Chicago White Sox

I honestly think one of Grandal & Castro will be our catcher by next opening day. Both fit perfectly in terms of age and need, and both the Astros & Padres have top catching prospects not too far away. These guys won't come cheap obviously, but the position is such a huge organizational need that I truly believe Hahn will be willing to pay a steep price for a long-term solution.

I still think we end up with Hoffman and I'm 100% cool with that unless Rodon is there at #3.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 29, 2014 -> 09:56 AM) (Just to point out, he got 113 PA's last year against LHP with both 1b and DH available. He did miss a portion of the year, but that's only going to get him to 150 PA's if you scale up. If he's getting 300 PA's, he's taking 150 PA's against RHP, and if you scale his performance last year that gives an overall .750-ish OPS). Balta, I got to ask, what the hell is with the posts in parentheses?

QUOTE (hi8is @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 04:57 PM) Dig. Hoping for Johnson over Garcia. Probably not the best idea for his development but hey, I'm a greedy speed prospect whore like that. That would be horrible for his development. I'm already worried for Semien, as Merkin wrote in an article the other day that Marcus will likely be the reserve infielder when Beckham comes back. Both Micah & Marcus need regular at-bats, and quite frankly Johnson shouldn't be getting those above AA. And I say that as a huge Micah Johnson fan.

I want to know in what universe Quintana could be considered anything less than a strong #3 starter. Sure, he'd be the Tigers' 4th best starter, but that's because they have three guys pitching like #1's. They are a total outlier and I bet a lot of teams would love to have Quintana as their #2. IMO, he's a strong #3 in a championship caliber rotation. Anyone calling him a #4 type starter must not be following baseball very closely.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 08:07 AM) If you don't like Jimenez or Santana for 4 years and $50 million, and a second round pick I don't understand how you can like Masterson next year for significantly more money and a higher draft pick. See how this season goes. You don't have to have targets on free agents yet. I will say, one of the reasons I thought the Sox should target the above THIS year is the price tag. You will be giving up a lot more later for something similar both in money and draft pick. I liked Jimenez a little more than Santana, but it is funny that Don Cooper is a supposedly a genius, but if an expensive free agent pitcher signed this season, they certainly would bust. Hopefully the Sox young starters and Paulino are as good as some posters here think so it will be a non issue. Because I think Masterson profiles better for our park. 56.4% career ground ball rate for Justin vs. 47.6% for Ubaldo. And quite frankly, I wasn't 100% against signing Jimenez, but I did feel we were probably better off waiting another year to sign a veteran starter given where we're at competitively. I'd hate giving up the draft pick, but I would been ok with Jimenez at the price he ultimately cost. I definitely would have pissed with signjng Santana though.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 12:37 PM) The fastest way to contend is to find a top-of-the-rotation starter. Not sure I agree with this logic. We have a massive hole at catcher and a right-handed heavy lineup. Who are the internal candidates to fill those needs at the moment? At least with our starting pitching, we have three young guys that form a nice core in Sale, Quintana, & Johnson (I'm a believer in him) plus a veteran who has been a #2 caliber starter at times in the past in Danks and who is also under contract for the next few years. On top of that, we an interesting prospect in Beck who could be ready as soon as next year. Unlike some posters here, I would like to see the Sox add a legit #2 starter between Sale & Quintana, with Johnson becoming the #4 and Beck/others pushing Danks for the 5th spot. Having said that, I think there is a much larger marginal benefit to be had upgrading from Flowers & Dunn. And like I said, without internal options to replace them, these are spots that could really handcuff us in the near future if we don't make them priorities.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 09:58 AM) They literally won't even consider him. Not even on their list. What about Masterson though Rock? With the way Hahn has been targeting sinker ballers for the bullpen, you have to think Masterson would make a ton of sense for our rotation, especially playing at the Cell.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 06:41 AM) We aren't spending nine figures on a starting pitcher. That's not how this works. That isn't how any of this works. Except we just offered Tanaka nine figures. I get there is an age difference there, but let's not pretend Tanaka wouldn't be just as risky, being a complete unknown, as signing Masterson would be. And Masterson will come a lot cheaper than Tanaka as well. The Sox have been willing to take on more risk with starting pitching as of late, with the Danks deal being the first 5 year deal is god knows how long. Tanaka would be 5+ years as well. We're going to have money to burn next offseason, I think people are seriously underestimating how aggressive we'll be in free agency.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 05:49 AM) Masterson will be 30 next year. He has also been just as inconsistent as Santana and Jimenez, yet will cost more money, and a draft pick, perhaps even a first rounder. So who should we target then Dick? We're going to have a ton of money to work with next offseason and hopefully should a few key players away from being serious contenders (if all goes right this season).

