Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 08:26 AM) We can't forget that it isn't a given that the Sox will be willing to eat any of Robertson's salary. Heyman posted an article today saying the Sox will gladly eat salary if it gets them a better prospect return. Right or wrong, I'm operating under that assumption for the time-being. And if we're willing to, I think a Soto or more realistically a Kieboom headliner becomes a possibility with WAS. Look, I'd do Frazier, Sheffield/Adams, & Andujar in a heartbeat for Q. If that's a little too rich for their blood, throw in Frazier and get back a low-end prospect to fill out the deal. Robertson should land a low end top 100 prospect in this market if we eat even a small amount of salary. We take on a bigger chunk and he suddenly becomes one of the most valuable relievers on the market that any team can afford. Trading him and Quintana should result in an absolute haul and I'm not quite sure that proposed offer is quite that.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 08:13 AM) Landing one of Frazier/Rutherford + one of Sheffield/Adams/ + Andujar + Abreu would be a great deal For both guys?

s***'s about to get real. Too many teams in need of pitching with strong farm systems along with limited sellers puts us in a great spot. I don't think that Yankees package is enough for both Quintana & Robertson though. Would either need a better 4th piece than Abreu or an interesting 5th piece to consider such a deal. Otherwise, I think you can get more by selling them seperately.

QUOTE (Username @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 06:59 AM) Yeah I think you're probably right. Another option might still be including Fowler in the package (if it's more depth oriented). Kind of a unique situation because the Sox team doctor actually did the surgery, so they might have a better feel for his outlook/more willing to take a risk. Honestly, I don't think Fowler ever made sense for us. He's a good young player, but the low BB rate is concerning. We already have several core guys on the major league team with that profile in Anderson, Abreu, & potentially Avi. Frazier is the guy I really want in a Quintana trade. Elite bat speed, plus power potential, draws walks, strong arm. I think his ceiling is significantly higher than Fowler's despite being a corner-only guy.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 12:07 AM) I think Ron883 is right. We might be in a rebuild but we need some vets on tgwcteam. Who do we realistically have in the system that can step in for Melky and Frazier? Another couple years maybe but not now. I think the trade chips are Robertson and Quintana for sure and maybe Swarzak and Kahnle Some combination of Davidson, Delmonico, Sanchez (w/ Moncada to 2B), Willy, & Engel would replace these guys immediately. So to answer your question, we have a f***ton of options. Extending either guy is beyond a terrible idea and I like both of them as players. Melky in particular can't hit enough to make up for his inability to play a solid LF and the idea of just moving him to 1B is absurd.

QUOTE (Username @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 06:29 AM) I'm a bit worried about the implications of the Fowler injury last night. The Yankees glut of OF prospects was really the big basis for a trade - as they could make a trade while still not emptying the farm. Fowler seemed either likely to be in a potential deadline deal, or at the very least his success at AAA theoretically would've made trading Frazier easier (both for this year and next). A Patellar Tendon rupture is about as serious of a knee injury as there is. For a player that derives some of his value from being able to play center field that's not good (look at Tilson on a much less serious injury). In the very least it means the Yankees might need Frazier this year, and at the worst it clouds their long-term OF picture enough to make them back off on unloading OF depth. It might impact their decision-making, but they still have a full OF once Hicks gets off the DL and all four of their starting caliber OFs are controllable through next season. IMO, this probably doesn't take Frazier off the table for the right TOR starter. That's still a bigger need for them than OF depth.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 04:41 AM) https://sports.yahoo.com/rival-executives-e...-153000336.html Verlander expected to be put on trade market https://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/inside-bas...d-ranked-value/ Note comments on Top 100 trade candidates Braves, Cubs, Blue Jays, Boston, NYY, Houston, Dodgers all in play for starting pitching. 3 Quintana 20 Robertson 50 Holland 66 Frazier 76 Cabrera 91 Shields Others: Pelfrey, Swarzak, Kahnle, Leury Garcia, Yolmer Sanchez, Hanson (970 ops w/ Sox) I think the most important points in that article are the Sox are willing to eat some money on Robertson's contract in order to get better prospects back, there may not be a lot of proven closers available, and if Cole isn't available (which Heyman believes to be the case) then Quintana will be the top starter on the market at the deadline. Also, it wasn't in this article, but it sounds like the Dodgers want to add a cost-controlled TOR starter as well. Q's market is setting up very nicely assuming he continues to pitch well.

Really wish we could give Willy more playing time.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 11:16 PM) Melky has a strong accurate throwing arm. Sign him to an extension Gross.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 09:17 PM) Are Burger and Sheets expected to play for AZL For a week and then move up to full season ball.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 09:12 PM) Not a good outing for Kopech so far. It's going to be an ugly 2nd half of the season for him while he builds up his innings count.

