caulfield12

They also might have picked Kolek or Aiken over Rodon at 1-1. We'll never know for sure.

But to Greg's point, if they just drafted Trout instead of Mitchell (just hit #14), no rebuild would have been necessary. Or signed Miguel Sano the same year the A's paid almost twice as much to Michael Ynoa.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ May 21, 2017 -> 11:37 AM) It's kind of funny to see the national love he's getting now that he's a Red Sox. It's not as if he hasn't dominated before. Chicks love the strikeouts. And sabes devotees.

No strikeouts in first seven outs...that's weird. But even better, no walks. Called him out, so #8 in a row is strikeout swinging. Whole organization on fire after Robert deal I guess. Or not, two consecutive batters reach...ground ball and line drive singles. Gets Giavotella with strike three called. Just 38 pitches, pretty economical for Lopez.

Soto's the one they are willing to trade because he likely ends up a LFer. Less projected value.

QUOTE (Soha @ May 21, 2017 -> 11:22 AM) The bigger question, or certainly more immediate question - might be what if he continues to hit this way for another 1-2 months. We never considered this when the rebuild started, but do you consider offers from playoff contenders? If a guy is hitting .340ish with a high OPS in to July - man that might fetch a ton from a contender in need of a bat. Say if Washington offers you Vickor Robles+ for Robertson and Avi...does Hahn say yes or no? I'm thinking Hahn would decline that at this point. Cain and Herrera will get you Soto+. Herrera under contract through 2018, so fairly similar offers because Robertson's salaries become much harder to swallow, while Avi has an extra year of control (2019). Robles is supposedly off the table. Plus, they need a CFer more than a corner guy to replace Eaton/Taylor.

Roger Stone: Trump's Saudi award makes me wanna puke http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/20/politics...-tweets?ref=yfp

Depends on the service time/Super Two dates...

Ferguson/Michael Brown and some of the stories about how African-American players were treated in that city (Heyward would be one) probably didn't help (along with a few well publicized "racist" incidents caught on video near the stadium before or after a game)...nevertheless, the revised storyline is coming back to the White Sox being the highest bidder. Not to mention Mike Matheny is kind of a cocky jerk that never smiles, and Mozeliak is a Boy Scout...fans joke that Fowler was brought on board just to get Matheny to loosen up a bit and not take himself so seriously. While Hahn can be plain vanilla, Renteria has a warmer, winning personality and the Spanish language skills to make him feel more comfortable. Finally, Ted Drewe's, IMO's, Grant's Farm and Six Flags can't touch Chicago. They do have a better announcer in John Rooney, haha.

The Cardinals' bonus offer was among the most lucrative, but it was not believed to be the highest. A source indicated to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that the White Sox will pay Robert a bonus of about $26 million to $27 million to add him to their system. That would represent the second-highest bonus for an international amateur under the current signing guidelines. For the Cardinals, the bidding process was complicated by the fact that they would have paid a dollar-to-dollar tax on any bonus to Robert. The organization incurred that penalty because it had already overspent its limit in this current international signing period. That means that to have matched the White Sox reported offer, it would have cost the Cardinals $52 million to $54 million. http://m.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article/23...of-luis-robert/

The first thing since he became President that I can wholeheartedly agree with...well, except for the part about letting all human rights and treatment of women issues slide to the backburner. Wonder how much of this Miller wrote...vs. Mattis/McMaster/Tillerson/Kushner/Cohn...and what were the particular phrases Trump fought to include. From the snippets available, it's actually a pretty fascinating approach for Trump stylistically. Granted, the whipsaw effect from campaign rhetoric to these words is extremely jarring. Sounds like an Obama speech, actually. https://www.yahoo.com/gma/trump-more-measur...topstories.html Will his followers not call him out for being hypocritical...? Who knows?

QUOTE (HoosierSox @ May 21, 2017 -> 07:36 AM) So Law will put Tatis Jr. in the top 100 but not Robert who looks like a 5 tool player. SMH. I guess the positive spin is that Paddy's group finally hit on one...and perhaps Adolfo's coming around as well. What obviously hurts most is we haven't developed a good 3b since Crede. He has shortstop actions and a future 70 arm, but he’ll almost certainly need to move to third base eventually as his large frame fills in and he slows down. The combination of the arm, athleticism, hands and actions could lead to plus-plus defense at third base, though, and with more mass will come more power. fangraphs.com 15 errors in 36 games in 2016, 13 errors in 35 games so far in 2017...28 in 71 and would project to 56 over a full minor league season. Of course, that's as a 6'3" SS at age 18. So far his minor league career ops is 792 over three placements.

Scott Gregor reported via a source that Moncada and Robert are not really that close (compared to Ynoa). Also, that Kanny or Winston-Salem was his likely placement, but even Kanny just to get his feet wet seems too aggressive after sitting out all this time.

