caulfield12

Adding Dioner Navarro is not going to make any type of significant difference to the White Sox challenging for the AL Central in 2016.

His bat is clearly an upgrade, at least for two seasons....but his defense isn't very good. Certainly, that's better than what we saw out of LF in 2013/14, but how much is it actually worth? Are the Sox willing to go to 4 years for a player beginning the downside of his career? Signing Cabrera might only leave $10 million of new spending on the table, and that's going to have to pay for a DH, a closer and a 3 starter in the rotation. Not possible without trading Ramirez and/or dumping Danks and going with Semien/Sanchez/L.Garcia at SS.

1) The White Sox are being or have been attached to about 2/3rd's of the free agents out there, other than Scherzer/Shields/H.Ramirez/R.Martin/Cruz. 2) To our knowledge, not a single contract offer has been made. (We do know the Cubs were 2nd in the Martin sweepstakes and were in the $60-65 million range and considering budging on the additional year. Of course, like the Sox many times, finishing second doesn't get a trophy or banner in the outfield.)

Uh-oh, we're already heading for the Filibuster section two weeks after the midterms. Barring any governmental assistance, it's going to take private dollars to return to relevance again.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 08:45 AM) Vogt is the only one to play any time at first. Norris only played there once in his career and jaso only twice. Figure jaso and Norris are primary catchers with vogt backing them up and at first would have to imagine pretty hard to pry one lose. They also have Freiman for 1B. Seem pretty set...except for the back-end of their rotation...and they replaced Cespedes bat (finally) with Butler, at least in their minds.

Jaso has one year before he becomes a FA. Derek Norris, they're not going to trade him away. I also don't think they would part with Vogt so easily, either. So you're basically renting Jason for one season to be part of a platoon with Flowers, then you probably lose him to free agency.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 02:54 AM) You're absolutely correct. And the best scenario for hi8is for 2015 would be waking up to a doctor telling me I've been the first human ever to be medically gifted an eternal life, that I now have a fifteen inch penis, and that anytime I say the word "poop" a million dollars will be deposited into my bank account. Poop. You catch my drift, sonny? Wouldn't 10-12" be more ideal? Lyle Mouton.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 07:59 AM) for me. and i am interjecting here, i really like any 3 of the catchers from Oak. they all can play 1b, dh and of course catching. 1 of them can play 3 b and the other can also play the OF. they are cost control. the thing is, if Oak was needing some young pitchers, and are incline to trade, would they be interested. If we had any... We're unlikely to trade Montas or Danish for those guys, and the A's aren't ever going to rely on the likes of Noesi/Carroll/Beck/Bassit/Rienzo, etc.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 07:55 AM) I actually agree with all 5 points from Rogers. What's Maeda's ceiling? I thought I read he was a back of the rotation type guy? Anywhere from a 2-4, but most project 4ish....because of the lack of velocity and nasty movement on his pitches like Tanaka. Plus the usual concerns about his frame and elevated pitch counts/workload. On the plus side, scouts have had a chance to watch him more closely during the MLB All-Stars tour in Japan this week.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 07:39 AM) Who is Kent Maeda? KenTA? Whatever his name is....Japanese (believed to be) mid-rotation guy, best one from their professional leagues likely to be posted. Didn't realize he and his agent were going to be in Nashville.

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/re...-trend-last.ece “The TV deals are the single most important variable in how aggressive a team can be,” said Cubs president Theo Epstein, whose organization has positioned itself (not sure how the author thinks they've done anything but being forced to wait for the Comcast deal to run its course) to negotiate a new TV deal after 2019. “You can chart a team’s spending in certain offseasons based on the timing of their TV deal and how it big it was. It’s something fans are starting to become more aware of and track, but it’s really a driving force in the industry dynamic that goes unseen.” (A month ago, Epstein told season-ticket holders that the next TV contract will be “the magic bullet, the paradigm-shifter.”)

