Chicago White Sox

Listening to this podcast, I just can’t help but think Bob Nightengale just makes all this shit up.

You’re going to be mad if we don’t get both?

I don’t believe the Indians & Sox have made a trade in years. I doubt a Kluber trade at this juncture is what breaks that streak.

The Sox entered the rebuild with some of the lowest ratings in baseball and no hope of building a winner. There was no other alternative at the time. It was either die a slow death or the blow the whole thing up. And unfortunately for the Sox, they’ll likely have to see what the Cubs do with their new TV deal before they can really start negotiations. Yes, I’m sure they’ve had some preliminary dialogues with providers and I’m guessing those parties aren’t eager to sign a long term contract with a 100 loss team with the worst ratings in baseball and who has shown no willingness to spend on big name free agents. What we do this offseason and how fans respond to it early next season will almost certainly have an impact on our next TV deal.

Our local TV deal expires at the end of this season. Another 100 loss season with no signs of improvements will literally cost us significantly. There are legit business reasons to spend some money this year that go beyond trying to compete in 2019. I’m actually shocked so many posters continue to ignore this factor and would happily support another tanking season. Regardless, I am certain the TV deal situation will have an impact on our decision making this offseason. At very minimum, they will bring in some vets (likely pitchers) to improve the on-field product and signal a willingness to spend in the coming years. Ideally, I truly believe their goal is to land a whale and another bridge piece or two. Ultimate loclal TV revenue is simply too important to go into negotiations with zero leverage and the Sox know this.

Why can’t we trade a starter if we have too much “good” starting pitching?

Remember, all three of our SPs are flawed / busts, but somehow adding one starter to a multi-year deal suddenly blocks Kopech & Cease. Sometimes you got to admire Balta logic.

I thought BA had ranked Anderson 40th overall at one point (sorry, he only peaked at #45) and chose to label the broader group as “top 40” guys since I knew he was the lowest ranked of the bunch. Having said that, I think when I referenced top 50 for the rest of the guys in the system it should have been clear what I was going for. More than half of our highly regarded talents will already be with the team come the end of next April.

Exactly, Nelson Cruz on a one year deal will be the least of our problems at that point.

I actually expect us to do something similar. Address our pitching needs while we wait on the whales to make a decision.

Our 25 man roster will have 6 former top 40 prospects on it by the end of April. We have four other guys in the entire system that are generally ranked in the top 50 at the moment. Yes, there are other guys that could be useful major league pieces, but if I’m burning Moncada & Jimenez’s service time for the Basabe’s & Rutherford’s of the world then we’re in a lot of trouble. The reality is a big chunk of the potential impact talent is already here. The time to start to supplementing that talent is now as long as we aren’t blocking guys long-term or committing big dollars to risky free agents.

No one is suggesting this should be a two year process, but unlike other rebuilds we already have a big chunk of our talent up already. We can’t keep burning the service time of all these young guys in hopes of getting a better draft pick. At some point we need to start plugging holes and give our team a chance of being competitive if our young guys take some leaps forward. If our first wave of prospects doesn’t progress quite a bit over next two years, the money we spent on short-term stop-gaps will be the least of our problems and the reinforcements a year or two out won’t really matter in the grand scheme of things...the rebuild will likely be a bust at that point.

Why does adding a whale and several other pieces only add 5 wins? There are multiple spots on this roster where even an average starter represents a significant upgrade. Why not plug those spots and try to have a roster in place that can be competitive if enough of the young guys take a leap forward in their development next year? People keep saying it’s impossible, yet I’ve listed three examples in the past two years of teams taking massive leaps in one year and making the post-season. Yes, it’s a long-shot, but I’d rather take my chances than to simply burn a year of service time of Moncada, Jimenez, Anderson, Rodon, Lopez, & Giolito in hopes of getting the 7th or 8th pick next year.

It’s amazing to me that by mid April we’ll have six former top 40 prospects on our roster (three of which were top 10 guys at one point), yet people still act like all our talent is years away. Yes there are more guys coming, but a big chunk of the core is already here and we can’t just burn service time in the interim while we wait for reinforcements. We are at the point in the rebuild where we need to start trying to win some games. That doesn’t mean we should go all in and start trading prospects or signing risky free agents to long-term deals, but there are short-term moves that can be made that improve the on-field product and help take some pressure off our youngsters / teach them how to win.

You’re right, our TV ratings have sucked for while given our general ineptitude since 2008. That being said, a 30% drop when you’re already near the bottom is pretty substantial. Our fanbase may have supported the rebuild, but that doesn’t mean they felt like watching the on-field product night after night. I’m sure the same thing happens with most / all rebuilding clubs, including the Cubs.

Gotcha, so your argument is it’s just coincidence that our TV ratings have dropped ~30% over the past two years just as we started a rebuild? Lol...I can’t believe I even have to argue this.

You actually think our huge decrease in TV ratings the last two years is the result of losing “bandwagon fans”? I hate to tell you this, but the bandwagoners jumped ship a long time ago. It’s our core fanbase that’s losing interest in watching a 100 loss product. A semi competitive team would definitely improve fan interest and be a godsend for this organization as we begin negotiating a new TV deal. Having the lowest ratings in all of baseball doesn’t exactly create a ton of leverage for us in negotiations.

So you’re just going to ignore the facts that clearly show our TV ratings have dropped substantially since the rebuild started?

Yolmer a top 3 most popular player? If that’s true, no wonder fan interest in this team is at an all-time low. And I think you’re selling casual fans short if you think a Donaldson signing wouldn’t pique their interest. Regardless, our local TV ratings have declined significantly since we kicked off the rebuild. To think a semi-competitive team wouldn’t improve TV ratings vs. the shit-shows we ran out there the last two seasons is pure lunacy IMO.

You honestly don’t think having a .500ish caliber team would do anything for attendance or ratings?

If we have the 3rd pick in next year’s draft, then a big chunk of the Moncada, Jimenez, Anderson, Rodon, Giolito, & Lopez grouping failed to take the next step in their development and are likely busts. I hope to god we aren’t picking that high again anytime soon.

I’m not sure what you mean by “budget money doesn’t just appear & disappear magically each year”. We have no idea what the Sox do with their excess cash. You are making the assumption that it’s just sitting in the bank waiting to be used in future years. Ownership may very well be cashing out their profits. The other factor you’re ignoring is investing in the team should generate some economic return. Improving the quality of the on-field product will improve interest in the team and lead to increased revenue. This is especially important when we have our local TV deal expiring and have bottomed out in terms of ratings. Donaldson alone may not be a game changer, but if combined with other additions it might provide an economic benefit.

Agree 100%.

The 2008 Rays lost 96 games and then won the AL pennant the next season.

Why does Seattle care that much about removing Cano’s contract at this juncture?