caulfield12

Then there's always the old you can't invest all your payroll into 1-2 players argument...or that his pitching career after second TJ likely to only last 3-4 years.

That will have to wait for when Cease is eventually traded. Or he can positively surprise everyone with a Grifol launching.

The only thing this bizarre day and night is missing is an exclusive SoxTalk interview with Lars Nootbaar about his take on the whole Ohtani situation...

Not sure how trading Burger helped on that front...Eder has a LOT to prove.

Pretty sure he was criticized at beginning of last Cards' season for work ethic/dedication. Unlikely to be the next Arozarena or Adolis Garcia...from multiple perspectives. Good complementary/glue player.

Yet somehow the mystery and aura of the guy still comes off as more interesting than Trout. Like the whole sleeping 16 hours per day thing. Then again, he's doing things never thought possible since the Babe Ruth Boston Braves days. It's like the almost total blackout or lack of news and resulting media circus just creates more interest (and frustration.)

You can't win without superior power and high strikeout/groundball pitching at GRF.

Critical of ownership front office or Ohtani secretive process? On the Cease front...still have to wait on Yamamoto Snell Burnes Glasnow and maybe Bieber if the Guardians think the return is strong enough.

Barnhart? Hedges? A spare Braves catcher they don't really need that might incrementally improve '24 team? T-Flow to coach?

And gave us months of false hope and three separate ESPN banner headlines with the Machado/Harper/Wheeler "Friends & Family" offseason. At this rate, Willie Wonka's going to take over Toronto before Shohei does.

Getz specifically said "runway" very pointedly in his Fedde introduction quote. Then the Padilla roster clearing. Now Ohtani Toronto flight rerouted and Midway bound.

Merkin is excited!!! “There’s some real material differences with his stuff,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “He added the sweeper, he got a better feel for his sinker, he changed his attack plan. And he more or less dominated over in the KBO. We talked to hitters over there, we talked to people that are around that league, and we felt he was the most feared pitcher in that league. And the numbers show it. “Then to go to a league where it’s a bit of a Major League environment, from a fans and pressure standpoint, and certainly being a foreigner, it’s never easy. For him to come back here, with that level of confidence and the ability, which is a difference from where it was before, we’re willing to take that bet, and we’re looking forward to giving him that runway here with the White Sox.”

CBS Sports Radio?

You almost have to take Williams or Daniels if you value mobility in a QB, as Penix Jr. barely has escapability, let alone throwing on the run...was also high on Nix but he's missing something at that next level which is hard to put a precise finger on. Mahomes is still the quintessential model...Caleb Williams is the closest you're ever going to get. Or perhaps Jaden Milroe...if he wins his next two games and takes game up one more level. The way he's rebounded after UT loss and how his approach has evolved from run first to pass first and only run in desperation...impressive stuff. Of course NFL play of last two Bama QBs doesn't exactly help his cause. Otoh every OSU QB pretty much sucked on NFL and look at Stroud lighting it up now.

Dave Roberts is going to be under a lot of fire if they lose him...but not quite as bad as situation for UPenn president losing $100 million ongoing donation.

White Sox can never be progressive enough to market their team to Korean Japanese Taiwanese...Asian community in general on their doorstep. Sure, they probably have one token ethnic community outreach night per year...but that's just boilerplate stuff in reality. Sox hats are certainly popular enough around the world...even if lots think it actually says SEX lol.

Plane diverted to CLE. Ohtani suddenly figures out with the #1 pick next year...and sad state of AL Central division overall that he could be literally be a Rock Star there, and lead a relatively normal life not in a fishbowl. Wouldn't be there for winters, anyway. Convinces Yamamoto to sign there as well. Guardians hold onto Bieber.

Baseball in Montreal alive again...SSHM rejoicing.

Did the teenager who had Musk’s private plane tail # info get involved here as well?

If only we hadn't already spent roughly the same amount on Benintendi...and had his best friend on the team to offer, who just happened to win a Gold Glove as well as very specific swing advice about how to attack 95+ fastballs coming from a lower velocity/junkballers league.

The Athletic’s Tim Britton projects that Lee will land a four-year, $56 million contract, which would come with an additional posting fee of $10.3 million. The bidding could go higher than that — the rival San Francisco Giants are among other teams interested. Although recent numbers might not reflect it, Ha Song Kim has spent considerable time helping his friend prepare for the jump to the majors. Lee, who hit .349 with 23 home runs in 2022, hit .318 with just six home runs during his injury-shortened 2023. Besides an early-season slump, there was at least a partial explanation for the decline: Lee perhaps needed time to harness a new swing he had honed with advice from Kim. In a Korean interview, according to KBO analyst Daniel Kim, Ha-Seong Kim relayed how he struggled in his first experiences against big-league velocity, eventually prompting significant swing adjustments. Lee, with Kim’s help, sought a shorter learning curve while still playing in the KBO in 2023. And he later seemed to find some comfort with his reworked swing; over his final 20 games before a July ankle injury, Lee hit .403 for the Kiwoom Heroes. https://theathletic.com/5119778/2023/12/07/juan-soto-trade-padres-next-moves/?source=freedailyemail&campaign=601983

The Tennessean has a really good story about Dave Stewart and the parallels with Oakland and Nashville situations...more from a socio-economic/cultural side. Posted a link about 12 hours ago or so in this thread.

Nobody knows. Depends on how much he interferes...how much he trusts his own baseball people that he brings in...and how much the analytics team from a financier's standpoint can leverage "real world baseball success" from computer models/algorithms/simulations.

Memories of Giolito, Reynaldo and Dunning for Adam Eaton...perhaps the greatest trade of Hahn's tenure, along with Cease and Eloy for Quintana. Kept in a very well-paying job for the better part of a decade...that and signing Luis Robert, Jr.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/39054696/mlb-juan-soto-yankees-padres-grade-trade-blockbuster B to Yankees, A- to Padres, comprehensive grades for both teams after the trade https://www.yahoo.com/sports/grade-padres-juan-soto-trades-153914460.html C-, although it's including the 2023 results and the fact they were forced to trade him in the first place, rather than just the talent going back and forth in the trade itself