caulfield12

Is anyone confident moving both Eaton and Cabrera is going to end up with positive results for both? When is the last time a Sox outfielder improved instead of regressed? The only fairly recent example I can think of...Pods his second time with the Sox.

I don't want to hear anymore about building for the future if they make an incremental upgrade in Fowler and lose another $10-12 million in terms of the projected short and long term value of that pick. That means you're actually dedicating $48-62 million to Fowler on a three year contract. Why not just pay the relatively small difference on Cespedes or Upton for one more year? Fowler is another one of those guys who might not necessarily translate in the AL as well...buying high on him makes less sense than buying lower on Jackson and Desmond. Jackson is younger, a better defender and more accustomed to the AL Central.

He was getting more notices for Legend about the Kray brothers. "The acting nominees, which notably omitted Idris Elba for "Beasts of No Nation" and Benicio Del Toro for "Sicario," gave the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences an awkward repeat of the "OscarsSoWhite" backlash that followed last year's acting nominees." By the way, if you liked Sicario....Cartel Land is the documentary counterpoint. Morally, still hard to decide what to think about the vigilante Autodefensas and right wing border patrol types on the other side of the border.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/...016-season-last From these quotes, looks like it might be Harrelson's last season (despite the two-year deal) unless the White Sox are much more competitive this year...

Kuykendall’s firm does an annual study, which the Rams cite, for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In the latest version, published in June, St. Louis ranks 252nd of 381 metro areas for projected economic growth between 2014 and 2021. That happens to be better than five National Football League cities (Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo), but it’s nothing to boast about. Income growth and population growth are important for a team — or any business — that wants to attract more customers and charge higher prices. stltoday.com Here's yet another reason for the White Sox to spend now. 1) The Royals' window will close after 2017. 2) The Twins are still waiting on the development of Buxton/Berrios and aren't spending...or at least haven't shown a willingness after throwing all that money at Santana, Hughes and Nolasco. They're still weighed down by Mauer and Plouffe/Dozier will get more and more expensive. 3) The Tigers have an older core and are even more in "win now" mode than the White Sox. 4) Economics/corporate business climate arguments will make it almost impossible for Cleveland to make large changes in FA...they are limited to the likes of Rajai Davis and Napoli and trading a starter for any impact offensive help at 3B, RF and to cover up for the injury to Brantley. The White Sox absolutely need to have that offensive threat from 2017-2018 in the middle of this current window. They can afford to replace Lawrie, Frazier and Cabrera, but if you start talking about adding a catcher as well as a big bat before 2018, and the farm system's still not producing any difference-making hitters, you're back to Square 1 but facing 5X the competition for a limited number of free agents (compared to the situation now).

So do the White Sox offer 4 years and $90-100 million? That seems like a pretty good approximation of his market value right now. A month ago, that deal for Upton or Cespedes would have seemed like a bargain.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 04:38 PM) I know I'm in the minority but I think the ramblings and such makes it fun and enjoyable. If all I wanted is to see the play and results, the mlb or yahoo apps will tell you that. I listen to the radio to enjoy it I listen to almost every AL team's announcers through Gameday Audio, and they're definitely an acquired taste. If you had no idea what was going on in the actual game itself and wanted second by second information/update, you'd probably be disappointed and have to listen for a long time to even know which team was winning or losing. On the other hand, when the White Sox have been getting blown out the last 3 years, they've made it much more tolerable. Darrin is just out there with his singing and constant dingings of Farmer to see if he understands his cultural references. Farmer is more concerned with mentioning all of his personal acquaintances, talking about health issues (for natural reasons), Notre Dame, and jabbing DJ about his career or the time he pitched, etc. It's a nice balance also because you have the hitter and the pitcher together, but in a more natural compare and contrast sort of way as opposed to Hawk and Stone, who are much more adversarial and tense with each other. Jackson's also a lot more humble and doesn't take himself so seriously...laid-back/easy-going, whereas with Hawk/Stone you have two Alpha Males together. Farmer believes he's an Alpha male, which makes it even funnier. They've also been much more openly critical of mistakes/coaching, which is probably easier to get away with a smaller audience compared to t.v., and the fact that so many websites like Deadspin are just waiting on Hawk to say something inane or controversial.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 08:11 AM) I dont know what is funnier, a movie that isnt doing well at the box office affecting playoff ratings or the idea of playing a 4pm World Series game on a Sunday. Obviously, the long term repercussions of having 35% of mothers forbid their kids playing...over time. If anyone looked at the article, mostly it was about regular season NFL ratings, btw. As far as the World Series tv ratings go, can it really be that difficult to think outside of the box?

