Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:38 PM) It's one of them. Nobody is bashing AJ. I liked him on the White Sox. He was one of my favorite players on the team. He's not a class act though. And pretending like he is some great person doesn't do anything for me. Great post. A.J. will always be one of my favorites for what he did on the field, but clearly he was/is a s***ty teammate off it. Not sure why some people refuse to accept this.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 04:50 PM) Semien is a nice spect but let's not get carried away. Beckham still has loads of ability at the plate if anyone can ever get it out of him. Semien may be the better player in the end though, who knows. I do however agree with what you're saying in this thread about not wanting to trade for more 2B prospects when we already have a good one in Semien who is close to being ready. I'm only talking about at this point in time. For four straight years, Beckham has been a low AVG, low OBP hitter. While it's possible he finally puts it all together this year, the odds are he is what he is. If that's truly the case, then I think it's safe to say Semien has a higher ceiling. I'm obviously not comparing Semien's ceiling to Beckham's when he was a prospect. And like I said, the reason I believe in Semien is because he demonstrated outstanding plate discipline in AA, and prospects with good plate discipline typically flop at a lower rate IMO. He's really the only position prospect in the system I have a lot of confidence in for that reason. Again, I'm not trying to say he'll be a star or anything, but a 2B with a .350/.360 OBP and solid power is incredibly valuable, which is what I think he's ultimately capable of. Unfortunately, I do feel he gets a bum rap being in our system, which really isn't fair because unlike most of our prospects he actually has some baseball skills.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 02:02 PM) I think that Semien is being overrated on this board. Sure he played well but his minor league numbers are not very attractive, plus pitchers started to figure him out towards the end of the season. I see Gordon Beckham as his ceiling. What the f*** are you talking about? He put up a .903 OPS in AA last year, which lead the Southern League for all qualified hitters. I'm not sure how that OPS is "not very attractive", clearly you didn't really follow him much. And while he wasn't as good in AAA during his brief time there, which should shock no one, he still managed to put up .802 OPS. What's funny is that Semien is completely underrated. In most organizations, a 22 year old middle infielder that puts up a .420 OBP with decent power would be heralded as a future star, but since he's a member of the Sox's farm system he's not considered toolsy enough which is bulls*** IMO. And for what it's worth, I don't think he'll be a star, but I do think he'll be a extremely productive major league 2B because he has great plate discipline and can do a little bit of everything. His potential is way higher than Gordon's as Beckham isn't very good.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:50 PM) Not if Semien ends up at 3rd. We can't count on Sanchez til he proves he can hit at AAA and the rest of the depth is at AA, with talk of Micah Johnson going to CF due to his lack of defense at 2b. Well there is no good reason for Semien to end up at 3B other than we have a gaping hole there. He's a middle infielder and that's where his value lies. On top of that we have Sanchez in AAA, Johnson in AA, and potentially Anderson in A+ if he can't handle SS long-term. Point is that four of our best propsects should be able to play 2B (giving Johnson the benefit of the doubt here) if their bats continue to develop. There's absolutely no need to trade valuable assets to block some of our best propsects and fill what typically is one of the easiest positions to fill on a baseball field.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:45 PM) Leesman and Veal. Quite frankly, I'd rather start the season with 6 righties than carry both of those guys. I have very little confidence in either of Leesman or Veal, so either sign or trade for a left-handed reliever or start the season with just one of them in the bullpen.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:30 PM) He's only 22, a switch hitter with lots of upside. His minor league numbers are intriguing. http://m.bbref.com/m?p=XXminorsXXplayer.cg...p;t=all_batting Trading any of our limited assets for a player that fills a position where we actually have organizational depth would be a huge mistake IMO.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 09:01 AM) I don't think I would trade Quintana for Castro, especially based off Hahn's comments that he's one of 4 that's unreadable. I would focus on building a package centered around Santiago for Castro. That line up looks real good if everything comes to form Honestly, I hate trading either guy, but if 2014 is going to be a transition year we're better off moving one of them for a young impact bat and having both Johnson & Rienzo in the rotation. The problem is that Quintana has a lot more value, but is also the guy you'd rather not give up. Building a trade for Castro around Santiago would require another couple of pieces and that's only if they really believe in Santiago's potential. I think this is definitely a trade worth exploring as Castro would be an insane upgrade over the crap we trotted out there last year.

