Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (scs787 @ May 31, 2014 -> 10:28 PM) Who says they won't be willing next year? This past offseason just wasn't the time to do it IMO. Too many question marks(both "positive" and "negative") to add high priced players. Yup, I have no doubt in my mind that Hahn will be active in free agency next offseason. We should have a ton of money to play with and a lot less holes to fill than we did coming into this season. I think getting a #2/#3 caliber starter, preferably right-handed, will be the primary goal of the winter. James Shields would probably be the perfect addition and his age may prevent him from getting an obscene number years in any deal. If we could somehow land him, you're talking about one of the best #1/#2/#3 in baseball in Sale/Shields/Quintana. Between Danks, Johnson, Rienzo, and maybe even Beck, I think we could find two decent enough starters to round out the group and still have one of the better rotations. This doesn't even consider the possibility of us drafting Rodon, who'd likely be ready by 2016. Again, getting another top end starter is our crucial pitching need. Get that guy, and I think will prioritize this need, and I think we have enough pitching depth to fill out the back end of the rotation.

QUOTE (woods of ypres @ May 31, 2014 -> 11:06 PM) Theo already proved SABRmetrics work. 2004, 2007. Not to mention Mozeliak in St. Louis has won two also. Plus Ben Cherington's 2013 Red Sox... I'm not arguing the validity of SABRmetrics, obviously they are incredibly valuable, but they should go hand in hand with what you see from watching actual games. From what I can tell, Bernstein doesn't even watch baseball games and simply uses advanced metrics as a crutch for the bulk of his commentary. The best SABR posters on this site, Eminor3rd & cw42 to name two off the top of my head, use a blend of advanced metrics and scouting to help tell a narrative. Bernstein sounds like he goes to Fangraphs once a week, checks out the league leaders in WAR, and then argues baseball with callers exclusively using those numbers. I used to enjoy listening to Bernstein because he is a smart guy, but his "I know more about everything than everyone" ego has been his downfall and his commentary on baseball is horrendous.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 31, 2014 -> 02:50 PM) Bernstein has been a big fan of what Rick Hahn has done. It is convenient to hear what you choose to hear though. I guess we hear different things, because from the sound of it Bernstein doesn't even watch baseball games. He simply logs onto Fangraphs and then regurgitates whatever the most Saber-centric article he can find that day. I will admit he has been less of a hater of the White Sox as of late, definitely due to Hahn, but he's hardly a true fan of the team. And IMO, he'd love to see the Cubs win a World Series because it would prove Theo and all other Saber guys are geniuses, which includes himself.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 31, 2014 -> 02:41 PM) Haha considering Bernstein is a White Sox fan, this is kind of a dumb post. He may technically be a Sox fan, but he typically s***s all over them while constantly sucking Theo's dick and hyping up the greatness that is the Cubs rebuilding plan.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 31, 2014 -> 12:28 AM) I've heard Beckham was discussed as lately as Tuesday. And he wouldn't go far. Can you please clarify on what you mean by "he wouldn't go far"? Are you saying the Cubs are the team interested in him? With Semien in the fold and both Sanchez & Johnson playing well at AAA (before injury), it seems like trading Beckham sooner rather later would be ideal from a development standpoint. Obviously at the point if the offers aren't what you like, you can hold off for a while. Glad to hear they are discussing moving him, because even though he's looked better recently, there is not long-term spot on this team with three of top prospects all pushing for major league playing time.

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 31, 2014 -> 04:54 AM) If he were clearly the best player in the draft, I would agree. However, that does not appear to be the case, by all of the various mock draft projections. If only it were that simple. I just happen to prefer Kolek, and a little better balance, in respect to "handedness", is something about which I have often expressed my wishes. The only major draw back is that he is just 18, and therefore so far away from being able to contribute. And please, it's not "Dude". it's Lillian, or Ma'am. Thank you. My apologies on calling you a "Dude". Anyways, the only major drawback of a prospect being 18 is not just being far away, it's also that they are less of a known commodity. What I mean is that there is a lot more projectability with a high school pitcher and there's also a risk if they're arm will hold up over the next 3-4 years. Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy if we end up with Kolek and even more so Aiken, as both are elite high school talents, but Rodon is a much more complete product and his arm has proven to be able to handle the stresses of pitching in his 19 to 21 age years. On top of that, like you said he's much closer to being a contributor, probably as soon as next year. Also, it's like we're not taking about some average talent here, Rodon had been the consensus 1-1 pick in the 2014 draft for a long time prior to his slow start and Aiken's jump up the boards this year. Rodon may not work out, just like any other pitching prospect, but I think he has by far the best mix of ceiling and floor in this draft and would make the ideal 1-1 pick. To get him at 1-3 would be an absolute steal IMO.

