caulfield12

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/32637496/2021-22-mlb-free-agent-superlatives-player-most-likely https://www.mlb.com/news/free-agent-match-for-each-mlb-team-2021-2022-offseason White Sox: Joc Pederson, OF The White Sox could try Andrew Vaughn and/or Gavin Sheets in right field, but adding a solid bat such as Pederson -- a player the Sox have previously expressed interest in -- would give manager Tony La Russa more options. Pederson’s last great year came in 2019, but he had some big moments during the Braves’ World Series run and brings plenty of postseason experience.

I meant Oakland is shopping Olsen, meaning Vaughn would be exactly the type of player they're looking for. Bassitt and Kemp (two years of control), but there’s no other fit unless it’s another pitcher out of their pen. Canha’s a LF/FA and Piscotty/Andrus their two bad contracts.

But we're also not going to be trading for every single target of interest with Burger, Sheets, Collins, etc. The problem is we don't have much to offer outside of those two headline names and Crochet that would be tremendously enticing. Anyone looking at our roster would find that to be the place of most redundancy.

No, I mean the A's would/could/should be looking to trade Olson and/or Chapman this offseason, so looking for replacements....Chapman's value is at a low point, so they might need to wait for a rebound with him the first half. If I can actually get back Buxton (with a 5-7 year extension in the $110-125 million range) for Vaughn+, I'm happy to do that instead.

In a world where pitchers are getting $40 million contracts...and having just a one-year commitment on the books has a ton of value for many cash-strapped franchises with better/deeper farm systems. Ultimately, that would be what the A's would ask for to begin with. Now would they accept a package around Burger and Collins and maybe one Tier B prospect? Throw in Yermin for good measure, since the A's seem to be able to extract value from nearly any hitter historically. Maybe, probably...?

Other than making sure he's cleared the concussion protocols with no long-term issues....what are we willing to give up for him? Which players would the A's actually be interested in, assuming that everyone's going to be unhappy giving away Vaughn and/or Jimenez. If they trade Olson, Vaughn would seem pretty obvious, Collins or Burger as well. Cespedes has the obvious family connection/s to that franchise, but that might be too much pressure for him. Crochet, as usual, will get brought up, along with guys like Rodriguez, Ramos, Bailey, Krogman.

C'mon Balta, there are pots of gold at the end of some rainbows. Oh ye of little faith. Remember when we led the mighty Tigers for 7/8ths of a season in 2012 on the backs of 13 rookies?

Did we really wait a decade to be this excited about two guys we traded away coming back and Conforto coming off a down season where he's just as likely at his age to want a 1-2 year deal to rebuild some of his lost value at age 29 and go back out into the market? That said, if he doesn't have 4-6 guaranteed years, you have a higher likelihood of getting those really amazing years before he hits his peak and starts the inevitable decline physically. Can honestly live with that while waiting on the two Cubans and perhaps a position change from our young SS if he keeps growing to OF or 2B.

That sounds light and too heavily influenced by the two most recent Japanese outfielders and Kim from Korea…not thinking big enough, which definitely works in favor of the White Sox. Let’s steal him from the Mariners…instead of ceding ground automatically on the Pacific Rim.

Well, already living through 1984 here in China. Maybe you would prefer Murakami novels, Terry Brooks or the Shaara Family (history). This move would be more out of the Danks brothers, Machado and Klay/Trayce Thompson playbook. Kyle’s also available, fwiw. So CERTAINLY two brothers beats a brother in law (Alonso) and cousin (Jay)!!! Plus relocation expenses from Charlotte to Knights’ Stadium/The Wizard’s Castle or whatever, magically cheap. Justin Ryan Seager Status: Released Born: 5/15/1992 in Charlotte, NC Draft: 2013, Seattle Mariners, Round: 12, Overall Pick: 357 College: Charlotte Relationship(s): brother of Kyle Seagerbrother of Corey Seager

Taylor will cost almost as much as Conforto…

Seager Acquire/extend Buxton without sacrificing Jimenez Buying Suzuki, or perhaps Conforto OR Semien (any of those five moves) Along with Scherzer. That would give them 2 of the Top 10 RF arms in professional baseball, when paired w/ with Oscar Colas, who can replace Crochet ultimately from the LH side in the bullpen and as a spot starter/DH ala Ohtani. That could also position the White Sox to go after Ohtani when he comes free as well…having two outfielders he already played with/against. “Not to mention that Suzuki will be coming over at a younger age than both of them (Akiyama/Tsutsugo), heading into what would be his “peak” age of 27 in the states. Ultimately, Seiya Suzuki is a player that every fan of MLB should be excited about coming over. The high floor and potential he has should make him an intriguing piece for GMs to chase heading into next year should he be posted. He's the type of guy every scout dreams about watching progress. As the season ends, we’ll find out officially from him and the team and the suspected bidding war will commence, pending CBA.” https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2021/10/22/seiya-suzuki-a-deep-dive-on-the-next-big-thing-out-of-japan

