Chicago White Sox

Can we ban this clown?

You forgot Cordell as well.

Leury is better right now IMO.

What else do you suggest we spend our money on?

The Royals took five college arms in the first two rounds last year, I’m not sure I agree with your statement.

Great post. Balta keeps acting like we rush all our prospects when in reality we’ve done the exact opposite under Getz. In fact, I could name multiple cases where I think Getz has been way too conservative with placements.

I think both may start in Winston-Salem, but both get promoted pretty quickly. I fully expect Madrigal to fly through the system and reach Charlotte (and possibly the majors) by the end of the year.

I agree he’s a different animal than those other guys. That being said, there is risk adding a bat-only guy in his early 30’s no matter how good he is. I don’t really see an alternative for us as long as the duration is reasonable.

Also, wasn’t this a multi time issue over a lengthy period of time? I have a zero tolerance policy for this type of stuff, but I could see people being more willing to forgive if it was a one-time thing. It’s clear as day to me that this kid lacks a moral compass.

No one is saying he can’t have a form of employment, but he’s also not entitled to a Major League Baseball job just because he has physical talent. Like any potential hire, you have to weigh the pros & cons of the person in question. Beyond the GM’s own moral code, is this guy really worth the PR nightmare and potential clubhouse issues? Personally, I’d say he’s way too big of liability even if you as the GM are willing to forgive him for his past misdoings.

That B lineup sucks a big fat you know what.

Even if he falls off a clip, he’s starting at a wRC+ level of 170. The reality is he should be an incredibly good hitter even with a ton of regression. Given that the young studs are all off the table, he’s definitely a guy we should go after hard next year.

No fucking thanks

I will guarantee we sign Bumgarner and one of Martinez or Goldschmidt. Those will be the big additions for better or worse.

This I 100% agree with, which is why my concern is we end getting Bumgarner.

I somewhat disagree on the first part. I think they’re willing to spend money, but they won’t do what it takes to land a guy like Sale or Cole. To me, that makes an older guy like Verlander our best money where we can spend big but on a short term deal. That also buys you a couple years for Kopech and Cease to develop into your #1 & #2 starters.

We were always going to augment the team in free agency, so not sure I get the point you’re getting at. There is zero doubt in my mind we should acquire a TOR starter next season even if we’re still high on all our young arms. First & foremost, Kopech & Cease will be in their first full seasons and shouldn’t be counted on to anchor a rotation in 2020. Second, we’ll have a ton of financial flexibility and hopefully not a ton of holes to use it on. If Verlander has a strong 2019 and is showing no signs of slowing down, I’d offer him something like 2/$75M. My 2020 rotation would then be Verlander, Lopez, Kopech, Cease, and either Rodon, Giolito, or Dunning. By the time Justin moves on, Kopech & Cease should be ready & able to headline what should hopefully be a young dominant rotation.

I don’t believe the Sox ever thought they could get both.

Thanks, so I assume Adolfo won’t be DHing to start the season?

The only thing worse than a regular season game thread is a spring training game thread ?

Honesty, I think it’s because the front office overrates our OF prospects (plus the $250M and/or 8 year cap)

The OBP is nice, but the power last year was flukey. Do you actually want to roll him out at DH or are you ok with his horrific defense / framing at catcher?

Just looking at the Phillies offseason and it’s crazy how much they accomplished. Harper, Realmuto, Segura, & Cutch just on the positional side. They also were able to move a bad contract in Santana and shift Hoskins to 1B, which is also a big positive. Throw in Robertson and they had the best offseason bar none. The sad reality is we could have accomplished something similar over the next two offseasons. All it took was landing Manny or Bryce this offseason. After those misses, I just don’t see a great path forward for us in free agency nor do I see a quick turnaround.

What write-ups?

I went with the WAR that is the most complete for catchers and accounts for pitch framing. By all means debate the value of pitch framing, but ignoring it all together is flat out wrong and misses an element of Omar’s game that is really poor. I also think evaluating relievers strictly based on their WAR is stupid, but that’s an entirely different debate. Regardless, you continue to ignore Colome’s track record as a closer and the value of that context. He has nearly 100 saves over the past three seasons, which is the 5th most in all of baseball. The guy can handle high leverage situations and close out games. There is value in that even if you don’t want to admit it.