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 08:31 PM) The kind of production that 15 million bucks will get you in three years may make Danks look like an amazing contract Exactly, I think people need to accept that players prices will continue to rise significantly over the next few years due to all the extra TV money being dished out. Fair market value today is not what it was last year and Danks contract will look better each and every year as market rates continue to rise.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 07:41 PM) That is the whole point of "Value!" What I'm saying is a team may not want or be willing to give Danks a long-term contract (i.e. a 7 year deal) because of his recent health problems, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a ton of value on a short-term deal (2 to 3 years) which is exactly what he's under contract for. Teams at the trade deadline are going to be much more likely to give up something of value for Danks if the risk is short-term.

Who cares if Danks would get a 7 year deal on the open market, as teams don't want to give 7 year deals to starting pitchers in the first place. Having said that, if Danks can return to form this year, he'll have 2+ years of team control at a reasonable rate (given this market) and will have plenty of value. Given our lack of long-term financial commitments at the moment, holding on to Danks and hoping he rebuilds his value this year is a risk worth taking IMO.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 06:00 PM) People also tend to forget that: 1) the Sox have a bad farm and most talent is at AA or below 2) this team has a lot of holes at player positions 3) Sale can only help this team for 33 out of 162 games per year 4) like it or not the Sox ARE rebuilding and moving Sale in the right trade speeds that process up 5) even the Sox have been concerned in the past about Sale's durability, so if a team wants to offer up serious talent why not listen? 6) too many fans way over- value their favorite teams players, I saw this at the deadline when fans wanted top prospects for guys like Ramirez, Rios etc. I laughed hard to say the least! IF, the right package were offered for Sale that makes this team better, I would put him on my back and carry him wherever he needed to go. If not, I look forward to watching his next start. First and foremost I am a Sox fan and a secondary fan of Sale. Team first. The underlying problem with a Sale trade is that unless its for a Trout or Machado type player, there is no trade that will make us better, only trades that might make us better. You're simply gambling on enough of the prospects you get in return actually panning out. Unless you're getting six or seven of the top prospects in a very good system, trading Sale is a gamble that isn't worth taking IMO.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:25 PM) You are assuming that Walker or Bradley pans out or doesn't get hurt or whatever and they end up busting. The Sox have a proven commodity in Sale. If they want to add, they should make small moves. Trading Sale is extreme, unnecessary, and would contribute to the rising possibility that the White Sox are developing a culture of losing. You aren't going to get the offer necessary. I don't know why this always comes up. Because people tend to forget that even top 100 prospects flop at a high rate and honestly think we'll get four or five legit major leaguers in return for Sale.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:58 PM) I disagree, the Sox are notorious for rushing their hitting prospects and have very little to show for it. The two homegrown prospects that are on the roster are the two that everyone wants replaced. Buddy Bells "challenge assignment" philosophy has yielded very poor results. They can ruin him if they throw him out there and he is overmatched, ease him into it and let him experience success, build his confidence and let him thrive. Bringing him along slowly will not affect the teams playoff chances next season, but may every season after that. This isn't your typical rookie, he's a 26 year old that's faced major league pitching in the WBC and has had success. I'm fine with him getting the occasional day off to clear his mind if he's in a slump or something, but otherwise he should be starting 150 games between 1B & DH. If he needs to make adjustments, then getting a lot of at-bats and getting them consistently is exactly what he'll need to speed up his development.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 03:17 PM) Kill everyone is sight. Sometimes I would put them to sleep, but for the most part I was killing. I liked being up on top of buildings and jumping down on unsuspecting victims. I also really enjoyed picking up the bodies and putting them in dumpsters. I don't know if that says something about me or what. Lol...I took the stealth approach, but would occasionally just kill everyone in sight. I love the spring razor, had so much fun with that thing. Just a really fun and smart game all around IMO.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 11:05 AM) I just finished this a couple weeks ago. Really fun game. Did you take a stealth/non-lethal approach or simply kill everyone in f***ing sight?

