caulfield12

And locked in Nola long-term...

Frare has impressed Tony Gwynn’s son.

Ironically, he also came over from the Orioles...either waiver wire or Rule V. Looks like he became a minor league free agent in December.

Rutherford having the game of the day so far...or McCann.

Now this is a starting lineup that Sox fans and their families/loved ones traveling over to Peoria will love...it’s like they’re almost deliberately trying to downplay it by putting out the very worst starting lineup that we’ll see all spring (hopefully).

You mean $3 million too much...?

Now THAT would be quite the story to tell the grandkids, especially sitting here in China at 2:55 a.m. on a Sunday night. Ukrainian troll farms! Hanley Ramirez just signed a minor league deal with the Indians...that would have been another classic Sox move. Maybe turning their own fanbase against the team was Hahn’s brilliant plan all along to unite the team, like in Major League? And hey, it worked in 2005, Everyone was projecting us for 3rd through last place in the division after losing Ordonez, Lee and Jose Valentin. The negative stuff always stands out more," (Kris) Bryant said. "Negativity sells. People want to read that stuff. I think that's why I'm at where I'm at in baseball. I read one thing and it just motivates me, and it [success] just shuts that person up or proves them wrong. I've been doing that my whole life, so bring it on." The same goes for the Cubs, who also enter this season with doubters. Las Vegas oddsmakers project them to have their lowest win total in five seasons. "We see some of these projections," Bryant said. "They are selling us totally short. That's not a good thing to do, because when our backs are against the wall, we turn it on. It's going to be an exciting season."

Well yeah, conventional wisdom is the reason 95% of the baseball world was shocked the Padres signed him. Orel Hershiser couldn’t get over it yesterday. Of course, he’s an NL West “homer” who also believes Harper’s headed to the Giants as well.

Sure. So, according to the article, they’ll be in or out on another Terible Tuesday...take it or leave it. That really makes no sense, unless Harper absolutely is refusing to sign at even $350 million with the Phillies. Where else is he going to go that can afford to guarantee that much money upfront...and will fairly happily give him an opt out after 3-4 years?

Doing ABSOLUTELY nothing would have been 10x better than what they’re trying to sell...whatever umpteenth current plan we’re on if someone could check with KW’s ballyhooed Big Board.

What’s next, bringing Chris Rongey back to condescendingly tolerate and then summarily dismiss meathead pre and post-game callers? Even Tony Robbins would lose patience with how brutal it will be this year.

ESPN now reporting Harper to the Phils nearing a conclusion... http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26067919/contract-talks-bryce-harper-phillies-nearing-conclusion

Brian Harper is still a free agent, and we definitely are going to need catching help at some point this year. Or Ron...just for a promotional giveaway night. Bobbleheads with him playing baseball in a Bulls’ Jersey might draw over 18,000 fans for a Sunday Family Day in midsummer. If he’s too embarrassed, we can always go to Derek as our backup option.

Just putting Epstein and Hahn together in the same article must be infuriating to the Cubs’ front office...at least you know they’re motivated to do something about it. Which means Addison Russell will invariably be added to the Sox roster in the next 12-18 months, because he would be a “name” addition. Since we want to help out the Phillies w/ Harper, why not bail out the Cubs too?

Well, we’re still and always the preferred pillow landing spot for future Hall of Farmers and castoff veterans who were once All-Star players...as long as it’s at least 3-5 years past their prime performing years. Manny Ramirez’s contract to finish out the season with us being one of the prime examples of desperation. Griffey Jr.’s finish to 2008 is pretty much the only one we can look back fondly on, or Tom Seaver’s in the 80’s. Or the marketing gimmicks like Bo and MJ.

50-112 for sure has to get Hahn and/or KW fired, right? No way. What about 49-113? And the only players to actually perform well are the much-maligned veterans...before the trade deadline. Nope, those masterful trades for riff-raff are still giving the front office hope they can compete in 2020 with a combination of premiere FA’s and Top 3 picks in 2019 and 2020.

We’re still bottom five after spending $45 million extra on all the crap stopgap veterans we brought in? Now that’s funny...”well, nobody can call them cheap if they spend, albeit foolishly.” That’s not working out so well. If anything, the perception they spent almost twenty years attempting to counter is the first word that comes to mind, unless one prefers delusional.

And Brandon Guyer...

OTOH, they’d basically be forced to sign one of these two whales or risk losing viability of the franchise to even survive in Chicago...so SOMETHING would have to give in the next 2-3 years, one way or the other. Because of 2005, there’s not nearly the same sense of urgency. They can make $50-75 million in profits without even opening the gates...just based on local and national as well as BAM media rights deals alone.

Has to be the Phillies, Giants/Padres and then the White Sox...if you’re going to buy the story that the Phillies and Sox deliberately underbid because they both were more interested in Harper, well that sorta makes sense (especially if Harper wasn’t signaling a strong interest), but it’s also a risky move on the part of Philly. Simply, the only thing they have that works in their favor is the ability to compete this year and familiarity with the NL East, but that didn’t seem to influence Machado very much. That said, Harper seems to be built a different way, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out. From a White Sox perspective (and the Phillies too), it’s a nightmare scenario if he ends up with the Padres at around $320-330 million...with the Phillies losing with the likely higher bid, and White Sox not bidding at all (if they’re in this they better just keep their damn mouths shut if they come up short, as no good will come of it getting out.) https://www.thegoodphight.com/2019/2/21/18234803/yes-the-phillies-should-pay-bryce-harper Yes, the Phillies SHOULD Pay Bryce Harper

There’s no doubt it’s a huge but calculated risk...especially not knowing exactly what you have on the starting pitching side and not having the ability to outbid the big boys in next year’s FA market for top veteran starters. They already went through 2015/16 and the massive disappointment that turned out to be for all involved.

I think it was even 26-5...that was the May they almost blew it up and A.J. said to wait, they would turn it around. Remember, they were also anticipating the additions of Sale and Viciedo.

Jay and Alonso easily could have been added later...with Alonso totally superfluous and Jay on a non guaranteed deal similar to Santana’s. No need at all just to light $13 million on fire without knowing you had a whale secured first. If that was really the case (thinking it would somehow influence the decision), then why not just go ahead and add Pederson as well, because you weren’t competing this year with either guy but at least you might have created the perception of an enhanced opportunity to compete (especially with Keuchel as well) ?

With his defense alone at 2B, he will be worth 1.5-2.0 alone...that’s if he was just a league average 2B offensively, because his defense is at Gold Glove level already, just not at SS due to arm limitations.

Fowler joined a new group to purchase the Padres that included four heirs to the O’Malley family—who owned the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise for five decades. Kevin and Brian O'Malley are the sons of former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley and grandsons of Walter O'Malley, the owner who moved the Dodgers west from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. Peter and Tom Seidler are the nephews of Peter O’Malley.[4] MLB approved the $800 million sale,[4][5]which completed on August 28, 2012.[6] As much as $200 million of the sale price included the team's 20-percent stake in Fox Sports San Diego, a cable channel that pays the Padres annual fees as part of a $1.2 billion, 20-year agreement.[7] Fowler was named the ownership group's executive chairman and was designated to represent the Padres in all league meetings.[4][8] He became the first locally based control person of the team since founding owner C. Arnholdt Smith.[8]