I would do it for one of Jimenez OR Vaughn and definitely Crochet because his becoming a starter is looking increasingly unlikely...despite the continuing presence of Bummer. And I do believe the White Sox would always prefer the risk of 2+ Buxtons for 1 Seager deal. Of course, it’s far easier to argue spending the money on a Seager or Correa and not giving up any young talent…but the reality is Seager would seemingly be more willing to play anywhere you asked and they’ll need to package all that young talent for pitching. That said, maybe they get a breakthough with Contreras/Vera or even Colas as a two way player to replace Crochet with proper coaching once he reaches North America.

You once argued/asserted that Machado AND Harper were both realistic possibilities, as a combination. It would take Scherzer on a max value deal for just two years, with realistic incentives guaranteeing a third…and being creative with some of the other guys like Jimenez and Moncada as they hit their higher earnings years at the end of those contracts (knowing EXACTLY when to part with them), but they have to show they have the ability to get the big fish and compete with ANYONE to be taken seriously as a first-rate franchise. That was the whole point of the Machado, Harper and Wheeler pursuits, was it not? Even if Albert Belle was signed for the wrong reasons nearly a quarter of a century ago, they have enough veteran contracts that will clear in the next 2-3 years they could still absorb those two deals if they got really creative financially, or prohibitively expensive bullpens. It would mean no more Leury Garcias making $4 million. It would likely mean letting Giolito and Anderson go, which the franchise can overcome with an ALCS or World Series appearance, although my personal belief is they’ll work something out with Anderson and move on from Giolito…because they are much more apprehensive about long-term (meaning over three years) pitching commitments. If we did have Wheeler already, adding Seager would be the logical finishing piece. Unfortunately, they’re still at least two of those impact players away, but there are huge upsides for Jimenez, Vaughn, Kopech, Cease and of course, Luis Robert, who will be the best of them all and could someday challenge Thomas as the best player in franchise history if he remains healthy and fulfills jis bast potential. Signing Scherzer and Seager would demoralize the rest of the Central, and force CLE to deal Ramirez/Bieber and the Twins to start rebuilding. And I’m 100% serious about putting everything into a trade and extension for Buxton if they won’t commit to the money Seager requires. There’s no other logical choice for another future Christian Yelich that can be had for 60-75 cents on the dollar for a long list of reasons I won’t get into because they’re already so well-known. I would not go after Semien or Conforto. For once, they should shop at the very top of the market and let the chips fall where they may.

“$64-70/4 seems pretty realistic (for Conforto).“ Caulfield12 (11/23/21) Seager and Scherzer or bust! Also, Balta will be the one you have to fight with now. I actually think Semien would be a decent enough substitute for Seager, although he’s not left-handed, quite obviously. It’s actually pretty easy to be optimistic if I simply ignore JR/team history, modern trends in analytics, Hahn and TLR. I don’t even need to move to Nashville. It’s simply a matter of changing one’s perspective, not one’s physical latitude and longtitude. I suggest How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Little Prince, The Celestine Prophecy, Mitch Albom, Chicken Soup for the Soul and Siddhartha.

He's actually from Kannapolis, where we have another affiliate. NASCAR promo with Seager's number on a die cast Sox car giveaway should seal the deal, along with trading for middle brother Justin. Friends & Family II.

$64-70/4 seems pretty realistic.

The Japanese Mookie Betts https://sports.yahoo.com/japanese-mookie-betts-seiya-suzuki-050100173.html Get the Iguchi/Takatsu Pipeline started again....bring back the gong, or something more politically correct.

This just puts them in a slightly better position to lose to the White Sox in the 2023-24 ALDS. Seager grew up as a Charlotte Knights fan, anyway.

We are going to strike early and hard, like when we won the offseason with dominoes LaRoche, Robertson and Cabrera falling one after another. Poop will be eliminated by a new scientific process that Elon Musk has yet to conceptualize. On the Metaverse, the White Sox will win every single World Series, to the point where every Millennial will be sporting a Sox cap and rappers will suddenly think the Sox are too bourgeoisie and no longer represent the South Side blue collar, Miller Lite-swilling working class.