The Sox are not going to offer Dunn a tender no matter what he does this year. Just ain't happening.

QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 09:37 AM) He has never played more than 90 games in a season. I'm not certain playing 160 games is best for his confidence and long term health. He's a first baseman, it's not exactly a demanding position. And if you want to give him a "day off" then play Dunn at 1B and let Abreu DH. There's no reason Abreu shouldn't start 150 games between 1B & DH unless something seriously goes wrong.

Great game for those who haven't played it is Dishonered.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 09:13 PM) That description is equally apt for how baseball dealt with this issue for 15 years. Does that mean A-Rod is innocent of roiding? And are you of all people upset baseball is finally cleaning its act up? Have beef with Selig if you must, but that shouldn't change that the fact that A-Rod is roading douchebag who thinks he can buy his way out of his mistakes. He deserves no sympathy from anyone whatsoever.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 09:05 PM) You don't think there's a chance a healthy Paulie has a great spring? And if he does he wouldn't be starting? it's not like the guy is 44 years old for gosh sakes. I do realize what he's said publicly. I'm just pointing out a scenario in which he's not finished and actually bounces back. Just give this act a rest man. You're worse than some of the callers on Boers & Berstein.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 03:36 PM) Yup. I'm with A-Rod on this to. MLB deserves to get hit hard, as do the Yankees. When you've got nothing to lose... How can you be on A-Rod's side? He's a multi-time offender and complete douchebag.

The article in this thread says that if multiple teams make the highest bid, then the team with the worst winning percentage would win the bidding process. So assuming that statement is correct, if we bid $20M the only teams that can beat us out are the Astros and the Marlins. Unfortunately, I don't see him getting past Houston, but I don't see why you wouldn't offer the max and see if you can sign him to a Darvish like deal (but with a much smaller fee).

I will say this, if Tanaka does get posted, Hahn better put in a $20M bid. There's nothing to lose and if your bid wins and you can get him to sign for a Darvish like contract (6/$56M) that's beyond a f***ing steal in this free agent market. I mean we're taking about anywhere between $30M to $55M in posting fees suddenly removed from the equation. Even with a full rotation, a GM should not pass on this kind of a potential steal. The other good news is that contenders should have no chance at him now, which means our pitching should be even more valuable once the rest of the free agent starters are picked through.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 05:09 PM) Mariners offering Cano 10yrs/$230M per MLB Network. Wow, I can't believe anyone would actually give him 10 years. I was all for Cano at 7 years, but even that was seriously pushing his useful life. Those last 3 to 5 years are going to be pretty rough for the Mariners if this goes through.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 04:35 PM) We'll get a better idea after the winter meetings. It's likely this is pretty close to the team we'll see on opening day, and it's likely they'll lose 90+ games. And, as I've asked many others, did you really expect anything differently? I disagree with most of what you say here. First off, I think this team is easily a 70+ win team as currently constructed. Our rotation will be better this year with no Axelrod and a stronger Danks. The offense can only get better, and I honestly think it can get way better if a few key things go right. The upgrade from Paulie to Abreu as the everyday 1B will be significant and I'm also extremely high on Viciedo and Garcia taking off next year. Those three guys will make or break the offense, but right now I'm on the optimistic sides of things with them. Obviously C & 3B are big holes and 2B is a big question mark, so we're still a flawed team offensively. The defense should also improve some, but then again who expected the dropoff from 2013 to 2012. Still, overall this is easily a 70+ win IMO as long as we stay healthy and don't suffer extreme bad luck. Second, I disagree with you that this is pretty close to the team we'll see on opening day. I'm very confident at least one starter will be traded and that a catcher will be added. I also wouldn't be surprised to see De Aza, Gillaspie and/or one of Ramirez/Beckham being shipped out, with Semien taking over in the middle infield and a new CF or 3B coming back in some sort of trade. I also think they'll add a left-handed reliever in free agency. Point is that it's not even the winter meetings yet and IMO we should still expect a lot of changes, especially on the position playing side.