Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Aug 3, 2014 -> 04:09 PM) This bullpen plus Beckham and Dunn makes this team look horrible. Why we haven't replaced Beckham with just about anyone else is beyond me. Semien for Beckham Wilkins for Dunn Bullpen is pretty much unfixable at this point Semien for Beckham yes, Wilkins for Dunn no. Hopefully Linstrom helps the pen, although he wasn't very good before he got injured.

QUOTE (LDF @ Aug 3, 2014 -> 08:12 AM) then signing a honorary contract with cle, does he now work for them. Can't tell if serious...

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Aug 2, 2014 -> 10:12 PM) I know it's early but I so love that draft pick. Without a question a top 10 prospect and could be our top pitching prospect as soon as next year once Rodon graduates.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Aug 2, 2014 -> 02:18 PM) Eat something light now now to get your metabolism going, then go wild when you get there. All you can eat/drink made me engorge. Awesome. Do you know how early you can get there? Is it really 90 minutes before the first pitch?

Anyone been to the Scout Seats before? I'm going for the first time tonight and figured I'd see if there's anything important I should know in advance.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Aug 2, 2014 -> 10:13 AM) Hahn was on 670 this morning and said that it was for a long targeted player. He also said that it "could" be revisited in the offseason. I'm going with Yasmani Grandal. He was in the lineup and warming up and then was scratched for no reason. Sox have been interested in the past. Yup, I also think it was Grandal, with Viciedo likely the player we would have shipped out. Even if we had to include a decent prospect, that's a deal I make 10 out of 10 times.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Aug 2, 2014 -> 08:12 AM) Yelmison Peralta for AZL Sox: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 7 GO/0 FO Could be one to watch: Jay Hashop @sevenfuturehit · 10h B3: Yelmison Peralta takes over for Leesman, cranks consistent 95, freezes Day with a no-chance curve. Slinger. Quick worker. Fun to watch. $200k singing from 2012. It's really nice having the Latin American signings under Paddy finally make an impact stateside. I know most of these guys are huge long shots, but they offer infinitely more potential than the organizational types we've used in recent years to fill up large portions of our roster. The system is going to be a lot more fun to follow going forward.

From a rotation standpoint, I think we'll add one RH starter to slot before or after Quintana. As bad as Masterson has been, he seems like a guy who might take a short-term deal and hope for a rebound. That's the type of low risk move we should look into, assuming the more impactful free agent pitchers all command ridiculous contracts. I think an opening day 1-2-3-4 or Sale, Quintana, Masterson, & Danks is pretty decent. With any rebound from Justin, it's a rotation that can keep you afloat with a solid offense. As for the #5 spot, have Noesi compete with Johnson (hopefully an offseason fixes him) and see what you got. I think we should plan on Rodon assuming a rotation spot as soon as his service time needs are met so we get the extra half year out of him. Most likely he replaces Noesi/Johnson, but if one of those guys does well, then Danks is probably the odd man out. Regardless, once Rodon is up, the rotation has a chance to be very good next year, with guys like Montas & Danish likely at AA and only a year away.

Honestly, most of our "assets" will clear waivers or at least make it to a contender. Danks, Dunn, De Aza, & Beckham all should be movable in August if someone wants them. I think Viciedo is the one guy Hahn would consider moving that would likely get claimed by a non-contender. Doesn't seem like Hahn had any interest in moving Alexei.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 09:36 PM) Why go old at the 4 and 5 spots in the lineup? Victor and Melky scare me moving forward. Melky will only be 30. Martinez is definitely old. What young guys would you reccomend?

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 08:24 PM) I like all those moves but don't see how the tigers don't keep Martinez. Also I wonder If Grandals career can be resurrected , or was he just highly touted because of the ped? Any way you look at his number they are just awful lol Grandal is a tough one to figure out, but I'd be willing to gamble on him for a package of Davidson & Beck. Catcher is such a black hole for us and given that there won't be any quality free agents available, I think buying low on a guy like Grandal, who would have cost a king's ransom a year or two ago, is a smart play.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 08:21 PM) Honestly I like that idea, but I have to wonder if he can be had that cheap. He's hitting like he did just before his PED bust and at only 30 you know some GM will offer him way more. He's actually hitting better away from his home band box in Toronto. I think most GMs will have some caution with Melky because of his prior PED bust, but you're right, it only takes one GM to do something stupid. Probably a bit unrealistic, but maybe he wants to hit free agency one more time at 33? Regardless, he's definitely the type of bat we should be looking to add.

