caulfield12

Playing for one of the three worst teams in baseball versus one of the best at one year older ... and where he might feel he's just as important if not more of a clubhouse leader than Grifol?

Friends and family hasn't gone well for the Sox so far...that said, maybe Profar will prove to be an exception. In his prime (before injuries) Jurickson was the quintessential type of dynamic athlete they seem to now be targeting...

You can say all you want about the third team possessing the ball having a guaranteed shot to win the game outright…but that discounts all the permutations of deal with Mahomes knowing exactly what he needs to do (like going on 4th and 1 deep in own territory, or setting every drive up with punting never an option)…not to mention Greenlaw was out by that point, and how huge he was for their defense. And then how much the Chiefs possessed the ball in the second half and finally started to wear down the SF defense. And it’s Patrick Mahomes, lol. The lead specifically mad a rule to thwart him, Tyreek Hill and Kelce because they were so deadly automatic.

https://soxmachine.com/2023/09/white-sox-international-approach-in-need-of-overhaul/ https://www.futuresox.net/2023/10/06/2023-white-sox-affiliate-review-dominican-summer-league/ But now the White Sox’ operations in the D.R. are coming back. From Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com, who spoke with assistant GM Buddy Bell about Marco Paddy and the White Sox revitalized Dominican operations: “You need scouts to find the talent and Marco has done a very good job since his hire last year,” Bell said in an email. “Our players at our Dominican academy look a lot different. This is the first time I can say we have some guys that have a chance to be impactful major leaguers. Very athletic looking kids.” November 29th, 2012 NBCSports.com Coincides with first year of Hahn as GM, of course.

What dynamic contributors that can play across the diamond have been added, exactly? It’s kind of amusing that the two players who most fit that billing, Moncada (affixed to 3B) and Tim Anderson are on their way out or already gone…seemingly. We’ve already traded our 3B who lacked some of those qualities (despite outsprinting the majority of position players on the roster). Amed Rosario would sort of fit…but not with his inconsistent/erratic defense up the middle and his age/timeline. HaSeong Kim is the pending free agent who most represents that type of contributor, but still lacks overwhelming speed. Age/timeline again. Jazz Chisholm? We keep adding players, but none are dynamic nor are they under 25-26ish.

White Sox: Are they rebuilding? Ah, yes. It’s the question that's been hovering around the South Siders since early last August: rebuild or retool? This is a rebuild, and a necessary one after the previous rebuild ended in two total playoff wins and the 2023 debacle. But it’s not a rebuild in the sense of tearing the organization all the way down. General manager Chris Getz is looking for a certain style of play -- better defense, faster paced and with dynamic contributors who can play across the diamond. He’s building depth and building an overall winning culture, not even giving up '24 if many, many factors work in the team’s favor within the AL Central. -- Scott Merkin https://www.mlb.com/news/spring-training-2024-storylines

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/40294-the-next-big-mlb-scandal-dominican-signings-and-buscones Is there anything officially from MLB on this mystery? Related to the Wander Franco case or more underage signings/buscones/private academies? For those who haven't watched, highly recommend this documentary on the 2012 DR signing class headlined by Miguel Sano and former Sox Michael Ynoa. "Ballplayer: Pelotero" https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/18900471/the-complicated-state-haitian-dominicans-mlb

Back to the team that really originated the pitch framing craze.

According to Aaron Schatz and his DVOA metric, the Chiefs faced the toughest postseason run of all time toward a Super Bowl title. They did this while playing musical chairs all season before figuring out a clean rotation that worked for the postseason. They did this while dealing with some terrible losses during the regular season against inferior teams. And ultimately, they did this because they have Patrick Mahomes. Everyone saw how flawed this Chiefs team was during the regular season — and they still won the Super Bowl. What happens if they go out and add a big name wide receiver in the draft or free agency? Does the rest of the AFC cry? Laugh? Call the mob and kidnap Mahomes? https://sports.yahoo.com/this-was-patrick-mahomes-masterpiece-of-a-season-and-he-saved-the-chiefs-super-bowl-on-a-vintage-play-081144861.html https://sports.yahoo.com/how-kyle-shanahan-lost-the-super-bowl-after-winning-the-ot-coin-flip-061238455.html

2. Kansas City Chiefs 2023 record: 11-6 Offseason in three words: Goodbye, Chris Jones? The Chiefs wouldn't give Jones, a potential unrestricted free agent, the money he wanted on a long-term contract last season when he was holding out, so it wouldn't make sense for them to give it to him this time around. It also isn't logical for them to make him the franchise player, so it's possible Jones will be moving on. The Chiefs tried to prepare for that eventuality over the past two years, drafting George Karlaftisand Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first round, but losing Jones would still be immense. -- Adam Teicher Ravens 1, Chiefs, 49ers, Lions, Bills, Dolphins, Dallas, Philly, Houston, GB Bears 21 (all about Fields, Williams or trade picks) https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39479402/nfl-way-too-early-power-rankings-poll-2024-plus-offseason-three-words https://heavy.com/sports/kansas-city-chiefs/chris-jones-jonathan-allen-trade-rumors/

We know what Campbell would have done...should have used McCaffrey more to grind down the Chiefs' defense in the second quarter, but you have to get be credit to KC secondary for keeping the lead within striking distance.

