caulfield12

QUOTE (asindc @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 07:37 PM) I disagree. Trading to appease fans who want to "do something, anything!!!" is never the right move. If the right deal doesn't materialize, so be it. If that's the case, then the White Sox don't have to worry about bandwagon fans or excuses, they should just do what they think is best for the organization at all times. That's not the theme we've heard for the last decade...that the White Sox can't afford to rebuild because the fanbase won't have the patience or tolerance to accept it. And the problem with the rebuild approach is we didn't even follow that plan today. The only other AL Central team who didn't do much in the last week has a better future (Twins), the Tigers added a lot of prospects/pieces, the Royals are still in a good position through 2017...the best we can argue is that we MIGHT be better off than the Indians at this point.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 06:22 PM) They have had a good month. Pulling the plug right when they get back into it is not a good message. About the same message as getting throttled by the Yankees with Danks next in line...

Balt extended lead to 8-6 now, KC and Blue Jays tied at 6-6 in the 8th... This might be the last week for score updates about the WC. Texas winning, and the Twins down by 3 runs to the Mariners. You'd have to think that the Blue Jays will blow past the Twins.

Toronto has just a scary offense... About to be tied in Toronto, 6-5 KC, runners on 1st and 3rd in the bottom of the 7th, no outs. Madson getting pummeled. Herrera now in. At least Jordan4Life can be happy for AA, haha. Baltimore with huge comeback against the Tiggers as well.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 06:54 PM) Expected throes of despair, saw them, leaving But, if you're a real, die-hard White Sox fan, you're consigned to a fate like the denizens of Dante's Inferno....wandering around through the various circles of Hell.

Since it's baseball hell, it means fans are in the unusual position of having to cheer for the Royals/Cueto to beat the Blue Jays. Cueto blew a 3-0 lead but it's now 5-3 Royals going into the bottom of the 6th. Rodon ERA ballooning from near 4 to 4.69 with this debacle.

And that was the sound of bandwagon fans exiting stage left. Back to the normal White Sox. But yay, we still have Shark's dirtbag grittiness/competitiveness to enjoy for 10-11 more starts.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 06:48 PM) I also don't know why Cooper didn't come out after walking Young Yeah, you're facing someone that all kids with a Cuban-American background probably grew up idolizing in A-Rod with the bases loaded...need to get him to take a big deep breath there.

Only 37 pitches for 5 outs. I think we need to worry more about a "total pitches" count than 140-160 IP on the season with Carlos. Back to the old White Sox we know and love. Billy Pierce and Chris Sale had to be omens.

