caulfield12

Nor does a good or even great day in ST mean much of anything. See Betemit, Wilson or Sweeney, Ryan. Not a fireable offense. But also not burnishing the credentials of a front office that has had to face credibility questions for three consecutive seasons in the national media.

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." Sun Tzu Might want to remind JR of that quote...since he talks like the Brooklyn Dodgers and Branch Rickey are still around.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/proposed-blockbuster-tigers-trade-sees-201515950.html That at least made more sense than this one...

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/this-world-baseball-classic-is-a-victory-lap-for-shohei-ohtani-024420947.html

He has more trade value to the rest of the baseball world at SS. If he's just average there...that would be a huge win. Probably he moves to 3B or 2B before the outfield. The conversion to LF probably wouldn't happen until the off season before he would be debuting, so they're at least one t year away from that decision. Still have to monitor Colson Carlson Cholowsky/Lebron the next 8 months as well.

In retrospect, it was 100% Roman Anthony...

Same problem with the Sale deal. Basabe was the rough equivalent of Meidroth in the Boston system...something like an 8 or 9 guy. Which means Moncada and Kopech both needed to succeed, essentially.

Yes. Need 6/7 years of 3 fWAR production from BOTH guys...36 - 40 let's say. Another weak point of the Sox is that some projection systems had Meidroth at 3.1 leading all Sox position players. With Crochet 5.8 x 7 would give you a number around 40 as well. You have the opportunity cost of $170 million (reallocated from Devers), Crochet injury risk vs. position players AND the value of a unicorn pitcher like a Skubal or Crochet in the postseason to consider.

Although they probably also regret the Campbell extension and M.Mayer hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Meidroth was always the third piece.

Neither the Pope, nor president 44 mentioned... https://jaymariotti.substack.com/p/the-fcc-chair-is-trumpian-and-the Didn't realize Mariotti was still involved in sports journalism...

https://nypost.com/2026/03/02/opinion/total-whiff-angels-owner-doesnt-care-about-winning/

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/will-venable-discusses-white-soxs-catching-mix.html

https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-sports/2025/03/21/TSWFKOVBJNFOPNHO76IR5HW54I/ Korea's Kim Do-young homered against both Hanshin and Orix as they had a tie and win Japanese lineup tonight Ohtani DH Kondoh RF Suzuki CF Murakami 1B Okamoto 3B Yoshida LF Shugo Maki 2B Genda SS Catcher Big decision will be between Sato and Okamoto at third. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=takaha004hir Hiroto Takahashi starter RHP looks to be throwing 90-94 splitter specialist protege of Yamamoto Ohtani GO, Suzuki bomb to LF, Mune GO to 1B on a 3-2 count (facing crafty LHP) Kondoh grounded RBI single up the middle 2-0 Top 3rd Another high fly out to LF Murakami just got under it Seiya rbi ground out Murakami linout to lcf lf Morishita two RBI single 5-0 Obata bases clearing double bottom of 8 for Hanshin after an rbi single against Nakachi 5-4 final, Japan finishes 4-2 in exhibitions

Not until JR is out of the picture…or at least the new stadium financing is secured.

That's true, but it helps a lot if the team is at least competing for second or third place. White Sox teams from 2000-2004 and most of the 2000s and 10's were built on the premise that big offense is better for attendance than speed/pitching/defense. This was for a 2 million attendance team with pretty close to average revenues from 2010-2012. "Kenny Williams said low attendance numbers at U.S. Cellular Field means that he won't have the flexibility at the trade deadline to add money to his payroll. "The answer is no, if I'm being completely honest with you. And I wish I were lying," Williams said. "But the fact of the matter is we haven't earned our fans' patronage up to this point in the fashion that we played and the weather hasn't helped as well so we're a little behind the eight ball financially." Williams said with the team playing better and more games at home he hopes they will get more fan support. After playing 30 of their last 43 games on the road, the White Sox are hosting 23 of their next 35 games. espn.com

It’s going to take more than “unexpected success of the team or if Colson Montgomery and Murakami both start the 1st couple of months on a 40 HR pace and attendance spikes up…” 2011 2,001,117 24,705 2012 1,965,955 24,271 led the division almost the entire way over Detroit with Ventura Sale Quintana Reed, etc. fans still didn’t buy in 100% based on declining attendance and underlying concern that Detroit was always the better team Probably need your Colson/Murakami homers…an extension for Murakami, breakouts from Braden/Schultz/Hagen (2 of 3) and the two most exciting draft picks in Sox history, and another Japanese star like Sato coming on board (would also trade Benintendi for Yoshida and cash/prospects). And finally some good fortune with the overhanging lockout/labor issues. Then you can start taking significant attendance spikes. Not 1994 or 2000 bad luck.

