caulfield12

It's better to be realistic/pragmatic as a White Sox fan than to be hopelessly optimistic and have your heart torn out again and again. If you were a Sox fan in the 1970's and 1980's, this feeling would be quite easy to identify with.

But at least we have "smart" money, lol. Of course, the odds are probably 2 out of 3 that the Phillies will EVENTUALLY regret such a move, but for the first 2-3 years, their fans will be walking around on Cloud 9.

If the Phillies get BOTH Harper and Machado...that's going to be nearly impossible to explain to Sox fans. It would make sense to both players, though, as long as they maximized their total contract dollars. The Phillies would suddenly go from 3rd place to favorites for 1st. Harper would still be THE man. Not sure how happy Manny would be to play second fiddle. It is a bit strange that they're not first making an offer to Harper...maybe they already have? That was also supposed to happen this week, sometime.

But by this same argument, we should have traded good prospects to bring Machado or Arenado onto the roster the year before they hit free agency? (More of Hahn's "outside the box" thinking, I guess...) Other than Freddy Garcia (due to Ozzie's family connection), when has such an acquisition ever resulted in a player passing up FA before going out onto the open market? You can't argue the odds aren't at least a bit HIGHER of keeping/extending him had he actually been on the 2019 roster?

And Davidson...

Actually, I don't think that will happen...not right away. A lot will tune out until the last couple of weeks of spring training. It's just going to seep into conversations once the season starts. For example, if someone starts speculating we can STILL successfully sign TWO whales next off-season, and everyone will roll their eyes or say we'll be lucky to get just one. Then there will another thread about all the potential connections to said player, and who we can bring on board to influence the negotiations. More eye rolling, and not the WSD trademark kind. Maybe some comments about how the Reinsdorf's preserved their wealth, that's easy to get behind for fans.

Whatever the final terms on Machado or Harper, few will argue it was prohibitively expensive for the Sox. (Maybe it's easier to cheer for the Cardinals, their fans are conditioned to not spending but also winning baseball more often than not.) It would of course be so Sox for the rebuild to actually work but 50% are still holding a grudge over the fact that they won't or wouldn't add a player to get them over the top.

If you could get Harper for $350 million or Machado for $300 million...taking Harper would be the best choice for this particular franchise at this point in time.

Still think the 4 year opt out is the magic number. Are there any similar contracts that are at 5 and not either 3 or 4...? Can’t think of any, but from the position we find ourselves in as a franchise, five is probably expecting too much of a risk to the player unless we remove all doubts with boatloads of money.

The longer this goes on, the more it seems that giving a record-breaking deal to Harper would have been the better play. Probably just buyer’s remorse. And we’re so conditioned to not getting the big name...last night, it felt like it was close to getting done, that’s already been the case at least twice in the last 2-3 weeks. It’s fairly easy to start talking yourself into “what could go wrong?” Just wonder if we put ourselves too much in the Machado camp, rather than equally going with Harper (Phillies), and whether that “favoritism” and arranging the roster on his behalf will make any difference if they’re still unwilling to go to $300 million? Of course, if the entire approach was to win a lowball battle under the impossible to predict (two months ago) field of limited suitors, the front office might be better off in Las Vegas...because failing with that type approach is going to be a PR disaster. Which is kind of why it doesn’t make much sense to think it wouldn’t eventually come down to the highest bidder all along.

Harper appears to be the fan favorite. He would be the guy that would generate the most interest, encourage the most season ticket sales, and sell the most shirseys. And while Machado might be a purer “baseball fit,” in that he’s a superior defender at third base than Harper is in the outfield, Harper’s defense has taken unnecessary lashings, and his clubhouse attitude and brashness may be more what the team needs. https://www.thegoodphight.com/2019/1/14/18182271/hittin-season-248-the-phillies-are-the-leading-contender-to-land-bryce-harper

Cease doesn’t try to throw every FB at 98-101. He’s much more comfortable at 95-97.

Robert, if he’s half the prospect all of MLB projected, should be second half of 2020. He already possesses all the physical tools. It’s the mental part of the game and staying injury free. But Basabe will get the first shot at CF or RF.

Except you’ve got six outfielders for just two spots...not to mention the possibility of Moncada or Anderson. Even if you pencil in Lopez, Cease and Kopech for 2020... and Rodon just for this exercise’s sake, you’re short at least 1-2 starters due to injuries and non-performance. Dunning is still iffy until proven otherwise, and Hansen has seriously regressed. (And Rodon’s gone after 2021, so needs to be replaced regardless.) If another Casey Mizes rises to the top, AND we get either Machado or Harper, they’re likely to go college pitching unless Adley’s somehow available.

If they can’t get Harper, and they should already have a sense of this, the Phillies will undoubtedly give Machado at least $25 million more than the White Sox current offer...if not more. Then the White Sox would have to decide if they were willing to ultimately commit to $275-300 million.

Okay. Well Lozano isn’t going to strike a deal without a single formal offer from the Phillies first. That makes no sense. Even if they have signed Harper, they’ll make an offer...which will be more attractive to Machado’s camp no matter what if Bryce Harper is already on board.

