caulfield12

https://theathletic.com/4126437/2023/01/26/clevinger-white-sox-release-options/ https://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/indians-discussing-mike-clevinger-trade-white-sox/562410 Hahn tried to trade for Clevinger in the summer of 2021, fwiw.

“The hot takes on ‘the money will be spent’ issue are perhaps among the poorest of White Sox Twitter, in my opinion, my biased opinion,” Hahn said, “I’ve seen that criticism mentioned a few different places, and it’s actually one of the very few that irritates me. Don’t get me wrong: criticism is part of this and to be expected. I just believe they should actually be grounded in fact, which ‘the money hasn’t been spent’ really just isn’t. The fact is that since the time that I made that comment, we’ve made a number of high-dollar commitments. “That includes guys at or towards the top of the free-agent market like Hendriks, Yas, and (Dallas) Keuchel, as well as long-term commitments to a number of our own core players like Yoán, Eloy, Luis Robert and (Aaron) Bummer. Basically, in terms of either annual salary or total guaranteed dollars, we have significantly surpassed both of those thresholds when talking about ‘the money.’ Plus, no one has said we’re done in terms of potentially adding to this group should the right opportunity arise. And, all this is despite the fact that since the time I made that comment, a global pandemic has wreaked havoc on the revenues of just about every business sector of the economy worldwide. Like I said, criticisms not based in reality bug me.” https://soxmachine.com/2021/02/white-sox-twitter-rick-hahn-money-will-be-spent/ A certain team from one of the 2-3 smallest MLB media markets has already given out SEVEN contracts for $100+ million in the last decade, and yet another bigger one to Will Myers ($85 million) than the Sox deals to Grandal and Abreu. A proposed new deal for Machado will be #8, totaling four for over $280 million and that’s not even counting Juan Soto’s $23 million arb deal for 2023. A team that encountered their biggest offseason problem in accommodating 50,000+ fans for their FanFest and not having enough autographs to go around even with nearly every member of the roster showing up.

Former "best player in the draft" Zack Collins also signs with Guardians.. https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/2023/02/guardians-claim-rhp-jason-bilous-on-waivers-from-white-sox-40-man-roster-full.html Also, Jose Ramirez and Emmanuel Clase will not compete in WBC.

Will it sell any additional tickets, though? https://www.yahoo.com/sports/warriors-reunion-with-gary-payton-ii-reportedly-in-jeopardy-after-blazers-g-fails-physical-001257469.html Toradol coming up again on the training side of things...looks like the Warriors are going to have to rescind the flurry of trades that resulted in Payton Jr. and Knox on the roster.

We're #12! We're #12! We're #12! Payroll for the moment...

"It’s unclear if the Guardians plan on deploying Bilous as a starter or reliever, but he still has options and can be kept in the minors for a while as a new set of coaches will try to get him back on track. The major league club is in good position at the moment with a rotation fronted by Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie and a bullpen with Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak. However, the low-budget club frequently sees its best players depart once they improve their earning power and is constantly on the lookout for younger and cheaper players to replace them with. Bilous has shown huge strikeout stuff but will need to refine his control to earn his way into the mix in Cleveland." https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/02/guardians-claim-jason-bilous-from-white-sox.html Had been as high as 14th ranked Sox prospect.

If we see any four digit numbers for April and early May, we’ll definitely know why the payroll is trending in the Guaranteed Rate downward direction.

For contract insurance purposes, it might be better for him to sit out the whole year. Liam's probably way too optimistic and competitive to allow that unless he really can't go...but having a string of losing debacle like 2-3 seasons ago in April will certainly put another spotlight on this issue, and Clevinger as well if Martin falters or is unable to go.

Because all you need to do is subtract 2000-2500 at most from those announced attendance numbers to arrive at the actual "real" number of season ticket holders. How many individual ticket buyers and walk ups could you possibly expect for those April weekday matchups? 2000 might even be generous this year.

If it's under 10,000 for home games #2 and #3, that will never a very telling indicator...whenever those April weekday games are. Obviously weekend are going to be 25-30% higher barring weather disasters. Another tell would be numbers against Detroit and KC...the two least attractive matchups for fans on the schedule.

https://www.mlb.com/news/pedro-grifol-prepares-for-first-spring-as-white-sox-manager?partnerId=zh-20230208-823813-mlb-1-A&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20230208-823813-mlb-1-A&bt_ee=AFYUQNSGHWvfkX2%2FrO7l%2F1CYQxQFgmGMtFLp5cr6d2q27lWrTicnNtTMxSK76ZmQ&bt_ts=1675863541840

Only ElRockin is left? Even he is disheartened? https://thecomeback.com/mlb/rockies-owner-dick-monfort-criticizes-padres-spending.html But at least we don't have an owner who calls out the Mets, Phillies and Padres for making his life difficult, lol. " I don’t 100% agree with (opposing teams' spending), though I know that our fans probably agree with it." Since JR assailing the Twins as outlandish spenders (Correa, Buxton, etc.) would be a BIT, well, outlandish. Twins are 17th, TIgers are 19th currently in projected 2023 payroll, Guardians 24th at just $75 million and the Royals at 25th with $74 million. Meanwhile, the White Sox have fallen from 7th to 12th ($170.4 million) and the crosstown rival Cubs at a paltry $169 million and the 13th highest payroll in MLB. Birds of a feather tend to flock together, right? https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/ Twins Payroll Totals Active Payroll: $137,051,190 Active Payroll: $137,051,190 Buried Minor Salaries: $1,500,000 Active Total Payroll: $138,551,190 Projected Total Payroll: $138,551,190 Twins Luxury Tax Payroll 2023 Tax Threshold $233,000,000 Total AAV/Tax Payroll: $135,869,047 Est. Benefits: $16,500,000 Est. Minor Salaries: $2,250,000 Total Tax Allocations $156,285,713 Projected Total Tax Allocations:$156,285,713

Even then...a closer in their 30s with that much recent usage with that type of high risk profile contract wasn't perhaps the greatest idea in the world.

