Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 09:12 AM) Yeah, when you consistently make the wrong choices, like we have seen. Saying the only possible plan going forward is the Big 3 no longer feels realistic...so adjustments have to be made, otherwise Hahn and Sox fans will get left holding the bag and feel they've been sold a false bill of goods. At some point, contingency plans have to be acted on. But we're nowhere there that point. As usual, you're jumping to conclusions based on nothing.

Our pitching depth may not be great, but I think it's good enough that you address the offense first and worry about adding another starter second. Right now, Turner & Beck are likely #6 & #7 on the depth chart. Not ideal by any means, but with Fulmer in AA, I'm not sure it's that much of a risk. I really think he could be that #6 guy by mid-season. You also have a wild card in Danish who could make the jump if he finally puts everything together. This team hasn't been afraid to call-up pitching prospects straight from AA in the past. Also, the problem with adding a vet is it means Johnson likely goes to AAA. The may be nice from a depth standpoint, but does it make us better in 2016 if everyone stays healthy and how does that impact Erik's development? Johnson is a guy we really should give a legit opportunity to this year. Him becoming a solid mid-rotation starter would give us another cost-controlled asset and the flexibility to move a starter down the road for a position player (once Fulmer/Adams are ready). So if we add a veteran starter, I'm thinking more of a veteran guy coming off injury that might be ready mid-season.

Don't underestimate the allure of Chicago for Cespedes. He's all about the money and could make a ton of cash on the side by being a star in a major market. Add in the Abreu factor & his familiarity with the AL Central and I think there are many reasons to be positive about landing him if we have one of the top offers.

QUOTE (shipps @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 04:08 PM) It seems like if they wanted to be here they would have been here by now but I could just be going crazy from the wait. I gotta disagree. I think the problem right now is Cespedes/Gordon/Upton are stuck in a buyers' market and they're holding their ground on their demands in hopes of something changing. My guess is that wildcard is Chris Davis. If he were to leave Baltimore, that potentially opens up another major suitor for Upton & Cespedes. Unfortunately for them, teams won't wait forever and there are plenty of options on the trade market for teams not willing to wait until the finish line on the big free agents. At some point they'll have to concede and take what the market is baring. I also think that a Gordon signing could speed things up significantly, since him potentially leaving the Royals eliminates a suitor for the other two guys (as K.C. is only an option for Alex) or makes teams more desperate with less options available. Once that first domino falls, everything else should move quickly IMO.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 04:02 PM) Hey, we got Carlos Boozer. You must be young, the correct answer is "Hey, we got Ron Mercer and Eddie Robinson in the same offseason".

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 01:11 PM) It's Merkin. He doesn't know, he's guessing. And he quickly had to acknowledge the Tanaka offer was $100M+ after getting called out, so I would certaintly take anthing he says with a huge grain of salt. Hell, he even said his assumption was pure speculation and had no insider info to base his claim on. There is no doubt in my mind the Sox would go over $100M for the right player.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 01:07 PM) This guy made it seem like it was a done deal. I just don't really trust him because I have no reason to/no past with him. Thanks for sharing as always.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) This is from someone in a position to get info but I don't know if I can trust. The two numbers he threw out were 5/108 and 6/125. Take with whatever amount of salt you like. Scott Merkin told me the Sox won't go over 100 million. Did this someone mention how close we are on a potential deal?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 12:34 PM) Its cheating, regardless. And many of those guys were never caught with anything, just talked about. Bagwell and Piazza specifically GMAB, the hall of fame is a popularity contest and it will never be right going forward, there will ALWAYS be cheaters somehow. People want to pick and choose what is ok to look past, and bottom line is none of it is ok to look past, but people have been looking past it forever, The steroid era happened, everyone is under suspicion in that era. I dont even care anymore, Bonds was a HOFer before and after he bulked up. Lol...people pick and choose what they want to look past based on the best info that's readily available info. The guys who were caught red-handed are the guys getting punished right now. Guys like Bagwell & Piazza who were never caught using PEDs shouldn't be excluded from the Hall because of some unconfirmed speculation. Sucks that some cheaters will certainly get in, but it's beyond ridiculous to suggest we let all PED users in so the writers don't have to pick and choose. Either don't cheat or don't get caught. There should be absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for guys who cheated for years on years.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 12:04 PM) should we go back and exclude hall of famers from prior to the steroid era that were using greenies and coke and amphetamines like it was going out of style? Guys that get caught cheating in a significant way should not be allowed into the HoF. Do criminals that were caught red-handed get let off because others got away with their crimes? And past injustices should not stop us from getting the system right going forward. Blame Bud Selig and whoever else was responsible for letting the game get to a point where cheating was running rampant, but how can anyone argue HoF voters should turn a blind eye as well. We can never take away what guys like Bonds & Sosa accomplished on the field, but we definitely shouldn't celebrate them by putting them into the Hall.