Yeah, what kind of value in terms of WAR can you realistically expect out of him if he's a 1B or DH? Can they live with him in RF or LF? You have his rights just through 2019, so let's say you give him a four year extension through 2021, for how much? I also think you have to wait this out at least two more months to see how well the new Avi sticks. 2019 is the likely year they'd compete, but do you hold him all that season and risk losing him for basically nothing? It's an interesting discussion though, whether you'd go after the veteran equivalent of Fowler, Desmond or Lorenzo Cain, let's say on a contract similar to Melky's, providing you much better defense on one of those corners. $48 million for four years, how soon before we'd regret that deal for Garcia? It's almost twice as much as we're guaranteeing Tim Anderson.

Democrats still divided on health care, Clinton/Perez vs. Sanders/Ellison split The rift within the Democratic Party was on full display at the California Democratic Party Convention on May 19 in Sacramento, California. Progressives joined members of National Nurses United, protesting the Democratic Party establishment’s refusal to support single payer healthcare system. Rather than follow through with Democratic rhetoric that healthcare is a human right, establishment Democrats have responded to voters by scolding and attacking them. During the first day of the convention, California Democratic Party chair John Burton yelled at protesting nurses to “shut the f*ck up and go outside.” Burton condescendingly told the protesters, “There’s [sic] some people who have been fighting for that issue before you guys were born.” The California Democratic establishment, like the national party leadership, has favored corporate and wealthy donors, undermining pushes for a single payer healthcare system that would provide Americans with healthcare—not just health insurance. Eric Bauman, the California Democratic Party vice chair and candidate to succeed Burton as the Party’s chair, received $12,500 a month from the pharmaceutical industry to fight proposition 61, which would “cap the price that any state agency or care program could spend on prescription drugs at what the federal Department of Veterans Affairs pays.” Bauman received these payments while earning a six-figure salary as an adviser to California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. Proposition 61 failed to pass in November 2016 after the pharmaceutical industry spent millions of dollars opposing it. http://observer.com/2017/05/tom-perez-cali...on/amp/?ref=yfp

Schoenfield argues Robertson's probably the second or third choice after Herrera and SD's Hand...salary possibly an issue. http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/...ionals-a-closer Herrera/Cain (FA rental) for Soto + His command has deserted him a bit the past couple of seasons, but Robertson still owns an elite strikeout rate, and he's a proven closer with playoff experience. He is signed through 2018, making $12 million this year and $13 million next year, so if the White Sox want a better prospect in return, they'd probably have to include some cash to offset the salary. Soto and a second-tier pitching prospect for Herrera and Cain. As good as Soto is, he's also just 18 and a few years from the majors. He's probably a left fielder in the long run since he lacks a prototypical right fielder's arm. The Nationals make a huge upgrade in center field with Cain (who is a free agent) to replace the injured Adam Eaton and acquire Herrera for this season and next. The Royals get a premium hitting prospect in a system that lacks one, which they'll need as Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas hit free agency.

