caulfield12

Tanner Bibee Round 5 $259,400 Shane Bieber Draft: 2016, Rd: 4, Pick: 16, Ovr: 122 Lively: Free Agent (CIN) Dec'23 Draft: 2013, Rd: 4, Pick: 29, Ovr: 135 Tristan McKenzie Draft: 2015, Rd: CB-A, Pick: 6, Ovr: 42 Luis Ortiz might be the steal of the last year from the Pirates for Spencer Horwitz... Gavin Williams 2021, Rd: 1, Pick: 23, Ovr: 23 Draft Team: Cleveland Guardians Signing Bonus: $2,250,000

"The 28-year-old Okamoto has enough service time that he would not be subject to amateur signing-bonus restrictions upon entry. The Detroit Tigers are one potential suitor for Okamoto. They have expanded their scouting efforts in Asia since Scott Harris took over their baseball operations, and the Tigers are looking to add power after returning to the postseason this year." Detroit Tigers have been one of the main teams interested in Bregman...obviously AJ Hindu connection there as well. Torkelson has been a complete mess. You're going to have arguably the two best Japanese FA hitters next offseason as questionable 3B who best profile at 1B arguably. Seems the top guy in 2025 will go to the Dodgers and #2 to the Tigers if they pony up the cash.

He needs a nickname. Hot Saucke is too easy and was Dayan Biciedo's already.

Who the hell is SriRacha Saucke? A former water polo player? Caleb Bonemer's yet another fringy SS, I know that much...

Hanshin Tigers Staying with the “if 2023 Tigers were a car” analogies, 5'6" Koji (not a Fletcher) Chikamoto would be the wheels, as a car can move without an engine if it’s on a steep hill, but it’s not going anywhere without wheels. A dynamic 5-tool player (though he is lacking a bit home-run power), the 29-year old has been a model of consistency since being drafted as a 1st-round consolation pick. Over 5 full seasons, Chikamoto has a .291/.348/.402 career slashline for a 117 wRC+ while swiping 30 bags per season. 2023 was Chikamoto’s best year to date, as he had 44XBH (24 doubles, 12 triples and 8 homers), walked 11.5% of the time (double his career mark), while retaining his trademark skills of elite defense and baserunning. Yomiuri Giants This is about 1B/3B Kaz Okamoto though, who has been on one of the most impressive streaks in baseball, hitting 30+HR in each of the past 6 seasons, but only hitting 40+ once, in 2023, which made him NPB’s HR king. In 2023, Okamoto hit .278/.374/.584 with 41HR, 31 doubles for a 178wRC+, which was 2nd best across all qualified hitters. The 27-year old has been mostly at 3rd, with stints at 1st and LF, but he will settle in at 1st. https://borjaonsports.com/baseball/top-npb-hitters/ https://www.patreon.com/posts/top-25-under-25-87885632 https://www.mlb.com/news/roki-sasaki-japan-korea-players-who-could-come-to-mlb

For basically one full week, it's going to be all Dodgers/Cubs/NPB in the news...the White Sox will be even more of an afterthought. "Major League Baseball announced that its 2025 regular season will begin with the Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim at the Tokyo Dome, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers with Oshu, Japan native Shohei Ohtani and Bizen, Japan native Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the Chicago Cubs with Kitakyushu, Japan native Shota Imanaga and Arakawa, Japan native Seiya Suzuki on Tuesday, March 18th and Wednesday, March 19th. On March 15, the Chicago Cubs will take on the Hanshin Tigers at 12pm and the Yomiuri Giants will face the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7pm. On March 16, the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Hanshin Tigers at 12pm and the Yomiuri Giants will take on the Chicago Cubs at 7 p.m. All games of the 2025 MLB World Tour: Tokyo Series including the four exhibition games will be played at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo." https://www.mlb.com/international/events/tokyo-series Ofc, Guggenheim...the event's title sponsor, IS essentially the LA Dodgers

"We are but nine days away from the first team (the Cubs) welcoming its pitchers and catchers to Spring Training, and only 46 days from the season opening with the Cubs “hosting” the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome on March 18. (It’s very likely that the first pitch of 2025 will be thrown to Shohei Ohtani, by the way, perhaps even by countryman Shota Imanaga." source: mlb.com

No potential TOR after Top Two guys...then Taylor. Then who is fourth? Wolkow might STILL be 4th best hitting prospect, either him or Meidroth. Stagnant progress with Pr.Berroa/Iriarte/Leasure and Nastrini. Zapata backsliding this year...and perhaps not sticking in CF, either. Dodgers have at least 4-5 five tool potential guys at SS/CF...White Sox totally lacking there, comparatively. Braden has four tools (hit for average uncertain), but certainly not blazing speed.

Must be un-addressable character concerns with Grifol/Robert relationship...maybe newfound belief Venable and Fuller can reach him with examples of Moncada/Jimenez/Anderson flaming out.

And a near monopoly on any Top NPB player coming over from Japan, starting with Murakami the Japanese Babe Ruth at third...really quite easy to now imagine going over to the Dodgers as well. Robert would likely thrive hitting 7-8-9 with little pressure or expectation to carry the offense. Everyone around the game is simply salivating over their Top 15 prospects (like Boston Big 3) and intl. signings, they got Hope/Ferris for Busch and their low first rounder in 2024 as well as Emil Morales (2024 intl.) could easily join Jose DePaula Rushing and Hope in the Top 15-30 range a year from now. Finally, they have a boatload of young pitching depth beyond their Top 7...it's almost an embarrassment of riches. And more quality relievers than they know what to do with them.

