Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 07:43 AM) I wonder if the Angels would be interested in Sanchez. They have a big hole at 2B. We have four years of control left with him. I’d give him the 3B job to start the year and then reevaluate things at the trade deadline or more likely next offseason. No reason to rush a trade with him when he can still build up his value and when there’s a chance we may need him.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Nov 29, 2017 -> 07:09 AM) This has got to be a joke right? If not, I’ve lost a lot of respect for Lip. No one that actually watched him play last year would consider non-tendering at this price point. Worst case scenario he should be a solid reserve IF, best case he can be a decent bridge 3B. Either way, he’s worth the $2M or he’s projected to make next year.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 28, 2017 -> 04:29 PM) The problem isn't with the Sox making offers, it is with them making the largest offer. As for the Albert Belle example, Eloy Jimenez was 7 days old when it happened. They haven't really shown a propensity to set the market for top level players for 21 years now. They have been #2 a lot of times. #1, not so much. It’s a fair point, but the traditional big spenders are also dealing with a luxury tax right that is far more detrimental than it’s previously been. That’s not to say I expect the Sox to automatically have the biggest offer, but given their complete lack of financial comittments going forward and the need for a big PR move to kick off their return to competiveness I defintiely think it’s a real possibility.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 28, 2017 -> 04:12 PM) You are crazy. I don't always call them draftniks. I also use the word "stat people" and sabes people. I have used draftniks but not often. You can't imply I call people names a lot and get away with that. I contend I am normally polite. I'd say 90 percent of the time. Draftniks or draft people do slay me and frustrate me but I don't always call them draftniks. 450 million would please me. What free agents, though. I stand by my point that we can forget about Manny and Harper. The Sox signed Albert Belle to the largest contract ever at the time. The Sox offered A-Rod a huge deal back in the day, rumored to be like 10/$190M. They recently offered Tanaka a massive deal as well. You’re fooling yourself if you don’t believe the Sox will pursue the truly elite free agents next year when they have like $2M in guaranteed payroll. Whether they can convince one of these guys to take their money remains to be seen, but I have no doubt Reinsdorf will ok an aggressive offseason plan.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Nov 28, 2017 -> 06:00 AM) So, you haven't read any of the posts regarding Sox fans wanting the Sox to pursue big free agents like Machado and Harper? Just about all fans on this board want the Sox to spend, and many are in touch enough to realize that they will. I know my plan had us spending like $450M on free agents next offseason, but maybe my handle doesn’t indicate clearly enough that I’m a Sox fan.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 27, 2017 -> 08:00 AM) Man, I thought I was high on Zavala at 15/16-ish. Felix Mercedes is no longer a middle infielder, he's been playing 1B and OF, so the bar has gotten much higher for his bat. Also he missed the 2nd half last year, and I am not sure why. Yeah, I wanted to ask you about Felix Mercedes. He was doing incredibly well at Great Falls and then all of sudden he was gone and I couldn’t find a single article or note explaining why. He would have been at the bottom of my top 30 if I knew what happened to him and it was simply injury related. Just seems like there is more to the story with him.

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Nov 27, 2017 -> 12:38 AM) Manning did, Brady didn't and Favre didn't either. The point is, you don't know how good a receiver who has a HOF QB throwing to them REALLY is until they no longer have said QB to throw them the ball. Only then do you know if they are really that good and talented. Larry Fitzgerald was one of them, he continued to produce even when he didn't have Kurt Warner throwing the football to him. None of the players that have gone through the Patriots have really done anything anywhere else, other than Randy Moss who was there at the end of his career. You don't know how good Gronkowski really is because Brady is throwing him the ball. Gronk is the only guy that you can really say that may be supremely talented that Brady has as a receiver. First off, I’m not sure why you’re comparing Mitch to two of the greatest QBs. No one other than you has that expectation. But the idea that these guys had no one to throw to is garbage. Antonio Freeman & Donald Driver both had more talent in their little pinkies than this entire Bears WR group. He also had talented receivers like Sterling Sharpe & Javon Walker for periods of time as well. Farve may have made these guys better, but they weren’t some bums like you’re making them out to be. I’d have to look at Brady’s receivers to truly comment on him, but everything about the Patriots is an outlier and they typically found guys who fit their schemes perfectly. So again, if Brady is your expectation here, be prepared for a world of dissapointment with Mitch.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 10:17 PM) I still don't see him stating anywhere that he requires 600 guaranteed at-bats... in fact, all I have seen is him stating the opposite: https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yan...tani-1.14928323 I don’t think anyone has suggested it’s a requirement, but he certainly wants to be a two-way player and not many teams can truly offer him guaranteed DH at-bats. The point is the Sox being a rebuilding club works to their advantage in this area.