Back to your regularly-scheduled Bataan Death March the last two months of the season through the dog days of August...where players like 2008 Quentin, 2009 Beckham and 2014 Abreu come to fade away.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 04:09 PM) And let's deal with some reality here. Logically a trade of Samardjiza should have been done if the returns offered were greater than the Comp pick we are looking at in 2016 if he signs else where. But the odds of the playoffs here that do matter to a fan base the team is constantly trying to convince to show up. I'd be willing to bet each writer in Chicago had a White Flag article ready to go if he was dealt, thus decimating any ticket sales for the rest of the year. Instead even the illusion of a chance at the playoffs can be used for some period of time to convince people that it is still OK to show up. If the team had been 1-7 instead of 7-1 on that road trip, that illusion wouldn't have been there. But they didn't and the idea, however small, is planted. The last few days are as excited as I have seen the bandwagon since the off-season. To a franchise that has to beg for fans like a nerd looking for a date on prom night, that has a value. With a more stable fan base, the team could have taken a more conservative approaching, knowing that people would have come back next year. The White Sox don't have that luxury. Much like a boy band, the window is short. Fair enough, but everything's going to reset to "normal" for the last couple of seasons attendance-wise, except for fans of the Yankees and Cubs. If they're more concerned about the PR consequences of trading Shark than they are about replacing C/3B/RF/DH/pitching depth, then that's a problem, because that kind of indecisiveness or paralysis by analysis will lead you to nowhere but mediocrity. We were kind of like the equivalent of the Twins and Rays at the deadline...just meh. At least the Cubs and Twins fans understand (intellectually) their teams got their into contention one year early...and that the odds are probably 25% at best of making the playoffs. On the other hand, Sox fans probably believed their chances were about 10% at best and the work of improving the team and contending for next season got all that much more difficult when there aren't any solutions at C/3B in the FA market. They'll probably pick up a starter (definitely not Shark, and counting on E.Johnson and Danks and selling season tickets based on being in a competitiveness window is nuts if that's their approach) and someone to compete with Garcia, but it won't be a big addition like Heyward/Gordon/Cespedes or even Zobrist. With a more stable fan base, the team could have taken a more conservative approaching, knowing that people would have come back next year. The White Sox don't have that luxury. Much like a boy band, the window is short. And they just killed that window by standing in place and doing nothing. Either go with the KW bravado and try for the playoffs with veterans/big names or go with Hahn's long-term patience/building with younger players with potential approach by trading Samardzija for another version of Montas/Avi. We got neither approach. Just more mediocrity, more sub .500 finishes. We're unlikely to see any more 50+ page game threads over the remainder of the season. The bandwagon will disappear as quickly as it formed.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 03:09 PM) So basically what people were guessing he'd say hours ago? Yeah, except instead of KW's bravado/aggressiveness...we get Hahn assessing the deadline like his newly acquired mutual fund's disappointing quarterly performance.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 03:04 PM) I'd have rather sold shark than buy. But I think standing pat may have been right move depending on his market. For me: 15% of playoff birth + big draft pool money/exclusive window to talk shark extension>>>>>>>> a package that the A's got for Kazmir for example. You sign Samardzija and what money do you realistically have left over for improving 3B, RF, C? They have to trade either Quintana or prospects if they want to realistically compete in 2016. Otherwise, this "competitive window" just got pushed back one more year.

QUOTE (spiderman @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 03:01 PM) My only concern is that the White Sox management may not know what they currently have. If there's any truth to that, then I'm concerned. They have played 100 games and don't have a winning record, but are just a few games behind for a wildcard spot, albeit being a few teams. Does the last 8 games cause the White Sox to re-think what they saw for the first 90? Do they still think the team underachieved for 90 games and are now playing up to what they thought? Could they have gotten more value on Samardzijia had they pulled a trigger on a move? This may not even be fair to the Sox, but they normally like to 'go for it' and aren't a team that typically rebuilds so not doing something, at least to me, signals they don't want to risk being wrong about thinking this team can win, but also not mortgaging what few prospects they do have. Therein lies the problem....judging that ability to compete based on beating two last place teams on the road (and the Red Sox were in a horrendous slump, something like 2-12 or whatever) isn't much of a basis for suddenly believing they'd changed or transformed at the drop of a hat. Saladino's suddenly a core, franchise piece...at 3B? The odds just aren't in favor of that going by his entire career MILB history.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:53 PM) I'd be thrilled as a Cubs fan. Be a realist. They ain't going anywhere yet. They are in a better spot right now then I expected them to be in and doing anything short sighted (with the cash they'll have in the off-season) would have been ridiculous. Cueto or Greinke to the Tigers, Price or Greinke to the Cubs... Nightmare ensues. After much bemusement and gnashing of teeth about horrible long-term contracts for pitchers in their 30's (add Lester/Verlander to the list), the next couple of seasons won't be much fun for Sox fans unless they can dramatically improve that starting line-up.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:51 PM) @ChiTribKane Chris Sale escaped media group asking for trade deadline comment but did say, "Why wouldn't we want to keep the team the same?" Seems we heard the exact same comments from Thome, Dye and Konerko in 2006...

