Chicago White Sox

The Astros are not desperate enough for Quintana to give up Bregman. While there is no doubt they'd like to add a TOR starter, they at least have a deep stable of interesting young arms. Musgrove should be already be pushing Morton & Fiers for a spot, plus they'll have Martes & Paulino down in AAA as potential reinforcements by mid-season. Again, there may be question marks at the top, but I'm fairly certain they'd rather roll the dice with what they have and then reevaluate before deadline rather than give up Bregman's potential contributions over the next six years. On the other hand, The Pirates might just be desperate enough for Quintana to give up Meadows. The Cubs aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so the Pirates have to decide if they want to be a serious threat and add to their team. Having to sell low on McCutchen might make the decision to go for it a little easier. Another added benefit is that Quintana should have plenty of value left in two years if they need to do a pivot and retool a bit. Plus with Meadows as the centerpiece, the Pirates should be able to compete a trade without including potential major league contributors next year in Glasnow & Bell. I see Meadows a far more realistic get than Bregman.

QUOTE (Con te Giolito @ Jan 6, 2017 -> 04:18 PM) Who voted for Nicky Delmonico? I agree with that pick. That could very well be a major league capable bat that just needs to find a home on the diamond. I like him more than Davidson 100% agree with this. Huge Delmonico fan. I really think the bats plays in the majors, but they need to find him a position. I'd have him spend the first four months of 2017 down in AAA playing LF on a daily basis.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2017 -> 06:10 PM) I really hope if the Astros make the deal, AJ Reed is a throw in buy low guyI know a lot of people are down on him, but his minor league track record is awesome, and although he was a bit younger which does make a difference, look at Anthony Rizzo's first couple hundred PA in the major leagues. Brutal. This guy is huge with a lot of potential.he could become a cult hero. Can't agree more with this. Reed would be a great third piece IMO. Like you said, his stats last year are very similar to Rizzo's first season.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 6, 2017 -> 05:57 PM) The Sox are not getting Meadows or Bregman. Carry on... I'm not certain Meadows is off limits. Bregman I agree on, but until the Pirates move McCutchen I think Meadows is still a possibility even if it's a remote one.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 5, 2017 -> 06:34 PM) If Jose Abreu had hit the free agent market this year he would not have signed yet. My guess is he'd get something comparable to the money he's likely to get in arbitration these 3 years as a contract - basically I think he'd get paid what he's going to be paid, except with a couple years guaranteed. I do not believe any team will give up any top 100 prospect for Jose Abreu. If he hits the daylights out of the ball in the first half and looks like 2014 Abreu he might become moveable again for a return that isn't "salary dump", but right now given the choice of signing Trumbo or Bautista or any of the other 1b/DH types, Abreu looks like he is at best fairly paid and not worth giving up any additional talent. I pretty much disagree with this entire post. His value is surely low, but to suggest a team wouldn't give up a low end top 100 prospect for him implies that no one will ever sign Trumbo or Bautista since they will require a 1st round pick. And to suggest 2014-like Abreu would generate a return described as not a "salary dump" is beyond ridiculous.

If the Astros really offered that, I'm optimistic a deal gets done eventually, ether it's Houston or Pittsburgh.

Garoppolo was a 2nd round pick to begin with, so the question would you be willing to give up a 2nd round pick is pretty funny. The Patriots would most definitely want more than that in return and deservedly so. IMO, if you believe in Garoppolo, a 1st & 4th is nothing. That 1st shouldn't be the #3 overall pick however, so I would definitely trade down a few spots in the 1st and try to recapture a pick or two. I really think that's the better play reaching on one of the QB prospects in this draft at #3.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Jan 4, 2017 -> 09:17 PM) Been wanting to do this for a while to kinda break it down...So here's the top 20 hitting prospects according to mlb pipelline. Personally I think it's pretty important to get 1 of these guys for Q...only problem is there just aren't many that are available when you look at it like this. 1-Moncada- Already got him 2-JP Crawford- won't be traded 3-Swanson- won't be traded 4-Benintendi- not trading with the Red Sox again 5-Brendan Rodgers 6-Austin Meadows 7-Victor Robles- Don't see the Nats going for Q 8-Amed Rosario- Don't see the Mets trading for a SP 9-Ozie Albies 10-Lewis Brinson- Brewers aren't buying 11-Clint Frazier 12-Rafael Devers- not trading with the Red Sox again 13-Gleyber Torres 14-Jorge Mateo 15-Willy Adams- Rays aren't buying 16-Josh Bell 17-Ian Happ- Ehh? Thought about bolding him, but don't see a Cubs trade happening 18-Aaron Judge- Will the Yankees even trade him? 19-Eloy Jimenez- see above 20-Mickey Moniak- Phillies aren't buying Would anybody do a Yankees deal without Torres or Frazier? Mateo, Rutherford, Sheffield and Fowler? I know it seems light at 1st glance but that's #18, 51, and 78 + a decent CF prospect in Fowler. I think Kyle Tucker will be on that list by mid-season next year. And A.J. Reed would have been on this list 12 months ago before he had a rough first go in the majors (one that is remarkably similar to Anthony Rizzo's) which has greatly suppressed his value. Give me those two guys plus Martes & a lottery ticket (who could a decent prospect considering the Astros' depth) and I think you have the framework of a very solid deal and one that gets us two good looking bats.

