to use at SS for the Mets so, while they likely wouldn't get a great defensive shortstop, they could still find someone worthwhile. Perhaps Stephen Drew or Asdrubal Cabrera fit the bill for them, or perhaps they go nuts and bring in Hanley Ramirez. There are plenty of options out there.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 05:21 PM) If Gibson, a former first rounder, was on the White Sox, Don Cooper would have him as another Gavin Floyd, lol. Let's not forget that Noesi/Danks/Carroll ranked amongst the worst starters in MLB depending upon which peripheral you use. What's the biggest reason the White Sox played so well in 2012? No more Ozzie Guillen. I think you'll see a similar rejuvenation/new life out of the Twins. Just a hunch. Maybe I'm wrong, and they won't do anything between now and April 1st to improve their rotation. The reason the 2012 White Sox played well is because they had a fairly deep lineup that hit the ball well, pitched the ball well, and fielded the ball well pretty much all year long. The Twins haven't been good in 5 years. With absolute jacksquat for pitching, that's not suddenly going to change because they're playing under Molitor.

This is the kind of move a GM like Rick Hahn dupes a GM like Ruben Amaro Jr into making, not the other way around.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 05:11 PM) http://wtaq.com/blogs/sports/983/the-minne...rting-rotation/ Contingent upon the Twins spending money again (like they did with Hughes, Correia and Nolasco) on a couple of veteran 3-4 guys. My favorite pitcher of theirs is that #5, as I think ???????? has a lot of potential to do some damage in this league. Kyle Gibson eats innings, and that would appear to be about it. Trevor May started 9 games, appeared in 10, had an ERA of 7.88 and a FIP of 4.77. My gut instinct tells me he's a reliever moving forward. Alex Meyer is a good pitcher, but he's still never pitched in the majors. Using your criteria, the Sox have Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Noesi, Danks, Montas, Carroll, Beck, and Danish as well. I think I know who is set up better from a pitching standpoint.

I would turn into a giant gorilla and climb buildings, beating them repeatedly until they were destroyed and crumbled to the ground.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 05:04 PM) The fact of the matter is that the White Sox can't wait too long or the Indians/Twins will pass us from below...while everyone's more concerned with the Tigers and Royals coming back down to the pack. Almost everyone has the Indians ahead of us and 25% have the Twins in 4th, too. (Having almost all of your eggs in the basket of Jose Abreu, Sale, Quintana and Eaton is also extremely dangerous, as a single injury to one of those four wipes that team out of contention.) This isn't the Saints and Panthers battling it out for a .500 finish to make the playoffs. Which 25% have the Twins ahead of the White Sox? Do they realize that the Twins pitching rotation is basically Phil Hughes and a bunch of janitors? Also, by saying "having all your eggs in the basket of Jose Abreu...." as if it's a bad thing is basically like saying "having good players is a bad thing because they can get hurt." Well DUH.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 09:56 AM) ESPN's are even worse. Fred Jackson is projected for 16 points in a PPR and in their analysis they say "he probably isn't going to play that much." ORLY?

$17.5 mill for a DH. I am not upset they did not sign him.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 03:11 PM) He had a bad year in 13, 14 and he is woefully overpaid. You have to pay this guy 15 mill per annum for another NINE years. that's a good deal? He is on a perfectly acceptable contract. He plays good defense and can hit a little bit. That's about about the going rate at this point for a player with Andrus' skill set. Also, small thing, but it's only 8 years.