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 08:40 PM) I don't know but I know this: the more times the Nats pen implodes, the more his back is against the wall, the more the prices go up, the more scrutiny he comes under. He will trade if only to manage career risk! He's going to make a trade. Hell, I'm assuming he'll add at least two relievers. But it's not even July yet and he's got a 9 game lead in his division. There is really no need to overpay for a guy right now. Let's say we're asking for Soto as a headliner in a Robertson deal. Can the price realistically get higher than that between now and the deadline? Worst case scenario the market doesn't work in his favor and he gives up Soto near July 31st. Best case scenario the market gets flooded with relievers including a few closers and the price comes down quite a bit. Now, if we were asking for what we did this past offseason and he was passing then I'd question why he wasn't addressing his bullpen. But my guess is our ask greatly increased and there aren't a lot of other teams selling at the moment.

QUOTE (kwill @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 08:17 PM) You know I really do think it is time to see Reynaldo. I am huge fan of him and think that with some Cooper instruction he could be an a top level arm. I am extremely glad how the White Sox have taken it slow with him and most of the prospects this year compared to years past but I think it is time for him to come to the majors as he ready for his next step in development. I agree all around. Will be interesting to see how he responds to working with Cooper on a regular basis.

This game happening?

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 08:28 PM) Rizzo is one stubborn SOB refusing to trade for a closer. Crazy after watching meltdown after meltdown Would you give up Robles for one? I bet the teams with closers that would consider selling have crazy demands right now and I wouldn't be surprised if Robles is the guy they're asking for. Asks should become more realistic/fair as we get closer to the deadline and the number of sellers increases. Having said that, I do think it would benefit both sides to get a deal sooner rather than later. This relief market could go either way and the Nationals have the pieces and need to get something done early. If I was Hahn, I'd push hard on a Roberson trade now and then give Kahnle a 30 day audition in the closer role. Could be risky but it might be the one way to convince teams he's an elite reliever despite the limited sample size (assuming all goes well).

QUOTE (daggins @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 08:06 PM) Prophetic. 6IP 1ER 1BB 9K 1HRA. He actually got two more Ks in the 7th. So final line: 6 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 1 HR, 6 H I really think it's time to call him up.

QUOTE (yesterday333 @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 06:27 PM) what about Kieboom, Luzardo and Daniel Johnson? It would be great to get an inf, an of, and a lhp in the deal... If Soto is off limits, I'd do Kieboom + Luzardo for Robertson + cash. If Robertson & Kahnle are packaged together, I'd need Soto + Kieboom plus something else decent. As long as we eat some money, Robertson should have plenty of value himself.

Good pitching tonight. I'm predicting a nice rebound from Lopez tonight.

My ranking would go like this: Tucker Jimenez Acuna Frazier Verdugo I think Tucker is the only guy truly untouchable, although I don't see a Cubs/Sox trade happening for Quintana.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 03:36 PM) Yes. You let me know when my cheering actually affects anything. This is a win-win bet for me. Obviously it doesn't effect anything, just odd that you're giddy over a bad outcome for the organization because of an Italian beef sandwich.

QUOTE (Anderdale @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 12:06 PM) Interesting to me that he was chosen to play in the futures game. Has to be solely because of his defense. Last I checked he was like 18th in OPS in the Carolina League as a catcher. I get that his batting average sucks, but let's not ignore his other offensive contributions. He hasn't been a terrible offensive player this year, he's just performed below expectations.

Given the teams rumored to be involved for Q, it seems we'll have a shot of landing a blue chip OF prospect. Yankees - Frazier Astros - Tucker Braves - Acuna Dodgers - Verdugo Cubs - Jimenez So out of these five guys how would you rank them and who do you think is most likely available?

QUOTE (Username @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 10:59 AM) Having seen what's happening with the Cubs this year (and the rest of the league) I'm starting to re-consider the need to focus on position players. Even the best core of hitters can't win without the pitching behind it. Young pitching is in demand more than ever, and to be a winner year in and year out you have to have a ton of it. If we end up with an imbalance then we just trade our pitching surplus and/or sign guys to supplement. Plus, then you don't have to overpay for pitchers on the FA market or trade market. Ultimately you need both and would ideally have a well-rounded team. I do think mid & small market clubs have to find a way to develop their own TOR starters, because signing those guys in free agency is typically cost prohibitive. If I'm the White Sox, I'm much more willing to gamble a big chunk of my payroll for a positional guy than a starter. But going overly pitching heavy in terms of prospect accumulation comes at a cost. The success rate is extremely low due to natural attrition tied to arm/shoulder injuries. When committing high draft picks or cashing in on important trade assets, the opportunity cost of going pitching over hitting can be very real over the long-term. It's exactly why teams are placing a premium on high end positional talent. The other factor to consider is that it's easier to uncover a diamond in the rough on the pitching side. Two members of the Cubs World Series winning rotation were cast-offs or lesser known prospects. It's easier to teach a guy with good stuff how to harness it & learn how to pitch than it is to teach a positional guy with fringe tools or lacking place discipline how to be an effective hitter.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 03:25 AM) .318! You worried yet? Are you actually cheering against a White Sox player with potential trade value over a $6.99 beef sandwich?

QUOTE (maxjusttyped @ Jun 28, 2017 -> 07:37 PM) Dane Dunning pitching another gem. 5 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 K's, 0 BB. Dude, better make some top 100 lists. He has been incredible this year at both levels.