caulfield12

ISIS got out of Northern Syria with $200 million...they, too, could have had a seat at the proverbial table.

And the odds they’d actually replace him with someone from outside the organization with an actual background in scouting + player development (with a focus on modern analytics)...?

Nope, they’d instead be subjected to Puig and Tatis, Jr., threads...maybe movie commentaries, or attendance figures. I think at the rate you guys are going, the same cursory search for your name would illicit the ongoing debate between you and Fan O Faust over the definition of what it means to be a White Sox fan.

Like everything else with the White Sox these days...we’ll just have to believe it when we actually see it.

Press ss conference is scheduled for this morning... “Manny Machado is a generational talent, and we’re ecstatic that he’s chosen to spend his prime years in a San Diego Padres uniform,” Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and General Partner Peter Seidler said in a statement. “This momentous agreement speaks volumes to the direction of our organization.” ... Machado, who will receive a $20 million signing bonus within the next month and a $10 million base salary in 2019, is expected to play third base for the Padres. A career .282/.335/.487 hitter, it is also anticipated he will provide an impetus for an offense that last year ranked 28th out of 30 teams in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage and 27th in slugging percentage. His 23.2 WAR (wins above replacement) ranks seventh in the majors over the past four seasons and is 12.9 higher than the total WAR of the next-highest Padres player (Eric Hosmer) in that span. Machado, scheduled to make $30 million a year from 2020-28 with the ability to opt out of his contract after five seasons, has played in more games (637) than any other major leaguer and ranks seventh with 142 home runs since the start of the ‘15 season. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-padres-manny-machado-officially-signs-0221-story.html

Think I’d go for a stronger set of words than merely “unintelligent,” at least for this week... The definitions of these slang words appear below the list. 404 – 40-watt club – a few cans short of a six pack – airhead – ass – b4k4 – bimbo – bird-brain – blonde – bonehead – boob – box of rocks – bozo – brick – buckshot – buffoon – butt-munch – celebutard – cheese nug – cherries – chicken hoe – choad – chode – chooch – chowder head – chucklehead – cool guy McGee – crack baby – crack head – DAN – DD – derf – dickhead – dick wad – dildo – dill hole – dim – dimp – dimwit – dingbat – dingus – dink – dipshit – dipstick – ditz – div – dodo – doink – dolt – doofus – dope – dork slap – drongo – dropkick – duck – dumbass – dumb-ass – dumb bunny – dumbfuck – dumb-fuck – dumb-head – eejit – e-tard – e-tarded – fart – fidiot – flid – fool – fuck nut – fucktard – fuckwit – fuckwitt – gimp – git – goober – gorp – gotard – gumby – himbo – hole digger – Homer – ID10T – ID-10-T – idjet – ijit – jerk-nut – jughead – knuckle dragger – knucklehead – knuckle-nuts – lunchin' – lunkhead – melon – mimbo – mo fo – momo – moran – moron – mouth breather – mule head – muppet – mushroom – need a check up from the neck up – nimrod – nincompoop – nitwit – numb nut – numb-nuts – numbskull – nummah – numpt – numptie – numpty – pinhead – plank – plonker – prannock – prole – pud-whack – putz – Quayle – re-re – retaardvark – retard – r-tard – sausage – sherlock – slack-jaw – slack-jawed – slack-jawed lackey – snapperhead – sped – stinkie cheese – stoop – stoopid – stu – stupid – swede – tard – tart monkey – toc – window licker

It’s going to be interesting to see if guys like Avi, Narvaez, Davidson and Kevan Smith can establish themselves with other organizations, particularly the first three guys. And at least we can still claim Flowers and Phegley in our stable of past catchers. That’s four right there.

It might help with the fans a bit if he did change his name to Alsono for this season...

We’re doing it again...drafting all collegiate players at the top of the first round in the hopes that we can quickly push them up to big leagues in order to cover up existing holes we’re unwilling to fix in FA, such as 3B and RF, to name two.