How has Marty not posted in this thread yet? Trading Quintana is essentially his plan to improve the rotation.

I know my response is a bit late, but damn is Conor amazing. What a heady play that was running on Maybin. Right now, Conor looks like he just might be the future at 3B...Davidson better get his s*** together soon because Conor ain't f***ing around anymore.

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 30, 2014 -> 05:42 PM) It would really be nice to have a hard throwing rhp in the rotation to compliment Sale's lefty slider. Rodon is too similar. So, how soon could an 18 year old Kolek be expected to make it to the Majors? Is it completely unrealistic to think 2016, at 20? Dude, I'd love to have a nice right-handed starter to compliment Sale & Quintana, but you are being ridiculous by suggesting passing on Rodon because he's too similar to Sale. Chris could get injured at any point and then this "they're too similar" doesn't even matter. You never pass on the best player available in the MLB draft, especially when you're picking 1-3.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 29, 2014 -> 03:13 PM) For one thing, your market gets bigger. Usually only contenders are picking up money during the season. And the other thing is money, although Beckham's contract isn't huge. Many teams have already spent their budget. Maybe you could get a desperate team to really pay up, but generally teams taking on money during the season, don't tend to give up much. The Sox really should be eating money in all deadline deals, but I'll believe when I see it. The Keppinger release does give me an ounce of hope that Hahn has convinced Reinsdorf that it's ok to pay a guy to play for another team.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 29, 2014 -> 03:19 PM) I still hope the Sox get Rodon. Last seasons losing was the Rodon Sweepstakes. He wasn't injured. His offseason routine did change and he struggled out of the gate. He was getting dominant again. If the Sox get him, I believe we will all be happy they did 4 or 5 years from now. The others, I'm not so sure. Agree. Rodon should be #1 on board followed by Aiken. After that it's hard to say, but I'd still roll the dice on Kolek.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 28, 2014 -> 08:50 PM) No. I wanted to add Semien to the "SS of the future" conversation because he is probably still the most likely candidate in our system Agree.

Who is Seth Lasko?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 28, 2014 -> 01:36 PM) I really do like Semien based on his performance in the minors but I think they really were over-aggressive with him this season and it's hurting. You could watch his strikeouts go up and his walks go down last year as he moved up levels and that has stuck this season. He put up a .420 OBP at AA last year while only hitting .290. Even with some translation downward from facing better pitching, that's still potentially a guy who we could be talking about maybe a .375 OBP from if he adapted that approach to the bigs, and that'd be just dynamite sitting in front of Abreu. But right now his K-rate is about 2.5 times what it was at AA. That's a guy who is just seriously overmatched right now. Not getting consistent at-bats isn't helping either. He really needs to be playing everyday in AAA. I think some people are really sleeping on this kid, because he has the talent to be an incredibly valuable player. Like you said, him getting on base at a .375 clip would make Abrue that much more protective. On top of that, him taking a ton of pitches wears down opposing pitchers and gives the rest of the team more looks. He's exactly the type of hitter we need more of and it's ridiculous that some posters are writing him off as a utility player after a tough first two months in the majors after essentially skipping AAA.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ May 25, 2014 -> 03:50 PM) hard to be excited about Sox farm system. Quick calculation -- they're 44 games below .500, not an inspiring group. Are you actually judging the quality of a farm system by the number of minor league wins it generates?

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 24, 2014 -> 10:23 AM) Lol at Greg Walker Paging Dick Allen...

