Chicago White Sox

Well that wasn’t the point of my post. I fully expect them to spend big money, but they got to see where the holes are going to be first. You can’t do that if you sign a bunch of B free agents and block your young players. The exception is if you can sign a young positional star like Machado, Harper, or Arenado.

100% this. He’ll go where the money’s at first & foremost.

I just don’t see the need to add one prior to the 2020 season or whenever we are finally ready to go for it. I really think next year’s rotation should be all kids except Rodon.

Realistically, where would people want to see additions. Below is a way too early forecast of the 2019 roster with no outside additions. Lineup: 1B: Abreu 2B: Moncada SS: Anderson 3B: Sanchez LF: Jimenez CF: L. Garcia / Cordell RF: A. Garcia DH: Davidson / Palka ? Castillo / Zavala If you can add a superstar, by all means add one wherever, but CF is probably the only spot that could desperately use a short-term upgrade. Obviously that could change if guys like Abreu, Avi, or Yolmer are moved. Rotation: #1: Rodon #2: Lopez #3: Kopech #4: Giolito #5: Stephens I personally see no need to add a high-priced starter just yet. Give these guys half a season and then have Dunning (if healthy) replace the weakest guy. I’d reevaluate prior to the 2020 season. Bullpen: CL: Jones SU: Burdi SU: Fry MR: Hamilton MR: Bummer MR: Vieira LR: Covey I think adding one proven, quality arm and perhaps a depth piece makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, I’d like to give these arms a chance to develop. So ultimately my view of free agency is to plug a couple obvious holes with short-term stop-gaps, but otherwise go big or go home. While I think we should try to put a respectable product on the field, 2019 should still be a development focused year. No need to overpay for B & C free agents to get a few more wins if there a decent looking young player worthy of playing time.

I have a strong feeling Kopech is going to be dominant tonight.

Why? If Madrigal can give you gold glove defense at 2B and Moncada can move seamlessly to CF (remains to be seen obviously) that seems like a win win solution all around.

It’s really going to suck when Rutschman gets scooped right before us. He’d be the perfect finishing touch for this rebuild.

My biggest takeaway from that article is the front office realizes that sometimes a kid needs to go back down to AAA to complete their development. That’s not admitting defeat, it’s acknowledging that certain players are better off trying make adjustments in a low pressure environment. Hopefully Moncada can overcome his recent struggles, but if push comes to shove, a short stint in AAA wouldn’t be the end of the world.

With Madrigal in the fold, I don’t think they’d settle for Moustakas. I think they either go big or stick with internal options.

Honestly, I’m hoping they go out and sign Machado or Arenado. If that doesn’t happen (which we can’t bank on), I could see Moncada moving over there with Madrigal holding down 2B.

Your points are all very fair. I don’t think a team will automatically pay what we may deem fair value simply because Yolmer is versatile. I think you need a team like Milwaukee that is desperate for an everyday middle infield solution and sees Yolmer as a possible 2B solution for the next +3 years. Then you hope Sanche’s versatility becomes a differentiator and makes him more attractive than other potential options.

And I know he hasn’t been awesome this year at 3B, but I truly believe the ability is there to be a plus defender at the hot corner. And he’s most definitely a plus defender at 2B. He’s a guy Joe Maddon would love to have on his roster and those reasons apply for most NL teams where versatility is extremely valuable. I really think there will be teams interested in him.

Here’s the way I see it. The infield is going to get super crowded in the next couple years. Madrigal should move fast and should be ready by the start of 2020. At that point Yolmer becomes a super-utility guy which is valuable, but will likely not be our most pressing need at that time. He’s also going to be much more expensive by then. That doesn’t mean we should automatically dump him, but if there is a team that sees him as a young, versatile 3 WAR infielder with three years of control and is willing to pay for him as such, we’d be crazy not to consider it. Ultimately anything we can get for Yolmer can be used as part of a package to add a cost-controlled impact talent. Again, I really like Yolmer, but selling high on him at this point in the rebuild represents better utilization of our assets IMO.

I can’t wait for him to be up later this season.

Absolutely insane.

What a fucking disaster of a season injury wise. Collins, Cease, & Kopech may be our only top prospects that haven’t gotten injured yet.

Yup, those are the three guys plus McDougal I remember us all being excited about who ultimately failed, although Aardsma was at least really good to start that year IIRC and Masset helped put Griffey in a Sox uniform which was pretty cool.

Andy Sisco?

I love the thought of a lineup with Madrigal in the leadoff spot. He is such a different hitter than anything we have and is exactly what we needed.

The other factor is teams can agree to pay future college tuition and not have it count against their bonus allotment. A half million dollars, free college, and a chance to chase your dream is at least tempting.

The guy I would target would be Kristen Lutz. He’s not a top 100 guy by most publications (only FG I believe), but was the 34th overall pick in the 2017 draft. I know we don’t need more outfielders, but IMO our goal from here on out should be acquiring the most impactful talent possible regardless of position. The reality is a lot of the guys in the lower levels will ultimately become trade chips and Lutz has a chance to improve his prospect stock significantly in the coming years. I’d be good with Ortiz being the return and Erceg has always intrigued me, but I do wonder if the Brewers would rather hold onto to those guys given their proximity to the majors. The good thing about Lutz is he’s a good three years away if not longer. He doesn’t really fit their window like those other two might, especially Ortiz.

So what would you take in return from the Brewers?

Looks like 33rd round pick Bryce Bush changed his mind when presented with a sizable check, because he apparently signed per FutureSox.

Yeah, I would say Avilan is close to the “definitely move” category. We should probably move one of the lefties no matter what to open up a spot for Bummer eventually and all else being equal I’d move Avilan before Cedeno because he’s more expensive and has one less year of control. I hate the thought of trading Yolmer, but this could really be his peak value. With the addition of Madrigal, it’s really hard to see how he fits long-term other than as an elite reserve infielder, which is low on the priority list. Again, if the value isn’t there I have no problem keeping him around and serving as a transitional piece to Madrigal. But I feel like he’d be an incredibly valuable piece on an NL contender with the Brewers making the most sense.

I would like to move Jones, but I don’t see a ton of interest in him right now and I really don’t want to dump him at this time. IIRC, he’ll make the league minimum next year, so he’s a guy we can give a shot to next season and hope he rebounds. And assuming there is value to be had, I’d love to move both of Avilan & Cedeno (and recall Bummer), but it seems like it will be a packed reliever market again and that could sap value. Being left-handed & controllable will definitely help though.