Miami currently has the worst local TV deal in all of baseball, paying them $13-18MM annually (the Dodgers’ deal, in contrast, pays them $334MM per year, Gaines writes). Gaines notes that having a legitimate superstar on the team will increase the value of the new TV deal. Gaines speculates that negotiations could begin in 2016 as there appears to be some kind of opt-out on the current contract, which runs through 2020. Indeed, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that they are aiming for a new TV deal to begin in 2017 — which, perhaps not coincidentally, aligns with the first significant spike in Stanton’s salary. www.mlbtraderumors.com http://www.businessinsider.com/giancarlo-s...ontract-2014-11 In a full column, Rosenthal points out that the Rangers, Tigers and Angels each spent significant money prior to signing their new TV deals so they had a more attractive product in place for negotiations. For example, the Mariners just upped their contract to $118 million per year, partially explaining the investment in Cano/King Felix and some of the other big/ger names they're being connected with so far this off-season like Nelson Cruz and Yoenis Cespedes (just changed to Jay Z's sports rep agency, obviously a Cano connection there). And the Mariners have rebounded all the way up to 7th in the tv households chart. http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/stanton...es-sense-111914 http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-ya...ratings-2014-10 If you look at the attached chart, the White Sox were probably 25th (there are no ratings for the Dodgers and Blue Jays, and I assumed the Sox were also ahead of the Astros), with 39,000 households per game. Interestingly, the Cubs were only 2 spots ahead with 54,000. The Tigers were 2nd (159,000). Amazingly, the Indians were 10th at 99,000 per game in a "mediocre" season. The Royals and Twins were middle of the pack, which is quite resilient for the Twins' organization. Even though their fans are staying away (CLE and MIN), their local tv viewership is quite solid. If the White Sox went out and got Maeda, Papelbon (for Danks?) OR another RH closer, Ethier/Crawford/Kemp and pieces (for Danks/Ramirez) OR LaRoche/Rasmus/Morse...you would argue THAT potential team wasn't TOO far off. (It's also interesting in the Phil Rogers piece that he supposes Viciedo is going to be around in 2015).

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 20, 2014 -> 04:48 AM) To further clarify a couple of points, regarding what I posted above: 1) A deal involving Alexei for Ethier and Schebler, is feasible. However, we can certainly argue over the exact details eg; the Sox could insist upon some cash, or an additional player. 2) Ethier and Ramirez are the same age, but Alexei's skill set is likely to decline faster than Andre's. Ramirez depends upon his speed and range, to remain an elite SS. Ethier is a patient, professional hitter, with a high OBP. Those are the kinds of skills that are easier to sustain, late into a player's career. 3) When I said that the Sox had only one potential LH impact bat in the organization, I inadvertently overlooked Wilkins. He is still young enough to be considered, but he doesn't seem to be part of the organization's plans. Perhaps another successful season at AAA will change that HIGHLY doubtful.

Doc Holladay...where are you? Hamels, Cliff Lee, Buchanan, Jerome Williams and Miguel Angel Gonzalez/Pettitbone. That's a big mess from the 3rd starter on, and Lee hasn't been healthy, either. Papelbon for Danks makes SOME sense, although I can't believe that would be much of a rotation solution for the Phillies, either.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 11:07 PM) I'd say that 20 innings is somewhat important when talking about a relivers second half. It raises my "uh-oh" meter. This is coming from a guy who knows not what xFIP means, so please do enlighten me. Fielding Independent Pitching. It attempts to strip away a team's individual defensive effects (in other words, the defense makes a Royals pitcher better than he actually is, or makes a White Sox pitcher look worse) and forecast what that player would do in a completely neutral context setting.

