caulfield12

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 05:25 PM) White Sox don't need a lineup full of elite hitters. They need one elite hitter (Abreu), three good hitters (Eaton, Fowler, Frazier/Melky) combined with a lineup of league average and one or two slightly below average hitters to have an average offense overall. A team with a league average offense and very good pitching and defense absolutely can compete for a playoff spot. They already have very good pitching and with a few tweaks it can be great. They have average defense and with a few tweaks (most notably C and CF) they can have very good defense. The problem is if you overpay for Fowler and end up with the 2-2.5 war player rather than the 4....he's fallen off quite a bit the last couple of months, isn't close to an elite defender in CF and isn't getting any younger. That 2.5 doesn't get you anywhere...not unless you can boost production at multiple positions. And there's just no way they shell out for both Wieters and Fowler. If there was the will to do that, why didn't it happen last offseason instead of diving into 3rd tier (and beyond) guys?

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 04:58 PM) A guy with a wRC+ of 100 is not an adequate #6 hitter when you only have one elite hitter in your lineup. And you want to commit to this guy as your DH/1B for the next three years? Signing B & C free agents are why we're in this mess in the first place because they have limited room to decline and remain productive players. Look at Melky Cabrera for example, he's dropped off slighty with the bat and suddenly he's a sub 2 WAR player. Mitch Moreland is only a league average hitter today, so doesn't take much of a fall-off for him to become a below a negative overall contributor. He is simply not the answer at DH, no matter how bad Avi has been this year. We need much more significant upgrade at that spot if we're serious about competing next year. Someone like Edwin Encarcion would make sense. Problem is his market will be crazy and we probably don't have the money to get a player like him. Can't keep signing Moreland type free agents and expecting a different result. The fact that nobody claimed Cabrera on waivers is all you need to know. Puig didn't even make it out of the bottom of NL, with all his warts. He's the definition of a glue or complementary player on a really good team, but he should be your 6th or 7th best hitter, not second or third. And Encarnacion alone won't do more than put you in the proverbial mix for the second wild card. They're not going to shell out $75-80 million for maybe. Especially because it would be the biggest contract in team history at a time where they're more likely to be unloading guys like Cabrera, Frazier and Robertson.

Don't Breathe was surprisingly good...especially for that genre.

Tigers have easiest schedule and Tillman out for Balt. Still could tip towards the Astros. Their offense is heating up, and Gurriel hasn't hit his stride yet after all the downtime.