Benintendi? Maybe zip if you look at his last four years cumulatively. We counted on a 2-3 fWAR from Pollock and ended up with the opposite.

Someone this week put the number at closer to 15-18% after various deaths on the BOD/sales...the Hobson purchase as well.

Boyer?

Those weren't Benetti quotes. They were anonymous insider sources without names attributed for quite obvious reasons. The Benetti story is getting mixed up with the Liptak/WSI one.

Would you still apply (again) to be the GM after all this? Under Reinsdorf and KW?

https://www.reddit.com/r/whitesox/comments/50kdow/wsd_was_just_told_wintrust_submit_a_bid_for/

https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/gm-report/kc-chiefs-geha-field-at-arrowhead-stadium-is-a-monument-to-cynicism TIAA Bank in Jacksonville also pretty lousy but that’s not a government entity/non profit like GEHA. It would be similar to US armed forces branches sponsoring NASCAR.

Marketing department missed opportunity, lol…could have had forges/foundries lined up as giveaway day/night sponsors. Honestly thought it was Domingo German to add starting depth.

Interesting reaction from Red Sox fans. More head scratching, but not many rueing the loss of German. Good counterpoints. https://www.sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/sox-trade-franklin-german-to-white-sox-for-theo-denlinger-rhp.38709/

Sure, but decisions on Anderson, Giolito and Moncada have to be made in the next 6-18 months whether they want to or not. Grandal is already a sunk cost. Hendriks is complicated because they're on the hook for him longer term and they could get immediate returns on Lopez, Graveman and possibly Bummer to rebuild for 2024. Finally, would at least explore an extension with Lopez, but Sox unlikely to blow him away with an offer in their precarious financial state.

They have to start exploring options on trading Anderson as early as the deadline. Have to over in the cheaper and more promising Montgomery anyway. Giolito's obviously as good as gone. Moncada is going to have to be traded for 30-50 cents on the dollar if he rebounds the first three months of the season. The visions of him being the 2019 or even 2021 version with the Sox are long gone. Grandal, same thing as Moncada...although there's more obvious heir-apparent at catcher (Carlos Perez I guess), like Burger for third. Have to reposition for competing in 2024 after bringing the payroll down significantly. Hendriks and Clevinger being stuck on the roster makes all these moves even more likely. Have to cut out all the cancers to save the patient...well, obviously Lucas is a good guy and not responsible for the situation he now finds himself in. Try to find a way to deal him to the West Coast. If they do those things, feel more optimistic Luis Robert might be able to turn things around...and he's really the key player in any hope for avoiding a complete rebuild, along with Cease to a lesser extent. Summary: Use TA7, Giolito and Graveman and/or Lopez to start building up prospect capital. Dump Moncada and Grandal for whatever you can get back in savings or prospect capital. Give Montgomery and Colas time to grow and hit ground running in 2024.

https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/dodgers-mlb-executives-weigh-in-on-las-farm-system-kh21 https://theathletic.com/3132170/2022/02/16/hard-to-quantify-will-rhymes-on-how-the-dodgers-built-their-farm-system/ "The Dodgers have not selected in the top 10 of the Major League Baseball amateur draft since they took a tall high school left-hander from Texas named Clayton Kershaw with the seventh pick in 2006. They were tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the lowest available international bonus pool during the most recent signing period. Last summer, they shipped off their two top prospects (Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray) as part of a package that netted them Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. And yet, they have The Athletic’s top farm system in baseball, with Keith Law referring to the group’s depth and upside as “hilarious.” The Dodgers have built a juggernaut at the major-league level by spending more than anyone — they were one of just two clubs, along with the Padres, to exceed the luxury tax threshold this past season. Then they’ve reinforced that depth and elevated their ceiling with homegrown talents. They have developed stars and key role players even without leveraging picks at the top of the first round." https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-front-office-selections-best-farm-systems Which team best develops pitchers? 46% -- Guardians 11% -- Dodgers 9% -- Astros, Marlins, Rays 6% -- Yankees Also received votes: Cardinals, Cubs, Mariners, Phillies "It’s worth sitting up and taking notice when the Guardians sign a pitcher these days, especially via the Draft. Eight of the arms on the team’s Wild Card roster in 2022 came via the Draft, mostly in the later rounds. And there are more coming, with first rounders like Daniel Espino and Gavin Williams along with fifth-rounder Tanner Bibee very well-regarded." Which team hoards prospects the most? 32% -- Guardians 15% -- Rays 12% -- Cardinals 9% -- Rockies 6% -- D-backs, Orioles, Yankees Also received votes: Marlins, Mets, Pirates, Rangers, Reds "This shouldn’t be seen as a slight, but rather a recognition that some teams hold onto prospects more than others. The Guardians need to rely on their farm system to compete, and they're more likely to hold on to their prospects and get them to the big leagues in Cleveland rather than use top ones to bring in big league talent."