Yes, it was written a week ago...which means the Phillies made their second and first real offer to Machado last Thursday or Friday before they flew to Las Vegas Saturday morning. The first was more setting the general framework for a deal.

As soon as we’re in the same zip code starting pitching-wise, then we can talk. The Indians have the most wins of any American League team from 2013-2018.

KW and JR would never approve it. Fired on the spot.

So the Phillies have now made two offers to Machado and none (yet) to Harper? Before the Philadelphia Phillies contingent of Andy MacPhail, Matt Klentak, Gabe Kapler and John Middleton travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend to meet with Bryce Harper and his agent, the club will reportedly amp up its offer to fellow superstar free agent, Manny Machado. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, the Phillies "remain primarily interested" in Machado, and are expected to make him a second offer to him this week, on top of their already submitted "preliminary offer." Salisbury noted that the Phillies have yet to make Harper an offer, and it is "unclear" if they ever will. And although Middleton has said the Phillies cold spend "stupid money" this offseason, Salisbury added it "remains unlikely" the Phillies would sign both Harper and Machado. https://www.sportstalkphilly.com/2019/01/report-phillies-to-make-2nd-offer-to-machado.html

Who the heck is this John Waijo guy? White Sox. Bears. Predators. Trying to be a Bulls fan. Friend of Michael. Graced reporter. Gambling expert. 456 followers. https://2005thesock.wordpress.com/ Has a White Sox podcast at that website. Started a Twitter account November, 2018. Has his own who the hell is this guy reddit thread.

Vice was GOOD, not great. Bale really did a good job with the Cheney role (especially the 2000 to present time period). In the effort to explore both sides and be objective, I think they end up muddling the message of the picture, which is that what Cheney did while in office (especially under GW Bush) was extraordinary and basically evil. By softening the message by focusing the family's struggles with their daughter's lesbianism and the resulting controversy within the Republican Party, they make the film more well-rounded, but it's almost as if they were afraid to offend anyone on either side of the political aisle...so it comes off with just as much "admiration" as outrage. That's all fine and good, but this unwillingness to take a position (and even to make fun of the Cheney group divvying up the world like they're making dessert choices at a Michelin 2-star restaurant) left the ultimate ending as...well, almost sympathetic, because of all his heart problems, many that were self-induced. Amy Adams was also good...Carell was so so as Rumsfield, I think Rockwell did a great impression of GW Bush, but didn't quite inhabit the character (he's only in the film for 10-12 minutes total).

The White Sox, reportedly, have still not made an offer to Harper, who they've been in on much of the offseason. If the Phillies are the "clear-cut favorite" for Harper, as Nightengale described them, then is there still a chance they can sign Machado, too? Well, yes. While acquiring both 26-year-old superstars would seem even out of the price range of the "spend stupid" Phillies, they appear to have the desire to get it done, especially if they get creative with shorter deals. But that's where an eight-year, $250 million contract offer could come in handy. Passan suggests that this offer from the White Sox could merely be a step in the bidding process for Machado, with the deal eventually getting pushed to the decade-long status many believed it would take to land either of these free agents at the beginning of the offseason. The White Sox had been previously reported to not want to go past seven years in their offers to either Machado or Harper. But now here we stand. As for when Machado's decision might happen, it was reported that it could come as quickly as the middle of this week. But with a potentially new status quo after Harper's face-to-face meeting with the Phillies, who knows? It's long been speculated that these sagas could stretch into February, and while the White Sox are still in on Harper — having met with him twice in Vegas, according to reports — if they haven't even made him an offer yet, that could signal that the process is far from over. Or it could signal they're not as much in on Harper as the Phillies are. Passan reported Sunday night that there is a mysterious third team in on Machado, as well, but it seems a possibility that only a few outcomes remain. Nightengale forecasted Harper going to Philly and Machado going to the South Side. Perhaps the two join forces in Philly. How will it end? When will it end? https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/author/vinnie-duber

https://www.nj.com/sports/2019/01/cc-sabathia-why-i-hope-yankees-sign-manny-machado.html C.C. Sabathia on Manny Machado

https://sports.yahoo.com/will-bryce-harper-manny-machado-gets-10-year-deals-depends-ask-005226939.html https://www.ibtimes.com/mlb-rumors-phillies-bryce-harper-contract-coming-manny-machado-interest-remains-2751791 While Machado has an offer on the table from the Phillies, it still remains unclear if they made Harper an official offer on Saturday. But according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, an offer will soon be made as the Philadelphia franchise are now the clear-cut favorites to land the right-fielder over the Washington Nationals, who are the only team to thus far make an offer. Phillies owner Middleton has previously revealed that his team could spend a "stupid" amount of money this offseason to land their preferred targets and he seemed to be quite enamored with Harper after Saturday’s meeting. But he indicated that this meeting was all about getting to know each other rather than discussing terms of a potential deal. "We got to understand the man," Middleton told 6ABC about Harper, as quoted on MLB.com. "We got to understand what he'd be like in the dugout, the clubhouse and the community. He and his wife are really an impressive young couple." "It was really impressive to spend some time with him, get to know him better, answer his questions, and we got to ask some questions, learn about him, and I think that's a really important step in any negotiation is kind of understanding what the other party is looking for. And now we'll see where it takes us," general manager Klentak added.