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:30 PM) I'm actually more pissed off they were unwilling to trade Shark than acquiring anything. This team is NOT going to the playoffs, but we're also not going next year unless drastic improvements are made across the roster. I have a feeling we'll remember this season more for the useless 7-1 run at the trade deadline and it's impact on our future more than anything else. The question will always be "what if they would have had the advantage of knowing what would happen in the next six series after the Trade Deadline?" and they'll end up 5-10 games under .500 (which will be a slight improvement over 2014, which was a slight improvement over 2013)... Between our upcoming schedule and all the additions made by the Blue Jays, Astros, Rangers, Tigers, Royals, etc., our position both this season and in the future hasn't been improved. Now maybe the Twins, Orioles and Rays didn't do much of anything, but they're all taking different courses that at least follow logic.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:44 PM) I agree. If they traded Shark weeks ago, they could have gotten 3 top notch prospects probably. But let's say Sox traded him yesterday or today for a couple prospects. That basically would have been a white flag trade. Maybe it would have been great for the team's future, but if Erik Johnson sucked, the Sox would basically be white flagging the work they did last offseason in putting together what they think is a playoff team. Even though I love Danks, if I were the Sox, I'd bring up E. Johnson and insert him into the rotation for Danks right now. I'd also bring up Davidson and take the risk and insert him at third. What if he's the power bat we need? If Johnson is great that'll be the added boost the team needs. I have no idea what you then do with Danks. Johnson, sure....he's a big part of the future, at least at the moment. Davidson, they have to ride Saladino for as long as they can. No way they make that move. Have to rely on pitching/defense and clutch hitting to survive.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:30 PM) That makes sense because, by keeping him, they essentially lowered the offers he'll get from other teams in FA (due to the comp pick). Thus they lowered the price it would take for them to re-sign him. He's not a Stephen Drew or Kendrys Morales in the 2013 market. He'll get his offers, just like Robertson and Melky got theirs...

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:36 PM) Upton will go on waivers, Braun will go on waivers, Victor Martinez will go waivers, Stephen Vogt will go on waivers, hell even Longoria will go on waivers. I could go on for a while. Why would we want to add Braun, Longoria's or Martinez's contract? Upton will certainly be blocked...or the acquiring team won't be able to work out a deal. Why are the A's desperate to let go of Vogt with his favorable contract?

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) Dude, just become a Royals fan! You and Greg can be besties! The point is you don't have to break the bank spending in Free Agency to still remain competitive. The Royals aren't in a situation where they can afford to pay guys like Shields and Alex Gordon $100 million contracts, not in that market. I will continue to compare and contrast their moves with KW/Hahn until the White Sox start making the right ones.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:32 PM) Well, CarGo will most likely pass through waivers. Of course, they couldn't use Avi Garcia in the trade now though, because he won't pass. What other waiver wire bats are you suggesting? Mike Napoli would be one, but we'll probably end up with Allen Craig, Chris Shelton or Tuffy Rhodes.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:19 PM) Why would a non playoff team block him? And a team in contention might be willing to trade something for him. If not, there's a draft pick which everyone seems to hate, although they also hate signing established MLB players and giving up lower picks than the one the Sox will receive. You don't know the offers, so why don't you just stop this act trying to get the complainers going for just one day? Here's another offer, dude. I think Shark goes nowhere and is blocked. You think he can still be traded. For real this time, you can never mention Don Cooper or Greg Walker again (when you invariably lose the bet)....since you already lost the Gordon Beckham bet last year and I didn't really call you out on it. Why even have Soxtalk if the whole premise is to praise the front office for not having a clue how to leverage their one asset to get a useful piece or pieces for next season? Maybe you should start your own thread (and you won't see me in any of these pages advocating dealing prospects for Upton/Cespedes either) and praise KW and Hahn for their brilliance? That thread will be a freaking ghost town and you'll embarrass yourself, but go ahead.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 02:21 PM) You can also make trades, have young players emerge and improve, sign good players who don't cost >$100M and a draft pick, etc. That's exactly what the Royals did, but can KW/Hahn pull it off? If the White Sox had brought in Morales, Chris Young (placeholder) and Volquez they'd be sitting in a much better position today, as they'd have Volquez as part of the rotation for next year instead of a compensation pick for Shark and they'd have had a lot more depth to pull off a trade at the deadline (the four guys who went to the A's). Of course, you can argue nobody could have foreseen what Morales or Young were going to do for them. We probably would have been better off with Rios over Garcia, but that's really not an argument worth having atm. Along with those guys, dumpster diving for the likes of Blanton to cover your rotation, bringing back Hochevar and signing Medlen to a spec contract based on his TJ history that they don't have to pick up next year ($10 million mutual option).

The only fans who should be more disappointed are probably Twins and Padres fans... Even the Pads can pass Shields through waivers and probably find a taker because of that contract.