caulfield12

We should be more supportive of Burr and Ruiz. If we believe in them, collectively, they will start to believe in themselves even more.

"Don’t give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.” "Perennials are flowers that eventually fade, while division championships are memories that will remain with us for a lifetime."

“Success is never final, failure is never fatal, and it’s courage that counts.”

Well, we have had different variations of this same argument for the past 10-15 years. The White Sox (like 75-80% of fellow professional sports franchises) tend to be a "doubting Thomas" fan base where the team's expected to win something before the fans will "prove/validate" their support by spending on the product. KW has likewise tried to cajole the fans into spending with his famous you can't spend a dollar when you only have 50 or 75 cents. The White Sox and JR are cheap! The White Sox and JR aren't cheap anymore, they're just not allocating their resources efficiently or prioritizing the rights areas to spend. You guys should actually have someone from the Sox (Boyer/Reifert/Merkin) do an interview with ST and see what insights they could provide about this phenomenon. Let all of the SoxTalk members submit questions without censoring them, but pick five "difficult/probing/annoying" ones and five "puff/PR" sounding questions so there's a balance. You can even give them permission to look at how their answers come off in black and white before "publishing" online. Maybe something positive would come out of it. Ask how ST could be used as a vehicle to better promote/market the White Sox...? How you can collaborate with them more directly, so to speak, without becoming "corporate shills" and still maintaining independence/objectivity? Clearly, complaining about the fan base, denigrating their support or directly calling them out (naming and shaming) are not successful PR strategies. The Blackout Games from 2008 and from last year's Game 2 against the Astros prove that Sox fans would love to get behind a winning team.

Quantrill and McKenzie can run it up into the mid 90s. It's probably better to have that balance across the rotation, because the White Sox traditionally have feasted on pure stuff guys and had fits with Bieber, Plesac and the infamous Cy Civale. Espino promises to be more of a raw stuff guy as well.

If they had won a playoff series the last couple of seasons, you would have seen a huge uptick in interest. And a better off season, too. Compare to the Cubs starting out their contention window with three consecutive NLCS, 2016 World Series, etc., it certainly goes both ways. The Sox are a bit unrealistic expecting fans to spend before they have won anything. That's just the nature of professional (compared to NCAA) sports fanbases, except for the very best who consistently turn out in huge numbers no matter what. Winning is always reflected in the next season's attendance, like the 2006-2010 time period for the Sox. For a World Series title, you traditionally had a five year bump. Right now, we're in a similar situation to the Twins and Indians post-2016, where they would make the playoffs but the fans didn't really have much confidence that they had the teams to advance past the big boys (especially Minny with the Yankees.)

The White Sox clearly would rather play Perez regularly and try to achieve any offensive improvements... as they're happy with everything on the defensive side. Basically, a 650-675 ops guy as a hitter would be the limits to their expectations.

Definitely have to go Will Smith #1. The Dodgers should know, they had both. Based on last year's full season, you would get arguments between Grandal and Sal Perez. Depends if you prefer the walls or homers.

It ranks up there with Ron ban bets and anti Abreu rhetoric, TA7 to catcher, Greg775 rants about concessions prices, numerous houses lost in bets, Lilian and left handed hitters, Balta/Ray Ray against the world and Applebees/Lawrence shared beers with Ozzie Guillen. Fathom's Cubs obsession until 2016/2017. VaFan eternal optimism.

Sure, 70000 posts about the Padres.

Now we are to the point of almost wishing injuries for Rodon (and Madrigal it seems) to prove a point? The better they do, shouldn't that partially be a reflection on the organization? If they all get hurt, why would other teams in the future want to trade for Sox players/prospects? Do you really believe the Giants are so dumb as to be easily fooled by Scott Boras PR stunts?

The Giants would certainly argue otherwise. You can't make emotional decisions about guys like Rodon, Madrigal and Vaughn simply in response to fan sentiment. The White Sox need to be knowledgeable about which players can be asked to do what...

You can do that if they actually pull off the trade for Jose Ramirez (which would actually be celebrated, but then impact the Sox 3-4 years down the line again.)

No, it reminds me too much of a Roller Derby team or the Marvel movie...so I'm holding out and refusing to use it.

If someone else is going to bring it up first, would it be better to make no comment? It's kind of fun to play along with the GM's and anticipate what they are thinking, and God knows the White Sox are unlikely to pull off any blockbuster trades for the next couple of seasons. As a fantasy team owner, I also have to know everything possible about both leagues.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/jose-ramirez-14106/ Ramirez has two years of control remaining. They're going to ask for Abrams, but I think the package would be something like Gore, Weathers and one more piece, maybe Hassell. (Notice this is NOT similar to the Hosmer salary dumping Mets deal, although that could certainly enter into this too with the Indians' payroll being so low, and maybe sending Reyes back to the Padres as well.)

4.9 fWAR. And VaFan gets points I guess for relentless positivity/optimism. I just wonder if the marketing department sent out a daily Sox Brief with his thoughts....if it would boost season ticket sales or actually have the reverse effect? Every new season, there are lots of possibilities, and then 3-5 things we never imagined were possible, such as Yermin in April and the long list of obscure outfielders who had to fill in for Eloy, Robert and Engel. I get the main point, of course, but trying to cover up for the holes in the starting staff, bullpen and especially the defense (hopefully Sheets never plays RF again) isn't going to make things any better by wishing them away. They do have a better defense simply getting Vaughn and Sheets out of RF, that's inarguable...although opponents will definitely test Pollock's arm from the get-go.

Where are the Indians going to get all their offense? That's assuming they don't trade Rosario. Straw, Rosario, Ramirez, and Reyes....then FIVE really below average or bad hitters, at least as currently constituted. Pretty sure Naylor's out again. That said, they have the potential to get a better year out of their starting pitching compared to the Sox, and Clase was lights out but they don't have the pen depth and Karinchak was a disaster the second half and pretty sure he's also hurt.

Guess that prevented his being traded for Manaea...the dreaded, at least for the Sox, lat strain.

Yes, and he still didn’t have the shoulder surgery…so everything’s up in the air due to trade speculation and how Kim/Abrams handle SS offensively the first half. Both are plus defenders.

They already have an All-Star in Cronenworth there. Ramirez should stay at third unless he’s in better shape.

Uribe had a knack for driving in big runs…especially sac flies with a runner on third and less than two outs, but nothing like Crede in the biggest moments. But he definitely ranks up there for the non-star players as well.

Pretty sure that's third catcher Alfaro, who had a monster spring.

Renteria was just experimenting. Rodon had almost no pen experience before then in his entire career, just 2-3 times the last ten days of the season. Plus he wasn’t given a clean inning, either.

That’s just not in the cards now with Leury and Harrison. He needs to prove he can play 3b/1B/DH everyday and remain healthy for a possible trade or Moncada injury.