QUOTE (JenksIsMyHero @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 03:33 PM) Yeah and I wouldn't mind that. How much of China's economy do we account for? It's time to start exerting some pressure on them to kick NK into gear. Less than Europe. Something like 20-25%. If they really wanted to go after China on human rights/treatment of Xinjiang Muslim separatists, everyone whiffed in Hangzhou. The South China Sea is a different story...even India is becoming proactive and aggressive in the face of Chinese expansionism, especially the New Silk Road project and port building on the doorstep of India. Not to mention the new AIIB bank China formed to compete with the West. Chinese leadership is much more concerned about consolidating power inside of China and their expansion plans (which pump money into the GDP) than anything North Korea is doing.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 12:10 PM) A whole bunch of journalists have been murdered over there, and 90% of the cases are "unsolved" Speaking of state-controlled media, Donald Trump was talking with Larry King on RT America yesterday. Didn't know Larry had fallen that far. And his 7th or 8th wife in her early 50s recently cheated on him...considering yet another divorce. Probably needs the money. Almost want to say poor guy, but bybthis point, hecshould have learned his lesson.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 03:12 PM) Look, this whole mob mentality about grabbing guys who are down is silly. Just because it doesn't always work, doesn't mean it never works. Miguel Gonzalez is proof of this. The Tigers got JD Martinez this way. Jose Bautista was passed around more times than a cheap hooker. It doesn't mean it is 100%, or fool proof, but you don't just quit a line of potential talent. Yes....DeAza, Quentin, Jenks, Santos, Humber, Crain, etc. They just haven't done it enough or nearly well enough recently. Doesn't mean it's invalid as a strategy just because you're failing to execute. Guys like Trumbo, Segura, Desmond and Fowler were all out there for the taking, particularly the first three. Napoli as well. Insert his numbers instead of Avi, and it makes a big difference with that offense. It's the same way we ended up with Jennings, Putnam and Albers. In the bullpen, they've really had no choice. Kahnle and Ynoa as well. Our own homegrown players haven't gotten the job done, guys like Beck and Danish. Fulmer didn't pitch well enough to make him worth keeping up as reliever, either.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 11:34 AM) There's no doubt that Cleveland is a force to be reckoned with but they will still have some difficult decisions to make this offseason - resign Napoli and Davis? extend Santana or let him walk after next season? will Brantley make a full recovery from season ending surgery? can youngsters Tyler Naquin and Jose Ramirez continue performing at this high of a level? will Yan Gomes learn to hit again? They will most certainly enter next season as the division favorite but they are far from invincible. Consider this: the White Sox have a better, albeit slight, non-divisional record than the Indians. That just goes to show how poorly the White Sox have played within the division and how well the Indians have played within it but is this solely due to superior talent? If so, then why do the White Sox have a better record outside the division (43-37 vs. 45-41)? I still contend that filling the well-known gaping holes in this 25-man roster with average to above average talent (second-tier FA if you will) combined with changes within the organization (i.e. coaching, advanced scouting, etc) results in a team with the ability to contend for the playoffs next year. They don't need a top 5 offense to contend, league average will suffice, as long as they have a top 5 pitching staff and defense, which they are more than capable of. One final thought: Our fifth starter this season has a combined W-L record of 3-15 and an ERA of 7.77. So yes, the two starting pitchers that I have suggested as #5 starter candidates Edinson Volquez (10-10, 5.02 ERA) and Doug Fister (12-11, 4.14 ERA) would be MASSIVE upgrades from what they have gotten out of that spot this season. By massive, I mean 6 or 7 wins better just by replacing that one spot in the rotation with an average pitcher while keeping all else equal. Davis isn't that important...they also have Chisenhall and Almonte and another outfield prospect in the high minors. They keep Santana, as their payroll was close to $90 million and they're also freed from Swisher/Bourn/Johnson to a large extent. Naquin and the underrated Guyer have actually been two of their better players, and there's nothing to stop them from going after Wieters or Ramos. Lindor continues to be one of the most underrated players in baseball, they've got all that pitching and Miller now as well to complement the back end. As you mentioned, there are a number of veterans guys out there who can put up Napoli's 109 line. We can do this with every team. Detroit will have a healthier Zimmerman and Daniel Norris for the full season. Boyd's had a full season of experience to get his feet wet. JD Martinez missed half the year and Upton has been the player they seemingly overpaid the last month, going on one of his typical home run binges. This has also been without Chisenhall, who has had a breakout year. A large part of that AL Central record is the White Sox against Minnesota early in the year....strip that away and it looks more typical, and the Twins are a much more competitive team offensively the last 6-8 weeks. They've been horrific with risp and that type of stat tends to even out year to year. The Royals would be tied or one game back in the wild card hunt if not for Soria doing his own version of Matt Albers and Lorenzo Cain being out of the line-up. They've absorbed 4-5 terrible losses in the last ten days....but still have an outside shot without Hochevar, Cain, Moustakas, etc. Gordon missed half the year and has underperformed when healthy, Davis was hurt for a month when they went 7-19, Perez has been banged up and Chris Young/Medlen compare with the back end of the Sox rotation. Next year they will be all in again and will be forced to go for it unless they plan on selling off half their roster early...not to mention they have more financial resources now, they've developed Cuthbert and Strahm and they're definitely going to be aggressive about fixing their pitching issues. All things considered, the White Sox are not in an enviable position. Two teams more desperate to be all in with Detroit and KC, the Indians and the Twins have been better than the Sox the last two months and are getting steadier contributions from Buxton, Dozier, Kepler and Sano. Berrios comes around and they start becoming dangerous.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 08:29 AM) Don't forget future middle of the rotation starter Nestor Molina! Check out these Kenny quotes from 2011. In his eyes they already tried "rebuilding" back in 2011-2012: http://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id...s-nestor-molina I think this is the same type of "rebuilding" that can be expected this offseason, which is why I predict their first move is to trade David Robertson. Well, they hit 2/3 in the Cuban market...Alexei and Abreu vs. Viciedo.

