caulfield12

Madrigal, Stroman, Simmons (vs. Harrison) and Suzuki four players that will be closely followed and compared by Sox fans. The Cubs still feel like a 75 win team at best, but they're at least getting to the point of being more interesting. Clearly another full rebuild not in the cards, with Cubs' fans increasingly impatient.

They're the equivalent of SD on the AL side...Mariners and Rangers have all been super-aggressive. https://sports.yahoo.com/theres-no-loyalty-in-baseball-explaining-the-braves-shocking-freddie-freeman-move-232631704.html Really good article on the opportunity cost of the last 2-3 years of a Freeman deal vs. expectations for Olson being four years younger.

What indication do we have they're changing their trade evaluation processes in any way to lead to better results overall?

Well, at least we don't have to worry about Nelson Cruz anymore?

Yankees just resigned Rizzo, so seemingly out of the Freeman sweepstakes...where do Voit and Andujar land, if anywhere else? "The Yankees have settled on a first baseman, reportedly agreeing to terms with Anthony Rizzo on a two-year, $32MM guarantee. The deal pays the Sports One Athlete Management client $16MM salaries annually and gives him the opportunity to opt out after the 2022 campaign. The contract is pending a physical." MLBtrade rumors.com

Waiting to see if Correa goes to Detroit first. Keep in mind, Ilitich Jr. was one of four owners opposed to big spending ways, so that would clearly run directly counter philosophically. Only course, historically free spending Arte Moreno of the Angels was another.

This is like saying Jermaine Dye played SS or Jim Thome anchored the left side of the infield when he was younger...Gordon Beckham and Nick Madrigal were SS's, etc.

Royals Ball 2014-15.

A rookie catcher as the back-up...? Well, maybe, but I think that they will give Collins at least through June, if for no other reason than he's LHed and was a former 1st round draft pick that Hostetler claimed he would have taken #1 overall. (And technically Zavala was still a rookie last year, even though it seems like he's been around longer than Jordan Bohannon.)

Seby to the rescue (offensively). What's next this offseason, Yermin Mercedes entering the RF or 2B mix?

Just wait until Lynn, Abreu or Grandal breaks down again...Keuchel is already there, with Kimbrel close behind. Meanwhile, productive younger and cheaper players like Narvaez, Avi Garcia, Madrigal and now Rodon are elsewhere. Do we now have the oldest roster in the AL Central? Have to, right?

Lynn, Grandal, McCann were very solid. (One can argue Narvaez/McCann/Grandal til the cows come home) Hendriks, jury still out. Kimbrel, it's always going to be a net loss at this point, same with Keuchel. Robert was the one franchise-altering coin toss that went Paddy and KW's way, fortunately. Without him, we're under real duress in the AL Central starting in 2023. So we're splitting hairs about after 2023...can they find the pitching to replace Giolito. Then the really big decision with TA7 at age 32/33 a year later.

The one player they can least afford to lose and still compete for a World Series is Luis Robert. Anderson is 1A. You can't take that risk with his health when he's the only true superstar on your roster, and your franchise cornerstone. We might as well argue the plan is to expect to hit almost perfectly on 3-4 outfield additions like the Braves did last year at midseason.

Or the Mariners. Or the Braves. Or the Brewers. Or the Padres. I would never in a million years expect to be a consistently Top 5 payroll team, and we still might not end up being one on Opening Day if they manage to get Kimbrel off the roster. The arguments for being up against the CBT (with Kimbrel rostered) are giving Hahn some pretty decent cover for not actively going after either Conforto or Suzuki.

He has bought himself a free pass asserting that they simply need to wait for Colas and Cespedes to come into their own. Not that there's anything close to a consensus in the scouting community that either guy is a surefire everyday big leaguer.

Sure, because they struggle to find underappreciated guys like Chris Taylor, Kike Rodriguez, Justin Turner and Max Muncy, etc., that are worth their weight in gold.

Odds of them bringing back a former White Sox prospect they undervalued....not high.

THE IDEA OF NOT TRADING ASSETS FROM THE BIG LEAGUE ROSTER...generally, playoff-bound teams should be trading from their minor league depth. We're seeing the consequence this year with all the money we're miss-spending on Josh Harrison. (And those arguments about injuries will just as easily apply to the big league roster this year as well, the starting pitching was remarkably healthy.) If we're betting on the minor leagues again being a depository to draw from at the TDL, well, that's not exactly a sound plan.

Didn't work last year, had to trade Madrigal and Heuer from the big league roster...and if a young pitcher like Vera or Kelley makes a huge jump, the Sox will need that guy to sustain the window in 2024 and beyond as the veterans start to age out.

How many times has JR given contract long-term extensions to pitchers with TJ in their past? I guess Lynn, but the limit has always been three years since Danks. That's going to work against Gio, Cease and Kopech. Not sure even Lynn happens without LaRussa.

Option/buyout…$9.5 million vs. $1 million. Let’s not forget the Dodgers paid him $4 million to get lost…when they were likely losing Jansen as well.

That’s ONE way to put it…

Why is Hahn still the GM if KW is making all the bad moves and TLR has increasing say? Wouldn’t other organizations recognize his hidden/untapped brilliance and outbid the White Sox for his services?

Exactly like the Twins…look where that same philosophy has gotten them. They can’t even beat the Yankees once, who are not exactly the dominant mid to late 90’s and 00’s versions exactly. Cleveland in 2016 was the last really really good Central team.

Vafan…you just ended up making people MORE upset than they already were with our outfield situation. While optimism is all fine and good, like for Luis Robert, it’s badly misplaced here. (I should be an expert now, having to listen to what the Chinese are saying about the war in Ukraine as well as Covid-19 on an everyday basis…it’s like living in a bizarro alternative reality show, if you ever saw “Goodbye, Lenin!”)