Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 25, 2015 -> 08:52 AM) So what happens if the Sox win the next four and the Twins lose the next four? It probably won't happen, but point being, there are teams still in wait-and-see mode--or at least they should be. The Twins are the second wildcard at 8 over .500, playing the Yankees and Pirates next. The rest of the teams behind them are at .500 or worse. The Twins falling back to .500 would make the rest of the season extremely interesting for many teams, and possibly make the 2nd wildcard winner get in with 83 or 84 wins. I'm not saying the Sox should bank on going 39-29 to magically get in with 83 wins, but I'd probably want to wait until Thursday or Friday to trade Samardzija. Right now, a lot teams are watching what the Twins are doing. I was looking at this too this morning. If you believe the Twins will come back down to earth in the near future, an argument could be made that the Rays & Blue Jays are the realistic leaders for that 2nd wild card spot and that we are only 3 games behind them. Still makes us huge longshots, but given the strength of our pitching and recent turnarounds from Melky & Alexei, there is a slight sliver of hope. Enough, IMO, that you need to get at least one sure-fire prospect for Shark in order to move him, especially when you have a comp pick/draft flexibility as a fallback option.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 24, 2015 -> 01:05 PM) This has Peavy deal all over it. One center piece, and 3 lottery tickets. Yeah, Sox aren't trading Shark unless they get one near major league ready prospect in the deal.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 24, 2015 -> 06:46 AM) Q is headed South IMO. Just look at his record. He is a mediocre big league starter, which is why he won't get much in a trade. Rodon still walks too many, too often behind in the count....... Lol, you really need expand your knowledge base and look beyond statistics like wins/losses, batting average, & RBIs.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 09:19 PM) Putnam has one of the best sinkers in the game. Keep him, trade Duke. You're not getting anything for Duke, you might get something of value for Putnam.

There's one K.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 08:31 PM) HE WAS GIVING HUGS Shark?

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 08:29 PM) Get Putnam out there now for the scouts. I think Toronto is looking for relief help. Yeah, hopefully he gets a couple Ks.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 07:39 PM) If they don't get the right offer, I see no reason to move either of them. It isn't like they will be expensive next year and are still valuable assets. I also am not making moves because Jones is coming back. He's missed a lot of baseball. I do agree that it makes sense to move our relievers but if someone offers us a heap of junk for them, I'll pass. The point I'm trying to make is we'll need to clear a reliever to add Jones. Whether that is a trade/DFA or a sending a guy like Webb to AAA, an opening will need to be made. We might as well capitalize on our team's struggles and our surplus of RH relievers and trade one for something that might be able to help down the road. Sure, if you don't receive any quality offers then you're forced to hold your ground. But honestly, I don't think that will be the case as relievers are typically in demand this time of year.

I'll be enraged if the Sox don't trade one of Putnam or Petricka. With the deadline fast approaching and Jones coming back soon, there is no better time to be selling a reliever.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 07:26 PM) Sox gave Shark 5 runs as a going away present. And Shark can give us 8 scoreless as his going away present to the Sox.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 07:23 PM) I think limited action has helped Soto, not hurt him. Very true, but I still think Soto could handle a larger workload. And apparently so does Robin, although it's too late in the game for that to make a difference.

Spanky with 8 HRs, never would have imagined he'd have a chance at double digits this year.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 07:06 PM) I don't have anything against moving him but I'm not shopping him. If someone wants him, let's hear an offer, but we don't need to act like we have to sell him. Yeah, unless someone is going to give us something of real value for him, I'd rather just hold on to him. I have no interest in dumping him simply to clear salary.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 23, 2015 -> 04:31 PM) Daryl Van Schouwen ‏@CST_soxvan 1m1 minute ago Ventura on Soto: "He’s been in there more and more. The way he’s swung it has been pretty good. He’s going to get more time." Lol, Ventura finally realizes Soto is the better catcher a week before he'll probably be traded.

I predict a lot of activity with the following six guys being moved by the deadline: Shark Putnam Ramirez LaRoche Soto Beckham

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 07:08 PM) Anderson ( at SS) and Micah( at 2B) are both at this stage very questionable defensively. Now maybe Anderson can play 2nd but I doubt they will ever be the Sox doublplay combination. Maybe the defensive light goes on for both guys but hopefully one can play average defense at 2nd since I think both can hit at ML level. Anderson has been receiving glowing endorsements for his defense this year. Supposedly he's taken a big step forward with the glove, so I'd hold off sentencing him to 2B for his career.

QUOTE (woods of ypres @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 11:29 PM) Not sure if this is how it works, but: Brad Miller has a 101 wRC+ (closest to 100) and has a slash line of: .239/313/395 Miller would be a league average hitter, so an average SS would probably be a little worse. I took a real quick glance and a .670 OPS looks to be middle of the pack for the position. I really don't think that number is unattainable for Tyler given the plate discipline and power he's demonstrated in the minors.

What's a league average SS hit? My guess is it's a lot lower than people think. Given his solid defense, it might not be that unrealistic to think Tyler can be average major league SS. I think calling him a AAAA type is a bit premature.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 08:24 PM) In his defense, it's tough when you don't get consistent starts. He'll be fine. Agree with this.

One catcher I'd call about is Kevin Plawecki. Given the Mets already have d'Arnaud, I could see them willing to part with him in the right deal. Not sure what they need other than offense, which obviously isn't our strong suit. Having said that, I'd at least float the idea of Avi as an inexpensive OF upgrade. And assuming they pass on that, I'd offer a decent prospect or two that can help them get the bat they desperately need or at least replace the prospects they give up in said deal.

Not that I think WAR is an effective way to value catchers by any means, but for discussion purposes here is where our two catchers rank in baseball (100 PA qualification): Soto: 0.9 WAR (18th) Flowers: 0.0 WAR (39th) I have no idea where this idea that Flowers is even passable comes from. The reason our overall catcher production has been tolerable is because of our 32 year old backup Soto. And let's not ignore that WAR is a volume metric, meaning that Flowers has provided less production than many guys with far less playing time. Under no circumstance should Flowers be considered an option next year in a primary role.

Balta, I think I agree with everything you've said in this thread. Good stuff and hopefully the Sox follow a similar plan.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 04:51 AM) Is it possible that Soler isn't as great as people, including me, thought he'd be? I believe Melky has a better stat line than him now. Actually, Soler: .258, 5 HR, 26 RBI, .705 OPS Avisail Garcia: .272, 7 HR, 31 RBI, .703 OPS And that's with a .371 BABIP. Hard to be a successful major league hitter when you strike out 32% of the time. Still way too early to jump to any conclusions, but Cubs fans will be heartbroken when they finally realize that not all these prospects will pan out.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 21, 2015 -> 04:23 AM) That would put Price, Cueto, Hamels and probably Chapman ahead of Samardzija...and, if the Sox are asking too much, someone like Haren from the Marlins. Price & Cueto sure, but Chapman is a closer and Hamels is in a completely different group due to his contract. And Haren is a big cut below Shark & the rest of these guys and not rarely a factor come October. Right now, the best way to maximize Shark's value is to move him while Cueto's asking price is ridiculous and before Price becomes readily available.

This is why the Sox need to be the first ones to the market with Shark, because if a few more teams decide to sell things can quickly swing in the other direction. I really hope Hahn gets aggressive here in the next couple days.