Astros & Pirates still make the most sense for Quintana. If these were the offers, which deal would you prefer? Astros: Martes, Tucker, Reed, Sierra Pirates: Glasnow, Bell, Hayes, Garcia

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jan 4, 2017 -> 05:10 PM) http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/crime/227116738-story I hope those stupid f***s get serious time. Absolutely disgusting to do that to anyone let alone a special needs kid.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jan 4, 2017 -> 02:33 PM) The hyping of our assets is getting out of hand. I haven't seen a single publication call our return for Sale anything short of fair, with some saying it was a slight overpay on Boston's part. The reality of the situation now with Quintana is that there only a handful of organizations that can afford to pay what we are asking for and if they simply decide not to, we aren't getting it. If that is the case, Hahn has a choice to compromise, or keep him. Hahn has done a good job assessing the whole market, dropping some leaks on rich farm systems (HOU/NYY/PIT), and hopefully he can get something done. The main problem (which I was guilty of) is it's hard to comprehend the value of a super elite prospect like Moncada. I can guarantee you most GMs would consider him a top 30/40 asset in all of baseball despite only 20 poor plate appearances in the majors. Another factor is how much Kopech's stock improved over the course of the year and into the AFL. I think many of us still viewed him as a bottom half top 100 type and not a guy who is arguably one of the best right-handed pitching prospects in the game. Basabe is also criminally underrated and I myself am the first to admit how dissapointed I was at the time with him being the 3rd piece. Having said that, the more I read up on him the more I become enamored with his upside. Overall, I think it was a fairly even trade with no obvious day of winner.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jan 4, 2017 -> 09:39 AM) He has Michael Ynoa at #13 and Dylan Covey at #14 over guys like Jordan Stephens and Alex Call...wow. Yup, pretty nuts IMO. I'm a huge fan of both Stephens & Call. Also, no way in hell Michalczewski doesn't make the top 20. His prospect status has definitely soured, but he's still a more interesting prospect than several guys on his list.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 4, 2017 -> 09:50 AM) Interesting thoughts from Buster Olney on ESPN today. It's Insider so need a subscription but here's the Quintana portion: http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post?id=15688 The Chicago White Sox could wait until after the start of spring training or even into next season to trade Jose Quintana, the best available starting pitcher. But evaluators with knowledge of the Quintana discussions say the White Sox seem intent on finishing a deal before camps open. The Pittsburgh Pirates could be the frontrunners for the left-hander, whose modest salary through the 2020 season make him perfect for Pittsburgh's budget. Makes a ton of sense IMO. It's hard to imagine a better market for starting pitching and holding onto him four another 4+ months is risky. Seems like the Sox will wait this thing out until closer to February before reducing their ask. I'm fine with that because there really isn't another quality option like Q and a team might get desperate and do something stupid. If not, we should still be able to get a quality return right before camp opens.

His list has been published FYI.

