caulfield12

Well, the Tigers and Royals have the easiest 28 game stretches left...Twins and White Sox will have numerous opportunities to play spoiler, along with the AL East. Don't count out the Astros, either.

It was easy to see coming in a general way...just not that 23-10 start. Go back to the May 6th game thread, though, and many were seriously wondering if they would ever recover...that's how shaky things already felt with Latos, Rollins and the catching situation, not to mention Abreu. The truly scary part is we're at 20 games below .500 with Tim Anderson performing better than most expected (exceot for his propensity to hit into so many DPs with elite speed.) And we can't count on regression from division foes, either.

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Sep 3, 2016 -> 03:19 PM) Nailed it. The only real upgrade in that lineup compared to this year is Puig/Reddick over Avi. And unless the team has serious financial constraints you can't trade Robertson. Make him a setup guy again and move Burdi to closer. Sign another setup guy to pair with Robertson and move Nate Jones to the 6th-7th inning. We have a lot of depth coming back in middle relief/long relief. How could we possibly trade Melky when he's been our best hitter this season? I know I've suggested trading Robertson before but trading him and those other guys like Melky, Frazier, and Lawrie only makes sense if Sale and/or Q are being traded. You're going to pay Robertson elite closer money to set up...for a guy 25 other teams passed on? If Burdi was guaranteed elite, to be better even than Robertson, he should have gone in the top 3-5 picks. This idea of him just absolutely dominating from the get go like Jenks in 2005 is pretty far-fetched.

And Fister had most of his career success pitching in Comerica...which has a much bigger outfield than Guaranteed Homer Field. Yes, he's a sinkerballer, but that's not enough to guarantee anything or the Rockies/Sox/Reds would have five of them in their rotations.

It's the same line of thinking that had everyone convinced Liriano would be a significant contributor in 2012. Cooper failed to get through to him, but the Pirates had much better luck. If we are the Pirates or Royals, maybe we do get the quite useful version of Volquez that's a playoff and World Series starter. Heck, even Guthrie was. That said, spending $8-10 million on those guys is fine...IF IF IF you're the 2003 White Sox and desperately need a fifth. We're still on the hook for $22 million more to Shields, so they're unlikely to cut him right away like they did with Danks. That's the first issue. Number two is Fulmer hasn't looked remotely ready, but finances are going to force him and Burdi up unless they can find a taker for Robertson. The White Sox have done fine with Gonzalez this year...but you're playing with fire when you dive into the veteran scrap heap. For every Miguel Gonzalez or Dillon Gee that's "serviceable," you get a Shields, Medlen or Chris Young that completely destroy the team's chances. And the Royals still have a $10 million mutual option on Volquez with a $3 million buyout. There's no guarantee he's even made available. Meanwhile, you still have to find a "good enough bullpen" that's not based solely on Putnam/Petricka recovering, a good enough DH, a good enough 2b (that's what Lawrie and Saladino are, IF IF If they're the 8th or 9th best hitters in your line-up), a good enough catcher, a good enough CFer. They won't fix 2b, but they still need three huge upgrades at relatively expensive positions that are startlingly hard to come by for the Sox over the last five years. And they need Frazier, Abreu, Eaton, Anderson, Cabrera and Lawrie/Saladino to collectively be 15% better than this year. That's a tall order.

Weiner, Love & Friendship and The Wailing (indelible Korean horror film) are all excellent...

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 09:15 PM) With Rodon coming into his own, I'm really pumped about what this rotation can do next season. Sale, Q, Rodon form arguably the best 1-3 combo in the league and back it up with Gonzo and hopefully a solid Fulmer and that rotation certainly has the potential to be top 2 or 3 in the league. It's hard to break up a rotation that strong with 4 of the 5 guys under 30 yo still. I'm all in on building around that staff but the front office has their work cut out for them this offseason in order to improve other areas of weakness on the roster. Yes, but we saw that out of Rodon the second half last year as well. Didn't translate. At any rate, Shields, Gonzalez and Fulmer will make or break the season...

Typical Avi Garcia at-bat. Have the lead for now, but can the bullpen hold it?

The White Sox will win because of the duel game threads...and that tradition will have to be maintained until they lose again, haha.

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 06:14 PM) I think we should do a poll to see how many people don't know what the word sup means. Chaucerian term for eat dinner, lol...

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 07:15 PM) He isn't going anywhere You really think they're going to sign him to an extension...? It would fit the current modus operandi, but adding 30 something vets who will be falling apart at the end of their deals isn't exactly the right approach unless you're just one player away.

QUOTE (StrykerSox @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 06:47 PM) Ugh. Sanchez. Can't believe he used to be a prospect.

Frazier is still alive at least. Guess he won't be appreciated until Trey or Davidson take his place...never a superstar, just a really solid if all or nothing player.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/09/02/r...o-get-sale.html

There's a mutual $10 million agreement or $3 million buyout on Volquez. Will be an interesting decision. They theoretically have Vargas coming back. Duffy (last arb. season), Kennedy, Ventura...they don't want to start Young anymore, so back end of Gee, Vargas and Strahm plus $17 million freed up from Medlen/Volquez means they add another pitcher or 2-3 relievers.

Lifelong Republicans crossing the aisle is equivalent to the Grand Wizard of the KKK's endorsement?.....ummm, no.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 08:21 AM) I mean technically, Hahn hired Paddy and Hostetler for their current positions. Were they recommended by KW? Possibly http://www.southsidesox.com/minors/2013/2/...s-back-on-track KW brought Paddy on board before the 2012 season...

And who supposedly scouted Eaton?

Both of those teams will be in the Top 10 next preseason as well...especially Pittsburgh. They represent one of the best future hopes to derail the Cubs.

The deal is fine...if the White Sox finally start to play like a winner. Otherwise, simply a punch line, the butt of more jokes.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 06:52 AM) This FO can't properly evaluate even veteran talent. I think they, at least Hahn, is okay with the young guys. But he/they want veterans and the evaluation of vets is hideous. Look at Hahn trading for Shields. Look at the Peavy trade: Williams insisted on Avi; Hahn and his Scouts found the A ball players. The A ball guys were the better part of the trade. So Hahn was selling him as a possible or future CFer when he didn't believe in him at all? And Hahn wanted Iglesias, KW wanted Avi? Source? And what scouts did Hahn bring in that weren't there already? KW brought in Paddy, shouldn't he have been the one who targeted Montas...or assigned a scout because he already knew Montas when he was with Toronto competing with Boston for Latin American talent?

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/?year=2016

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/b...0901-story.html White Sox get no new monies from Guaranteed Rate deal....

Three choices (really 2 1/2) Spend $125-175 million on free agents, minimum... Trade the likes of Fulmer and Adams to add major league pieces...like a Carlos Gonzalez, so you're also adding significantly to payroll by buying 30+ veterans with expensive contracts, since you're simply not going to receive "young/cheap/good" players in their primes for minor leaguers. Maybe if you packaged our entire Top 10 together (outside the 2016 draftees), you'd get an Ozuna from the Marlins, or Teheran from the Braves. Trade Q/Sale One is unlikely. Two is even a harder road. That logically leaves Door #3.

If you're a pitcher like Q on a losing team with an ERA over 3 (now) and not blowing away everyone with 95+ MPH gas, it's going to be quite difficult to finish in the Top 5 of the Cy voting. He'll end up somewhere around 7th-10th.