Chicago White Sox

I’m voting for Leury to be the primary CF to the start the season, but I think the Sox employ a bit of a platoon with Engel getting the nod on opening day. Having said that, I do think Cordell eventually steals this job with a surprising bat & passable CF defense.

So to continue with the opening day roster predictions, I wanted to see how people thought CF would shake-out. This seems to be a wide open competition with four guys who could ultimately land the job. The poll includes two separate questions (primary CF vs. opening day CF) since we’re likely to face a lefty on opening day in Danny Duffy.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 06:42 PM) What makes you think this team is going to get a big TV deal? They can't even get a radio deal now. They’ll get a “big” TV deal because sports are in demand for cable & satellite providers right now. While it will be nowhere near the size of the bigger ones a few teams have landed over the past few years, it should be an upgrade over what they’re currently getting today. And I hve no idea why radio has to do with anything. Radio isn’t really a huge source income anymore for the vast majority of teams.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 06:00 PM) In case some people don't understand what I think about the future of this team, this is how I see this playing out. JR is not going to spend any money on this team the next 2 seasons. The White Sox will have one of the lowest if not the lowest payrolls in MLB. He will put the team up for sale sometime in 2019 and the new owner will takeover in 2020. The new owner will be buying a White Sox team with a low payroll and no big long term contracts on the books. The value of the team increases with no big money on the books. JR bought the White Sox in 1981 with those same circumstances. In the meantime the next 2 seasons the team is going to be "Mired In Mediocrity" again. Hmmm, interesting that the Tribune Company executed the exact opposite strategy when they sold the Cubs. And why does having no money on the books increase the team’s overall value? 90% of potential owners are buying a team because they want to actually win a championship. Therefore, I’d think most of these guys would prefer having a quality team in place rather than having limited payroll commitments. And do you know what would really improve the team’s value? How about a new TV deal that provides this new owner with significant fixed income. That’s going to be nearly impossible if their plan is to cut payroll even further next season. The good news is your theory makes zero sense and I’m 99.9% it will never happen.

If that's true, White Sox should offer JDM 5/$110M and call it a day.

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 04:23 PM) Nah, to me his 15-16 looks like the outlier. This year is huge for Machado. If he has an obp in the .310-.330 range again he's not going to get a contract over $200 million What? How do those seasons look like outliers? The kid was 20 to 22 years from 2012 to 2014. He should have been in low A to AA with even an aggressive development curve. To think he'd actually get materially better with more major league seasoning and as his body developed shouldn't be surprising to anyone. And that's exactly what happened. As for 2017, his BABIP was clearly an outlier and roughly 30 points than his worst season ever. He clearly had a bad first half, but part of that was driven by bad luck. Regardless, I don't how you could possibly think his 2015 & 2016 seasons were outliers by any readily available data.

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 03:09 PM) Machado's career .329 OBP scares the living crap out of me, as well as that most of his WAR value comes from his defense. His profile doesn't seem like it will age gracefully. Honestly, I'd rather have Moustakas at 5/75 than Machado at 10/350. Way too much risk with Machado. If I were Hahn, next season would be Harper or Bust for me. I'm not sure looking at career stats for a 25 year who is a year away from free agency is fair. Look at his OBP by year: 2012: .294 2013: .314 2014: .324 2015: .359 2016: .343 2017: .310 Clearly there was an adjustment period at the start of his career which makes sense given most kids his age are in A ball. And obviously last year is a clear outlier. A .350 OBP is perfectly fine for a player with his power and that's basically what he was in 2015 & 2016. As for the potential risk of signing Machado, I really think his next contract will include an opt-out after four years or so and that he'll most certainly exercise it. Sure, there is always the chance he becomes the next Jason Heyward, but I just don't see that being remotely possible with Manny. Assuming he rebounds in 2018, I'm all in on signing him to a 10/$350M. Can't be afraid to sign star players entering their prime if we actually want to a win a World Series.

