Chicago White Sox

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?

? What trades are you referring to?

He’s got the raw power and pretty good plate discipline. He’s really the perfect test case for our organization’s ability to adjust players’ launch angles and do so in a productive manner. I’m skeptical since I don’t recall many examples of us doing so in the past, but the player and development staff are both aware of the issue and have an entire offseason to work through it.

Much appreciated Northside. Some of these I also noticed, but definitely overlooked a few of these.

I’m one of the bigger supporters of adding a starting pitcher to a multi-year deal on this board and even I don’t understand the logic behind adding Corbin. Just too expensive / risky of an option for us at this stage.

Just to be clear, you’re proposing we trade Yoan Moncada plus other minor leaguers for a 29 year old Giancarlo Stanton who will be paid $26M the next two seasons, followed by an opt-out, and then a guaranteed $218M over seven years ($31M AAV) instead of strictly using our significant financial flexibility to buy a 26 year old star?

Would you mind elaborating on the factual errors & subjective stuff that you disagree with? Just kind of curious what those specific things are.

Lol...that 2017 draft not looking so hot for the 49ers. They actually traded away the 4th round pick we gave up in the Mitch trade to move up & select Foster at the end of the 1st. They also traded away our 3rd round pick that was eventually used to select Alvin Kamara. And the #3 overall pick we gave them was used on a guy far less impactful than most selected at the top of the draft. When all is said & done, I don’t think the 49ers will have much of an argument for winning the Mitch trade.

I’m sorry, but Vinnie Duber’s opinions don’t reflect those of the front office. Furthermore, we know the Sox are high on Machado and are planning to pursue him aggressively in free agency. As for this career year nonsense, his offensive results were better than his 2015 & 2016 seasons but not substantially. To think a young, talented player won’t continue to improve as he enters his prime is quite frankly absurd. It’s clear that your dislike of the player has caused you to be unobjective.

We’re talking about 20 total plate appearances. I strongly disagree with the notion they had any impact on his value at the time. Benintendi simply had a higher floor, was going to take less development time, and filled an immediate major league need. It just made more sense for them to trade Moncada at the time.