caulfield12

Saladino, in all likelihood, is a good utility player on a playoff-caliber team. I do hope he gets everyday playing time the final two months. We already know what we have in Lawrie and Frazier, assuming Todd's not dealt today.

Need more power in USCF from our starters, especially with Abreu looking more like David Ross.

They won't move Mazara. Odor is a bit more realistic. Tate and Brinson. Gallo. Plus someone like Chi Chi Rodriguez. That pool of five. Profar could take over second for them. Perhaps Saladino goes to TX to provide another infielder for insurance purposes, although they also have Alberto.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:28 PM) The Pirates went three decades without finishing over .500. Tell me how much better that is than where we are now. Two decades...they were pretty good with Bonds, Bonilla and Leyland. Fwiw, one thing to watch with Baez or even Saladino is they are getting the benefit of mostly favorable matchups. Not sure how well that holds up as everyday players. What are the Baez splits this year?

"Really good" wasn't backed up by the peripherals and park adjustment. At any rate, it will be interesting with all the other pitchers on the market, the Hellicksons, Santanas and Miley types. Not to mention figuring out what the Rays will do. All things considered, not as many teams are going to want that extra $20+ million future commitment on their books. And it still leads to more questions about the rotation for next year. All that said, if someone will overpay for either, especially Shields, you have to take it. Probably hold onto one.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Aug 1, 2016 -> 06:50 AM) Not sure if it's a plausible argument or not, but what if Abreu bounces back to MVPish form? What does getting Petricka and Putnam back while also possibly adding Burdi to the pen do for the struggles there? What does Rodon possibly taking a step forward do for the rotation? What does Frazier possibly improving in his 2nd year in the AL do? What about Anderson in his 2nd year? Is Collins really that advanced bat who can come up at some point next year and be the Sox Shwarber? What do they make of Fulmer? If they stand pat, they would still have Sale-Q-Shields-Rodon-Gonzalez so do they keep Carson in the pen or starting in the minors? I've been one who thinks managers don't matter, but what if I'm wrong and they do? I know that is a lot of what ifs, but I'm not sure its that crazy. I refuse to believe Abreu will be mediocre forever. If he's having a PK, randomly suck for a year then ball out the next, type year, that alone changes a lot of things. If you read all that back to yourself, how likely does it feel? Then you need to have repeats from Eaton and Melky, not to mention perfect health from Sale and Quintana for yet another year. We keep taking that for granted, but look at Kershaw or Darvish, for example. Or the Mets. Pitching dynasties like the Braves had are so rare. That's probably the one thing that can take down the Indians, too.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:17 PM) As opposed to our 79 wins a year that we know we're going to get now a days? Obviously nobody knows what's being offered at the moment but I bet right now is the best offers we're going to get outside of maybe this offseason. Problem is, as I keep saying, if we get to the offseason with these guys still on the roster then we're going for it on 2017, no doubt in my mind. We know what type of team we can build around Sale and Q, we have no idea whatsoever with the trade scenario. There's a (good)chance this fails no matter what but I'm willing to take that chance over the guarantee of mediocrity. Abreu, Fulmer and Rodon are almost forcing this conclusion.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:16 PM) Yeah, I don't think anyone is advocating to move him for nowhere near what we are hearing. For instance, from Boston, we've heard the names Moncada/Benintendi/Devers/Kopech, etc. I don't think anyone wants a package of Devers and three other guys nowhere near the top 100. What we're saying is if they Red Sox won't give you both Moncada and Benintendi, would you accept Benintendi/Devers/Kopech/ and another guy or two that perhaps is not quite as well regarded? Do you need to INSIST on Moncada? It's all a matter of degree. I, for instance, would insist on being able to choose any prospect I want for Sale, I don't care who he is. No one can be off the table. That doesn't mean I need to get both your top guys, but I need to choose which one I want. As for Q, I can understand maybe you holding one guy back, as long as you are still willing to pony up in terms of the 2nd and third guys coming back. Those are the types of decisions I think we're talking about here. Not something where you give me a package led by Kopech or something. Agreed. Can KW and Hahn get out of each other's way in time, though?

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:15 PM) No one is willing to pay for their current value, otherwise they'd have been moved! Patience. We've been repeating the word patience for nearly a decade. Clock is ticking. Pirates, Yanks and Padres are running circles around us.

Have to hope Boston, Texas, LA or Houston cracks. Definitely won't be the Pirates. Also unfortunate we won't deal with the Cubs.

Also depends on asking prices for Moore, Archer and Odorizzi....Smyly to a lesser extent. Supposedly LA was trying to acquire two together. Seems they might be willing to discount, especially if they have acorresponding move with Longoria in place.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:45 AM) Why do you keep bringing up Weiters? Dude is a big disappointment, a boras client, constantly injured, there is nothing to like about him. Ramos and Wieters are essentially it in terms of fa catchers.