Basabe will be the first outfielder to arrive after Jimenez, with Luis Robert the one they REALLY are hoping for the breakout season out of so he can be less than half a year away at the beginning of 2020...

How can those two both DH if they’re left handed with similar splits? Palka in the minors until they dump Alonso to the first taker? Do we really want to run Engel and Jay out there nearly everyday? Leury? Delmonico’s the only other option, and it was way too early to push Basabe up to the big leagues, even before this recent injury. Zavala could play some LF as well, but he’s gone when Jimenez comes up.

Yonder Alonso had a 709 ops overall after the All Star Break. Palka was over 100 points higher at 812. Alonso would have fit in with Juan Pierre and Darin Erstad in Ozzie’s stable of veteran leaders, though...

That was fine as an operating philosophy...back in 2005. Because that paid for Buehrle, Garcia, Garland and Contreras, more or less.

Since they won’t or are simply unable to sign any premiere free agents, what choice do they really have?

They’re not even close to competing with the Indians or even the Twins at this stage...let alone the real big dogs.

Except the problem with that is so much of the core will be nearing the last years of their contracts from 2021-23 that they’ll simply be in a perpetual state of rebuilding like the A’s or Rays...

Now they’re trying to say it wasn’t just $320 million...that this number was $30 million too low, hahahahah! Attacks that the White Sox were being "cheap" in their pursuit of Machado are simply wrong. If reports are accurate, they committed to paying Machado $350 million over the course of 10 years. Now, there are obvious differences in the offers reportedly made by the Padres and White Sox, and if Machado shows up to Padres camp in Peoria, Arizona, in the coming days and breaks his leg, he'll be $50 million richer than he would've been had he signed with the White Sox. But is also important to note that the White Sox reported offer allowed Machado to bet on himself and potentially earn $50 million more than he is set to make in San Diego over the course of the next decade. ... "A year from now, we will be in a better position to know more about our own guys and know more about what's available and where specific needs may lie and what specific needs we may have addressed. When we have that knowledge, that's where this money is going to go," Hahn said. "It's going to serve us well in the long term to have this economic flexibility and this economic might to make ourselves better. "We saw an opportunity now to potentially fit in for the long term. Didn't work, but does not change the fact we are going to take advantage of those opportunities again when they arise in the coming years." None of that, of course, is likely to soothe the tempers of fans still reacting to this free-agent defeat. And none of it has to. Fans are allowed to be mad, and they'll likely carry the idea that the White Sox won't spend until they're proven wrong. And Hahn recognizes that. He said as much back at SoxFest. "If for whatever reason we fail to convert this time around, perhaps that narrative will exist for another year," he said, "but we look forward to proving that one false like we have the others." Unfortunately, that remains an item on the to-do list. Calling total BS on this one. https://sports.yahoo.com/rick-hahn-understands-white-sox-193354131.html

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/wouldnt-happened-pumas-now-imperative-nike-land-zion-williamson-220838131.html 'You would think Nike has to sign him' – How Zion Williamson's shoe fiasco could be a boon for him

Positing the theory that such a such a player would be an excellent "flip" candidate...maybe not 2013, because we were coming off the 2012 season where we led the division for much of the season, but definitely 2014 and beyond (even if we "pretended" to be competing, it was just a half-assed attempt, highlighted by players like Samardzija and Frazier.)