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 22, 2014 -> 09:37 PM) This makes sense in only one way...that Semien isn't better suited than Carlos Sanchez to stick at SS at the next level. Because the rule of thumb is leaving your best/better prospects at SS/C/CF until they prove they can't handle it. Then play Semien at SS and rotate Sanchez around the IF. The point remains that already having three good IF prospects at AAA shouldn't prevent us from sending Semien down.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 22, 2014 -> 01:43 PM) I don't know why the Sox would trade him now. Seems to be a low point for trade value. What is someone going to give up for him? He hasn't shown he can hit much. He hasn't shown he can get on base. He hasn't show he can make a lot of contact, and he hasn't shown he's average with the glove(he has made a couple of really nice plays) He has basically shown he can give you an 8 or 9 pitch AB and then fan. Although he has come up big 3 times, I think all the negative knocks that out. Unless Taylorstreetsox gets a GM job, the Sox should hang on for a while. I know I wouldn't trade for a prospect if they struggled in their first month in the majors. I'd rather ignore their minor league track record and focus exclusively on their first 100 big league ABs.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ May 22, 2014 -> 07:33 PM) Agree. It's Darwinian. Let the best guys play. If that makes Saladino the odd man out, so be it. Or else make a trade. Semien needs to play every day somewhere. Yup, Saladino should be a non-factor here. Just send Semien down to AAA and rotate him between 2B, SS, & 3B with Johnson, Sanchez, & Davidson DHing when Marcus is in their spot. Obviously this is not ideal, but it makes ton more sense than Semien playing once a week for us.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 22, 2014 -> 12:24 AM) Category juice is a major part of what we seek in this fake-baseball numbers racket, so it's a touch odd to suggest a player who currently has zero homers and zero stolen bases. Be that as it may, let's talk about Conor Gillaspie, anonymous Chicago hitter. All sorts of fun stats are on display with the Gillaspie page. That .389 average sure is pretty, though it's fueled by a crazy .402 BABIP. But it's also a case of Gillaspie making his own luck: he's lacing a line drive 33.7 percent of the time. He cranked nine doubles and one triple over 101 at-bats (he missed some time with a hand injury). If you prorate Gillaspie's run-production stats to a full season, you get 84 runs and 90 RBIs. Okay, that plays. The surrounding lineup, one of the best in the majors, also helps the cause. It's a scoring-friendly park, as you know. Gillaspie cranked 13 homers in 408 at-bats last year (albeit with a puny .245 average), so the home-run bagel is something of a fluke. Eventually some of those doubles will sail over the fence. And Robin Ventura seems to like the cornerman, using Gillaspie in the No. 3 spot in 15 of 27 games. Nope, it's not a sexy pickup, but it's one most of you can make: Gillaspie is free to add in 96 percent of Yahoo leagues. He's eligible at both corner spots and he's in the sweet spot for player growth, two months shy of his 27th birthday. Offense isn't that easy to find in deeper mixers, is it? Who's with me? The context adds up here. Before we finish our pizza and bolt Chicago, there's also the case of post-hype kid Gordon Beckham (another Age-27 siren). Full disclosure, I talk myself into Beckham once a year. He's on a .277-15-3-10-1 run for his 25 games, useful as a middle infielder. He's only owned in eight percent of Yahoo. He's not posh and he's not spicy, but that ownership tag looks low to me. This is a fun offense to run with, kids, especially when Jose Abreu comes back. • The Chicago bullpen, you ask? Andy Behrens runs that beat, and he has you covered here. Ronald Belisario took the Behrens endorsement to heart, securing Chicago's win at Kansas City on Tuesday. It wasn't a perfect shutdown (2 H, 1 R), but it had a happy ending. Hey hey hey, goodbye. Belisario's 4.15 ERA might scare some off, but he's been terrific in May – and around the strike zone all year (five walks, 19 whiffs over 26 innings). Compared to some of the other wild chuckers here, Belisario is downright relaxing. He's ready to go in 89 percent of the Y. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fantasy-roto...5--fantasy.html Why are you posting a fantasy baseball article in a thread about which Sox players will be traded before the deadline?

QUOTE (Jake @ May 21, 2014 -> 10:29 PM) It was only a matter of time before Davidson got back to normal. As is not too unusual, a guy who didn't deserve to get sent down took it hard when it happened People keep saying this, but I'd argue that switching organizations and leaving behind everyone he knew is more likley to have impacted his game.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ May 21, 2014 -> 04:45 PM) Two months ago most people here wanted Alexei gone no matter the return. Trading your good players for prospects is what Andrew Friedman has done to keep his team relevant. It really depends on the return that is offered, I didn't want Ramirez traded in the offseason because that seemed to be selling low given his power aberration last season. I still don't feel that you can get appropriate value for him in a deal do to the depth that most contending teams have at SS and the lack of financial flexibility of the rest. The value of a SS in deal is mostly a question mark, the two big name SS's that have been traded in the last fiver years were largely salary dumps (both by the Marlins). For Hanley the Marlins got a ML ready SP and a throw in RH pitcher. The Reyes deal was a part of a monster deal. To trade Alexei you would need to get a top 50 prospect back and another pretty good prospect plus a couple lower level guys. My ideal trade would be to get Joc Pederson back from the Dodgers and let them move Hanley to 3B again. They did??

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 20, 2014 -> 09:56 PM) Doesn't he have to manage like the game will go at least 14 innings? He was criticized for yanking pitchers earlier this year. Damn, you will literally defend any decision (or lack of one) Robin makes.

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ May 20, 2014 -> 09:52 PM) This f***ing bullpen man and it's walks The bullpen has been good lately, Frankie Francisco is a major exception.

QUOTE (oldsox @ May 17, 2014 -> 07:55 AM) Dan Hayes at Kanny had a slow start start, now over .280 with some power. I'd rank him ahead of Barnum for now. Danny Hayes turns 24 in September and isn't even dominating the SAL. He's not a legit prospect.