caulfield12

Well, the comments after Game 2 on Kimbrel suggest there’s definitely a growing divide…or at least brought it out into public view. (Just wish we could actually find out what the cost for Kris Bryant would have been, instead.)

On the other hand, Cease can shut up all his critics…or simply reinforce the belief that he’s not trustworthy enough for a playoff start.

Herring?

All the more reason not to commit to keeping Kimbrel and Hernandez…create a bit of financial flexibility moving forward, especially if there’s blowback on season ticket sales and marketing/sponsorship/promotions.

The question is whether they’re actually willing to go over $10 million per year on a FA contract, let alone $15 million. Kimbrel has to go. Hahn should just admit he was wrong, use that money (as well as moving on from Hernandez’s commitment) for RF, 2B, catcher, bullpen or backend veteran starter depth. Trading Vaughn or Eloy at depressed values makes less sense than trying to find takers for Sheets or Burger. Wish we could move on from Leury, but that’s a pipe dream. And yeah, the rule of Cubs/Sox moves is usually they are completely one-sided, like Bell/Sosa, Garland/Karchner, Q/Cease/Eloy and this one as well. Not counting Tepera was a significant trade.

Jimenez is not one of the two best players at this point…btw. Also, I reverse jinxed Iowa into a huge win, but that was only possible due to playing at home and Clifford being out for PSU. Hopefully I can continue to work the same magic on the diamond, haha. And can still be talking about White Sox baseball two weekends from now.

Speaking of RF, turns to Brewers game, sees Avi with 29 dingers, Narvaez and Escobar and feels more annoyed. But good for them. The NL pitchers aren't messing around this postseason.

Tommy Pham seems like a perfect example of a player we bring in 1-2 years too late because he's much more affordable and has that Cardinals connection. Unfortunately, we need Wong a lot more.

Paddack for Vaughn seems possible, if they could offload Hosmer...or maybe they would want to dump Will Myers' deal and include him in any move. Adam Frazier is another possibility.

So much for that halftime prediction. That said, UGA and Bama are head and shoulders above everyone else. Iowa just doesn't have enough offense and relying on turnovers and special teams every game is not enough to be elite.

Without Williams and Paddy, no Abreu or Robert, not so bueno.

Huge day for B10. Last Top 5 battle in Kinnick was 1985, Iowa beating Michigan. OU can thankfully be crossed off playoff list early. Cincy has such a weak schedule here on out, SMU their best opponent.

But where would we be now without having traded Sale, Eaton, Q…? Not seeing why Hahn would be in huge demand, compared to assistants from the truly revolutionary front offices like LA, TB, SF, Milwaukee, etc. We brag about our draft picks making the bigs, but how many are true high impact guys assuming Rodon leaves? You still have just Anderson and the 50/50 coin flip fortune of Luis Robert signing for less money to hang your hat on. Collins, Burdi, Fulmer, Heuer and Madrigal are gone or worthless. Jury still out on Crochet, Vaughn and Sheets.

Maybe curse Abreu some more for “underperforming” his way through illness…when the real sickness is ensconced on the dugout steps.

On the plus side, we’re 1-4 versus the Indians’/Twins’ combined 2-14….20% vs. 12.5% win probability.

Anderson, Abreu and Robert are going nowhere. Eloy, maybe. Not many LH hitting 3B, so hard to get rid of Moncada or Grandal for that matter. But what is Jimenez’s value at this point? 65-70 cents on the dollar, just like Madrigal/Heuer. Buying high and selling low over the long term usually ends up in a limited roster. Same with trading Vaughn. Of course, Sheets has some pop but no position as the roster is currently constituted.

Wrong Frazier. Adam was terrible in SD, a lot like Hernandez for the Sox.

Are we allowed to create threads with former poster's names?....that seems like it might be a report to mods-worthy transgression.

Otoh, it plays against the constant trope that LaRussa is now calling the shots on personnel moves…or TLR asked for Kimbrel specifically only to realize later he wasn’t the same guy outside of the closer’s role and is now attempting to shift the blame to Hahn when it backfired.

They weren’t major league experienced acquisitions, though.

Hahaha…it’s Comedy Central time around here. Not even sure they’d even consider it with Vaughn or Kopech included. Kimbrel has little trade value at this point…that $16 million price tag is too risky.

A dismal 3-18 post-season record since the Indians/Cubs World Series in 2016 (including 2021) Outscored 129-61 cumulatively Have finished the last 5 seasons (2020 had no official attendance recorded) with a "mean" MLB attendance number amongst the five divisional teams of 22.2, 19.8, 22 and 22.2 (out of 30). Started the 2021 season with only one out of the five teams sporting an above average payroll, with the White Sox barely above the cut line at #15. The Twins were #17 (and that will decline significantly with Cruz/Berrios and then likely Buxton, if they can't "cheaply" extend him, as well as Donaldson, etc., all on the way out), then the Royals and Tigers well behind at #23/24 and the Indians trailing every team in baseball nevertheless but getting the second best ROI behind the TB Rays in terms of spending $$$ per win. If the Twins and Indians commence their anticipated rebuilding/retooling plans, can the White Sox still get enough of a challenge from either the Royals or Tigers (especially from a financial/payroll standpoint) to make them a better, playoff-competitive team....when they have to play those same four teams 76 games per year??? And it's really close to 50/50 in terms of scheduling when you consider how bad the Cubs are likely to be for the next 2-3 seasons, at a minimum. If the White Sox were in any other division, and for comparison's sake let's call the AL East the SEC/ACC/Big 10 equivalent, they would certainly make the playoffs less frequently but at least they would be legit World Series contenders when they did make it to post-season play, having proved their mettle. And yes, I know it's HARD to complain they MIGHT actually be better off not making the playoffs when it has still ONLY happened 5 times in the last 22 seasons, compared to something like 17 times during that same stretch for the Cardinals... Should MLB reconsider playing more balanced intraleague scheduling or cutting back on the novelty of interleague play? Or are the White Sox simply better off as a franchise beating up on the Little Sisters of the Poor for the next 2-3 seasons? And how do we get better with managers who want to coast to the finish line every season instead of stepping on the gas?

https://twitter.com/greg_hibbard/status/696895711850459136/photo/1 How about a "good luck cat picture" from Greg "The Little Bulldog" Hibbard? We can use every bit of help we can get...from any source/s.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/08/sport/jim-kaat-apology-slavery-remark-mlb-spt/index.html

Beautiful stadium/setting, was there for the first time in summer of 2019...even witnessed firsthand a McCovey Cove ball from the unique perspective of standing along the RF walkway.