Suck it, Keith Law With most of the big spenders benched by past largesse and a rare chance to pursue young, elite talent, the Cardinals made their bid for Cuban teen Luis Robert early last week. They had a few days to realize it wasn’t good enough. Once viewed as a favorite to sign Robert, the Cardinals were notified, formally, by Saturday that the outfielder had selected another team’s offer. The Chicago White Sox, arguably the team that had been the most aggressive in their pursuit, had an agreement in place with Robert, one for a bonus reportedly in the range between $25 million and $30 million. The Cardinals were left with the impression their bonus was trumped. They did not have a chance to top. “If I had a guess it would be the overall bidding,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “What I know is that we didn’t sign him. All negotiations have different nuances. All negotiations have different risks. All negotiations have different upside. This was certainly a unique opportunity for us because historically we are not playing or trying to sign these types of players. I don’t second-guess our strategy or second-guess our approach.” As the Cardinals’ interest in Robert gathered momentum, Mozeliak took on a large presence in the negotiation. He flew to the Dominican Republic to meet Robert and his representatives personally, and the Cardinals attended at least three of Robert’s workouts, formally or informally.The Cardinals identified this signing period, from this past July 2 to June 15, as the time to overshoot their spending limit on international amateurs. With the Dodgers, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and other fat cats limited by recent overtures, the Cardinals, and other teams like San Diego, saw the market bending to their preference. Already the Cardinals have spent more than $9.4 million in known bonuses on this international class, and that does not include the $2.5-million bonus Cuban outfielder Adolis Garcia received during spring. They will have their bonuses capped for two years. By far eclipsing their spending limit, the Cardinals have invited a dollar-for-dollar tax on most of that spending, and any bonus offered Robert would have been doubled. At one point, the estimate was a total cost of slightly more than $40 million, which would have been a bonus of slightly more than $20 million. The White Sox, with tax, could spend more than $50 million. “When you’re looking at the overall investment it’s real and historically there aren’t too many players who sign for those type of dollars,” Mozeliak said. “It’s really hard to justify those types of dollars for any player with a lack of a proven track record. No matter how you try to equate the Cuban league or his international experience, it’s very hard to calibrate what that means to here (in the majors). Our baseball development did a good job of trying to position this as why we wanted to go through the chase.” The Cardinals, privately, did not hide how talented they thought Robert was — and the harbingers he had of future success. Robert, 19, is considered by many scouts to be the finest teen amateur available. The 6-foot-3 righthanded hitter has routinely been the best player in international tournaments. He has been likened to a first-round pick, the likes of which the Cardinals haven’t had access to in recent years and won’t this year after giving two picks to Houston as punishment for the hacking scandal. The White Sox’s wooing of Robert included the large bonus and, according to CSNChicago.com, a video that featured Spanish-speaking manager Rick Renteria and highlighted fellow Cuban stars Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada. The miss on Robert continues a run of runnerup or worse finishes for the Cardinals when it comes to coveted free agents. They came up shy in bids for two Korean players before signing closer Seung Hwan Oh as a free agent, and before 2016 failed in attempts to sign free-agent pitcher David Price. The Cardinals adhere to a model they use to calculate value, and there have been times when the market moves and the model does not. “I don’t know yet if we are the bridesmaid,” Mozeliak said. “People are like, ‘You’re flushed with cash. Roll the dice.’ That’s a lot of money. That money might be redeployed elsewhere now. It will.” http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/pr...14b8b74563.html

QUOTE (fathom @ May 20, 2017 -> 10:36 PM) Couldn't agree more. Might be wise to not have him catch Rodon if he returns from the dead The Mummy is coming out soon. Good promotional tie-in.

For the record, Willy Garcia has a 727 career minor league ops. Very similar to Avi's major league numbers. 924 at Charlotte. Might as well dream big, lol.

Definitely trying to go for the rare three homer game and got jammed on a fastball...winced a bit in pain.

All we need to win the division is Chris Sale back, lol. With the Robert signing and this game, it certainly doesn't feel like a 4 and 5-13 stretch. Lots of close losses and late comebacks. Abreu just missed hitting two more homers tonight.

By my count, we've moved from 23rd to 16th in MLB runs scored. Passed Boston, even...per game avg.

Jesus. This is insane. Willy Garcia got all of that one. Final member of the regular lineup to get a hit. He crushed that sac fly to CF earlier in the game but right at Dyson.

Jean Segura looks like an MVP candidate...two years ago, he was almost out of baseball. Traded twice. A little reminiscent of Juan Uribe's second half career comeback.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 20, 2017 -> 09:45 PM) From Bleacher Report: "He's like Yasiel Puig, Gurriel said, but with better ability to play center field. He's like Adam Jones or Mike Cameron, scouts said, except with a bigger, stronger body at a young age. He's Jorge Soler but with better speed and a lesser arm." Alex Rios with better speed...Mike Cameron, Devon White or Eric Davis. Totally different body type than Soler and Puig. Another pretty interesting thought from a Cards board (gatewayredbirds) I know it's the internet so it's important to be a smart ass instead of actually discussing, but let's take a look at some things. Outsiders know two things about St. Louis right now. The Arch and Ferguson. If you know baseball you know the Cardinals and you might know the Rams left. Meanwhile in Chicago you have a world class city. Literally one of the worlds great centers of population. This isn't just about baseball players though, I go back to a few years ago when my late gf's company was looking for a new world HQ. The finalists were Chicago and St. Louis, but really St. Louis was never in the running, they were just using it to leverage tax breaks in Chicago. No one was pushing for St. Louis because if you are rich, which all the execs were you wanted to live in world class Chicago. It's not hard to imagine baseball players thinking the same. A few years ago St. Louis as a baseball town had a mystique. One of the best players in the game was here, one of the best managers ever, and the organization was on fire. Flash forward and while the team still wins, sorta, the great player and manager have long found homes elsewhere. There have been rumblings of something amiss at the top and that players of a certain color do not feel welcome here. That may be not true, but the rumors are there. All that's left is this wholesome best fans image that's been eroded by the media and some not so best fans. It's not at all out of the realm of possibility that any player looking at the two cities would not want to make St. Louis home. I'm not saying that's what happened here, but if it comes out that the Cards did in fact put in the better offer it certainly seems like those factors could be true. Someone else mentioned state tax rates in Missouri and Illinois...