Look at the list of FA left-handed hitters. There are more question marks than hitters you could reliably count on. Alvarez, Beltran, Bruce, Moreland, Saunders, Moss, Rasmus... http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/03/2016...ree-agents.html Votto, Blackmon, CarGo....all would cost Fulmer at a minimum.

Just saying we had some Seager, DeLeon/Urias, Pederson for Sale trade proposals a year ago that were being thrown out at SoxTalk. A lot can change in the course of less than a year. Which is why underlying this whole blockbuster trade idea is the inherent fear one of the Big 3 pitchers will go down with an injury and abort the whole process...and/or force the trading of the other two for less than fair value.

QUOTE (shipps @ Sep 9, 2016 -> 07:31 AM) To be fair I am certain they read some of our trade talk here involving them and thinks its hilarious too. I don't think they would trade Seager straight up for Sale right now...

http://dawindycity.com/2015/06/10/cubs-sta...happ-selection/ http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/sha...plications-cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/pas...&yptr=yahoo It's interesting the Cubs and White Sox have almost opposite philosophies. The Cubs under Epstein have always believed everyday position players are safer bets than pitching phenoms because of the additional injury risk (as well as the belief they make more impact over a full season)...and, finally, that they could trade their excess depth for pitching when the time came.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/sale-it...consider-trade/ Sox might be targeting young starting pitchers and relievers for Sale...

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Sep 8, 2016 -> 09:07 PM) Yes, I'd easily take a package built around those two. I'd also like Kopech and a few other prospects, but there's no doubt I'd make that type of deal. And IMO, the Red Sox really might consider doing it depending on how their pitching does in the playoffs. Pomeranz has been a disappointment so far and other than Price, I'm not sure they have a starter with elite stuff that you'd like in October. And as great as Moncada & Benintendi are as prospects (and they're great), they're somewhat expendable for Boston. They still have Devers in the pipeline for 3B and could sign a free agent OF to replace Andrew. Throw in the fact that the Yankees could be major players for Sale and I could see the Red Sox being very interested this offseason. Price (and Kershaw) both have a LOT to prove this postseason....so I guess we have to root for a complete implosion of the Red Sox starting staff in the AL Divisional Series.

Hillary might have lied or perjured herself, she might have been involved in some "unseemly" financial schemes like Whitewater, she profited in the commodities market (which is more insider trading/access to information ahead of the markets, unless you want to call Martha Stewart and Phil Mickelson corrupt as well)... But using the word (more of an allegation) "corrupt" is an altogether different animal. For whatever corruption she was involved in, it pales in comparison to the military industrial complex directly profiting off the Bush Doctrine for eight years...which was a war based on a lie (and no, Colin Powell isn't the one responsible for pushing that narrative, he got used and had the choice to resign for moral reasons or the choice to stay because he felt he could do more good if he stayed in the position). In the end, everyone has their own idea about what constitutes corruption. Whatever Clinton has done, it pales in comparison to Richard Nixon, U.S. Grant, Harding, etc. Breitbart naturally has John F. Kennedy as the 7th most corrupt because of his father's intervention in the 1960 election in Chicago and because of his affairs...so, to some, cheating on your spouse constitutes corruption, but then that pretty much wipes out every US President from today back through FDR with the exceptions of Carter, Obama and possibly GHW Bush.

