caulfield12

Joe Crede and Juan Uribe agree wholeheartedly...those guys consistently driving in runners from third and less than 2 outs were just some random lucky dudes.

Signing both of those guys would be almost as shocking as signing Machado...but, at this point, we don't even know what Strasburg will elect to do.

If Puig was acquired by the White Sox, it would be the end of the franchise, clubhouse and chemistry destroyed, etc. Puig goes to Cleveland now with an excellent manager in Francona and crickets. Why is it that we panic about the idea of letting Abreu go...or adding Puig, like Chernobyl will result? Is Renteria really not capable of managing the clubhouse...or is really that fragile/combustible?

If they traded him 12 months ago they would have gotten even more back. Bauer was at peak value then and they held onto him...until his immaturity finally pushed him out when Francona could no longer tolerate the constant distractions. And 33 is old for a pitcher now?

How many times have you watched Reyes in the OF? This is one of those cases where people look at his homer totals and assume he’s an everyday player when he’s not, which is why the Padres kept Renfroe instead. And you’re arguing Puig is getting more playing time this year because he’s...what is your explanation? Finally, Logan Allen will never make it as a member of that rotation...he’s garbage. He wasn’t even in the Top 7-8 in SD for future starting rotation members.

He wouldn’t have been traded this season if he hadn’t thrown that ball over the CF fence at Kauffman in anger. They could just have easily traded Kluber over the last 12 months if that’s the route they wanted to go.

What does Logan Allen have to do with winning anything...he’s not even a Top Ten prospect in SD. Reyes has 68 bats since the trade. Puig has 72. And Puig has been hitting cleanup or out of the 5/6 hole, Reyes usually hits lower in the lineup.

Look at pictures of Tony Gwynn the last twelve months of his life. I’m sure none of them will cite him for “being a real man” right now. I doubt it’s written as an epitaph on his tombstone. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131484795/tony-gwynn#view-photo=133153540 And I’m not exactly sure how jamming all the Big League Chew in until your jaw hurt made you a better person, either.

And yet Francona dumped the Cy Young-caliber Bauer to add Puig (+) to his roster.

If the entire front office is so afraid to put themselves on the line by actually committing themselves and JR’s pocketbook to a SINGLE long-term pitching contract despite this “unprecedented financial flexibility,” then why are they even there? It’s like we are forever haunted by the ghosts of Navarro, Contreras and Danks going bad. And, if that’s REALLY the case, why not do something more innovative like go to all relievers to start games...it’s like we are stuck in Cooper’s 2005-2006 mindset of a rotation comprised of horses when the game has completely changed around him. Cole is the definition of a TOR horse who carries the team, but still too risky. It’s actually quite maddening. I’m still not convinced there’s one capable member of that front office who can pinpoint talent and commit to fighting ceaselessly for such an acquisition. Who? Haber? Hostetler? Fabian? Seems they are much better at talking themselves out of moves or making incorrect assessments of the actual market for a player...then expect us to be shocked along with them when they fail. The only time we actually “won” was KW and Paddy going aggressively after Robert and beating out the Cardinals. One example from a seven year track record, unless you want to cite Robertson/Cabrera/LaRoche as great wins for the FO.

Then how is it possible for HoF manager Terry Francona to deal with him...? He’s “okay” for just a couple of months? Because CLE has been the definition of a playoff contender, and it’s not like they don’t take this character factor into consideration, running off Bauer. They arguably have a similar number of Latin American players on their roster.

Two more RBI’s until we have to hear about Abreu’s RBI total the entire offseason...btw, only need 46 more homers to catch up with opponents this season.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/goes-decision-white-sox-theyve-232012655.html "He's doing fantastic," Hahn said Thursday. "Obviously you've seen the numbers. There are certainly some elements of his game that they're still fine tuning, they're still working on. But he's obviously an extremely talented young man and one that we're very excited to have here for the next several years. "We have made no decisions on the ultimate (September) call-up list or the ultimate timing of the call-up list." "You can't replicate what it's like to be here at the big league level," Renteria said. "One of the things you're doing, first of all, is the emotional effect it makes on you when you get up here. The other is talent and the way talent executes. "You get to see exactly what it's about, and when you go into an offseason, you have a better understanding of what you're preparing to do and where you're preparing to do it. Everybody will get their time when they get here and understand what it's all about." "I think he's still learning some valuable lessons at Triple-A, I do," Hahn said. "There are a few things you can't replicate at the minor league level. "The speed of the game, the preparation, the adjustments, a lot of that has to be learned at the big league level. But currently, as we sit here today on Aug. 22, there is still much that these guys are learning down there. Even being in the pennant race alone, even what they're doing on a nightly basis, the battle to try to get into the postseason is a benefit to them. "Eventually, you balance that, about what they're going to benefit from Chicago versus going through that, and make a decision."

The White Sox have REAL problems if they relent to "fan/online pressure" and bring up Robert and Madrigal now... There is a tangible benefit for them to learn how to win together and experience playoff success, and it's outweighing any possible advantage they would have gained over bringing them up 2-3 weeks ago, so it's all pretty much a moot paint. Except that Hahn really can't claim anything in Robert's development track that would be holding him back now...too many levels in one year, still needs to work on laying off low and away sliders, increase walk rate, etc.