Biggest difference of opinion has to be Adolfo...and then the ceiling of Peter.

Trades won't work unless we're dealing non-premium talent and taking on larger, mostly veteran contracts. Unless you really want a Blackmon and think he's worth Adams+. We can't just give up Avi, LaRoche and Sanchez and still expect to get anywhere.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 02:52 PM) Hey if Atlanta wants Cespedes we can take Ender Inciarte Who are you willing to trade? They still want Markakis, Bourn and Swisher off the books. They would play Inciarte, Olivera and Cespedes together.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 09:57 AM) You can expect this team to score more runs than other teams, but I'll argue they're no less dependent on sequencing. They can have 15 hits a game, but even though they're all good hitters, we still have no idea how they'll string those hits together. And how they do it will not be consistent from game to game and season to season. I don't think it's an effort to ignore context, as obviously context incredibly important. I think it's just an attempt to have a measurement free of it. Realized I didn't address the "calling it luck" part, which I can understand. I agree there is more to a big inning than just luck. The "luck" label is there to address the uncertainty of whether you can repeat it over and over. That's where overall line-up balance in terms of obp, slg, ops and rhb/lhp/switch hitters also factors in. Better to have 6-7 really good hitters than 2-3 great ones combined with a bunch of average to below average. Do you have the type of team that can manufacture runs in tight games?

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 10:07 AM) One thing to keep in mind is that Frazier and especially Lawrie are young enough to be considered extension candidates to keep them around beyond the next two seasons. Not saying it will happen, just that the possibility exists. I do agree with your points about CarGo and Melky. And so was Jeff Samardzija, or so we heard all last offseason. Frazier's going to be up for a huge payday if he puts up the same stats he did for Cincy because of the dearth of quality 3b in MLB...and in that same Alex Gordon higher risk age territory.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 08:17 AM) The White Sox haven't mentioned their payroll at all. One thing they have been able to accomplish over the years is to get the media and the fans to always buy into the "we don't have any money" routine. When they signed Dunn and brought Paulie and AJ back, people wondered where they got the money. The season was a disappointment, the attendance dropped again, but they still, according to Forbes, made money. That was with a $127 million payroll and $25 million less a year from the national TV contract. I also don't understand the 2 year window people. Yes, in 2 years guys like Melky and Frazier and Lawrie could be gone, but that frees up money and maybe a couple of minor leaguers step up. One infamous whiner has gone from the Sox window won't open for 2 years to saying it will shut in 2 years due to Frazier and Lawrie. What did they give up for those guys that was going to be the fuel for the team being great in 2 years? I think if they get Cespedes or Fowler or Jackson, they are looking good in 2016. Jackson intrigues me. He was a good player in Detroit but like several others, couldn't hit at all in Seattle. See Beltre, Adrian. He isn't Beltre with the bat, but IMO, would look good in CF, and is still 29 and probably good for at least a 2 WAR, maybe more. I still want Upton, Cespedes, Jackson, Fowler in that order. I think RH will get one of them. It's probably hopeless on Upton, but an OF upgrade, and a couple things going correctly, this team should be pretty good. This act of taking indirect potshots is getting about as old as Malcolm McDowell whining on Mozart in the Jungle about being put out to pasture as conductor. Obviously, if they keep bringing in players who will be around past 2017, there would be a different conclusion to draw. Otherwise, the jury's still out. Let's see if they trade for CarGo/Ethier and bring in Jackson for 1-2 years RATHER than signing Upton, Cespedes, Desmond or Fowler for a minimum of at least three years (and no opt-out after 2017).