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 09:56 PM) Adding a top-of-the-rotation starter trumps any need in my opinion. Zero interest in Scherzer though. While I think finding a #2 starter is important, I'm not sure how a left-handed power hitter and a legit starting catcher aren't bigger needs. Regardless, give me Masterson over Scherzer, who will come a hell of a lot cheaper and is a perfect fit for our ballpark.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 10:11 PM) This thread just has a new darling every week. First it was Trea Turner, then it was Jeff Hoffman, then it was Beede and now it's Aiken. I don't think Rodon makes it past Houston so it really comes down to the direction of Miami and then we have the whole field to go from. If Rodon (barring an injury) somehow gets passed on at #3, I will be kicking s*** in my kitchen on the first Thursday of June. In Rick Hahn we trust. Hahn just called Rodon the best college arm in the draft, so the only way he gets past us is if Hahn thinks Rodon will want 1-1 money regardless of draft position. Unfortunately, I think a strong possibility if he makes to #3, which means he's probably off the table either way. I do agree with you that he's by far the best pitcher in this draft.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 09:02 PM) You act like the Sox are a small market team. We've been over this, but there are no laws limiting revenue. Revenue? Do you mean payroll? If so, are you honestly still b****ing about Reinsdorf not spending more than he takes in? I'm sorry, but it's not like we're dealing with a Loria type owner here. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the Sox make a profit most years, but I seriously doubt it's anything of significance. I'm guessing most sports ownership groups operate in a similar fashion, so I'm not exactly sure what your beef is. You basically sound like a whiny little entitled brat by going on about this relentlessly. Can you please just give it a f***ing rest and stop derailing every thread?

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 22, 2014 -> 03:57 PM) Argh this high pitch RINGING Yeah, it f***ing sucks.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 22, 2014 -> 02:16 PM) He MIGHT end up end up as a 4th/5th OFer as a favor to Buddy Bell. What are you talking about? Are you seriously suggesting that Hahn would add a s***ty player to the roster as favor to the guy who oversees the system that failed to develop said player? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 20, 2014 -> 07:39 AM) Just FYI -- wRC+ is park-adjusted. Woo! What a great stat. http://www.fangraphs.com/library/offense/wrc/ How are the park-adjustments calculated? Do all players on the same team receive the same adjustment?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 19, 2014 -> 02:49 PM) Bottom line is this guy isn't a difference maker. Pass. The White Sox need to aim higher. 100% agree on this. At some point in the very near future, we'll need to add a left-handed impact bat that can replace Dunn in the lineup if we're serious about competing. IMO, that player is likely to be an OF regardless of the specific position. Why add Tabata when we already have three young OFs at the major league level, two of whom are thought of highly within the organization? Don't get me wrong, Tabata is a safer player than Viciedo right now, but I'd much rather roll the dice on Dayan in 2014 given that competing is a long-shot. We need to develop/acquire several impact bats before we can become serious contendors and I don't see how trading for Tabata helps us achieve that goal.

So who of the remaining 38 players are on the bubble?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 19, 2014 -> 11:55 AM) Isn't Jordan Danks out of options? If he is, I bet he gets traded. No, I believe he has two options left. He's going nowhere IMO.

