caulfield12

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 20, 2015 -> 12:19 AM) Next season is probably a wash in ST sales though, right? They'll get a slight attendance bump if they are good and then hope to pick up some in 2017 and 2018. All we really know is that they gained 1,500 per game coming into this season but were likely to be down something like 3000 from that point just based on how disappointing the season was...especially for the fans who optimistically jumped back on board after 2013 and 2014 or who left after Dunn in 2011. It's going to take one last big name to be close to a wash. I guess if we see articles in the next week or so reporting renewed optimism due to Frazier...that will be a clue. Whether it's true or not, who knows.

Thought he was related to the Cardinals' announcing family of Bucks until reading further...

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 08:11 PM) Amen brother. I think any of the opinions that the Sox are "stuck in the middle" or "won't contend for a few years" or "need to suck it up and do a full rebuild" are beyond stupid. Way beyond. Like here's stupid, now drive 100 miles farther down stupidville road, go past Sale's mansion & Abreu's complex, take a right on Eaton road and past the better than average catcher's quarters, beyond the nice bullpens on the hill, stop and take in the sights at the stables full of young thoroughbreds and go jump in a hole. We don't need you. ? How many season ticket holders who were at best on the fence a month ago about renewing are now back in the fold? That's the key question.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 07:01 PM) Just to put it in perspective, he is a year older than Avi Garcia, and hasn't been able to hit major league pitching since Avi became a White Sox. If you don't think Avi can ever figure it out, or think Avi in RF in 2016 will be a team killer, you are being hypocritical if you think Segura is an answer. The guy has been a replacement level player except for the first half of 2013. Either teams adjusted and he couldn't, or he lost it. So now posters are hypocrites when they disagree with you? If Avi Garcia could also play defense in RF like Segura is capable of at the most important position on the field, then it might be a relevant comparison. Last time I checked, Avi has never come close to a 4 war season and isn't capable of averaging 30 stolen bases per year either without being thrown out 15-25 times in the process of compiling those numbers. What in Juan Uribe's Colorado numbers led you to believe he would be a key cog in their World Series team at the time of that trade? He lost it...yeah...no excuses at all when you lose a child, just shrug it off and throw some dirt on it. We used the same excuse for Sox players like Dunn and Ramirez and Contreras when they had family or off-the-field issues, why doesn't it extend to players on other teams to at least consider other issues? At one point, he was the key player coming back in a Zack Greinke deal, after all. There's still talent there.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 06:06 PM) Plus it isn't really an obvious upgrade over Saladino, some people just like other teams' garbage for some reason. Obviously you believe Saladino can put up a 4ish war at age 22/23. Segura is only 25, and plays at the very least above-average defense. I guess it depends on how much you want to believe the last two seasons (where 2015 he was clearly affected by the death of his son) are more indicative of his overall ability. If you throw out that season, you'd expect around a 2 war. Of course, he has been double that and half that but terribly inconsistent so hard to predict. Perfect change of scenery candidate. Juan Uribe was "garbage" to the Rockies before they dumped him for Aaron Miles, let's not forget. Both Segura and Uribe were Rookie of the Year type players whose careers nosedived for different reasons. He has also averaged about 30 stolen bases per season. Is that 2 WAR a reasonable expectation for Saladino...or is closer to 0.5-1 more likely? At the very least, he would be perfect insurance for both middle infield positions and allow Carlos Sanchez at his young age to continue to develop his hitting ability and power at Charlotte. Guess it depends on his salary, though...and trade cost. Otherwise we're left with Ian Desmond as the fallback to an outfielder, and losing a draft pick to boot.

If they're all in competing this year and the cost to acquire wasn't so great...he would provide more upside than Saladino. He also fits the current two year window or cycle idea...with Melky, Lawrie and Frazier.

Daisy Ridley loks like a mix of Kiera Knightley and Jorja Fox from CSI Las Vegas.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 01:46 PM) Don't be surprise if another trade is in the works for White Sox. https://twitter.com/SSS_joshnelson/status/677207504695242752 Jean Segura is an interesting idea....from the comments. Josh Nelson also questioning whether Sox can play at big boys' table in terms of Cespedes, et al.

It's certainly easy to look at Hahn's track record in trades and acquisitions and find enough fault. That writer is acting like Hahn's brilliance is being stifled by KW...while clearly the best move of the past three years (besides the Peavy trade and Eaton) has been attributed mostly to KW and Paddy lobbying JR for the additional funds to sign Abreu. The "moves looked good on paper" argument isn't going to continue to work again as a defense of his tenure...especially if they do end up signing that Big 3 guy and he's a bust compared to the other two. Otoh, if we don't add that player now, it's going to be even less likely to happen next year in terms of the FA class. As much as Dunn/Danks spelled the end of KW, this theoretical big signing would pretty much define Hahn's eventual success or failure from a historical standpoint. (Of course, a lesser signing takes the pressure off and the story's all about the White Sox "small market" mentality like we earn the same $20-30 million from local media as teams like Twins, Indians and Royals.)