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 10:17 PM) Peyton Manning went 21-37 with 302 yds 1 TD and 3 INT in his first start. He had a 42 yd pass. Did he make mistakes? Sure. But he moved the ball, made plays, etc. Aikman I'll give you. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000044...ad-first-starts Looks like quite a few star QBs failed to demonstrate ”greatness” from the start... And Manning had Marshall Faulk & Marvin Harrison, while Mitch has Tarik Cohen & Dontrelle Inman.

Lol...there is literally no way to fairly evaluate Mitch this season due to the s***ty play-calling and the worst WR group in Bears history. We’ll all just have to wait until next year assuming Pace decides WR is actually a position of importance.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 09:35 AM) Jose. I don’t know, I’m just not buying it. That whole long BR article and none were convincing fits other than Boston and St Louis. And either of them could go out and buy Santana, so the choice to trade for Abreu needs to represent value against straight money offered. Since Jose is likely staring at 2 yrs $20 million in arb, the prospects back would equal that amount over $20 mil. I’m not convinced that will see a strong return. I don’t disagree with any of that, but the JD Martinez deal was widely panned as being surprisingly weak and that was for a rental. Jose would most definitely generate a better return given his control & track record. I mean, the Cardinals & Rockies each have multiple prospects that could be sent to us in 1 for 1 deal that would exceed what the Diamondbacks gave up IMO. But I think your point still stands and is even more reason to keep and hopefully extend Abreu.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 09:23 AM) We don’t have to extend him. I think people are overrating the risk in keeping him or trading him. Until I see a trade proposal rumor indicating otherwise, I expect a return near but slightly better than JD Martinez. That type of return isn’t going to change the trajectory of rebuild. Nor will the money saved. His money on the books isn’t preventing anything, so the worst case is that he stays and sucks, but what we lost out on in holding him I’m not convinced will be disappointing. Is this in regards to Abreu or Avi? Because I think we’d do significantly better than a JD Martinez type return for Jose, even if it’s not ultimately enough to justify moving him.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 08:42 AM) Anyone have a link that says this? This is the best I can find. It’s from a Buster Olney article a few weeks ago, but I’ve read similar sediments elsewhere. http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insi...season-question

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 08:57 AM) Yaaaaawn The best part is these delusions are based on nothing. When is the last time the Sox embarked on a rebuild? For better or worse, Reinsdorf has forced the front office to “go for it” pretty much the last 20+ years of his tenure. Nothing in his track record suggests he wants a lengthy rebuild to ensure “profits”, which is still one of the dumbest demonstrations of logic I’ve ever seen on this board. Furthermore, Jerry is a 81 years old billionaire with a minority stake in the team but also a controlling interest. His only objective at this point is to win another World Series before he dies. Generating these hypothetical “profits” doesn’t really help his end game, it would just make some partners richer and they ultimately have no say in the matter.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 07:50 AM) Agree. I don't get the obsession to trade away the best players. I guess everybody wants play GM and it's fun to chat about, but that's it. I'm all for paying Abreu and Avi and build around those guys. I think the majority of people want to keep Abreu unless blown away. Unfortunately, certain posters continue to ignore the “blown away” part because it doesn’t fit their agenda. Would you trade Jose for a Eloy Jimenez like prospect? I really hope your answer is yes. As for Avi, there isn’t clear evidence at this point that extending him to an expensive long-term contract is the right move. If you personally believe the 2017 version of Avi is hear to stay, then by all means argue for keeping him. But a lot of us have our doubts and would like to capitalize on his what could be his peak value (if at all possible) and use those financial resources down the road to sign a Manny Machado type talent.