Chen signs 5 years, $80 million with Marlins... He was really the top of that second tier though, certainly no bargain.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 07:48 PM) Who the hell are these six to seven credible suitors for Davis? Cardinals, Orioles, Rangers, Tigers, Angels....there's a more detailed article in the Davis opening post.

Wouldn't they have to wait to sign him? Still think Baez gets a shot in the spring if he's not traded...although playing RF would be a pretty big adjustment after playing almost exclusively on the middle infield.

I think it's because it's very hard to statistically measure "keep the line moving" and momentum shifts and swings in a baseball game...or game-changing plays on the basepaths and especially from a defensive standpoint. One losing team's bad luck is another winning team's pattern of cluctchness or being comfortable/confident in those situations. Success breeds more success. Just the same way in the NFL breaks seem to go to teams like the Steelers, Patriots or Seahawks when they're facing teams without as much experience on the biggest stage.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 06:47 AM) I don't get the Blackmon love at all. He's a league average hitter who plays below average defense. Throw in the Coors Field risk and I'm not sure what the big draw is. Young and cheap. Arguably, Trayce Thompson has a chance to be better, but he might need to leave the LA logjam for us to find out.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 06:35 AM) My concern is the free agent class after the 2017 season isn't supposed to be very good, so you may have to rely on internal options to fill these spots. Say we add GarGo and end up losing him, Frazier, Melky, & Lawrie in two years. Does anyone feel comfortable trying to compete with two of May, Engel, & Hawkins in the OF, plus Michalczewski at 3B and who the f*** knows at 2B? I know I don't. And I agree in two years it's make or break time, as we can still get a huge package for Sale at that time if things go south between now and then. However, even if we decide to sell of pieces, is it really the end of the world having Cespedes on the books for two more years? Best case scenario you trade him for some prospects, worst case scenario he is dead salary for a team not trying to compete. Making roster decisions that fit squarely into a two year window is beyond stupid and I really hope the Sox aren't thinking this way. None of those guys strike me as future All-Stars...which is which bring us to the precipice every time. Davidson and Avi play at 2-3 war level and they're not stuck behind the 8 ball...or Hawkins/Viciedo/Beckham play to projections. Any combination of non-abysmal development results would work, including Walker and Jared Mitchell as well. The main factors that makes a teardown almost impossible at that point are 1) the fact you're destroying your negotiating position for a new tv rights deal and 2) also white flagging Chicagoland to the Cubs simultaneously.

The two years if they did that would be make or break decision time on a complete rebuild or fortifying a playoff team after 2017. Right now, all the additions are geared towards that window of 2016-17. You bring up the logical concern...with no "bridge" to 2018 and 2019 at the current moment, other than Anderson/Fulmer/Adams...they're left with no clear direction if they don't sign anyone to a longer-term deal. Maybe there's still too much uncertainty internally about whether those three minor leaguers added to the current core are enough to justify adding a Desmond, Upton or Cespedes to a 3-5 year contract.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 03:41 AM) True. But they will not save money as one of them would be a high priced bench player. It would be more cost effective to sign one and use a rookie as the bench player. The only way it would work was no LaRoche and pushing Melky to DH...with Garcia as DH against lhp. That would allow you to get a huge amount of defensive improvement compared to last year from the outfield and much improved team speed as well. Personally, I'd go with Jackson and Desmond.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 03:19 AM) They are only replacing Garcia. They are not signing or trading for 2 OFs. Someone was inquiring about the salary expectations...basically Fowler and Jackson for 15-25% less than Upton or Cespedes per year and likely a shorter commitment in terms of years.

Fowler around $12-14 million per season and Jackson looking at $7-9 million, $21 million's on the lower end of the spectrum of the AAV Upton or Cespedes would realistically receive on short-term deals. But then that lost draft pick for Fowler's currently being assessed at $10-12 million in foregone short/long-term value as well.

The biggest positive is they chose the best candidate and not the cronyism approach of sticking someone like Bill Melton or another former Sox guy in there even if he wasn't really experienced or capable enough...MLB shouldn't be for "on the job" training.