QUOTE (wrathofhahn @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 02:38 PM) We have so much depth in the OF and kids coming down the pike. JDM is going to take 5 years do we really want him clogging DH for that long? 3B I at least understand we have Burger but really noone else and Burger can be moved to 1B or DH if he hits when he comes up If anything we should be looking to move OF off our ML to make space for some of the kids next year. JDM is an elite hitter. Do you think the Red Sox regret having David Ortiz as their DH all those years? At the right price, I'm 100% for it. Don't really see who'd he be blocking at DH. The OFs you refer to hopefully remain OFs. If we have too many of them, we should trade the excess ones to fill other needs. I'm ok with using a rotating DH this year if need be, but generally speaking I prefer a guy who can handle that role on an everyday basis. Don't really want to trot slightly above league average hitters out of that spot if I don't have to.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 12:47 PM) At least we agree on JDM but it wasn't long ago most of the board thought Yolmer was at best a utility guy and many still hold that opinion. Moustakas has been an All Star 2 of the last 3 years and the one year he didn't make it he was injured.Is that really average AT BEST or are we looking at his WAR to determine that ? With all the arguments against signing aging vets what makes Donaldson so attractive? He will be in age 33 season for the 2019 season . Donaldson had his MVP season at 29 . Sure Yolmer could field the position well but he never will be a middle of the order bat and counting on Burger to be a fast developer and sticking at 3rd base isn't a good plan either. I don't want to sound too high on Moustaskas because he surely has his warts but again LH power middle of the order bats haven't exactly grown on trees for the Sox. If plan A is Machado prepare to be disappointed if he is truly serious about sticking at SS and with the big boys trying to make room for the impact free agents. I'm anticipating a big hole at 3rd base because all your plans leave a lot to be desired and I'd rather take my chances on Moustakas if the price/years are right this year. If JDM is a legit difference maker and can change the complexion of your lineup then adding another 35 HR guy like Moustaskas can upgrade legit to contender maybe by 2019 instead of 2020. Couple thoughts here. I'm just not personally a big fan of what Moustakes brings to the table. The left-handed power is nice, but he's always been a relatively low OBP player. His defense appears to be on the decline as well. That's not to say he can't be a useful player, but I really don't want to commit fairly big dollars to a guy who will probably be a 2 WAR/year player over the next four or five years. As for Donaldson, the dude is actually a really good athlete and has remained incredibly productive through his age 32 season. He can actually regress and still remain a valuable player. Hell, he could probably be moved to 1B at the end of a deal and still be a valuable contributor. Again, with Donaldson it all comes down to the money & years. If I can get him for five years or less (which remains to be seen), I could be willing to roll the dice if I miss out on Machado. I think Donaldson is likely to provide much more value from 2019 to 2022 than Moustakes even he ultimately costs more. And at this point in the rebuild, I'd rather gamble on upside than certainty when it comes to free agents.

There's nothing wrong with signing a free agent this off-season if it's the right fit. Hell, Wellington Castillo is the perfect example of that and made a ton of sense as a short-term transition option to Collins/Zavala. I just don't think locking in an average at best 3B like Moustakas makes a lot of sense right now. Plan A for 3B should Manny Machado next off-season. Plan B could be Josh Donaldson based on the price/years. Plan C could be Yolmer for a year and then a run Arenado. If you can't land any of those impact free agents, then trade for or sign someone on a shorter-term deal and hope Burger is a fast mover. Point is there are too many attractive alternatives over the next couple of off-seasons to lock in a passable one today. And quite frankly, I'm not sure Moustakas would be that much of an upgrade of Sanchez. The one guy I'd still be open to signing right now is JDM. He's a legit difference maker with the bat and can instantly change the complexion of our lineup. If I can get him at an affordable price, I'm willing to make that move now.