Anyone going to be suckered into Episode 1 of Hunger Games? Or just wait for the finale? It's supposed to make $150 million or so in the U.S., and god knows what crazy numbers it will do here in China. Interstellar here almost beat the U.S. box office...it was pretty close.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 08:49 PM) We want our bullpen to be upgraded, but we don't want to spend money to do it. Sweet. I'm not sure how people want Rick to address our pen issues. The 2012 method of throwing about 11-12 rookies at the problem worked better than what they've attempted since then. When you do have a pitcher working with an 88-91 MPH fastball (see Danks), we all know how slim the margin for error is...you can't get away with the same mistakes a Herrera or Wade Davis does. Their foul tics are long homers at lesser velocities.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 08:08 PM) Do you guys genuinely think that Viciedo is going to be a significantly improved player next year? I certainly don't. Please someone tell me where he's going to actually make progress next year. You trapped yourself with this response. Not with this coaching staff. I know one thing...the Royals' staff would never tolerate the play we've seen out of him the last two years when he was quite decent in 2012. How do you explain that regression? It's not physical, it's almost completely mental/psychological. To my knowledge, putting on 5-10 extra pounds can't possibly be the reason.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 07:39 PM) KW mentioned a lot of good players are available in trade. Said the Winter Meetings will be an exciting time. He will be helping Hahn put the dream together. Well, that pronouncement will surely sell 500-750 tickets alone, just by sheer force of will.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 07:36 PM) That iis in the past. When making trades and constructing a roster, what you will do is a little more important than what you did. Uh-oh, we can actually agree on something for once. "An ill wind comes arisin', across the cities and the plain/s ...acid rain, etc."

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 07:27 PM) Actual WAR the last 2 years: Viciedo: -0.8 fWAR Navarro: 3.8 fWAR. Which still doesn't necessarily mean Navarro's going to have nearly the impact Viciedo will the next 3-5 years. It's just like the stock market. Past returns aren't necessarily an indicator of future performance. Caveat emptor.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 05:02 PM) That is a very beatable deal. One of those "more for PR than anything" announcements, so the Red Sox can argue they mounted a "sincere" attempt to bring Lester back to pacify the fans who can only speculate what it's like to turn down $100+ million in guaranteed money to play a kid's game (see Juan Gonzalez). Seems they prefer Shields at $90-100 million. They should know what they're doing, they had all the opportunity in the world to observe Lester and evaluate what he's worth, exactly, moving forward.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 03:50 PM) Yeah, I get that. I get that you don't think he's for real. You may be right. I mean, I probably only think it's 60/40 that his changes are for real. I'm just saying that it is incorrect to compare this signing to the Paulino/Downs signings, because the Sox think he IS for real. So hopefully they're right about that. Downs had a VERY consistent track record for nearly a decade. It's just that his expiration date had already passed... But I would say Downs is closer in spirit to Keppinger/Teahen than the likes of Ohman or Paulino, who had multiple injuries and a nearly completely inability to stay healthy. Paulino five years ago might have gotten away with throwing in the mid 90's and having limited movement and offspeed stuff...but that's just an average fastball these days when you consider hitters usually see 3-4 guys out of every big league pen throwing that velocity and starters like Yordano Ventura routinely hitting 100.

The Rangers' situation was mostly related to real estate/shopping mall overexposure and also Liverpool/Arsenal....one of those Premiere League teams. It's not like the profit-generating model was broken in Texas. Quite the opposite. It's that the Rangers' profitability was being used to cushion all the other spread sheet/line item disasters in Hicks' portfolio.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Nov 19, 2014 -> 11:10 AM) No one said that but you complained he wasn't league average. No one in the majors has everyone at league average. Eminor3rd said cause of his performance he should have been sent down to Charlotte if it wasn't for his contract. Shouldn't Verlander have been sent down for the tigers if it wasn't based on his contract for last year When the Dodgers sign Scherzer, they'll have Kershaw and Greinke as well...one of those will be a 3 in their rotation, by definition. Ryu becomes the 4th (even though he's a 2/3 on most teams), and Dan Haren 5th.