Average out Law and McDaniel...you get around #7. BA only had 5 Sox Top 100...with Quero not included. Pipeline had 6. So somewhere between #4-6 seems about fair as a composite average.

"Two years ago at this time, the White Sox had the 25th-ranked farm system in baseball, then last year they moved up to 20th and last summer, after the trade deadline and draft, they moved up to eighth. And now, they are a Roki Sasaki away from having the top farm system in the game." Last year $172 million FV. Credit to Getz or Crochet lol? Quero trade? Draft positioning due to abysmal record? Schultz/Montgomery/Taylor upside?

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/43601370/2025-top-30-mlb-farm-systems-prospects-list-kiley-mcdaniel-rankings-dodgers-white-sox-tigers-red-sox $313 million in future value Tigers #3, Red Sox #4, Twins #6, Cubs #10 Top 100 prospects by team Which franchises have the most players on our list? 8: LAD 6: CHW 5: CHC, SEA, TB 4: CIN, DET, MIL, MIN, NYM, PIT, WSH 3: BAL, BOS, CLE, LAA, MIA, PHI, STL, TEX, TOR 2: ATH, ATL, COL, HOU, KC, NYY, SD 1: ARI, SF

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-best-2025-international-signing-classes?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage Rays Marlins A's Brewers and Red Sox considered to have the five best 2025 signing classes so far...

How many fans are willing to pay $120+ just to watch a 110+ loss Sox team though???

Grove is the young pitcher everyone is pointing to MIGHT be expendable and likely will never be able to start with that depth chart. They also have Brusdal Graterol on the mend.

Primary difference here is the Phillies are not financially-challenged like Cincy. They are also WS or bust as an organization at this point.

Okay off by a bit bit could have sworn it was around $67 million. Know for a fact the Pads had similar Bally revenues with massive local ratings (in one of the smallest markets ofc) but they are still down in the $10-12-$15 million range going with the MLB-produced broadcasts from all the reporting available on this...

“He (Skenes) was one of the best in the league this year. It’s pretty cool for one of my really, really good buddies to believe I can be right up there with him, and he’s at the top of the league.”

You're talking a fall of let's say $70 million per year to somewhere in the vicinity of $3-5 million for local. No way in hell it's over $10 million right now. Bloodbath. Hahn/Boyer made a massive miscalculation going for a short term five year deal last time by foolishly believing they'd be able to negotiate it even higher around 2022-2023 when they should have been "in the midst of their multiple parades/championship banner hangings."

"Dodgers: Emil Morales, SS Morales landed a $1,897,500 bonus out of the Dominican Republic because he had one of the highest ceilings in the 2024 international class, then backed it up with a huge pro debut. He won MVP and top prospect honors in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League after slashing .342/.478/.691 and topping the circuit in slugging, OPS (1.169), homers (14) and total bases (105). He has a smooth right-handed swing and hits the ball exceptionally hard for an 18-year-old, and he should still provide more than enough offense if he moves off shortstop." https://www.mlb.com/news/each-mlb-club-s-best-non-top-100-prospect-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

"Cubs: Brandon Birdsell, RHP The Cubs named Birdsell their Minor League Pitcher of the Year after he posted a 3.91 ERA and led the system in innings (135 2/3), strikeouts (134), K percentage (24 percent) and walk percentage (5 percent) while splitting his season between Double-A and Triple-A. His best attributes are a mid-90s fastball that reaches 98 with carry and command and an upper-80s slider with nice depth." mlb.com Just missed Top 100 list...one prospect per team named

“I’ll talk to him (Skenes), and he’ll tell me different stuff that he notices throughout the league, and he’s like, ‘You can be here very soon, dude,’” Grant Taylor said during a recent Zoom. “He’ll tell me basically from what he saw when we were kind of going after it with each other, he’s super confident in me -- and then seeing him do all the stuff and him being super confident believing in himself at the highest of the highest levels …" https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/grant-taylor-will-venable-scott-bradley-white-sox-stories?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

"White Sox: Grant Taylor, RHP Though Taylor missed Louisiana State's '23 national championship season because he had Tommy John surgery that February, the White Sox still picked him in the second round. He has regained his power stuff: an upper-90s fastball, a sharp low-90s cutter and a pair of solid breaking pitches. He got back on the mound last May and logged a 1.13 ERA with a 25/1 K/BB ratio in 16 innings at Single-A before getting shut down with a lat strain, then returned for the Arizona Fall League. Paul Skenes believes in him." https://www.mlb.com/news/each-mlb-club-s-best-non-top-100-prospect-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Cubs/Padres discussing Cease reunion "Coupling Owen Caissie or another touted outfielder like Kevin Alcantara with a controllable arm that lacks Cease’s ceiling but could be a third or fourth starter (e.g. Wicks, Assad) could hold some appeal to a Padres club that lacks rotation depth, a clear left fielder or designated hitter, and has a shaky-at-best collection of options to fill out manager Mike Shildt’s bench." "Chicago has younger names like Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown and Caleb Kilian on the 40-man roster, with prospects Cade Horton and Brandon Birdsell climbing the minor league ladder." https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/cubs-trade-rumors-dylan-cease-padres.html