Chicago White Sox

Daniel Kim is a legit baseball commentator in Korea, so if that's his real Twitter account, maybe there's some legs here (if you ignore the "Blue Socks" part.

If the Pirates are actually out, then the Astros or Sox are the favorites IMO.

Busted Onley quote on twitter:

QUOTE (beautox @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 11:00 PM) Looking at the remaining teams mlb trade rumors have listed i find it hard to believe its not between the Sox or Twins. Phillies - In a complete rebuild and Park is 29, it doesn't match up with their efforts at all, and no DH. Brewers - Similar situation to the phillies and have Lind, again no DH. Reds - Votto and should be looking to rebuild and trade off assets soon. Pirates - Makes sense on some levels and more inclined due to the success of Jung-Ho but they have a great looking switch hitting prospect at AAA named Josh Bell who could start the year at first for them. Cubs - Rizzo. White Sox - Makes a lot of sense, could rotate with Abreu at DH, remove LaRoche from the equation entirely keep the draft pick from the QO and still afford the club alot of roster and payroll flexibility going forward, peak matches up with the rest of the core. Twins - Mauer isn't going anywhere, they have no reason to move Plouffe even with the emergence of Sano, and Sano can DH and rotate around the diamond, in addition to Sano still needing work on his defense. I can see them bidding if they plan on moving Plouffe and putting Sano at 3B but that doesn't seem very twins like to make a move just for the sake of making a move. Astros - at first base alone they have a glut of talent that they need to give playing time to sort out(Carter & J. Singleton) in addition to a great looking prospect in AJ Reed and solid DH options in whoever they decide not to go with at 1B and Evan Gattis. In addition to that Jed Lowrie could move across the diamond or strictly to DH with Moran coming on strong. Its not out of the question that by June both Reed and Moran are the Astros every day corner infielders. Nice summary. The one thing that makes me think the Sox are a potential fit is our complete lack of power hitters in the upper minors. We basically have a huge question mark in Hawkins and pretty much nothing else of significance. Therefore, we'll need to add some power from outside the organization. If Park can be a legit threat at DH, that gives us a bit more flexibility to go defense-oriented at other spots.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 10:39 PM) With Josh Bell almost ready in Pittsburgh, I'll guess that it's Colorado for Park. Good point on Bell, signing Park would force Pittsburgh to move Josh or one of their young OFs. Seems like an unnecessary risk to take for a team with limited financial resources.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 10:45 PM) I don't think he would have have been fired if it wasn't for Maddon becoming available. Right? That's correct.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 10:40 PM) Bleh. Wasn't this guy the Cubs manager a year or two ago? He's better than Mark Parent by default, but it don't see how he's a huge improvement. What exactly are you expecting for a bench coach hire? Not sure how the Sox could do much better, especially considering Robin's lame duck status.

Renteria would be a very strong hire if this indeed happens. Thank you Nationals for f***ing up the Bud Black hire.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 10:23 PM) If Pirates get him I will take Alvarez off their hands. Horrible defender, will make $8M+, and is a free agent after next season. Don't see much upside, short-term or long-term.

QUOTE (Baron @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 09:57 PM) If the Pirates didnt win then it gets interesting Did you read that somewhere?

Only unconfirmed teams are the Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Cubs, White Sox, Twins and Astros. Pirates have to be the favorites IMO, but the Astros, Twins, Brewers, & Sox remain possibilities.

Unconfirmed Teams (9): Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Cubs, White Sox, Twins, Rays, and Astros. Can safely rule out the Reds & Cubs. I'd also assume the Phillies are out due to Howard. That leaves the Brewers (if they move Lind), Pirates, White Sox (if we move LaRoche), Twins, Rays, & Astros.

I'd be incredibly surprised if Shark signed with the Cubs. Seems like he left on bad terms and at this point you'd think he'd like to get a fresh start outside of Chicago. Having said that, money talks and Theo may see him as an under-valued asset on the free agent market.

Per mlbtraderumors: That's 13 clubs that are still posibilities. How many of these teams actually need a 1B?