The more I read/think about this, the more I believe the Sox can win this sweepstakes. Having said that, let me reiterate that my beliefs are entirely based on the rumor he doesn’t want to go to an established club and the theory that money isn’t a factor at all here (based on him leaving early). So first thing’s first, I can’t see an NL team pulling this off. Everything out there including this new memo demonstrates the importance of being able to pitch and hit and requires the DH. I’ve seen people suggest he could play the OF on off days, but that seems like a trap answer and something that isn’t actually viable if he wants to ensure his own health. And he hasn’t played the OF in a few years IIRC, so it really seems DH or bust. But beyond just being an AL team and having a DH spot available, how many teams can really commit to him there with no contraints? Can a contender like the Yankees really promise 600 ABs no matter how Otani is performing? This ties back into the wanting to join a non-established club rumor, but the Sox can promise him a spot in their lineup for the next two years and allow him to go through his growing pains with no constraints whatsoever. They can give him a real opportunity to prove himself as a potential two way player, which is obviously very important to him. This point shouldn’t be overlooked. And the fact we’re rebuilding also allows us to adjust our rotation and pitching schedule as needed to accommodate Otani’s first year in the majors and ensure a healthy transition. Contenders may be leery of moving to a six man rotation as it could have on the field impacts. Those concerns will be less important to us next year since winning isn’t a primary objective. But the commitment to health goes well beyond year one and as I alluded to in a previous post no one keeps their pitchers healthier and productive than the White Sox. That point should not be understated when selling him on the White Sox. But there are other factors that help us as well. Chicago is obviously a massive media market, which checks off what seems (based on the memo) to be an important box and helps distinguish us from several other non-established clubs. Our organization has always been a champion for diversity, with both an African American team president and a Hispanic manager demonstrating that point. And I think we’ve done a incridble job assimilating foreign players into the clubhouse, whether that be Shingo & Iguchi or Alexei & Abreu. Jose in particular should be used as a huge selling point, as he’s immediately become a clubhouse leader and has been historically awesome from the get-go. That type of transition should speak volumes to Otani. And along these lines, I’d also stress our organization’s commitment to its players & employees (i.e. loyalty). Working for a Japanese company, I can’t understate the importantance of this point. And given this guy has an uncertain financial picture in front of him, the fact we take care of / stick with our people becomes even more important. The last selling point and one that shouldn’t be overlooked is what we’re building here. Otani has an opportunity to be the face of this rebuild. He can head a rotation that would also include Rodon, Kopech, Giolito, Lopez, & Hansen. That would be without question the most talented group of pitchers in baseball and he’d be at the top of it. Sell this as the next 1990’s Braves pitching staff if need be. Furthermore, he’d also get to anchor an exciting young lineup with Abreu and potential stars in Moncada, Jimenez, & Robert and whatever we can buy in free agency. Again, not only does he get to be part of an exciting young team but he gets to make a major impact on both sides of the field. Our contention window aligns perfectly with his and the role he’d play in that should be one of our top selling points. He can be the face of the most exciting up-and-coming team in baseball. How many teams can offer that? I’m sure I’ll get some TLDR replies and other will say this was a waste of time and that we have no chance, but I think some posters are selling ourselves short here. IMO, we are in a pretty unique situation and can offer Otani a city/team/situation/environment that is hard to match. If money is truly not a factor and this memo suggests it isn’t, then I really think we can win this thing.

It’s amazing how far Call & Fisher have fallen. These guys had previously been cemented in the low to mid teens and now are barely cracking these top 30 lists. I included Call at the back end of mine simply because I think injuries prevented us from getting a fair look at him last year. Fisher’s 2017 season was immensely dissapointing to me. The “plus” hit tool hasn’t really flashed and the power hasn’t been great for a legit 23 year old playing in A ball. Combine those with defensive limitations/issues and he’s lost almost all his prospect shine to me. For better or worse, I really think the Sox need to be aggressive with Fisher next year and let him sink or swim in AA. There’s too much OF depth in the low minors right now and Robert, Basabe, Rutherford, Adolfo, & Gonzalez are all better prospects who are more deserving of high A playing time. That doesn’t even include Call who I’d also prioritize at-bats to over Fisher. Jameson better figure his s*** out next year and fast because there’s a ton of talent just waiting to pass him by.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 25, 2017 -> 07:19 PM) Coop + Herm * display history of success = good. Also interesting that he specifically asked for no financial aspects to be set forth. I don't know much about what Chicago has to offer when it comes to the cultural aspects requested. Still putting our odds at 1 in 1,000,000,000 That’s an absolutely huge selling point. No organization has done a better job of keeping pitchers healthy & productive than the White Sox and hopefully it’s not understated in their sales pitch.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 25, 2017 -> 08:45 AM) This is great and pretty much mine. I may remove Burr and add Sosa just because I wrote a long post on him so now I’m invested. I’ll be honest, I really struggled with those last four guys. There were probably a dozen or so up for consideration. I actually wanted to included Sosa, but haven’t found too much about him online and clearly there isn’t going to be much video either at this point. Do you mind bumping your post about him or sharing it in this thread? The fact that they brought him over so quickly hopefully speaks volume how the organization feels about him. And we definitely need some of these LatAm signings to start doing something, as my list only had one (excluding Robert) that was orginally signed by the Sox and that’s obviously not good.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 24, 2017 -> 11:31 PM) I don't think it happens either. Keep Abreu . Who knows how Moncada might react to losing a mentor and friend and after all it was Abreu who said Moncada should use a lighter bat. We all know how talented the kid is but I like his chances of being a star more with Abreu in his corner. I think this is part of it, but I also think we need some certainty in middle of our lineup. Jimenez is really the only prospect I feel confident about turning into that type of hitter at the moment and you’re putting a ton of pressure on him to carry the offense if we trade both Jose & Avi. Again, unless someone is offering a true blue chipper, which is doubtful given the amount of 1B options on the market, I’d try to sign Abreu to a reasonable four year extension. If he’s not game for that, I’d start marketing him much more intensely, but I see him as a guy who would like to stay with this team for the foreseeable future.

