caulfield12

“But the lack of success meant the White Sox moving on from Kimbrel would not come as a surprise. So far, though, they haven't, and there's an argument to be made that a full offseason to get acclimated to a new team and a new role could allow Kimbrel to pitch more like himself next season. With plenty of other departures from the bullpen — Ryan Tepera and Evan Marshall are free agents, and Michael Kopech is set to move to the rotation, with Garrett Crochet perhaps also beginning to prepare for a starter's role — keeping one of the game's elite relief arms around wouldn't be the worst idea.” Thanks for really selling the move, Vinnie Duber.

Yes, but then just wait when his being on the payroll is used as the excuse for not making some (from the fans’ standpoint) obvious moves in free agency…until Kimbrel can first be successfully offloaded.

Or fooled by Hahn’s non-Eaton/Sale/Q horse trading genius…

Did “look here, pal…” start the conversation?

Undoubtedly McNeil and reuniting Giolito and Flaherty. But with our luck, Carlos Martinez. Gallegos and Reyes, but neither are long-term answers for that spot for various reasons. Hicks theoretically returning.

And they didn’t want to pay a certain former Cuban closer Iglesias now on the Angels…

Melancon will likely opt out…but move not possible without substantially cutting payroll.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32542085/dave-clawson-created-college-football-version-moneyball-wake-forest Really cool story on Wake Forest coach and philosophy….Moneyball 101.

It’s a risk. But without him, we don’t have a Max Fried, Bumgarner (2012-14) or Walker Buehler/Scherzer type you expect to go out and dominate throughout a postseason. You’re relying on the offense to carry the team, or Cease to take another massive leap forward in terms of dominating playoff caliber teams and not just the Bottom 50% of the league.

Guess we need to think of it from Kate’s perspective…LA, SD, SF or NY. Maybe the Nationals.

Well, except it didn’t work for the team with a payroll roughly $100 million higher than the Sox to add 2 of the top 5 gets of the entire deadline in one fell swoop…and Scherzer hasn’t pitched in the AL since his Tigers’ days. It’s definitely a “prove it” moves in terms of claiming to be a legit WS contender. Odds of it actually happing are what, 5-10%?

If they can’t bring back Verlander somehow, sure…

Sure, but that’s when we were still getting our payroll back to normal levels for a contender…essentially a Top 12 one. And Lynn would likely not have received that money without first proving himself with the Sox first, plus the TLR connection. Keuchel I’ll give you, that was a bit of a head scratcher at the time but it worked for one season. The argument being we needed a proven veteran winner, the same reason the Royals added James Shields slightly past his prime. Just feels like the writing is already on the wall with Rodon and even Giolito…and this is a dangerous complacency if we are assuming all we need to do is stand pat to get through the Central for two more seasons. The word complacency is the operating word if we bring back the full coaching staff with Eloy in LF and no plan in sight for improving the catching spot behind Grandal. We’ll see, I guess. 2B feels like it’s Leury’s to lose until proven otherwise.

How many of them can pitch better than Rodon did the first half? I have a feeling we’re going to go the budget conscious way in the first half, then wait for another Scherzer to become available at the deadline. I’d almost rather they gave Verlander a one year deal where he could make $25-30 with incentives, plus some type of mutually appealing option year for 2023. Because the odds of producing another TOR starter internally the next two years look like somewhere between slim and none/zero. That said, the White Sox have never offered such a deal for someone to pitch just one season at even $18-20 million…

Or that Leury plays in fewer than 100 games? You just know he will be the starting 2B.

There’s no way to replace Rodon’s quality in FA because all those guys in the $15-20 range will target long/er term deals except Scherzer, Verlander and Kershaw. Does anyone see the Sox realistically going after one of them?

If they’re keeping Desclafini/Gausman and likely sacrificing Alex Wood for salary reasons, no way they’d take on Keuchel… Because if that’s the case, why not just keep Wood and not make a trade at all for a much more expensive and ineffective pitcher? Plus they have to bring back Belt as well. Even then, would that solve 2B? And who would take Keuchel’s and Rodon’s spots if both go? Giolito, Lynn, Cease, Kopech for limited innings…then? Lopez/Lambert/Stiever? It wouldn’t make the payroll any cheaper if they had to spend $6-7 million on another #4/5 veteran FA starter…which is even more of a crapshoot than Keuchel in all likelihood. Yet another overlooked aspect of the Madrigal trade, blowing up the payroll by another $6-12 million.

You’re really counting on another 500k fans with an increase in prices and potentially a strike or at least partially delayed start?

He will automatically produce like Keppinger…

Except Conforto is more likely to stay with the Mets on a QO and then hit FA at age 30 next year. Still would be a $6+ million bump up in salary despite coming off a middling year offensively.

Ummm...other than coaching tennis and seeing her at the WTA Wuhan Open in 2014, not really. Since the White Sox are already jinxed, the Padres (who actually won a playoff series last year) play in a division with two 105+ win teams and the Cardinals somehow won 17 in a row, and the Royals are the quintessential small market team (but made it to two consecutive WS and won one with other going to Bumgarner's heroics), not sure exactly who I jinxed. Maybe if I liked the Brewers, Mariners, Rays, Indians, Rays, Mets, Angels, Rangers, Phillies, etc.

Since when is a $13-14 million contract for Taylor not too much money for the White Sox…?

Tucker Barnhart for someone who will never make it to the big leagues in all likelihood. But then why risk being stuck with Kimbrel in a period of increased uncertainty…and mess with that so-called “unprecedented financial flexibility” even more?

See reunion with Eaton, although Avi’s obviously much younger…still overlaps with Abreu, Leury, TA and Rodon, to name a few.

But he is successful, at least, in making Thad Bosley look like a moderate…and Two-Gun Pete. He’s even honing in on Greg775’s near monopoly on complaints relating to concession, souvenir and parking prices, albeit more from a political/historical perspective.