QUOTE (CWSpalehoseCWS @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 10:30 PM) Couple things I'd like to add: Yermin Mercedes was a rule-5 in the Triple-A phase. Pretty sure he has to stay in Charlotte or be sent back to the Orioles. I can't see Michalczewski or Adams making the jump to Charlotte. They had less than impressive years and still have things to work on. Sox would be doing them a disservice if they promoted them to begin the year, IMO. I don’t think the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft works like that. I believe the Sox can start Mercedes at whatever level they like.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 08:49 PM) I will not brag or feel vindicated if I'm right. Frankly this whole situation stinks as far as I'm concerned. But you like the last 10 years where we “went for it” most years and accomplished jack s***?

They also signed Castillo to be their interim starting catcher. Could have gone cheap with a Narvaez/Smith platoon, but they actually added a veteran. They would spend the money if something out there made sense in both the short & long-run but typically there aren’t a lot of deals like that for teams in year 2 of a rebuild. They’ll most certainly be aggressive next year and are likely to spend more than they ever have in free agency.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 06:34 PM) 1) They are rebuilding as cheaply as possible. 2) They are rebuilding as cheaply as possible. 3) They are rebuilding as cheaply as possible. Yup, paying $50M for Luis Robert is rebuilding as cheaply as possible. When does this clown get the boot?

I really think Curbelo opens the season with Kannapolis.

We need to get some clarity on Jimenez’s arm because I’ve seen it listed as plus to below average.

CL: Soria SU: Jones SU: Minaya MR: Avalin MR: Rondon MR: Cedeno MR: Infante I think they start the season without a true long reliever. I think they leave some of the more talented young guys (Vierira, Bummer, Fry, etc) in AAA to start the season. That allows guys like Rondon & Cedeno to sneak onto the opening day roster. I also think Farquhar is cut/traded by the end of camp simply due to other veterans being more attractive options.

Now that we’re two days away from pitchers & catchers reporting to Spring Training, I thought it would be fun to do some Opening Day roster predictions. We’ll start with the bullpen, which figures to be one of the more interesting areas in terms of competition. The rules are simple: list the guys who will be in our opening day bullpen and what role they will serve (CL, SU, MR, LR).

QUOTE (SonofaRoache @ Feb 10, 2018 -> 10:34 PM) It sucks that the Cubs are a great team but you are blinded by hate. They've to to 3 stright NLCS's and will go back again this year. He’s most definitely blinded by hate, but you lose all credibility when you speak like a Sith and say the Cubs will be going back to the NLCS next year. The playoffs are always a crap shoot and they really had to battle to make it to the NLCS in 2016 & 2017. They’ll most likely go to the playoffs next year, but let’s check the rest at the door given the Dodgers & Nationals are as good if not better than the Cubs.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 10, 2018 -> 03:28 PM) I hate the Cubs but I must admit that it must be nice being one one of their fans now. It has to feel good to have a ownership that wants to win now. I’m impressed seeing you troll here and Soxmachine. That takes some serious will & determination.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Feb 9, 2018 -> 02:37 PM) I think Jemeye posted on twitter last night that the Troika from last week picked the teams and Marie made it so that her team would lose and stacked one team so they would throw in Brad. I don't know why MTV cut that part out though. https://imgur.com/gallery/EMFCl I swear TJ said the teams were random, but what you’re saying make much more sense.

I still maintain if we can somehow get JDM on the cheap I’d say do it. Otherwise, I’d stick with what we have on the positional side. I’d rather rotate young guys through the DH spot than get some stop-gap veteran type.

The teams for that last Challenge were so bogus. There was almost no chance Banannas’ team wouldn’t win. I really don’t like the guys & girls competing against one another.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 29, 2018 -> 09:09 AM) Britni is awful. Not a surprise deadbeat Brad loves her. ?

QUOTE (wrathofhahn @ Feb 7, 2018 -> 12:27 PM) Interesting I think the bullpen will be better then that. Also no way the OF looks like that. If Delmonico hits he's our everyday LF. Moncada should hit better then .233 with a .740 ish OPS. Hard to see Anderson hit .265 with a .289 OBP. He may hit .240 with a .289 OBP lol. Is that really predicting 16 HRs from Delmonico in 254 PAs? I may be his biggest fan here, but those numbers are beyond nuts.