QUOTE (Policiious @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 04:33 PM) YES. trade Rodon to Oskland for Hill. Ro don is not good enough for this rotation. Once Hill is on board, trade Quintana for 2 quality position players who can hit like Lucroy plus 1. Milwaukee would part with Lucroy for a top line starter. That gives u a Sale Shields Hill rotation with a much stronger lineup with a great receiver. If that does not make the Sox a contender I do not know what will Rodon is 2-8 with a high era, stick a fork in him Lucroy doesn't want to be dealt until his 2017 option is waived and he can become a free agent with the biggest payoff of the lot. Won't happen. And we couldn't deal him for our entire pre 2016 farm system anyway, even with Avi and Sanchez thrown in, we would be hung up on.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:40 AM) Well at least they all got letters in HS varsity. Amirite? Even Epstein...and Maddon. Touche.

So the Indians are stuck with Gomes it seems. One more suitor for Ramos this offseason. Doubt the Indians would go after Wieters unless it's a short/er term deal.

They clearly couldn't get enough out of Nova, Pineda and Eovaldi...which means Don Cooper can magically fix them, Severino included. Teal not included to save the cost of color printing.

Great, the future White Sox coaching staff will blow away the rest of MLB in the celebrity softball HR hitting contest...!!!

Albers should simply be DFAed, despite Hawk's theory he was ruined by the lack of off days in the first half.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 08:42 AM) He had 46 steals last year. Peter Bourjos...? Too bad not another One Dog from the Cards. That's what we need.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:21 AM) The Yankees have like 8 top 100 prospects, many of them position players. They have plenty enough to get a deal done. How many seem like pretty sure fire All Stars though? Seems like many of them have major flaws. To trade Sale or Q, you need at least two that project at that level, if not three...with Colon for Sizemore, Branden Phillips and Cliff Lee being the template.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 31, 2016 -> 09:17 AM) Since no one has said it, I am scared of the historical overrated nature of Yankees prospects. Like the Tigers under DD, who is the last Top 100 Yankees' prospect to be traded and hit it big elsewhere? Even the veterans they let go like Hughes, Swisher or Robertson don't do as well with other organizations. As far as youngsters, Austin Jackson hardly counts as a mistake for Cashman. They might make mistakes (see Contreras for Loaiza, Quintana unprotected), but it's pretty unusual for it to occur when they deal top minor league prospects.

The Score guys are advocating dealing Eaton, too. Shields and/or Gonzalez seem much more likely...then Robertson or Jones, Cabrera and Frazier. Cabrera's a very good hitter and the second best position player on the team this year behind Eaton, but he's not worth the money on a fourth place team...and won't be better next year. Likely will decline a bit. Of course, they also don't trust Hahn but blame JR and KW. Sounds familiar.

With Lucroy (probably) and Miller to the Indians? We have to replace CF, Morneau and catcher...and Jennings is our lefty setup guy now. From where I sit, Anderson is a 675-725ish SS, and that definitely has value with Tim's defense and athletic ability, but it would take huge bounce-backs from Abreu, Rodon and Fulmer looking like a completely different pitcher just to be in the conversation. Will they spend on Wieters or Ramos and surrender a draft pick? Unlikely. Will Tilson head into 2017 as the starter in CF? Pretty much to the point where...if we're going to be .500ish....let's have a team like 2000-2004 that is at least entertaining to watch hit at USCF. Suffering through these games in Minnesota, it's terrible to only want to watch Eaton, Melky and Anderson hit and fast forward through the rest of the lineup. Granted, no Frazier, but it's more than that obviously. KC, with Wade Davis not being traded...have a feeling they're all in until at least the ASB in 2017. They'll probably bring back Hochevar on an incentives-based deal for next year and get much better results now that the thoracic outlet issues have been addressed with him and possibly Zimmer. Detroit will have no alternative but to be all in as well. The Sox can say they're all in but how can they be, realistically?

Any smoke out of Boston about why Moncada was pulled? http://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-so...e-james-shields Analysis/opinion from Boston Globe writer about why going after James Shields makes a lot more sense....with return of Henry Owens offered, rather than Moncada/Benitendi/Devers/Kopech and one of the killer B's (Bogaerts/Betts/Bradley, Jr.)

You would have had to acquire Bruce or Carlos Gonzalez around the second or third week of May to stem the bleeding...if those teams were 1) willing to trade and 2) willing to accept whatever we were offering (Adams/Fulmer, etc.) With how it appears the league has adjusted to Abreu after two seasons, it's far from a sure thing we could have kept the momentum going without Shields having come in and pitched in late May/early June like he has been doing over the last month or so.