QUOTE (sammy esposito @ Mar 17, 2014 -> 03:43 PM) I am not sure what it would take to trade for Nieto. The Nats didn't protect him for the rule 5 draft Do we have a 4A player they can use. I don't get this line of thinking. Just because the Nationals didn't protect him doesn't mean they don't like him. He was simply a young catcher coming off a good not great season in A+. The odds of any team selecting and keeping him on their major league roster all season was and is still is slim to none. Perhaps this one particular season the Sox will go against the norm and keep Nieto on their roster all season, but that's simply of out of desperation at a position of significant need. The odds are still incredibly low even if Nieto makes the opening day roster and if I was the Nationals GM I'd take my chances on getting him back in a month or two. He's not going to give Nieto away for a song, it just isn't going to happen.

QUOTE (beautox @ Mar 16, 2014 -> 03:14 PM) I will say I love both Semien and Eaton's approach at the plate and I'm looking forward to both of them at the top of the order for years to come. 100% agree. Perhaps Johnson or Anderson forces their way into the picture at some point, but right now I see a long-term 1-2 punch of Eaton & Semien and I love it. Abreu is going to be an RBI machine with those batting before him. Great to finally have some OBP at the top of the lineup.

There's little doubt IMO that both Davidson & Semien start the year in AAA. Each guy should get 2 to 3 months of seasoning while they attain an extra year of service time. Meanwhile, Gillaspie & Beckham get one last opportunity to prove they can be good major league starters. If not, they either get shipped out for peanuts prior to the deadline or moved into backup roles, while Semien & Davidson assume their starting positions. If somehow Conor or Gordon shows something positive, then you have a great problem on your hands. Regardless, I see no downside to having things play out in such a way. The worst thing we could do is bring up Davidson & Semien too early and force them into a reserve/platoon role. Both need consistent playing time whether it be in AAA or the major league level. And quite frankly, an extra year of team control would be a nice bonus.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 12, 2014 -> 01:35 PM) This is, IMO, the best reason for hope for both Viciedo and Garcia. Sort of like a change of scenery came to them instead of the other way around. Maybe this dude gets through to them -- it's refreshing, at least, to see Hahn making a good assessment of the type of message his hitters need. It at least shows that he has a good grasp of his team. Seems like there are several front offices that don't have a clue. I'm hopeful that the Steverson hiring is the first step in an orgnazition-wide hitting philosophy. Doesn't have to be as extreme as the Oakland A's Moneyball-era philosophy either, but simply determine the high-level traits you want in a hitter and start coaching them toward those goals at a young age. Obviously every player is different, but I think it's pretty clear that even a naturally aggressive hitter like Viciedo should have spent more time working on his selectiveness in the minors even if he was otherwise successful offensively. Now he's facing really good pitching and is forced to make significant adjustments to his approach at the major league and that is usually a recipe for failure. Preach the right traits, coach them early, and hopefully you avoid extended growing pains and have less prospects ultimately flop.

I think Steverson is the real wild card here with Viciedo. He preaches selectiveness and his experience is working with young players. Whether or not he can get through to him remains to be seen, but I truly believe he is the right man for the job and would like to see him given the opportunity to work with Dayan in 2014. I've said it before, but even small improvements in selectiveness could do wonders for Viciedo's offensive game.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 10:52 AM) This makes sense. I mean, the reality is that Viciedo is about 400PA away from being a "change of scenery" candidate. Everyone can see the potential, but he has gotten about 0% better at hitting over his last ~1000 or so PA -- it's very possible that the coaching staff is just saying "I don't know what else to do with this guy." I gotta disagree with you here. Viciedo was a much better player in the 2nd half of last year. He put up a .291/.327/.466 slash line which was good for a wRC+ of 114. I think it's completely unfair to ignore the improvement that a second year player demonstrated over the course of the season. He also made a lot of progress against RHP. Maybe these improvements won't carry over to 2014, but I think it's pretty ridiculous to say he's gotten 0% better.