caulfield12

Graveman and Mr. Steak and Potatoes hardly seemed to care if Liam Hendriks was living or dead. Were they any better? Lots of dirty laundry in 2023 spilled out. The 2024 team just did a better job of not turning on each other because there were a lot more unproven younger players and the majority of vets were already out the door. Are the Sox really any better off now, though? They are younger and cheaper and more profitable or loss-averse from a financial standpoint.

But then that’s nearly everyone. A team-wide infection. Anderson, Grandal, pretty much the entire pitching staff after spider tack, all the veteran bullpen guys but Hendriks, the only common denominator is the White Sox. The one who guy with a really positive outlook and persistent approach was Burger, but we got rid of him, too. The somewhat likable players like Vaughn and Sheets are/were average to below average…so doesn’t leave you much to build around other than 3 pitching prospects and Quero/Montgomery, if they can actually stay healthy and live up to their potential.

Outside of Quero/Montgomery, it would almost be a miracle if any of those second/third tier guys ended up at 2.0 or higher. Maybe Baldwin could come close if he at least played a major league average SS, but that would be largely unexpected IMO.

The number of fans going to see Severino specifically would probably cancel out Benintendi-specific fans in Chicago. The willingness to spend/invest is the key aspect here, as noted. And at least they have the makings of a young offensive core out there...Rooker picked up some MVP votes.

Think of all the money saved from twenty years of Sox second round busts, though... They would have accumulated enough to fix their hypothetical (dating back to 80s threat to move) St. Pete dome roof that wasn't exactly hurricane-proof.

The Athletics' move to southern Nevada is expected to take a major step forward Thursday when the 30-year lease, non-relocation and development documents are likely to be approved by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority following a rise in the estimated cost of the ballpark by $250 million to $1.75 billion. Those agreements could be the last major hurdles before construction can begin in the spring on a Las Vegas Strip stadium projected to open for the start of the 2028 season, a ballpark in which underseat cooling is planned. https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/construction-athletics-las-vegas-ballpark-major-step-cost-rises/1809939/

BREAKING: Right-hander Luis Severino and the A’s are in agreement on a three-year, $67 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest guarantee in the history of the A’s franchise. And even with the qualifying offer attached, Severino got well over market expectations. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2024 The deal is the largest free-agent contract in Athletics franchise history, and it included a $10 million signing bonus and opt-out clause following the second season, per Passan. https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/ 2024 3.91 ERA/1.24 WHIP

They were the only team behind the White Sox in revenues in 2024...and are going into a AAA stadium for at least the next three seasons. Puts the White Sox plight under the microscope even more, when trading Fedde was also about shedding future salary to an extent. So Jessie Scholtens...please come back. Or Flexen.

Feels like every time the Mets needed a big hit down the stretch either Iglesias or Lindor were coming up like clockwork...that kind of thing is serendipity in baseball.

*And made a concerted run at Judge as well...like the Bulls, never able to land the marquee franchise-altering superstar. ***Red Sox and Cubs no longer considered legitimate compensation for every big name FA.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/03/sports/dodgers-signing-juan-soto-and-roki-sasaki-would-be-devastating-for-mlb/ Dodgers signing Sasaki AND Sota would be devastating (competitive balance) Or would it actually threaten the Dodgers' financial standing, at least the Soto $600-700 million theoretical contract? (we haven't seen any consequences as of yet)

Watch out for a Ray-Ray missive on the evils of cable monopolies coming in 3-2-1.... He's not wrong, it's just probably not the most powerful US capitalistic monopoly to be confronting at this point.

Looks like we should hire their father/high school coach, lol... CARY, N.C.—Phillip Maton ran track at Eastern Illinois, and his wife Ellen played volleyball there. While their second-oldest son, Marc, ran track at Southeast Missouri State, the other three boys, Phil, Nick and Jacob, have turned the Matons into a baseball family. “I kind of stuck to baseball from an early age, and they kind of in turn followed,” said Phil, the oldest Maton boy. On June 11, the Matons gathered around a computer at their home in Indiana and watched as Phil, a righthanded reliever, made his MLB debut with the Padres. They traveled to Wrigley Field the next week to see him pitch in person. Two days after Phil made his debut, Nick, the third-oldest, was drafted in the seventh round by the Phillies. In his pro debut with short-season Williamsport on June 27, he made a diving catch at shortstop for the last out of the game. Jacob, the youngest, just finished his junior season at Glenwood High in Chatham, Ill. He had his moment competing at the Tournament of Stars at the USA Baseball National Training Complex this week. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/maton-brothers-work-together-to-shine-on-diamond/

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/42760649/dodgers-deferred-payments-top-1-billion-7-players Meanwhile, the White Sox, if they keep deferring improving the team in any appreciable way via FA might only be worth a valuation of $1 billion over the span of the next five to ten years without a new stadium...

Not to be confused with LHP Phil Maton...fwiw.

https://sports.yahoo.com/new-bears-coach-thomas-brown-preached-accountability-for-a-team-that-needed-it--then-he-went-a-step-further-222719357.html

Teams that lost 100+ games in the previous season should get 2 Golden Bats per game. Almost like they're trying to turn it into an e-sport to appeal to young people. Everyone over 40 or 50 would absolutely hate the idea. Traditionalists/purists.

What was a realistic expectation for the bullpen last year? He seeningly coached up guys like Santos and Scholtens...but every argument is related to expectations. Crochet and Fedde were his calling cards last year. Cannon. Not sure how much credit he gets for Burke at the tail end. Thorpe was lucky or he outpitched his peripherals or both? The team didn't just quit down the stretch...how much credit goes to coaches and how much simply to players' pride, like Benintendi? They didn't turn on each other like the two previous years of finger pointing. One thing is for sure. The Brewers, Royals and Guardians and even Mets got more from their pitchers last year than what "should" have happened on paper.

Between Kimbrel Hendriks Kelly Graveman Bummer they had to be over $33 million the second half of 2021...well, essentially they were forced into the Pollock contract because of the QO for Kimbrel instead of Rodon. I guess Kelly/Graveman were added going into 2022...but it feels like years ago. Then you had Lopez who was essentially in the pen for most of one of those seasons as well.

Greg775 has been on a roll recently.

AAA filler...most likely.

Gellinger has been with organization for most of his coaching career...probably gets reassigned to minors.

Can't believe Iowa State is one win away from the playoffs...but such is the state of NCAA football this year. Colorado would have drawn much better ratings with Deion and two of the top five picks, including the likely Heisman winner in next year's draft. At any rate, hopefully they provide better games than Iowa or Wisconsin in B10 championships recently. And maybe Boise State, Indiana, SMU or ISU can give it more of an NCAA bb tourney feel as cinderellas with unaligned fans getting behind them and not just cannon fodder.

Blue Light specials is more like it.

Giolito and Lopez had both struggled initially with Washington. Gore to the Nats as part of a package…and SD traded a boatload of starting pitching prospects for high leverage relievers last year. Pepiot in the Glasnow trade. Ragans for Chapman. The problem here is needing positional talent twice as much as the pitching side. And how depressing it is for fans to have a non-competitive offense.