Y2Jimmy0

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Feb 6, 2016 -> 11:27 PM) Hahn even said either at the meetings or after Frazier that they wanted to get a better outfielder with better defense and more offense. I meant prior to the Winter Meetings. Just going into the offseason.

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Feb 6, 2016 -> 11:16 PM) No one thought the Sox would acquire one of the top 3 OF'ers? Really? With as much work as the Sox have had to do this offseason, I would say they've made moves but most would agree that on paper it's simply not enough. 1 more sizable move could make the difference. I didn't expect them to be in the OF market at all really. I thought they'd go after Frazier and make smaller moves.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 02:20 PM) If the cubs stick to giving Schwarber some starts behind the plate, Soler will get more than a couple of starts per week and would still face some RH pitching. Let's not forget that Maddon is good at getting the most out of his players and their roles, plus were talking about a team that made it to the NLCS and judging by their off season moves, they clearly want to and think they can win now. If the cubs were concerned with the development of players like Soler and Baez, they wouldn't have signed Heyward and Zobrist. Fowler would already be signed if they were signing him in my opinion. I hope they play Schwarber at C. That would be funny.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 02:12 PM) I really want Perez, I think we will end up with Sheffield. I really don't think they'll go pitching. College and HS bats are the strength of the draft.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 12:52 PM) That would be huge for Denver. Their rebuild has seemed kind of haphazard, but they have nice assets. The denver nuggets trade Nurkic, Gary Harris and 2 first round picks for Blake Griffin *bulls fans heads explode* Obviously a joke trade, just saying. They'd only get him for 2 seasons.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 12:16 PM) I think they would. Schwarber cannot hit left handed pitching to save his life so somebody will have to get those at bats against lefties. Soler can't play RF to save his life so putting them both in LF as a platoon makes sense. Soler will still get some at bats against RHP when Schwarber is at the catcher position. The cubs have said they will continue to work with Schwarber at catcher so until they abandon the idea, the possibility still exists. I don't agree with much of this. They won't relegate either guy to regular platoon duty. Schwarber has 61 career plate appearances vs LHP too.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 12:23 PM) Yeah, but it peeved the players' association and Boras. Tough s***. Change the rules. The Cubs did exactly what they should have done. There's really not a logical argument in the other direction either.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 10:55 AM) Fowler in CF, Heyward in RF, Schwarber/Soler in LF. The Cubs have said they will continue to get Schwarber reps at catcher which would give Soler more at bats in LF. I've been wrong before but this doesn't make any sense. They aren't going to platoon those young guys. Also, Schwarber playing C is lip service. He can't play the position defensively and the #2 C prospect in the game will be on the Cubs around midseason.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 10:50 AM) He might have helium during this season, but I think he is going to be available around the comp pick. If he is, I would love for the Sox to grab him. With that first pick, I think I'm looking at Delvin Perez, Nick Senzel, Corey Ray, Buddy Reed, and Kyle Lewis. Will Benson is interesting as well, but I think he'd be a little reach at their first pick. Bobby Dalbec should be off the radar, too similar to Matt Davidson IMO. I'd be fine with another big arm with the top pick, but they really need to infuse some major upside position players into the system and this is a great draft to do it. I think Ray will be gone. I'd love Delvin Perez and think he's probably gone as well. Could be right in Kyle Lewis range though.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) Austin Jackson makes way more sense for the Cubs. Better defense and can still get the comp pick when Fowler goes elsewhere (while being way cheaper) I'm not sure how cheap he'll be though with Boras representing him. They really don't need another OF. Their bench has a backup C, Baez who will play OF/IF, LaStella, and Coghlan already.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 10:26 AM) Cubs currently have 150M committed to 18 players. Add five league minimum players and that total comes to 152.5M for 23 players. That leaves the cubs with 26.5M to sign Arrieta and Fowler while staying under the luxury tax threshold. The cubs and Arrieta aren't going to take the chance of actually going to arbitration because one side is going to get screwed. They will meet each other half way and make a deal, probably 10-11M. That leaves 15-16M to sign Fowler. The cubs have the money to sign Fowler and I'm guessing they do once they come to an agreement with Arrieta. Fow!er re-signing with the Cubs for a one year deal has its merits for both sides. The cubs can afford a little extra splurge this year knowing they will have Edwin Jackson's salary off the books after '16. Where would he play though? They aren't going to platoon Schwarber with someone. They aren't going to platoon Fowler after giving him $$ either. I think the Cubs are out on Fowler. The White Sox have a price that they'd pay for Fowler with the pick attached and Fowler obviously isn't ready to sign for that amount yet.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 09:37 AM) I don't believe that the rest of MLB should have to subsidize teams who are intentionally bad. What about teams that are awful but aren't necessarily trying to be? They should be subsidized still even though they make terrible decisions? I get what you are saying. I just think a team's only objective is to put your team in the best possible situation to win a World Series. Sometimes that entails being really bad for a couple of years. I'd much rather win 63 games than 77-78 games if I'm one of these bad teams.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 09:36 AM) Soler isn't the guy the cubs need to trade, its Coghlan. We all know that Soler is horrible in RF so a Fowler signing gives the cubs a switch hitter in CF, Heyward's LHB in RF and Soler's RHB platooing LF with Schwarber's LHB. Coghlan and his LHB should be the odd man out. Now, finding a trade for Cophlan is another story. Imo, the cubs are waiting to see what happens with Arrieta and hoping Fowler will sign a one year deal while advocating to him the benefits of re-entering FA next year in a thinner talent pool of outfielders. Just a guess on my part. I'd actually really like to have Coghlan on the Sox. Petricka for Coghlan. Done.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 08:59 AM) This all goes back to the Cubs holding back Bryant last season for that one week to guarantee the extra year of contract status. It does? Most teams do that. The Sox did it with Rodon. The Pirates and Astros have both done it. The Braves didn't do it with Heyward and because of that, he was a free agent this offseason.