"Emerson has been the top player in the 2026 prep class since anyone can remember. He's a 6-foot-2, lefty-hitting shortstop with above-average tools across the board along with the soft skills, performance track record and the age that teams like to see at the top of the draft. The only real complaint here is that he lacks the plus-plus electric tools of Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper or Justin Upton at the same stage, but that's an incredibly high bar to clear. Some scouts think Emerson could be a plus to plus-plus hitter with plus power that sticks at shortstop long-term, which is enough to make him the top pick if Cholowsky hiccups at all this spring. Emerson could easily end up in the 60 FV tier by draft time." espn.com

Tigers going with their own network as well...with other half of the year Red Wings (also Illitch owned) games. "Down the line, it will be interesting to see if this leads to a significant difference in the revenue brought in. Several teams have ended up with MLB after the collapse of an RSN deal. This route can sometimes lead to more viewers as it allows clubs to offer direct-to-customer streaming with no blackouts, but it can also lead to less revenue overall. Travis Sawchik of MLB.com reports that teams in this bucket get about 50% less than before, on average. As of a few years ago, the Tigers were getting about $60MM from their RSN deal. Having the Red Wings and Tigers in the same package could lead to more subscribers but the revenues will also presumably be split." https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/tigers-announce-launch-of-detroit-sportsnet.html

https://www.mlb.com/player/mike-clevinger-605182?stats=career-s-pitching-mlb&year=2026 Clevinger making a bid for Pirates' rotation

Pointless...well, we will see if Matsumoto is there in the final game using his second start or they choose the quarterfinals/semifinals instead. https://www.mlb.com/news/world-baseball-classic-power-rankings-2026 Joe Ryan was scheduled to be part of Team USA's pitching staff at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. For now, he's been removed from the 30-man roster and replaced by the Yankees' Ryan Yarbrough. But Ryan, who pitched for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, may still end up playing a significant role in the WBC. He's been added to the team's "designated pitcher pool" and will be eligible to participate if the USA makes it to the knockout rounds (which they are obviously heavily favored to do). https://www.si.com/mlb/twins/onsi/minnesota-twins-news/update-on-joe-ryans-back-injury-world-baseball-classic-availability Fwiw Logan Webb starting the first game against Brazil.

"Precast concrete is an essential component of the landmark facility; the architecture of the facades include large, stacked blocks of limestone that are native to the region. The honed and quarry creek rocked faced stone varies in thickness and is cast into the precast concrete wall system. There was nothing square, straight or plumb about the exterior precast concrete wall system. Many walls were battered a variety of different degrees, while each corner seems to intersect at a different angle. All these different interfaces provided for challenging geometry." molin.com

Dru Harris continues to impress when given opportunities... And then that happened. Maybe trying too hard.

Minnesota just feels like way too much concrete to me...but maybe an anti Twins bias there. One thing is for sure...watching some of these Japanese exhibitions and having gone to Kyocera and Tokyo Dome, the experience is equally bad on tv as in person. That said, a sold out stadium with all the attendant chanting, flags, player-specific cheers, dance groups, fans dressed up with their favorite team's uniforms, there's nothing quite like it.

Hays probably gets moved up if he's going well or Colson moved down also have Sosa option

Murakami just struck out his first AB against Orix in Osaka at the Kyocera Dome. Hitting fourth ahead of Yoshida and Sato. Y.Kikuchi roughed up for three bottom of first, two earned. Almost gave up a bomb to CF warning track or it would be a rout. 3-0 Orix P Teranishi very impressive so far. Low 90s but stuff has good life/movement. Don't love the Murakami bat wrap...you have to have incredible forearm and wrist strength but maybe he's a unicorn like Julio Franco. Samurai defense just played a single into a double. Slowly so far...just had a wild throw from SS to first allowing a run. Mune just made a good diving play on yet another wild wide throw to first. Quite solid over there. 9 up 9 down...for Jpn top of order k.Kondoh Ohtani SSuzuki no okamoto Ohtani k'd against lhp first 11 retired Orix into pen Yoshida towering Homer to RF upper tank 3-1 Orix top 5 Murakami pulled a sharp grounder to 2B on a low outside sinker Mune Suzuki Ohtani always together in dugout Kikuchi through 4 2 er pulled could start Sat versus Korea top 7 Ohtani popped up to of Murakami towering ball to LF warning track both 0/3 Yoshida 2/3 Suzuki also singled inf Shugo Maki doubled off the lf wall 3rd run scored but tying run cut down at the plate on a nice play by the infielder taking the short hop throw (on artificial turf, much easier) 4-3 Orix Japan 3-2 in exhibitions so far One more against Hanshin, then real WBC games Fri against Taipei and Sat against Korea