There are no holes on this roster, only opportunities for players like Jimenez and Vaughn to fulfill their potential. Since Iglesias and Jansen will get multi-year deals carrying more risk, and nobody trusts Melancon to repeat, we will not only unload all of Kimbrel’s contract but fill one of our five remaining holes in the process. There are many teams like the Blue Jays, Angels, Phillies and Rays who will be able to absorb that $16 million for one season, and/or flip him for additional value if their teams are not competitive at the end of July. And my Shiba Inu already has me as a paper billionaire. I only need to find 2-3 more partners to buy the White Sox and set the minimum yearly payroll at $250 million. Yay, this is fun.

Fine, I’m going to switch over to believing we are actually going to spend $190-200 million. Anyone that suggests “settling” options, I will argue we are not dreaming big enough. That we should be aiming at Seager and Correa, and Conforto is just a rebound/value acquisition for a second tier franchise at roughly $90 million. And that KW is a coward for leaving the Sox when he once promised the White Sox would rule the City of Chicago again. I can’t remember who did that for a month or two, I guess it was the argument we could have Machado AND Harper. Pretty sure that was CWS, wasn’t it? So we can have Seager and Scherzer…because it’s not my money. That’s a lot more fun than Tony Kemp and Jorge Soler…and worrying about dumping Kimbrel for 50-75 cents on the dollar, etc. Dream big or go home. Just win baby, to quote Greg775 and Al Davis. Worry about the financial implications after we win the World Series and start talking about adding onto the stadium again, or building a state of the art facility that is the envy of baseball, or at least better than what Brewers fans get to enjoy in their protected small market. Heck, forget about the Tigers and Indians, putting up notice that the Cubs should be afraid…they have absolutely NOTHING to offer their overcharged fans, and their two remaining attractions in Hendricks and Contreras will likely not last the season in Chicago. Hopefully Balta will also see the light and come out of the darkness. Same with South Side whatever the rest of his name, Thad Bosley, etc. Let’s all jump on the bandwagon of positivity, starting with no longer questioning Tony LaRussa.

It’s easy enough for Sox cynics to claim it’s stubbornness…or trying to get back to even when you lost a huge bet instead of walking away and booking that loss. Maybe it’s the stock market psychology of being stung 5x more by a loss than profits taken. I would have made the exact opposite moves on Rodon and Kimbrel, but we will just have to wait and see how it plays out. As a big believer in what Madrigal was supposed to bring to the team…it’s hard to believe they could have been so far off in their evaluations in him in the clubhouse, as a leader versus a divider, overconfidence or rubbing some in the wrong way (see Adam Eaton), whispers about his overt religious faith annoying some. Obviously, he was a huge success at the college level. It just seems like a massive fail to go from three Top 5 picks contributing to the foundation to possibly none in less than six months if Vaughn is also dealt. However you spin it, that’s a disappointment (no matter how you spin it) without at the very least making it to the ALCS. And maybe it’s related to watching the Padres deal a boatload of young players because Preller got impatient to catch the Dodgers…instead of waiting for that group of France, Mejia, Patino, Urias, Naylor, Renfroe, Quantrill, Gore and Reyes to naturally crest. They got older and more expensive, but not better.

Nobody would take that deal…after the last two months and playoffs. Too much downside, when combined with his erratic Cubs and Red Sox history. Whatever you would value K.Jansen at for one season, Kimbrel would be $3-5 million behind.

You don’t compound the Kimbrel mistake by adding nearly the exact same amount in Segura that Kimbrel was going to require had you actually wanted him on your roster for 2022, which is quite obviously NOT the case. The point of the Madrigals and Vaughns of the world was offsetting the bigger veteran contracts. Now we’re just compounding the problems by creating more holes in the future (2023/24 and beyond) line-ups with veteran placeholders like Segura or Kemp. Meanwhile, we’ve lost $15 million more in payroll flexibility…which almost would have paid for Conforto in the first place. Which is fine at $190-200 million, but not so much at $170-175 million. Despite this article, I think the number of SoxTalk posters willing to bet their house on a $190+ million Opening Day payroll are few and far between. (It would look even more idiotic if they don’t find the right trade partner and they then carry Kimbrel into the season after LaRussa already acknowledged during the playoffs it wasn’t a good fit.)