Tier 1 - 65/70 FV 1. Eloy Jimenez, OF 2. Michael Kopech, RHP Tier 2 - 60 FV 3. Luis Robert, OF 4. Alex Hansen, RHP Tier 3 - 50/55 FV 5. Zach Collins, C 6. Dane Dunning, RHP 7. Dylan Cease, RHP 8. Blake Rutherford, OF 9. Jake Burger, 3B Tier 4 - 45/50 FV 10. Micker Adolfo, OF 11. Carson Fulmer, RHP 12. Zach Burdi, RHP 13. Spencer Adams, RHP Tier 5 - 40/45 FV 14. Casey Gillaspie, 1B 15. Jordan Stephens, RHP 16. Gavin Sheets, 1B 17. Jordan Guerrero LHP 18. Thiago Vieira, RHP 19. Ryan Cordell, OF 20. Seby Zavala, C Tier 6 - 40 FV 21. Luis Alexander Basabe, OF 22. Ian Clarkin, LHP 23. Luis Gonzalez, OF 24. Bernardo Flores, LHP 25. Luis Corbelo, SS 26. Tyler Johnson, RHP 27. Jace Fry, LHP 28. Ryan Burr, RHP 29. Alex Call, OF 30. Justin Yurchak, 3B

I just don’t see the point of trading Abreu unless you get a legit blue-chipper for him. While you can certainly can never have enough prospect depth, at some point that depth comes with diminishing returns. We’re already starting to have 40 man roster issues, so adding more prospects will likely require us to let go of some other (lesser) talent down the road. Furthermore, you simply run out of opportunities to give these guys all looks. By the end of this coming season we could have a rotation of Rodon, Giolito, Lopez, Kopech, & Hansen plus guys like Adams, Stephens, & Guerrero (if around) in AAA and other key prospects like Dunning, Cease, etc. at other levels. Obviously we lack depth at other positions, but again, unless we’re adding a blue chipper I don’t see the point of selling Abreu, especially not when we’ll have plenty of money to plug any gaps with serviceable players. Avi is a different story because either you have to be confident in extending him for big money or sell him off in the next two years. Given our minor league OF dept (which is quite extensive) and Avi’s checkered past, I think selling is the right call. And while I would definitely not just give him away, I don’t need a blue chipper to move him like I would with Abreu.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 10:06 PM) Another aspect of Machado that hasn't been discussed ( to my knowledge ) is his character. The dude seems like a walking primadonna in the vein of ARod-lite. In most free agent and trade target related discussions, Kenny Williams and RH both have always seemed to place a high importance on these "intangible" items... like personality, character, and clubhouse leadership skills. I wonder if Manny brings up a red flag to the brass in our front office. This is a fair point. Character becomes much more important when you’re making a potential $300M+ investment. At the same time, there simply aren’t a lot superstars that become free agents at 26. I still think they go for him because outside of any character concerns he’d really be a perfect addition.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 10:36 PM) FYI, I dont get the impression they are going to spend money this offseason, we are maybe a year away from that. Who said otherwise? The point of this thread was to talk about spending next year.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Nov 23, 2017 -> 12:14 AM) Let Rockstar take over. I want to be able to play as Jabba, fondling slave women all day, or fly around on my speeder bike, decapitating Ewoks with my light saber. Rockstar is printing money with GTA V, they’re not paying for a Star Wars license they don’t need to sell games. As for EA, I believe their licensing agreement runs another five years, so expect to be dissapointed with Star Wars games for a while. They even just decided to completely reboot a big story-centric Star Wars game that had been in development for multiple years because it was too “linear” and lacked games as a service characteristics. Developing a good single player Star Wars game should be a no brainer, but EA doesn’t appear to have much interest in delivering what fans actually want and will continue to push of flawed, micro-transaction fueled offerings like BF2.