Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Brian @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:30 AM) Not to be a party pooper, but are other beat guys reporting it yet? I need to get on the twittah. Levine should be axed if it's false. Jesse Sanchez confirmed it as well. And Melky retweeted a Adam Eaton tweet welcoming him to the south side.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:27 AM) No, that's Saturdays at 8-10. He was on. Did he say anything of interest?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:26 AM) I think the show Bruce Levine hosts comes on at 9 Thanks for pointing this out. I really hate Bruce as a "journalist", but he should be a good listen today after breaking the deal.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:22 AM) Amen! It's just good to know there's no place for Viciedo on this team. He's a losing player, just like Dunn and Rios were/are. He'll be gone soon enough IMO, adding Melky pretty much takes away all our leverage that we're serious about using Dayan as a starter next year. Also, SouthSideSox mentioned in an article recently that we could DFA Viciedo prior to spring training and only be on the book for like $750k. Again, I'm sure he'll be gone before then, but nice to know our risk is limited if there are no buyers.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:19 AM) In related news, Balta's offseason from hell continues. Nothing makes me happier!

QUOTE (Real @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:07 AM) might be because i'm listening online but there's no bruce levine, it's some bulls*** NFL fantasy show Yeah, same here. f***ing sucks.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 08:02 AM) Someone on Twitter (Maybe Merkin?) suggested the Sox should trade Viciedo for a comp draft pick, I would take that in a deal. Every single poster here would take a comp pick, the problem is a comp draft pick is worth more than Viciedo making a deal unlikely. Honestly, let's hope for a reliever or lottery ticket prospect and call it a day.

Unless you have issues with the past PED use, I'm not sure how anyone wouldn't like this deal. We filled our biggest hole with a guy that has been a 2.6+ WAR player in each of the past four years when he didn't have a tumor on his spine. The deal is relatively short-term and covers his age 30 to 32 seasons, so the overall risk is limited. His skill-set is perfect fit for the two hope and he adds more balance to the lineup being a switch-hitter. Outside of his defense, which is still an upgrade over Viciedo, I'm not sure what there is not to like here.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 07:22 AM) Also, good job by Bruce Levine even though he's gross. He'll be on the Score at 8. Thanks for the heads up. Will be interesting if he addresses the whole "we're out of money" angle KW & Hahn were floating after the Winter Meetings.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 01:44 AM) Going to 15 games at least, as usual. What's your excuse, soxtalk? A one year old baby. Went from attending 30+ games a year to just a handful last year. For those considering having kids anytime soon, you may want to wait because this team looks pretty f***ing good right now.

So I think it's safe to say that the Sox will be rocking a $100M+ payroll next year. Might be time for Balta & SS2K to eat some crow on that front

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 12:11 AM) The question now is: Danks or Viciedo? I'll go with Tank being moved next and I'll steal Dick Allen's idea and say to the Marlins.

It's going to be interesting to see what we do with our bench now. We really need two right-handed bats to platoon with LaRoche & Conor. I think Saladino can be Conor's platoon partner if healthy. No idea who they can get to fill-in for LaRoche. We also need to a strong defensive OF that can play all three positions. The good news is that guy can be left-handed since Eaton & Melky are both pretty good against LHP. Looks like that spot will come down Danks or Shuck, which I'm cool with.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Dec 13, 2014 -> 11:42 PM) I'm not excited at all about this, but I gotta buck up and accept it. QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 13, 2014 -> 11:43 PM) I agree Why?

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Dec 13, 2014 -> 11:37 PM) KW has a soft spot for Levine. Don't ask me why. He seemed to be on pretty good terms with him during their interview last week. Hopefully that means this news is legitimate.

A three year deal for Melky would be incredible. We're talking about his 30, 31, & 32 seasons. Even if you have concerns with his PED history, there is very little chance he falls apart over the life of the contract. I really hope Bruce isn't full of s***.

No one else reporting this yet, hard to believe Bruce could break something this big.

QUOTE (CWSpalehoseCWS @ Dec 13, 2014 -> 11:21 PM) Wow. Well, there's your new LF and 2 hole hitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/mlbbrucelevine No f***ing way...awesome if true!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 13, 2014 -> 05:26 PM) I'm ok with weaknesses at catcher and 3b and 2b if we fix the gaping hole in RF, but that doesn't mean those positions aren't weak. People have been trying to tell us how we should go for Castro or Headley all offseason to replace those guys, while I keep replying that upgrading to an average player in RF is a much bigger improvement than upgrading 3b or C to an all star. And we absolutely need 2 platoon partners that we currently don't have for these guys. As long as Saladino is healthy, he can definitely be Conor's platoon partner. We still need a right-handed OF that can take LaRoche's ABs against LHP, but it's still early in the offseason. Hahn should be able to find a guy to fill that role, although I'm not seeing a good fit in free agency. Ideally, this would be a guy who is a solid defender, allowing Avi to move DH during those starts.

I normally don't agree with Balta, but it would be incredibly stupid to upgrade the pitching staff to the extent we have and not add a legit starting OF. Outside of LaRoche, we've done nothing to upgrade the offense and he's not a huge upgrade over Dunn IMO. Getting Avi back for a full season should help, although it remains to be seen how much of an impact he'll make. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same guys outside of 2B, which may or may not be an upgrade. I don't buy for a second that Hahn is going to go cheap for that last OF spot. Unlike C & 3B, where there is potential for upgrades on one side of the ball or the other, LF is the only position with room for significant upgrades both offensively and defensively. If the front office is serious about competing next year, it will find an impact player for the OF. Signing a player like Ichiro simply doesn't cut it.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 12, 2014 -> 06:33 PM) I don't believe so since we lost it for Robertson. We'd lose our 3rd round pick. Robertson cost us our 2nd.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 9, 2014 -> 08:48 PM) Speaking of Eaton, he's currently in a twitter argument with a Cubs fan. He apparently has some beef with Montero based on his Score interview today. Between that and Shark's hatred of the Cubs front office, the Crosstown series should be a lot of fun this year.

I think it's very likely that we get a Johnson vs. Sanchez battle in spring training. And quite frankly, I think this is Johnson's job to lose. He has a chance to be a dynamic offensive player and offers plus range at 2B. He obviously has a ways to go on the defensive side of the ball, but the physical ability is there to be an above average defender and I think spending a year alongside Alexei could do him some good. I'd much rather roll the dice on Micah next year than give 600 plate appearances to Sanchez, who offers very limited upside with the bat. Carlos profiles much better as a reserve infielder and that's exactly how we should use him next year unless Johnson looks completely worthless in spring training.

No thanks on Carl Crawford, we don't need an over-paid, aging speedster. I'd much rather see a deal for Kemp, even if it costs us some prospects.

Him spending a full season in our bullpen is f***ing stupid. Dude needs to be building up innings, whether that's in AAA or the majors. Hopefully this is just some posturing as we attempt to move Danks.