And Morales as well...the timing issue of missing ST and two months led to an abysmal season with both the Twins and Mariners.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 12:55 PM) No, it wasn't. Hahn called in to the score yesterday morning and spent a frustrated portion of that time saying that he is sick of talking about inter office dynamics and would rather be talking about Frazier. KW undermining Hahns authority to the media doesn't make Hahn move faster. He was referring to who gets the blame or the credit when things go poorly, the scapegoat tendency of the media to assess or apportion blame when things go sour and fans are rightfully frustrated. Obviously, with the Cubs, they told everyone they weren't competing and the expectation was playoffs in 2016 at the earliest. With the White Sox, you've had two high profile complete bust seasons (2011 and 2014) when big things were predicted by everyone. KW would still be the GM and/or nobody would care about the Hahn/KW dynamic had they made it to the playoffs both those years...or maybe even just once, as that's more the average for JR-owned teams.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 19, 2015 -> 10:43 AM) Yea, theo doesn't make Hoyer look bad like KW has with Rick Wasn't it effective? Maybe that was KW's unique way of saying ____ or get off the pot. Now Hahn has put the ball 100% back in JR and KW's hands in terms of okaying another big signing. There's little more he could have done without trading Robertson, Q, Fulmer or Anderson. He's done his job. Now it's about payrolls, performance and the coaching staff doing its job in the spring to come out of the gates chomping at the bit.

Are we talking about Luhnow undermining Mozeliak or the group that was involved in the database hacking scandal more recently? Because Luhnow also took 2-3 other guys with him to Houston. There were actually three factions, and Jocketty got pushed out and LaRussa/Duncan left as well.

He seems pretty certain the White Sox can just so easily bump payroll up to the $140-145 million mark because that's what it will require for the Big Three. The problem for Hahn at this point is a quieter move like Parra, Austin Jackson, Fowler, Denorfia, Snider, etc., isn't going to move the meter enough...especially with Saladino at SS and EJ and Danks at the back end. Minus a huge resurgence from LaRoche, Avi and Cabrera, the offense is still one player short. Optimistically, let's say they put up a surprise contending season...like 2012...but most fans aren't going to buy in until they're 100% convinced at midseason the White Sox are really going for it. If we don't sign one of those three, it's going to be sort of a half measure. Especially if some of those big names end up on divisional rivals' rosters instead. And the only real pieces they have to move of value in Robertson, Anderson and Fulmer can't be moved for the likes of an Ozuna, CarGo or Puig...or can they? Right now, if there's a hard limit at $119-122 million, he's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

With Cespedes and Upton both rumored by nearly every expert to be in $150 million territory, logic says that Gordon is the one to fall, like Scott Shields last year. The problem with this theory is that 4 years and $100 million is a lot more palatable to about half of MLB in terms of a max contract for their franchise...you can see Gordon falling to maybe $85-90 million, but that would be the absolute floor unless something comes up on a physical exam that draws a red flag and scares teams off (or is used as a negotiating tactic).

Pretty ridiculous to compare him to Contreras...as that deal with the Yankees was considered huge at that time and the dollars aren't adjusted into real inflation-adjusted ones. Contreras was also projected as an ace or no worse than a #2 type of pitcher. That contract gets you John Danks these days if you're lucky, or the bad Cubs' signing that often goes overlooked, lhp Geratdo Concepcion.

KyYlE

The last Christmas/New Year's move I can remember was the Danks/McCathy deal in late 2006.

Brooklyn was excellent...as a few on here have mentioned already. A very quiet but poignant immigation tale with a great performance by Ronan. Last movie I saw her in was the spy film with Eric Bana and she was a blonde waif of a girl...quite the transformation.

Yeah, two of the big missed opportunities from last season were not getting Erik Johnson and Saladino (at SS) more experience...you can argue all you want about the final results of the Samardzija trade and the QO, but you also lost the chance to see how he would have fared starting over the two finals month, which would have given the Sox a little bit more to go on in terms of determining their starting rotation for 2016.

So he turned down the one year, $15.8 million qualifying offer and lost the $45 million, three year deal from LAD... http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14392826...eattle-mariners

What would be even funnier is if he was a White Sox fan and his dog's name was actually AVI. Alas, too much to ask for...

It was actually one year and $7.25 million for Colon, but the point remains... That said, you pretty much have to give Erik Johnson a chance, and the idea of Colon back in the more challenging AL isn't as attractive for him as the NL. It's the same idea, basically, as Alexei instead of Saladino. 1) Is the possibly marginal performance improvement, if any, worth it for the veterans? 2) What do you prevent yourself from doing by spending that money for Colon/Ramirez rather than someone else? 3) How likely is it that Saladino and Johnson develop into regular contributors if you just leave them alone? 4) What additional value or benefit do you get from "veteran leadership" as opposed to the possibly hungrier younger players out to prove themselves? Obviously the more younger/cheaper/cost-controlled players you have, the better off you are from a financial standpoint.

I think the White Sox marketing department needs to sit down with the State Department and figure out or at least try to project what's possible economically to work on with Cuba...(granted, everything could change again with a new administration in 2017). If you have Abreu and Cespedes together, or Abreu and Puig, then you basically have made the White Sox "Cuba's team" and you figure out some ways to develop additional revenue streams. Rodon has Cuban ties as well. Playing more games in Cuba at some point in Spring Training...travel would be a concern compared to ST in Florida Having Cuba's WBC games at USCF... Marketing/merchandising opportunities... "Official" radio and television contracts...although most get satellite illegally or through DirecTV/DISH from what I understand Of course, this is something the Marlins should have done as well, or SHOULD be doing. Some of these ideas might sound a bit outlandish, but the White Sox need to think "outside of the box" marketing-wise.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 08:52 PM) That is partially explained by the fact that Frazier had little support behind him in batting order. The only other really good hitter was Joey Votto, and he batted ahead of Frazier. That likely resulted in our guy swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Of course, I don't know who will be hitting behind Frazier -- Lawrie, Avi, ? Yeah, or LaRoche. That's why another big middle of the order hitter would be so huge. Eaton Cabrera Abreu Frazier LaRoche Lawrie A.Garcia Catcher Saladino 5-9 just isn't going to work without adding one more bat.