QUOTE (bear_brian @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 09:08 AM) My belief is that Fowler is waiting for the Cubs to settle Arrieta's arbitration case. After that is done, the Cubs will either have the available cash for Fowler or not, and things will then proceed accordingly. I doubt it. They don't have a spot unless they move Soler and they'd almost be selling low. I also think that they'd like to draft in the 2nd round, which losing Fowler allows them to do.

Yep. If Fowler was looking for 4/60, and the draft pick attached is around $10 million on the open market, that knocks his value down. A 3 year deal for something around $36-$38 million is probably what the White Sox are willing to do.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 08:45 AM) I kind of get the problem with this in MLB. It isn't necessarily the action of intentionally losing, the problem is when the rest of major league baseball is forced to subsidize an intentionally substandard product. If they could figure out a way to take away revenue sharing in some amount from teams who were tanking, I'd be OK with that. I just hate the word tanking. There are 4 teams "rebuilding". People act like it's half the league or something. Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Philly, and Atlanta. They are doing what they need to do though. The only way that Cincy and Milwaukee can compete with Cubs, Cards, Pirates is if they bottom out and trade veterans for prospects, spend internationally, and draft well. The same goes for Philadelphia and Atlanta. San Diego and Colorado should be taking the same approach.

QUOTE (ChiSoxJon @ Jan 31, 2016 -> 10:14 AM) Dream Early 2016 Mock: 1.10. Bobby Dalbec, 3B, Arizona C.28. Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville 2.49. Chris Okey, C, Clemson Not a fan of Dalbec but I could see them going college pitcher at 27 or 28 if they still have that pick.

HS SS Nolan Jones could be an option for White Sox at #10. Multi-sport athletic type that they like. Mickey Moniak is another HS OF that could be an option around #10. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/draft...rt-nolan-jones/ http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/confi...-mickey-moniak/

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 03:32 PM) I am surprised at the final 3. Cara and Jamie I could see making a final from the beginning but not the other two. Rooting for Cory and Mitch though, for whatever reason I like Cory Cory is like 23. He literally could be doing finals for the next 10 years.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 08:13 AM) His last tweet was in December, RIP - ing Scott Weiland after his suicide. Scott Weiland wasn't a suicide. Drug Overdose

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 03:11 PM) The circumstances that led to the tanking were well underway before the CBA. Neither team is poised to repeat the strategies that got them there. The fact that they nailed a couple draft picks over several years isn't evidence that tanking is a preferred strategy -- I'd argue the fact they have become good despite botching two drafts is actually evidence to the contrary. And that's because the speed of both teams' (and ESPECIALLY the Cubs) turnaround is as much or more due to shrewd trading and international signings (which are not benefits that are enabled by tanking) as it is due to high draft choices. It is though kind of. They spent a ton of money on the international market instead of spending it on the roster. They also signed a couple of free agents (Feldman, Hammel) with the intention of trading them. These are things that "rebuilding" teams do.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 07:46 AM) If Hahn and Friedman are actually friends like some posts here have hinted to, this leak makes so much more sense. Obviously, the Sox want an outfielder. By the Dodgers leaking that the Sox are involved in trade talks, perhaps that could make Fowler and his agent squirm and finally make a decision as to whether the Sox are the right landing spot for him. This is what Brian speculated days ago, FWIW.

This was posted in the Ethier thread too but it's interesting: http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-s...0204-story.html White Sox called the Dodgers to express interest in Puig and Los Angeles tried to give them Crawford/Ethier instead. The White Sox have always been interested in Puig so it's not surprising. No real talks between the teams for Ethier it seems.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 4, 2016 -> 02:17 PM) I don't mind the upper deck at all anymore, I just wish we had a more modern outfield area. It's fine! It's good, but then you go to other parks and there aren't many worse. Anaheim probably the only one I'd say was more bare. Edit: the word I was looking for was concourse. You don't like the OF concourse? I think it's one of the best parts of the ballpark.