The problem is we still have no inkling if we can rely on Collins in the upcoming season, at the major league level. The future FA catcher offerings the next two years are pretty barren, so it makes it incredibly difficult to know whether to be "all in" on Grandal or not. In all likelihood, they'll think that 1B (Abreu) and catcher (McCann/Collins) and DH (Collins/platoon partner) are "covered" for 2020, and that MIGHT work out, but it's impossible to feel 100% confident about Collins despite his recent minor league tear.

The possibility of a 3 year contract extension with McCann would be a lot better...or an announcement about discussions with Giolito kicking off in the off-season.

Do not believe the pictures on the menu...the hamburgers are shrinking!

I don't even know what the point of a team mouthpiece putting an article like this out would be...as obviously there's no point in bringing either of those two guys up after Charlotte's playoff runs at some point in early September. Collins is another issue altogether.

https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-prospect-luis-robert-in-callups-mix From Merkin “It's not about self-interest or self-preservation or to make anyone individually look good,” Hahn said. “It's about what's best for the long-term health of the organization. “Again, there's a lot that goes into deciding it. At the end of the day, player development is fundamentally a baseball decision about putting a player in the best position to succeed, and that's what will carry the day with any decision to promote a player.” ... Following that line of logic, Robert would benefit from a month of big league play as his fourth level jump this season especially if the White Sox considered themselves potential 2020 postseason contenders. Hahn wouldn’t address the future contention part on Thursday, deferring that talk more to Spring Training after the team’s off-season moves are set. He added Robert still was learning valuable lessons at Triple-A. “Even being in the pennant race alone, even what they're doing on a nightly basis, the battle to try to get into the postseason is a benefit to them,” Hahn said. “Eventually you balance that about what they're going to benefit from Chicago versus going through that and make a decision.” “He's having a terrific season,” White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada said of Robert, with the two playing together during Moncada’s injury rehab. “He's talented and we're all seeing that. I think he's ready. I think he's ready for this level. But he still needs to do the things that the team wants him to do.”

You guys are comparing just the 2018-19 seasons...what's the overall trend for the last 3-4 seasons, once we rule out his rookie campaign, where he looked the part of a future MVP the first half?

Idle threat? Hopefully not the later, not even Ron would be cheered by that in the case of Abreu.

The only thing I would be slightly concerned about with Giolito is how early his TJS was in his career...his was late 2012 and wiped out the 2013 season, which is coming up on 7 years now. I don't know the "normal rate" for a recurrence, but they basically have no choice but to gamble on his health...as opposed to signing someone from outside the organization to even more outlandish dollars in Free Agency.

The rebuild is pretty much doomed if they're THAT far off on their assessments of core players like Vaughn, because we'll in our last two years of Moncada and Giolito at that point. Of course, with Nick Madrigal, the "half season" after the draft has shown itself to be less indicative of overall performance/potential than the follow-up year, fortunately. With an advanced college bat like that Vaughn's supposed to be up in late 2020 or early 2021. That would be following the same accelerated paths as Madrigal and Gordon Beckham before him.

https://theathletic.com/1151459/2019/08/20/rick-renteria-doesnt-give-a-shit-what-you-think-of-his-lineup-not-that-he-should/?source=dailyemail “I have conversations about Timmy hitting second, Eloy hitting fourth,” manager Rick Renteria said. “First of all, I do have conversations with the players. Timmy has been showing a lot better both against lefties and righties. He’s expressed that. He’s actually embracing the idea of possibly hitting second for us here. Why do I say possibly? Because once Yoán (Moncada) returns, maybe I’m thinking about slotting Yoán at the four hole. So I have to do some things to kind of prepare for that particular move. So if people are curious as to why, that’s one of the reasons why. Putting Eloy in the No. 4 hole right now is also because potentially down the road that’s where he can hit. So, I’m giving them and myself a different look.” This is not an unusual amount of variation in lineups. The Cubs have already used 111 different lineups. The Astros were turning heads back in 2015 when they used 151 different setups for their starting nine, exploring a level of team-wide versatility that A.J. Reed later cited as why he fell out of their plans. Pitching coach Don Cooper often talks about trying to build another rotation led by four workhorses like in 2005, but trotting out the same lineup for every game like the Sox did in the playoffs that year looks like the real relic of the past. It’s also not unusual for lineups to be a source of daily angst and confusion for every fan base, and the White Sox certainly are no exemption. Leury García is pretty firmly installed at the leadoff spot, and there has literally only been one game all season that hasn’t seen José Abreu batting third, but the rest has been in a state of flux or constant tweaking.

Baseball teams will almost always add that final player if they are desperate to win a World Series. It doesn’t always work. The A’s in 2014 looked like all their additions would put them over the top, only to lose in that bizarre game to KC. The Yankees and Dodgers are exceptions to the rule, but it’s not like they have been rewarded for it.