Chicago White Sox

100% depends on the price/years. Martinez has pretty much been David Ortiz lite the last few years. If I can get him at a huge discount (which still seems unlikely IMO), I’m not against signing a guy like him a year early. The DH factor doesn’t really matter to me honestly. He was a top three hitter in baseball last year, don’t really care if he plays the field or not, he’d be an absolute weapon in the middle of our lineup.

QUOTE (GenericUserName @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 11:53 AM) The only reason I can think you would start him in A+ is that Kannapolis has too many OFs that need to be there and Robert also destroys spring training. Even then I might rather send someone else to a higher level before they're ready and still put Robert in Kannapolis. We should start him lower and let him prove it at each level before moving him up. Robert is our #1 OF prospect, so you play him where you need to and adjust the lesser prospects accordingly.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 09:44 AM) That's why I think this really is more of an eat some innings than flip candidate. Like you said, he isn't going to be worth much more than he was when they traded him when he was on a roll, and he netted a 21 year old with a .588 OPS in high A. I would think if you wanted to just buy him from Texas, it wouldn't cost you anywhere near what Gonzalez will be paid. So he must be a good influence, and the probably hope he can eat some innings. This is 100% about getting a guy who can eat some innings and prevent us from having to rush up any of our arms in AAA. Having said that, the cost is low enough that he won’t be blocking anyone if we need to open a spot.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 11, 2018 -> 01:32 PM) Great article. I think you nailed it, though I'd probably lean toward putting Robert on the EST/Rookie Ball track That’s absolutely nuts IMO. Isn’t the Cuban League considered to be the equivalent of High A? I think Robert should start in Kannapolis and move up after a month or so. There’s no good reason to be overly conservative with his development.

I really want to see what we have in Giolito & Lopez before I consider any of other pitching prospects expandable.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 10, 2018 -> 07:41 AM) He kept mentioning them. I have told you, his past history, his age, I have watched him, I think strikeouts have jaded his advanced numbers, Javy Vazquez style, and his projections. I have written it several times. But just think about it, his FIP and xFIP were good in 2017, better than in years. Why wasn't he worth anything in the trade market? If these are signs he is a top 25 reliever, why did KC have to include cash and one of their best relievers team controlled for 5 seasons to get rid of him? And why, if he put up the exact same xFIP and FIP the first half of 2018, which no one would actually wager anything although they keep saying its' the best measure of what he will be, would he be worth considerably more than he is now with these numbers? I think he sucks, you think he's an asset. Fine. I don't know why it bothers so many. You can tell me my reasons are stupid, that's fine too. I think pulling a xFIP at an age 33 season which was significantly better than any xFIP he put up in years is also stupid to use for projection. We'll see. I hope you're right. I still don’t agree with this “sucks” notion, at least when it comes to 2017. WAR isn’t a great way to evaluate relievers, but it still shows he wasn’t horrible at the very least. I think his peripherals & velocity last year show a chance of him becoming an asset. There are no guarantees and some of the facts you’ve brought up (age, injury history, etc) lately demonstrate why things may not work out for him next year. But I definitely think if his heathy & velocity holds, again both question marks, that he could actually become a valuable trade chip. I like his addition because he has more upside potential IMO than most pickups of this type. As for why other teams didn’t trade for him, I can’t answer that. But Rosenthal clearly stated other teams were interested in him for the very reasons I stated above. Could just be that we finally ran out of teams willing to pay a guy like him $7M after so many relievers got huge deals this winter. Or maybe contenders simply wanted more certainty at that price point. Luckily for us we can roll the dice on him and hope he can flash a portion of what he once was for three or four months next year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 10, 2018 -> 05:33 AM) I have given you reasons. You chose to ignore them, because they don't line up with your end all FIP and xFIP. We will find out in a couple of months. I mean, I don’t always agree with eminor3rd, but it’s pretty insane you keep repeating the bolded comment above. He has explicitly stated to you multiple times that those metrics aren’t the be all end all. And quite frankly, you really hadn’t given any reasons other than “he sucks” for the vast majority of this thread. That’s the reason why people were giving you s*** about this.

QUOTE (KnightsOnMintSt @ Jan 9, 2018 -> 09:48 AM) Anyone here live in the area? The Dash could be a really fun team to watch this season. Have the potential to have Robert, Burger, Sheets, Basabe, Adolfo, Rutherford, Cease, Skoug, Fisher, and Call all at the same time this season. I don’t think all those OFs will be on the team at the same time, but they should be very exciting to follow.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Jan 9, 2018 -> 07:12 AM) Some players just scar fan bases from suckitude, good peripherals or not. Soria did enough stinkin to make the KC fans glad he’s gone. Off the top of my head I equate the feeling KC fans had when Soria was coming in to Linestink. Sure Soria’s peripherals may suggest one thing. Thousands of KC fans glad he’s gone suggests differently. I think both are equally valid as data to form an opinion of the trade. The Royals have also had one of the most dominant bullpens in recent memory, so I’m not exactly sure if they can be objective on what bad really is. Look, I’m not even making the argument that he was good, but saying he sucks seems disingenuous based on all available data and seems to be nothing more than an emotional overreaction by fanbase that has only known great as of late. And I still don’t see where Dick is coming up with his opinion from.