Dumb question on Cespedes, but can someone explain how his defense has graded out since coming here? He obviously had a terrific defensive season in 2015, but it appears he's always been very good in LF. Is it fair to say his overall defensive value over the years has been impacted by how much CF he's played and how well (or bad) he's played it? If so, assuming a drop in his offensive numbers (at least compared to 2015), what kind of player should we expect from a WAR standpoint?

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:11 PM) Him saying uneducated things doesn't make him wrong in terms of the signing. Some people who get info still don't know much about the game. Perhaps, but him deleting tweets related to tough questions is a red flag IMHO.

I could be mistaken, but it looks like that Patrick Howard guy deleted some of his sketchier tweets (Melky/LaRoche DH platoon, etc). Obviously he was a long-shot to begin with, but I'd say he's 100% full of s*** now. Edit: Looks like I was wrong and the Melky DH tweet is still there, but others do appear gone.

That guy is all over the place on the Melky stuff and corresponding implications for Avi. Pretty clear bulls*** IMO.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 07:18 PM) He also claims Melky will platoon with LaRoche at DH. Yeah, I'm not buying that part of it. Doubtful they add Cespedes only to start Avi everyday.

Also, while I'm sure Gordon would like to stay in KC, I don't see him taking a huge discount to stay there. This is his last big payday and he's coming off a team friendly deal. If the Royals are really offering something like 4/$60M, then the Sox could be a very attractive alternative.

I've said it before, but I prefer Gordon over Cespedes. His on-base skills and defensive instincts should both age well, making him much less of a risk for a sudden drop-off than a guy who relies on pure athleticism. The front office has already done a great job adding power this offseason, but we desperately need another high OBP guy in front of Abreu and Gordon is pretty much a perfect fit for that spot.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 02:50 PM) Has anyone heard anything about the Sox agreeing to terms with Mat Latos? Our old buddy "Jimbo's Drinker" (Dan) just tweeted it and then deleted it a few minutes later. He definitely has some good contacts and used to work for the White Sox, so I imagine there might be some truth to it. What's his twitter handle?

QUOTE (shipps @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 12:47 PM) I am having the same thought but I just cant get past the wild card that Cespedes is happily traded by everyone that has had him on their team. He has to be such a douche. However the Tigers seem like they have some interest to bring him back so he cant be that bad, right? He supposedly good friends with Abreu, so I'm guessing he can't be that bad.

I'd be happy with either guy, but would prefer Gordon at this point. His OBP in the two-hole makes Abreu that much more valuable, plus he's just an all-around good baseball player (something this organzation desperately needs).

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:34 AM) I would think these "pillow" guys would want something near the amount of the QO offer they turned down. I read that teams value the comp picks at between $5 million and $8 million. Losing a comp pick and signing Desmond to a 1 year contract anywhere near the $15 million + he turned down seems like a bad thing to do. After further review, I'll take back my idea. His K rate has gotten real ugly the past two years and I'm not overly confident a rebound is in order.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:43 AM) To those of you who assert that the best way for an organization to structure a contract is to "back load" it, I disagree, if the objective is to give the team flexibility by encouraging the player to opt out. If the big money comes later in the deal, why would the player opt out. Reverse the numbers in my hypothetical example with Cespedes: 6 years for $150 Million 1ST 3 years at $20 Million per year Last 3 years @ $30 Million per year That would all but guarantee that the team will be paying the entire contract, as Cespedes would have little incentive to opt out. Please explain what I am missing, and don't quibble about the total amount, as it is a hypothetical example. The part you're missing is front-loading a contract hurts your financial flexibility now. I'm sure most teams would love to see annual salaries in contracts decrease over time along with expected production, but the desire to win now (usually why you're adding a big FA) typically prevents that.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:13 AM) Uh...no team would actually add all of those players. Adding one, let's say Upton, adds about $20 million to the payroll. A guy like Desmond would cost less. The author is simply stating that the Sox are in a good position to add ONE of those players...not all of them. I have no idea how much Desmond will get, but if he's willing to take a pillow contract, he could be a very interesting signing for the Sox. With a decent rebound in 2016 and a poor free agent class next offseason, he's likely to get a multi-year deal to his liking next year even with a comp pick attached. The Sox would give up a 2nd round pick this year, but would essentially get a late 1st rounder in 2017 (again, assuming a rebound) and buy themselves a much more proven stopgap until Anderson is ready to take over. I find it highly unlikely the Sox can add both an impact OF and Desmond, but definitely something I'd be open to if Hahn could make the financials work out.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:11 AM) Contract inflation is also way different, which helps Davis. Also true. I will say this, Davis is crazy if he doesn't accept the Orioles' offer. I highly doubt any team offers anything close to a deal of that size.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:02 AM) His market reminds me of Adam Dunn when we signed him in 10. It is a limited amount of teams who need him because they already have 1B covered. Past that, he is only one season removed from an Adam Dunn like season where he hit under .200. Good comparison, although the offensive environment is completely different today than it was when we signed Dunn, which is why he'll get a f***ton more than Dunn did.