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 07:29 PM) No it's not. The names would be Bogaerts and Betts or they'd get hung up on. 100% agree. You only trade Sale if it's for a franchise-altering package. And if Blake Swihart is the best piece you're getting, then it's clearly not that kind of package.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 04:22 PM) Personally, I think they are just a bit high. I'm going to go with 4/30 ($7.5 mill annually). Again, that's just my opinion. QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 04:23 PM) Kang got 2.5 for 4. I don't know why you'd offer him a lot more than that. If he asks for 40 million, tell him he can go back to Korea, lol. I agree 5/$40M seems way too high, but we also saw how the Cuban market changed after the Abreu signing. And I know it's different because of the posting system, but teams aren't going to completely disrespect these players in negotiations if they feel the Korean pipeline is important long-term. This guy should get considerably more than Kang. I'll think he gets $6M per year on top of the posting fee.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 04:12 PM) I imagine hell make like 3 million. Not really big bucks. Obviously the posting fee adds a decent amount but it's still not really gonna be big bucks. A couple baseball insiders have estimated his potential contract around 5/$40M on top of the $12M bid. Maybe they're a bit high (my guess is he'll get less), but we're looking at a lot more than $3M per year all-in.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 03:47 PM) Astros Is this your guess or did you read this somewhere?

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Nov 8, 2015 -> 01:13 PM) Now I would have bet the Dodgers would be in play since they have a large Korean population. The Dodgers have a 1B under contract for $64M over the next three years, why would they add another one?

Any chance the Sox might be involved? There's been absolutely no noise on this, but if we're looking for ways to improve the offense without giving up a draft pick, this may be one of the best potential ways. Would obviously create a logjam at 1B/DH next year, but that would be a one year problem and we could probably move LaRoche if we ate $5M or so. I know it's very unlikely, but I'm desperate for offensive upgrades that are bigger than David Freese.

WTF just happened in this thread?! This has to be some of the most bat-s*** loony nonsense I have ever seen posted on this site. I mean really, who the f*** searches for articles on whether or not Theo Epstein was a varsity starter like it actually has some impact on his ability to be a good GM. Just pure insanity.

Who are the best free agents that didn't receive QOs? Obviously Price, Cespedes, & Zobrist, not sure who else though.

SMFH, we've now gone from Dan Fabian should be GM to hyping up the Royals' Latin American operations. This is getting beyond ridiculous.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 7, 2015 -> 05:52 PM) As with Ventura, what is Hahn really exceptional at? Contract negotiations. Based on his Kellogg and Harvard Law background. That's clear. Okay, what else? It's definitely not media relations or being on the same page with KW the past 13 months or so. Other than Abreu, Tim Anderson and Adams...where do you think he's made some really strong moves? Eaton for Santiago? Of all the free agents we have signed, Robertson is the only one that's been defendable in terms of actual results, and even that not so much since his best two years with us are being wasted...yet he wouldn't let NY take him back, either. Avi Garcia? Davidson? I'm not seeing many clear signs of success or progress. The only clear win trade of his entire tenure is Avi/Montas for Peavy, and even that's not looking 100% successful. If you believe most other GMs would have passed on Rodon at third, you can include that, or Fulmer this year. Again, I didn't make the claim that the analytics guy would make a better GM than our current one. So I'll ask you again, what specific skills & traits does Fabian possess that Hahn doesn't? Why would he be a better GM?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 7, 2015 -> 05:12 PM) He's our Luhnow/Megdal. Very experienced with advanced statistical analysis (he's the one who created our in-house proprietary database), but he also has a strong background behind the scenes in scouting and evaluation. He's just not a self-promoter, seems like a very humble guy...works well with others behind the scenes to build consensus. I don't have time to pull all of his interviews and write-ups, but he's impressive. How is this different/better than Hahn exactly? Outside of the analytics background, most of the other items could be used to describe Hahn. Also, I don't need my GM to be able to conduct an advanced statistical analysis, I need him to understand the findings and leverage them in his day-to-day responsibilities. You really seem to be reaching here Caulfield. I think 99% of baseball people would prefer Hahn to be their GM.