Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 8, 2016 -> 06:34 AM) Again, early in the off season it was rumored Hahn had last years budget to work with this year. That was the RUMOR. What Hahn DID say was that he would need to get creative in order to sign a big free agent but had many irons in the fire. Not once did the front office say they would or would not raise the payroll so I wasn't going to assume they would and especially after another season of s***ty Baseball and lowered attendance. Nowhere have I said Hahn is a liar and I'm not about to because he lied about nothing. It's not my fault fans read too much into the media rumors, speculation and made false assumptions. Maybe some fans need to put twitter down for a while... Your entire argument is based on a rumor that we're tied to last year's budget, but then say "fans read too much into the media rumors". Does that not seem hypocritical to you? Also, Hahn has no reason to come out and say we're sitting on excess cash and he hopes to use it on a big name free agent. Whether he has budget available or not, he's far better off to say he would need to get "creative" so he actually has some negotiating leverage. At the end of day, only the Sox's front office & finance people know what kind of budget available. Having said that, if you believe the Sox were actively involved with three free agents looking for $20M+ AAVs, then I think it's fair assumption to make that the Sox have more money available than media rumors suggest.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 09:12 AM) The middle of the two sides with Arrieta and the Cubs is ~$10 million, which is the most likely scenario. At worst it's an extra $3 million than expected, which I don't think is enough to hold up a possible deal. The bigger problem with the Cubs is opening up a spot for Fowler, not paying him. My guess is they wanted to trade Soler, but don't like the offers out there and don't want to sell low on him. What do you mean the middle is the most likely scenario? I thought if it went to arbitration they have to either go with the player's ask or the team's ask. If so, we're talking about a $5M to $6M gap, which is a sizable chunk of change. I really don't think the Cubs have enough money to add a guy like Fowler unless they win the arbitration hearing and even then I think it's a stretch financially.

When I think of an ace, I'm thinking of a guy with such dominant stuff that he can carry a team in October or any other big game. A guy that can be lined up against any other starter in the league and you know you still have a chance that day. There's no arguing Quintana is a #1 starter....the stats don't lie there. He's just not the guy I want starting a must win game and therefore he is not an ace to me.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 10:10 PM) Jon morosi on mlb network said he doesn't see the Sox getting ethier. Said he was the Dodgers best hitter after all star break and they may want to see him going forward. Tho that seems to be his opinion. Also said sox are more heavily involved in the free agent market with fowler and Desmond. Am I crazy or did you post this in three different threads.

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 07:05 PM) Phil Rogers is really riding this Ethier thing. Was on the MLB Network earlier. Also named Fowler as an FA option & Desmond Jennings & Jay Bruce as top trade options. An Ethier trade makes a lot of sense for both teams. However, given his age and potential regression, the Dodgers would have to be willing to eat some serious dollars and take back a less than ideal return. I think the real question for the Sox is how do they handle both Ethier & LaRoche in the same lineup. Both guys are legit platoon players and I'm not sure how we'll fit two right-handed bats on the bench that can fill in for those guys and do so productively. Ethier makes a lot less sense if you're forced to play him or LaRoche against LHP too frequently.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 03:49 PM) Listening to the RV/RH seminar this morning , it certainly seemed they are hoping to sign someone who has a QO attached. Hahn gave the stock answer about the team being good enough right now, but repeated several times the the true deadline was opening day. OF, IF, and pitcher are all targets. He doesn't like to name names either, but did mention a Matt Thornton reunion isn't going to happen. I said it in another thread, but I think it's very likely they sign Desmond. Hahn made it perfectly clear that while they don't want to throw away picks, their focus is on 2016 and they'd still have a full assortment of picks if they signed a guy with a QO attached. Additionally, as you pointed out, Hahn purposely side-stepped OF questions to state they were looking at multiple spots for possible improvements. Hell, even Robin said that Saladino was the SS "at least for now". With a lot of pro Avi talk these past two days, I see a Desmond addition plus a low key OF signing. Sounds like they want some Robin to have some options, but also want to give Avi another shot in some capacity. And Robin's LaRoche comments were very telling. If the Sox do add another OF, I think LaRoche becomes the odd man out before Avi.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 10:49 AM) FutureSox.com ‏@FutureSox 30m30 minutes ago "We have Frazier, Lawrie, Saladino...at this point Saladino." - Ventura on the infield After attending today's seminar, I feel it's a strong possibility the Sox sign Desmond. This quote was just one of several that makes me feel that way.

Robin also said that right now LaRoche is the DH. His "competing" for a spot is assuming the Sox add another bat and I really like idea of LaRoche, Melky, & Avi having to compete for playing time at LF & DH. Just need to add another OF to make it happen.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 10:35 AM) All I am saying is that it's not particularly easy for Hawk to be entirely objective in his position. But no one asked him a question. Hyping up Avi was his opening statement to the entire seminar. I get that Hawk, Merkin, etc. have to defend guys on the roster, but this was beyond over the top.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 10:16 AM) What do you want him to say? He's around these guys every day. You guys were criticizing the fans for booing Avi. You don't think it's worse if Hawk gets up and rips him in front of all the fans? Lol...he said Avi Garcia was the player he was most excited for in 2016, which is first off ridiculous and second just asking to piss off your fans. But yep, I'm suggesting Hawk should rip him. Basically the same thing.

