caulfield12

Sox 2-15 then 3-15 after Anderson went out of the lineup until he returned from the IL against the Twins that Monday in early May, some crazy stat like that...right now, something like 4 victories all season without him playing over 25% of the way through the season.

Sox 2-15 after Anderson went out of the lineup until he returned from the IL, some crazy stat like that

“Paul is dead.” McCartney and not The Mayor of Scottsdale, Konerko… https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/paul-konerkos-house/view/google/

The only thing that made it so reasonable was Detroit and KC on the abbreviated schedule for so many games...

Burger is getting closer and closer due to how cheap he is/will be. The problem is the control window over Anderson is closing, and JR isn't going to give him a $125-150 million contract in his age 31/32 season...and nothing's likely to change that, especially with Montgomery being the top future prospect at the very same position (for now). Of those five players you named, Robert with a mega-deal extension (should he come close to living up to that immense potential) seems to be the only piece you build around. Assuming you deliberately left out Cease/Kopech or just assume they won't still be here...or were only referring to position players?

Why be accountable when we're supposedly selling so many tickets, lol? 16 May Tue • 7:10pm Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Guaranteed Rate Field Chicago This date is a best seller It will be sold out soon View Tickets 17 May Wed • 7:10pm Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Guaranteed Rate Field Chicago This date is a best seller It will be sold out soon View Tickets 18 May Thu • 1:10pm Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Guaranteed Rate Field Chicago View Tickets 19 May Fri • 7:10pm Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Guaranteed Rate Field Chicago This date is a best seller It will be sold out soon

Trading out of pique is how the Padres ended up dumping Shields on the Sox, lol. In all seriousness, just like making stock market decisions as an investor, 95% of the time dumping stocks (or players) from a place of emotion instead of pure rationality will always come back to bite. If the White Sox were dumb enough to pin all the blame on the rebuild failing on Anderson, it would just be cutting off the nose to spite the face, and make the next rebuild go on into infinity.

The Dodgers have been waiting in the weeds ever since the trades for Betts and Scherzer/Trea Turner (which didn't turn out well in the end, just like Machado.) Adding Anderson and Ohtani (after basically sitting out FA this off season), they're just going to roll over everyone, even without Walker Buehler and a "big name" closer. Heck, they've been running out Peralta/Outman/Thompson for much of the year as their starting OF and still are going to run away with the division. SD overplayed their hands putting four superstars together and trading away 75% of their farm system in the last 2-3 years. It was exciting while it lasted, but now the same cracks are starting to develop that were evident in late 2021, this time with Manny Machado and the starting pitchers beginning to falter.

At least it will be fun to watch the Dodgers win another World Series with Anderson and Ohtani playing starring roles, lol... can only imagine Josh Donaldson calling him "Jackie" when he's actually playing for that historic franchise.

To be fair, a lot of Sox fans weren't expecting a playoff appearance until 2021. All that said, there probably wouldn't have been one with a full 162 game season that year...and not playing the relatively weaker divisional opponents so often. That Exec of the Year award for "the potential of the rebuild" turned out to be a massive mistake...and led to a sense of entitlement/complacency/overconfidence in player personnel decisions, like not signing a superstar like Harper when Machado and he were both available. This was also based on overconfidence in Yoan Moncada being a future stud...when he hadn't proven anything at all prior to 2019.

The White Sox have never understood the bigger picture of marketing...or we would have had more than two Japanese players in the last 25 years or so. For example, over the last two years the Hispanic players (especially the highest paid ones, or those with "generous" long-term deals) on the team have been pretty strongly criticized or even vilified...obviously, part of that is well-earned, part perhaps goes deeper from a sociological perspective. Leury was pretty obviously public enemy #1 last year, Jeff Keppinger, for example, didn't have to face nearly that much criticism and disdain from being overplayed by his manager. Was he supposed to just quit or refuse to play when he wasn't going well? I'm not going to get into the criticisms directed towards Tim Anderson or a Frank Thomas/Dick Allen as White Sox, but Robin Ventura even during his 0/41 or whatever it was his rookie year never faced so many personal attacks. Another example. Luis Robert arguably is the best player (or at least most valuable in terms of trade value) on the White Sox right now...but I'm struggling to think of other 'best players' around the league who have faced more criticism from fans. Of course, part of its due to expectations the team and GM created. Sometimes the fan criticism is merited, but some of the hyperbole has been unfair IMO. We've seen how many NBA players have struggled with being tagged "the next MJ," just like Robert very early on being compared to the physical skills/five tool talent of a Mike Trout.

See the Cardinals with Jordan Walker demotion, debate in the dugout and with Carlos Marmol over O'Neill's hustle becoming public...then the demotion of Contreras from starting catcher to DH and then back again in one week when they realized the pitching problems were much more about older/aging vets breaking down than Yadier Molina's leadership from that position. But this weekend they started to turn the ship around...Pirates and Cubs falling off and that division is still winnable as arguably the Brewers are their biggest competition. Team addressed the various issues and moved together as a collective/unified whole. Of course, they've only been under .500 something like once in the last decade plus or going back to 2000 or some crazy number like that...everyone perceives them to be a perennially "winning organization" like the Yankees, Braves, Rays, Dodgers, etc.

24:$14M club option ($1M buyout) That's another reason for trade value optimism. He's basically Clevinger.

After that Field of Dreams walk off...he was arguably one of the ten most famous players in baseball and the unofficial spokesman for underrepresentation among young African Americans across the sport. That also has a lot of added value to other teams...his so called Q Rating that attracted the likes of Middle America business franchises like Dairy Queen and the front cover of video games.

He has another option year...which any acquiring team would much more likelier than not invoke because it's going to be far preferable to his FA price per year, even at age 31/32 in 2024/25.

For example, he was a totally different player for Team USA during the WBC.

He won an AL Batting Crown and has/had the highest cumulative batting average in the AL from 2019-22. At the very worst, he's a much more athletic DJ LeMahieu. We will see soon enough how winning organizations like the Dodgers perceive him from the the outside and what his true trade value is to teams that don't worry as much about chemistry as pure talent.

Of course, it's totally expected that he goes on the trade market at far less than peak value... and the franchise is somehow further screwed for the future. I guess the only way things could be much worse would be with Abreu extended... but that probably would have blocked/nullified the Benintendi deal. At any rate, he needs to be a far better leader than he has been these last two seasons when things weren't going well. Anyone can lead when the ship's going in the right direction. All that said, even Abreu eventually gave up out of frustration.

Their bullpen ERA is even worse... so nowhere to go but up?

9 1/2 games back if scores hold up. Royals making it quite challenging to catch them for last place.

Anderson 615 Benintendi 667 Vaughn 734 Zavala 474 Robert 889/Burger 925 Alberto at least respectable offensively at 764

He gave up a huge crooked number to the Guardians yesterday yesterday afternoon they were leading 6-2. Game went from that score to trailing 6-8 in a heartbeat. Naylor and Gimenez homers. At least 5-6 hits in one inning alone.

Want to see how far they can push the gambling angle in Vegas…JR already hinted at it recently.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/coaches-slate-ridiculous-pin-placement-154614342.html

https://sports.yahoo.com/its-contagious-driven-by-young-stars-the-orioles-optimism-is-splashing-into-the-stands-in-baltimore-062810882.html At least Orioles fans and players are having a whole lot of fun it seems