As for Melky, I don't see any interest in him right now. Really have to hope being in a contract year brings out the best in him and we can flip him at the deadline for something of value.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 11:56 AM) Ah ok. Very well could be. He'd make a great deadline deal like Melky would for a contender. Frazier could be a huge trade deadline chip if he rebounds a bit next year. There are multiple contenders with questionable 3B situations right now and at least a couple of them will likely be looking for an upgrade come July. I'm confident if Frazier improves next year we can get a quality return for him at the deadline as the market should be much better.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 06:54 AM) I'd be shocked if dodgers couldn't recreate Lawries production in house. Hell we did I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure their in-house options are terrible. It's pretty much a certainty they add a legit 2B before opening day, although that player will likely be Dozier.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 3, 2017 -> 12:16 AM) But then what was the point of wasting money on Lawrie just to sit him? DH Lawrie...with Garcia getting most of the playing time in RF? That's the only way the current roster construction makes any sense. Of course, running Lawrie out there as your DH (instead of playing 2B/3B) brings his value to other teams down even more, although it is likelier to keep him healthy. The other problem is that it SLIGHTLY blocks the likes of Coats/Davidson/Carlos Sanchez from getting at-bats, but that's really not such a big deal, EXCEPT for the fact that a veteran roster full of players trying to get traded (Lawrie/Frazier/Cabrera/Abreu) to contenders might somehow come up with a decent overall team record, compared to one in the low 60's that gives you access to a pick at the top of the draft board. It also wastes a not insignificant amount of financial resources that could be better allocated/reserved for the future. Personally, I don't see a role on this team for Lawrie if we can't trade Frazier this offseason (and Saladino is healthy). In such a scenario, I'd simply trade or cut him near the end of spring training. I'd have to think someone would take a flier on Brett at his reasonable salary.

For the love of god Balta, Frazier is not a 1B/DH type so please stop lumping him in with the rest of the bunch. Also, you're assuming a one time market inefficiency is somehow permanent by completely ignoring other factors at play (numerous teams rebuilding, changes to comp pick structure, luxury tax considerations, etc). Let's wait and see what these 1B/DH go for next offseason before we assume it's a market trend.

I'm not sure why giving Saladino playing time and keeping Frazier are mutually exclusive. If Tyler is 100% healthy, I'd give him the first two months at 2B over Lawrie. Once Moncada is called up, I'd use Saladino in a Zobrist fashion until the deadline and create additional playing time at 3B & LF by DHing Melky & Frazier a bit more often. Come August, Frazier should be gone and the 3B job would be open the rest of the way. And this would all be dependent on Tyler staying healthy over the course of a full season, which he's struggled to do the past few years. I think this is a far better plan than simply dumping Frazier and banking on Saladino becoming a healthy, productive regular.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 2, 2017 -> 02:55 PM) Keep in mind that's a 3rd round pick for us, right? So literally that pick is pennies on the dollar. It would actually be a pick between the 2nd & 3rd rounds and that is the worst case scenario. If he's on pace for a 3 to 4 WAR season come the deadline, we should get a much better return than that. Again, I'm not sure why you want to give him away no matter the return.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 2, 2017 -> 02:01 PM) Good breakdown of potential fits for Frazier. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/01/trad...-white-sox.html While it's looking less and less likely a Frazier trade happens before opening day, I think that article shows that a lot of teams might be in the market for a 3B come the deadline. I think you hold him and hope to see some serious improvement in his second season in AL. I still think it's incredibly likely he'll be good enough to warrant a QO next offseason and ultimately land us a pick in a worst case scenario. I just don't see the benefit of dumping him for pennies on the dollar.

QUOTE (Con te Giolito @ Jan 1, 2017 -> 08:35 PM) I'm guessing this starts to heat up again tomorrow, right? Or are we still in the holidays? I think the week between Christmas & New Years is probably the one week of the year most GMs take off (or at least as much as they can). So yeah, I think rumors start heating up again in the coming week. I still don't think Quintana is on our roster come SoxFest.

1B: Paul Konerko 2B: Ray Durham SS: Alexei Ramirez 3B: Robin Ventura LF: Carlos Quentin CF: Adam Eaton RF: Magglio Ordonez DH: Frank Thomas C: A.J. Pierzynski IF: Joe Crede IF: Tadahito Iguchi OF: Lance Johnson OF: Jermain Dye BC: Brook Fordyce SP: Chris Sale SP: Mark Buerhle SP: Jack McDowell SP: Mike Sirotka SP: Freddy Garcia RP: Bobby Jenks RP: Keith Foulke RP: Bob Howry RP: Roberto Hernandez RP: Neal Cotts RP: Matt Thornton

From Nick Carfardo of the Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2...R0lM/story.html