QUOTE (beautox @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 10:52 PM) Flores, Luis Gonzalez and Seby Zavala, I think Polo could become a De Aza like player which would be great. Sounds like Flores’ velocity dropped quite a bit this year.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 10:08 AM) Does he still have any minor league options remaining? He’s not on the 40 man roster, so I’d assume three once they add him.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 9, 2018 -> 05:34 AM) Peripherals lie just like the eye test. It is hard for some to believe it but it's true. Look at the peripherals, Javy Vazquez was a far superior major league pitcher to Mark Buerhle . I don't know why people defend these peripheral kings to the death when you say they suck. Who is invested in Joakim Soria. I got the same crap you are getting a few years ago when the White Sox signed a pitcher from KC who I said sucked, but evidently the peripherals didn't agree, therefore I was a stooge. Felipe Paulino, how you doin? Zach Duke, same thing. Luckily for White Sox fans, Soria's stay will be closer in length to Paulino.. Since you seem to think Soria sucks so much, what are you basing this opinion on? Clearly you didn’t watch him enough to form this opinion through the “eye test”, so I’m curious to hear what qualitative data you’re using to come to this conclusion.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 02:43 PM) Was this in reference to his most recent performance or when he was left off last year? He said “prior to the trade” which to me means around the trade deadline.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 01:39 PM) Wasn't Nick Delmonico left off the top 30 list last season? He could bounce back and be relevant. Norris called him “one of the more universally panned prospects” he talked with scouts about.

Another interesting nugget is Gillaspie not making the top 30 list. Not very glowing comments about him either.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 12:40 PM) The Chiefs Kingdom (Ver 2.0) @1_ChiefsKingdom Bombshell! Nagy to Bears was a done deal before Chiefs playoff game. Reid took back play scheming and calling to allow Nagy time to prep for his interview. Nagy helped script first 15 plays with Reid, who then took over play calling. Wow, glad to hear that's what happened. Because Nagy was probably #1 on my list before that second half meltdown.

QUOTE (KnightsOnMintSt @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 12:31 PM) Hansen was the one I was very curious about. I wonder if he cracks the Top 40? Robert was 45th on their midseason list and I can’t imagine his stock fell much. Hansen should theoretically have a chance of being top 40 if they rank him above Robert.

I wonder how many of our guys crack the top 100 list now. Obviously the top 4 are all but a certainty and probably all top 50 prospects. Will be interesting to see if/where those next few guys slot in. Just for some context, Rutherford & Cease were ranked 36th & 83rd respectively on their mid-season list. Cease has clearly fallen off the list if he’s behind Sheets. As bad as Rutherford was for us, I don’t see him completely dropping off the list given how high they were on him before. Landing 8 top 100 prospects does seem unlikely IMO, although I think cases can definitely be made for Dunning, Collins, & Burger.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 7, 2018 -> 08:39 PM) My complaint with Nintendo consoles is the lack of longevity and the sever lack of quality titles. However, the quality titles are indeed great. Super Mario Galaxy remains one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, and if I wanted to burn my money, I’d get rah Nintendo console that releases one or two Mario games. Alas, there’s no longevity and they stop developing for the systems way too quickly. I can agree with this. I do think Nintendo moving to one platform will help with the software droughts. And Mario Galaxy and it’s sequel are two of the greatest games of all-time. They both definitely deserve the GOAT praise they receive.

QUOTE (KagakuOtoko @ Jan 7, 2018 -> 03:31 PM) Saints -7, +101 ~ $100 to win $101 Risky pick but hopefully the worst that comes is a push Thanks, appreciate the tip!

QUOTE (KagakuOtoko @ Jan 7, 2018 -> 11:13 AM) Bills +9. Both teams inexperienced. Jags are pretenders. I was tempted to take Bills outright, but this is the safer play. -120 ~ $120 to win $100 Nice pick here! What are you doing in the Saints-Panthers game?

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 7, 2018 -> 02:03 AM) Take it easy. I didn't say it was bad, but there is a definite bias with Nintendo. It got the same boost that all Nintendo games get. The "ranked as one of the best of all time" hyperbole certainly doesn't help. Again you say all this without having actually played the game. And maybe instead of there being a bias, is it possible that Nintendo simply makes some of the best, most polished pure gameplay experiences in the industry? How have you formed this opinion that a bias exists? Do you actually play Nintendo games every now & then? I’d love to hear your thoughts on what other Nintendo games are overrated.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 6, 2018 -> 11:16 PM) I haven't played Zelda so I won't hate on it, but I was definitely surprised at how critics compare the two games. Horizon was so much damn fun and I can't shake the feeling if Zelda wasn't a Zelda game made by Nintendo it wouldn't receive the same level of praise. So you think a game that’s literally ranked as one of the best of all time only received those kudos because it’s published by Nintendo. It’s amazing how many people feel the need to hate on the game without actually playing it.

QUOTE (KagakuOtoko @ Jan 6, 2018 -> 07:01 PM) If you take that line at that price, you should just take the Titans to cover. Why?

I took Chiefs - 3 1/2 @ -250.