caulfield12

AJ Preller was smart enough to course correct after watching Arrieta and Velasquez get lit up last August and September. That's it. You can never have too much starting pitching. And now they have the leverage to dump Hosmer when/if they need to, and still don't touch their Top 5-6 prospects.

Well, odds are 1000% they now trade Paddack and/or Manaea to the Mets to get rid of Hosmer and pick up Smith, with Voit moving from DH to 1B. Padres are also four catchers deep. These are the kind of moves the Sox can't pull off because we once again have to trade from the MLB roster and create additional holes that have to be filled with more expensive veteran players. Right now, SD has 10-11 starters. Darvish, Musgrove, Snell, Clevinger, Manaea, N.Martinez, Paddack, Lamet, Gore, Weathers, Morejon (surgery) https://mobile.twitter.com/MZimmel/status/1510633617722163209?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet #Padres saw the landscape of the NL West and knew they couldn’t head into this season without continuing to add depth to the rotation. Now they get a fringe AS LHP and a healthy Mike Clevinger to join Darvish, Snell, and Musgrove. Smart move by AJ Preller.

Well, he is left handed. Feel like Goodwin or Hamilton are next.

Especially to the Indians, the Brewers of the AL...or Rays Midwest. "Pilkington has been a starter throughout his minor-league career, but the Guardians don't appear to have a rotation spot open for now, so he'll presumably work in relief. He's yet to pitch above Double-A, but his 3.04 ERA and 30.8 percent strikeout rate in 22 appearances at that level last season suggest he should have the stuff to get major-league hitters out." CBSSports.com

"In the spring, the boxscore can be deceiving. If you look at it from Wednesday night, it shows rookie Konnor Pilkington allowing four runs in three innings. You needed to be in Goodyear to have a better idea how the 24-year-old lefty pitched against the Dodgers. It was encouraging. Making his first spring start in a big-league camp, Pilkington had a strong three innings against the Dodgers on Wednesday night. The lefty allowed only one hit – a homer by A.J. Pollock. Pilkington then gave up three consecutive hits to open the fourth inning and left the game. He probably tired, because pitchers have not been in camp long due to the labor/management problems that cut short training camp. Pilkington was acquired from the White Sox in the middle of last summer for Cesar Hernandez. Pitching at the Class AA level for the two organizations, he was 7-6 with a 3.04 ERA. After coming to Akron, he had a 3-2 record with a 2.33 ERA in his last eight starts. He struck out 49 in 39 innings. The burly 6-foot-3, 235-pound Pilkington looks like he should be a power pitcher. But his fastball is in the low 90s. He changes speeds, works the corners and uses off-speed stuff to set up his fastball. I really like his long-term potential. He has a lot of poise. Pilkington was a big-time pitcher at Mississippi State and a third-round pick by the White Sox in 2018. I like college pitchers from big programs. Cleveland has had a lot of success with this type of pitcher. He’ll probably open the year at Class AAA Columbus. As for Hernandez, he’s now with Washington." Cleveland.com/sports

When he puts up a 5 fWAR for a full season, then we can have that discussion.

Harrison certainly did. Keuchel in 2020. Lynn in 2021. All that said, it's going to be exceedingly difficult for the White Sox not to win the AL Central in 2022...like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Not at all...but I believe that both teams have had to develop the best strategies for their divisions. It's apples or oranges, in many ways. Finally, I will always be a White Sox fan first, but that doesn't mean I have to blindly agree with the owner, GM or manager.

For now, they can and likely will get through April with Lopez and Velasquez. An Arrieta or Matt Harvey signing is next, lol.

If we signed Pollock as a free agent at 34 to the contract he’s currently on…would you consider that a good move compared to all the other FA outfielders that were out there? That’s the key question…not “getting out” of the Kimbrel deal, because we created that situation, it was Hahn’s own doing. You can’t compare the Padres to Sox without taking into account the Giants and especially the Dodgers, who have been in the postseason 9 consecutive years now. We don’t have competition closely resembling that. Yet the Twins signed two deals and the Tigers one in the offseason eclipsing the Grandal contract. The Padres were 67-49 last year in mid August. No doubt a massive collapse…but they went 4-18 from that period on against LA, San Francisco and the World Champion Braves. 8-16 versus the rest of the schedule was BAD, but it’s baseball. Preller didn’t add pitching (Arrieta and Velasquez) and added Frazier, which impacted everyone’s playing time and blew up the clubhouse chemistry simultaneously…along with all the Hosmer rumors, which they still haven’t gotten past, quite obviously. So we shall see with SD. Tatis being out opens up a spot for CJ Abrams, a consensus Top 5 prospect…and someone will eventually give up a haul for Paddack if Manaea and Montas are really fetching the prospect packages that are now rumored. Just wait until the Mets are under .500 at the end of April with Scherzer and deGrom on the shelf.

Too many vets on the wrong side of 30 combined with letting Rodon walk without compensation…it will be easy to diagnose five years from now. For the present, the offense/Robert can carry them through the AL Central for at least one year and likely two.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/velasvi01.shtml Remarkably consistent F+ in the league where there’s no DH since 2017. Ranges from 66 to 91, except ending with last year’s 47 in SD. One year at 101 in 2016. Hahn Special. Pinning a big chunk of salary at his age was always going to be a questionable decision…especially with Giolito at best 50/50 to stay, and now more like 25/75 to go. Katz will REALLY earn his money this year.

Since we ALREADY have four of the worst trades in club history dating back to just 2008… Swisher Samardzija Kimbrel Shields, Erik Johnson, Daredevil https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/white-sox/ct-white-sox-best-worst-trades-spt-0724-20160723-story.html Sosa/Bell (that one is a bit easier to explain now) Zisk for Gossage/Tub of Goo Forster DeLeon/Bonilla

Phil Rogers still is paid to provide his opinions? How? It’s more like the baseball equivalent of TMZ speculation…

Vera's arguably more important at this point.

Ummm...lingering probably, but nobody can make a definitive statement without the benefit of an MRI.

Sounds like how the Cubs ended up with a barren system with no way to replenish at the end of their window. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Means is going to be prohibitively expensive. https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/2022/04/guardians-like-it-or-not-are-going-to-play-the-kids-week-in-baseball.html The Indians have a much better system and wouldn't meet the asking price for Winker and Olson, but it's interesting they were trying to add.

They couldn’t during the lockout…not legally. Do you honestly think Lynn was going to be in the best shape of his life with a guaranteed deal?

Guess they’re waiting to claim some DFA’s or Adolfo types who are declared minor league free agents. The Mets are still looking, the Twins…it's not going to come cheap for Manaea if the Padres pull Paddack from the market.

Well, you have Lopez and then a wasteland…

Couldn't expect a repeat from 2021 with starting pitching health...we only belaboured the point for about five months.

Same knee from last year? Well, the price for starting pitching is rising by the minute, with the Mets also desperate.

At least it's not Lance...or Kyle McCulloch.

Mmmmy precious..... Lynn getting lit up or balls just falling in?