Very clear from Hahn & Ventura's comments that they're not done with this roster. Sounds like either Saladino & LaRoche could be replaced.

QUOTE (Sockin @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 10:05 AM) At the second town hall meeting and Hawk is singing the praises of Garcia now. I'm here and wanted to boo Hawk's ass for saying that.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 06:18 AM) I don't know, this doesn't seem like such a bad deal for Kendrick. Sure he turned down 15.7M for one year but he got a two year 20M deal instead. For a 32 year old player that is beginning to decline, I think there's something to be said about two years of financial security over one year. What? He's effectively getting paid $4.3M for 2017, that's pretty horrible.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Jan 29, 2016 -> 05:36 PM) I agree, but why the hell is he there in the first place? It's one thing for him to be there, but hyping him up as a ticket salesman was beyond stupid. The marketing department was basically trolling their own fanbase.

Glad this was addressed right away.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jan 28, 2016 -> 06:26 AM) I'd rather the Sox sign Fowler and lose the pick than trade some established prospects for CarGo. Yeah, I really see four options for the OF. 1) Sign Fowler and lose a draft pick. 2) Sign Jackson and lose nothing. 3) Trade Adams+ for a legit upgrade. 4) Stick with Avi in RF. Honestly, given that we're "going for it", I think option #4 is a horrible idea. And I'd rather give up a draft pick than trade Adams (our best remaining headliner not named Anderson/Fulmer) if the player coming back is of similar ability to Fowler. The wild card here is Jackson. I'd prefer Jackson plus another move (Desmond/SP) to just Fowler, but if I can only have one or the other I think Fowler will provide the bigger impact. Too bad we couldn't land one of the big 3 OFs, because all these options sucks in comparison.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 11:09 AM) The Martian was ok, not much more than that. Yeah, I'd say it was good not great.

While I take projections with a grain of salt, it clearly shows you how badly we need to upgrade over Avi. We simply can't afford to roll the dice on him in RF next year if we're serious about competing.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 05:38 PM) Scott Merkin trying to ring that they are potentially done bell again with his latest article. Also thinks that Garcia is going to surpass his projected WAR next year. I just read it. I really hope the fans ask him some tough questions at SoxFest. If we enter the 2016 season without at least one more significant addition, then Hahn has officially half-assed it and his job should be on the line. A complete lack of direction is simply unacceptable given where our roster stands.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 01:13 PM) Sign Desmond to 3 yr deal, Jackson to 1 with option. After 2016, Desmond or Anderson can transition to the outfield or Anderson becomes a great trade chip. 100% agree with this. I'm a Saladino fan, but Desmond provides a better floor and much more upside. Also, worry about where Desmond & Anderson fit in next year. As for Jackson, he has his warts and his Seattle numbers are a bit worrisome, but his defense provides a floor and allows us to move Eaton to a corner where his defensive value improves. And if the contracts are structured right, I think we could squeeze them both in at $20M next year, which in theory should have been Cespedes type money.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 07:58 AM) I'm surprised and disappointed at the absolute lack of rumors tying the Sox to any of the remaining players on the market by national writers. With SoxFest right around the corner, I would expect something to happen soon or not at all.

The Cubs have a very nice rotation, especially for the NL, but it's definitely high risk IMO. Arrieta had a 90 innings increase last year, which screams trouble. Lackey is 37 and his ERA was a good 0.8 runs lower than his FIP. Even Lester is due for some regression in the very near future. Even if their big 3 maintain their production for the most part, I have hard time arguing the Cubs have a better rotation than the Mets.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 11:36 PM) I'd be fine with Desmond and Austin Jackson. This is exactly what I'm hoping for at this point.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 07:50 PM) Was it? Jeez, the guy hit .370ish in two separate AAA stints. I'm sure the shoulder injury had long term effect. We'll see. Is batting average the only stat you care about? And I'm not sure an unsustainable AAA batting average really means much when said player has no plate discipline, is a horrible defender, & a dumb base runner.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 02:12 PM) I still think he's going to be out there day 1 starting with no real competition. As asinine as it is I think the Front Office still has quite a bit of hope that he's going to be a pretty good player. There's just too many issues in his game and almost no bright spots other than his age. I'm getting this same feeling and it's making me sick to my stomach. If he starts 2016 as our RF, then I want Rick Hahn to be accountable if/when he fails. You don't tell your fanbase you're serious about competing and then trot out one of the worst players in baseball last year at a position where numerous upgrades were available. Until Avi learns how to field & run, the chances of him becoming a productive OF are slim to none. And quite frankly, it's nearly impossible to coach up a lack of instincts & stupidity.