Matt Nagy with some redemption. Muffed punt off the leg/foot changed the entire game. Plus Mahomes' escapability and toughness.

Benetti doing Iowa women's BB game today on Fox...seems Gus Johnson must have some responsibilities with the Super Bowl.

McCarthy already 26 but with control through 2028…1 pre arb and 4 arbitration years. Obviously his 2022 rookie season fWAR of 2.4 and being left-handed stand out. Negative defensive numbers in the outfield. Only a net of 0.1 fWAR in 99 games this past season, that would have fit right in w/ the Sox at least.

https://www.mlb.com/news/predicting-where-6-top-free-agents-will-sign

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/next-landlord-may-pro-sports-205021130.html Billionaire owners have built dozens of new stadiums and arenas, often with hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding. State and local governments spent $33 billion in public funds to build stadiums in North America between 1970 and 2020, with the median public contribution covering 73% of costs, a studypublished last year found. As part of teams’ agreements with cities and states, they have been handed the rights to transform the land around these ballparks into offices, apartment buildings, hotels and shopping malls. “Stadiums are giant paper weights and are incredibly expensive,” said Geoffrey Propheter, who studies the economics of sports stadiums at the University of Colorado Denver.

https://www.mlb.com/news/under-the-radar-breakout-relievers-2024

Padres will look to move Darvish or Musgrove for roughly seventy-five to eighty cents on the dollar if they're out of the WC race this year at the trade deadline...or perhaps newly-acquired Michael King. depending upon how he pitches. Or Preller could just as easily make one last desperation push for Cease to try to save his job.

Despite his illustrious playing career, Sizemore accepted the humble role ($15/hour intern) with the Diamondbacks in 2023. His performance during this stint impressed Josh Barfield, the then-director of player development for the Diamondbacks. Barfield, who was a former teammate of Sizemore in Cleveland, was open to bringing Sizemore on board, even when the team had reached its head-count limit. His work with the Diamondbacks marked the beginning of his transition to a coaching role, with strong indications of his readiness to advance in this new direction. From the Diamondbacks to the White Sox Barfield moved to the Chicago White Sox as assistant general manager after leaving the Diamondbacks. He played a significant role in hiring Sizemore to join manager Pedro Grifol's coaching staff. In his new role, Sizemore will focus on coaching outfielders and baserunning, bringing his wealth of experience from his playing days to the next generation of athletes. https://bnnbreaking.com/world/us/from-player-to-coach-grady-sizemores-journey-back-to-the-big-leagues/

Cesar Prieto and Rom have been ranked in the mid teens for Cardinals prospects with Showalter anywhere from #10-23… That was the very light return for Flaherty, who hasn't been good for three full seasons but still got almost $15 million in FA…which is lower middle class for starting pitching in 2024. Dylan Cease is worth a lot more than THAT.

He was definitely a pitcher that the majority of MLB GM’s would have selected to start G3 for the Orioles over then-existing options despite being in the midst of a supposed down year…that was filled with mitigating circumstances.

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/orioles-jon-meoli-preseason-win-projections-XI5GNVWDAZBL7H2KGXPCX4EXZI/ The reasons the numbers are lower than you might expect for a team that won 101 games and is mostly back intact are relatively consistent with years past, though. Even with Corbin Burnes’ addition and some steps forward on the mound from their inexperienced rotation last year, the repeatability of that for a full year isn’t guaranteed in any projection. Neither is the quality of the bullpen, with Félix Bautista out and Craig Kimbrel replacing him as closer. Nor is the team’s success in winning close and late — it was 30-16 in one-run games last year and won 48 games from trailing positions. Those are hard to replicate…

Nicky Lopez at second, DeJong at SS for now.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39494674/seahawks-hiring-ryan-grubb-offensive-coordinator Grubb just left Washington with deBoer for Bama to serve as OC...that lasted less than one week. Buena Vista Iowa grad.

You can't manufacture a sense of historicity. It comes across as disingenuous.