caulfield12

This makes a lot of sense. Boras, if nothing else, is going to want to be responsible for the biggest contract in the history of the game. That likely doesn't matter AS much to Lozano.

If nothing else, we can save this thread title for when Avengers 4 actually arrives in theatres...coming April 26th, 2019.

Do they have a class now at journalism school about "teasing the news on social media without actually saying anything particularly germane/meaningful/constructive"?

In other news, it's generally advisable to "buy low, sell high."

Are Sox fans better off (if we somehow don't sign either guy) for having once again gotten our hopes up and actually conceptualized a world in which we could believe these signings might take place....or the front office having said nothing publicly and kept it all a secret, for fear of the backlash if everything went to hell? The problem we're likely to have NEXT off-season is the fact we're almost going to have to add at least a #2 starter on the free agent or trade market...which means they would have to focus like a laser-beam on Arenado or Rendon, with the likelihood that at least one of them won't even be available at this time next year. As much as we say we should avoid an overpay here for a guy who might be a #5-10 talent in MLB (as opposed to A-Rod when he went to the Rangers)...isn't it going to be even more difficult not to overpay next year when there's only one really legit 3B on the market? I guess Sox fans will survive this, we've already survived a century, after all...but Harper to the Cubs would be the ultimate gut-punch.

Rick Hahn: Meet a situation known as "backed into a corner" Aka, poop or get off the pot.

"Article"? This ought be good.

Followed up by the White Sox signing Sale and his labrum or elbow falling off.

Let's not get in the national news for creepy misogynistic commentary...actually, that's probably the best element of the first two movies. Maybe the battleoff in what seemed like an abandoned swimming pool.

She makes up for it in Bumblebee, Hailee Stanfield, that is. Or Haylai if she was in Mozart in the Jungle.

At least this is a distraction from all the chaos in the country/world these days, so there’s that. And nearly everyone’s going to be completely burned out by the time this is all over if it drags into late January somehow. Poor AJ Pollock has completely disappeared from the map while this is playing out.

Braves, maybe?

https://sports.yahoo.com/carlos-beltran-part-yankees-pitch-manny-machado-150609574.html Seems most Yankees fans want to keep Andujar and just a few even want Machado...

Yes, the bullpen has to be Priority A, B and C for the Cubs right now.

Especially because of Lester's decline (albeit not HUGE) and Quintana's inconsistency last year...and the overwhelming uncertainty about Darvish's status from week to week, month to month, year to year.

The Cubs can't trade Russell now, and that leaves them with Almora/Schwarber/Happ that have various degrees of value. Another factor is they will eventually lose Zobrist, or he'll fall off a cliff, and Happ's the only one who can replicate what Zobrist does, other than Baez (who'll they obviously try to extend.) Their ability to add Harper and keep Rizzo (50/50), Bryant, Baez AND Contreras (although odds are he won't be worth a long-term extension because of the wear and tear on catchers) are pretty much non-existent. That's not even considering Hendricks or Q, if he can rebound. Unless the Cubs are going to get $200 million per year from their t.v. deal, then it's still at least POSSIBLE. Not wise, given all the issues with Darvish/Chatwood/Heyward and their bullpen.

Great, the fact they have their own t.v. show dedicated to his visit makes a pretty compelling case for the Yankees, if the financials are even close to being in the same neighborhood. Hard to resist being part of that Red Sox/Yankees rivalry that seemingly always results in 4 1/2 hour broadcasts, right?

I thought originally it was about Cuban companies buying signs/advertising behind the plate that would be visible during broadcasts...but most international broadcasts are already selling that space and juxtaposing local ads over what you actually see in the US or on t.v. So NOW we don’t need Machado or Harper anymore, just sign ALL the Cubans. Joking. But I’m sure we will hear that out of the front office if they fail to come through.

3. Chicago White Sox They're the other team that got the private tour of the SS Machado, and for the same reasons they'd be a great fit for Harper, they make a ton of sense for Machado. There has been much talk of the White Sox trading for Yonder Alonso, Machado's brother-in-law, being an enticement for Machado, but I don't know, you tell me: After last Thanksgiving, did you think, "Hey, I'd like to spend all year with those people?" Machado could be the veteran presence for all those young White Sox hitters -- which is a positive or a negative, depending on your perspective -- and they could essentially grow up around him as their centerpiece. The White Sox might not be as high profile as Machado might like, but they were more than good enough for Michael freaking Jordan, for crying out loud. The White Sox are the most fascinating team to be in on both Machado and Harper, and with all that talent in the system, they could be primed to dominate that division for the next five years … with or without Machado https://www.mlb.com/news/ranking-manny-machados-best-suitors/c-301982248 Has NYY and Philly ahead of Sox, of course...

Their partner is Sinclair and the channel will be called Marquee, according to the Sun-Times. Levine reported no Cubs-Sinclair deal is in place but said industry sources indicated Sinclair was a leading candidate to team with the ballclub. Sinclair is a partner in Stadium, Reinsdorf’s multi-platform sports outlet based at the United Center. Its holdings also include Tennis Channel. While Sinclair owns and/or operates 193 TV stations around the country, it’s probably best known in Chicago for its proposed $3.9 billion merger with WGN-9 and WGN-AM 720 parent Tribune Media. (It’s worth noting Tribune Publishing, not Tribune Media, is this newspaper’s owner.) The Tribune Media deal fell apart earlier this year in the face of federal regulatory hurdles, despite Sinclair’s strong support of the Trump administration and its policies. But that shouldn’t be a problem for the Cubs or their owners. The challenge faced by the Cubs — and to a degree the Sox, Bulls and Hawks — will be to sell the public on their channel because it’s consumers who are needed to make the add-on a must-buy commodity for cable systems as well as advertisers. No matter how energized and undyingly loyal a fan base is, people aren’t necessarily eager to spend more for TV or streaming than they already are. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-spt-cubs-sinclair-broadcast-group-nbc-sports-chicago-20181219-story.html

On business...love how you provided that additional explanation.

$200 million per season would be nuts for the Cubs. That would be nearly double or triple even some of the top teams in baseball. What was the Dodgers, something like $7-8 billion for 25 years? At any rate, they could definitely (and easily) sign Harper and have lots of money left to spare.

The other option is just to sign up for MLB.TV through your laptop/tablet/Ipad, but then you could still be blocked depending on your geographic location? VPN maybe?

There is no collusion with Vinny's Beverage Depot, oops...wrong thread. Btw, where's Natasha?

If you look at the return for guys like Swarzak, MiGo, Albers, etc., unless he's the kind of reliever who can pitch effectively at any point in the game (see Jordan Hicks) and is bringing 97+ heat, the market for serviceable innings eaters is just not what it used to be. Of course, there is value, look at the contract that Ivan Nova has, although he wasn't originally signed with the idea he was a 4/5 back-end guy. We have a ton of minor league relievers with upside spread out from High A to AAA, this swing man role is probably one that we should look at all the internal options (guys like Covey and Fulmer) and exhaust those before looking outside the organization. I wanted Joe Kelly, but that was turning him back into a starter...and putting him back in the pen if that failed.