In fact, Harper is one of 26 players since 1990 that have put up at least 25 WAR through their first 7 seasons up until age 26. Were they all generational players? Would you hand any one of them a $400M/10 year contract? Before answering you should know that you’d be handing out that contract to Nomar Garciaparra, Scott Rolen, Eric Chavez, GRADY SIZEMORE, David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen, and Jayson Heyward. How would you feel if you absolutely shattered the record for biggest contract to one of those guys? Not too smart, huh? Bryce Harper ranks 20thon that list for batting average (bottom third), 14thfor slugging percentage, 3rdfor most strike outs, 14thfor ground into double plays, and 17thin WAR. And if you look at some of the names on that list, Sizemore, Tulo, Wright for example, there’s no telling what the future holds and allocating as much as 20% of the current luxury tax threshold on one player really isn’t that good of an idea on what seems to be a huge risk. Sure Harper could be right behind Mike Schmidt as the next best position player in the history of the Phillies but he’s nowhere near that as it stands. And Michael Jack had the benefit of being able to - year in and year out- play a Gold Glove caliber defense and that’s worth something There are some who say that the money doesn’t mean anything – that bringing in a player like Harper will more than cover itself in ticket sales, merchandise, and other ancillary revenue streams. But what if he continues his course of not reaching perceived potential? No one’s buying Grady Sizemore jerseys the last six years and you’d be hard pressed to find an Eric Chavez jersey in anyone’s collection – not even Eric Chavez’s. And if Harper hits .249 and strike’s out 169 times like he did last year while making $40M people are going to be buying those jerseys just to burn in effigy. Maybe if they sold some Bryce Harper branded lighter fluid too? At $1M per can they could close the deficit of a “bust-case” Harper in no time. https://www.thegoodphight.com/2019/2/21/18234310/phillies-bryce-harper-worth-40-million-generational-player Harper is NOT worth $400M However, it’s easy to downplay his career so far by saying he’s 6th on this list, 19th on this other list, on par with this guy here, equal with this guy there. But how many of these other players show up strong in ALL of these categories at all? The way I see it, Harper hits home runs like Jay Bruce, hits for average like Realmuto, walks like Jose Bautista, steals bases like Brandon Phillips, and strikes out like Ozuna. Sounds much better when framed that way. Harper is worth $30+ M a year because he does many things very good to great. Generational? That remains to be seen. Still quite early in his most productive years. We would all take Trout over Harper if we are talking generational talent, but that’s not the decision here. I’m just afraid the Phillies aren’t willing to go all the way with building a contender, and are going to walk away. If we don’t get Harper, and miss the playoffs by 5 games, it will be the worst half-measure taken by this organization since 2009-10, when Amaro inexplicably traded Cliff Lee. I swear we would have won the pennant that year if that doesn’t happen.

They've got so much invested in proving they've made some good calls in Latin America...I hope he gets his opportunity, and it's legitimate, like Delmonico and Palka have enjoyed. Not 100-150 at-bats, but at least 350-400. Of course the problem here is we're talking either 2020 or 2021, and fans are going to expect those teams to compete. That's a lot of pressure with no Machado/Harper to shoulder some of the load. It's really going to be incumbent on guys like Anderson, Moncada and Jimenez to be the leaders, with Madrigal/Roberts/Collins all following close behind.

Asia/Pacific Rim Correspondent... NOTHING TO REPORT. White Sox will never sign another player from this region unless someone sends KW some random videotape of a JPL middle infielder.

We completely rename the franchise after our move to Harper's Ferry, star player is elated to be the only player in history with his name as part of the team name...Civil War buffs and coal miners from across the country trek there to attend games and answer trivia questions between innings, record profits boom. The Harper's Ferry Frosty's, with Wendy's as the sponsor. Bryce hits for the cycle and every single attendee at the game (with validated ticket) wins a free regular-size Frosty for life (with purchase of additional item of $2.99 value or higher.)

Might as well try the Braves/Mets/Nets (threatening shorter term deals) again and conjure up some crazy case for the Marlins/Jeter making a huge splash to "show they're back," even. What's to lose?

We've been saying this EVERY SINGLE YEAR SINCE 2013... How many really good returns have we got from these reclamation projects...Kahnle and Swarzak seem like the only two who actually panned out for us in recent years. Matt Albers gave us a decent 2-3 months, he's actually done surprisingly well since leaving the Sox...he was really out of shape when he was on our roster.