The thing I like about Mr. Robot is the pacing has changed so much, but it's still compelling. Last year was more of a traditional action drama, this year it's a slow boil character study that constantly keeps you guessing. Portia Doubleday has been an enigma for two seasons now. Then you have BD Wong, The Dark Army, Welleck's wife and the CEO of E-Corp jockeying to keep your attention. In the beginning, no idea where they were going with Craig Robinson. The episode that looked and felt like a 1970's sitcom with the laugh track was one of my favorites. Still trying to figure out what the Chinese are going to do with the Congo...introducing Obama into the discussion this week like he was almost a character in the show was also kinda cool. Another show I quickly got sucked into was Billions...while I hated his Homeland character, Damion Lewis' Bobby is must watch stuff, and Paul Giamatti is almost always good. Waiting for resumption of Mozart in the Jungle as well.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Sep 8, 2016 -> 03:56 PM) Anderson could have had 0 Minor League at bats and eventually would have been a fine MLB player and Beckham could have had 20,000 Minor League at bats and he still would have never been a Major League starter. Just two different people, that's why I always hate comparing these guys. Not sure about the first part...the second one, 100% true.

Comparing Beckham and Anderson is pointless... But it's impossible to say what was the right move. It has worked so far with Timmy, but if Rodon, for instance, had additional time in the minors to perfect his changeup, if Fulmer had stayed in the minors for the entire season exclusively as a starter...we can all play that game. Or someone will compare Carlos to Kolek, Aiken and Schwarber or the bar set with every single #3 pick. Heck, two months ago it seemed we could no longer definitively declare Jose Abreu a clear victory...at least in terms of his future value. Next it will be the debate back and forth about rushing Collins and Burdi.

Mr. Robot Rules All!

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Sep 8, 2016 -> 07:41 AM) This is an interesting article by Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2016090...orts/160909115/ This offseason will definitely be interesting. It sounds to me like Ventura and most of coaches will be gone. It also sounds like some advanced and pro scouts will be on the way out. I've heard from multiple people that the rebuild is coming (Dick Allen, raBBIT, other ST holders that I know, as well as media members like Matt Spiegel). How much of a rebuild is the real question. I think Chris Sale is getting traded this offseason because he's signed for the next 3 years and it's tough to see a definite path to success that includes him in next 3 seasons. I would expect that Robertson, Cabrera, and Frazier will move as well. I think Eaton, Abreu, and Quintana are tricky though. They won't want to move everything because honestly, they aren't looking to suck for 5 years. I am convinced that some sort of "step back" is coming and I would bet that it involves moving Sale. Ultimately, they can only keep throwing scapegoats out there for so long. Same thing with that same old storyline about finances being tight. Fine, if you're not willing to spend, you have to leverage the assets that you do have in Sale, Q and Eaton. The new emerging narrative seems to be that we have to trust this new process under Hostetler....but are any of those guys other than Collins and Burdi going to arrive to take advantage of the presence of Chris Sale? Selling Fulmer, Burdi and Tilson won't get them very far this offseason. And the fans are desperate for the White Sox version of Kris Bryant...especially when they started envisioning all those young players who theoretically would have come over from Boston, Texas or the Dodgers. When that evaporated and we were left with Avi Garcia again...well, crickets the last two months.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Sep 8, 2016 -> 07:16 AM) Got this text from a close friend this morning. Take it with some grain of salt, although I completely trust him on this type of stuff. Thought it was worth sharing nonetheless. What does Reinsdorf have against Comiskey? As much as the guy was a bastard, at least there's the historicity of that name. It feels like baseball, at least.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 8, 2016 -> 06:28 AM) lol, like next year will be any different. Has anyone seen any plausible suggestions yet to get the White Sox out of this miasma? Something has to happen...a final tipping or inflection point. Things can't continue like this much longer.

There's only two solutions to that...another 2014-15 offseason (except better talent evaluation), which might not even be possible even if they had the money to spend because of the dearth of talent on the market, and trading at least one of Sale, Q, Eaton to leverage an asset for multiple pieces back. Any other course and fans will be aggravated for yet another year.

And, for what it's worth, Buxton is finally starting to show major glimpses of the player everyone expected him to become...it's just that it didn't happen right away. Of course, the Twins are going to end up with quite another problem altogether, which is continuing to pay escalating salaries to the likes of Dozier (not to mention Mauer's huge deal) while breaking in more and more young players into what is a veteran-dominant starting staff. By the time all those youngsters are really ready, Dozier will be gone and Mauer will be declining even more. Timing is all off unless those young starting pitchers arrive in a hurry.