1. Adam Eaton, CF 2. Marcus Semien, 2B 3. Jose Abreu, 1B 4. Victor Martinez, DH (2 years, $30M) 5. Melky Cabrera, LF (3 years, $39M) 6. Avisail Garcia, RF 7. Conor Gillaspie, 3B 8. Yasmani Grandal, C (acquired for Davidson & Beck) 9. Alexei Ramirez, SS

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 03:33 PM) LOL. Price @ 20M is just fine. It isn't like it is 20M for 5 years. This is so laughable how stupid some of this statisticians have gotten. I almost wish Kenny was back in charge the way some teams have started to completely overvalue prospects, etc. 100% agree with this. Some people act like it's surplus value that wins championships, which is beyond ridiculous. Look at it this way, the Tigers just landed an ace who is worth 3.9 WAR for two guys worth a combined 2.3 WAR, or in other words, they have added a player who has been 70% more productive than the guys they gave up. However, the real value here is that they now have another dominant starter for the playoffs. Why people constantly ignore the value that aces have in the playoffs is beyond me, but because those starts don't factor into the player's WAR, it's as if that value doesn't exist. On a one year deal, the Yankees would probably give David Price close to $40M. The standard WAR = $5/6M in free agency doesn't work with legit aces on short term deals. Teams would be lining up at the door if David Price said he'd be willing to take a one year deal. And on top of 1 1/3 seasons of a legit ace, the Tigers will also most likely get a compensation pick if they won't retain. Not sure what I'm missing here, but this is an incredible deal for Detroit regardless of who won the surplus battle.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 05:53 PM) If Semien were tearing up AAA, I would agree even though I am a Beckham fan. He's not, and he showed earlier despite some huge hits, he needed more seasoning. If something comes along in the next month where you can get something for Beckham, fine. If not, wait until rosters expand and get him some time. Things change in 30 days sometimes. Semien has a .813 OPS, which would be top 20 in the International League if he qualified, despite a BABIP 50 to 60 points his career average. His K & BB rates are both very strong and his ISO has actually improved this year. He's ready for a call-up by every metric but batting average, which again is depressed by bad luck. I'm sorry but Beckham flat out sucks and offers us nothing going forward as he will not be on this team in 2015. Now is the time to move on and give one of our THREE potential replacements a two month audition and hopefully get through some of their growing pains. Also, as bad as Semien was earlier this season, Beckham has somehow been worse despite years of "seasoning". Think about that for a minute and then us why we should give Beckham another month of at-bats.

Deadline at 3:00pm CST?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 01:58 AM) That's one sure way to get a Top 10 draft pick next season, lol. If they're going to play someone, it might as well be Saladino, Wilkins, Semien, Mitchell or even Trayce Thompson in LF. Like, someone who's actually going to be an important member of our next playoff team. So you listed a 1B, two IFs, and two AA OFs as better replacements for Viciedo than Danks, which makes no sense. On top of that, the only one of those players that actually has a shot of being an important member of our next playoff team is Semien, who hopefully will be replacing Beckham at 2B in the near future. Him playing OF is possible but unlikely, especially this year. If we trade Viciedo, Danks or Taylor will take his spot on the roster until Garcia is ready.

I think at least one deal will happen tomorrow. Something like Danks, a semi-decent prospect, & cash to the Yankees for J.R. Murphy is my bold prediction.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 30, 2014 -> 08:16 PM) The Yankees want Danks because they need a pitcher, but they will be willing to give up talent based on the market value of the asset. The price the player demands is determined by surplus value. Whether they like it or not, the Yankees are not just buying Danks this year, they're buying him the next two and half years. The Sox have no leverage because no one else wants Danks at a higher rate. If the Sox don't cave, the Yanks just get a different mediocre pitcher that doesn't comes with $38m attached. This is EXACTLY why prospects are valued so highly -- the massive potential for surplus value over the life of their pre-free agency contracts. If teams acted like you're describing, they'd give up any minor leaguer for any major leaguer that could contribute. Teams aren't trying to acquire surplus value at the deadline, they're trying to acquire production. Obviously financial elements come into play, but the market price for starting pitching goes up significantly at the deadline, both due to a limited supply of starters being available and the marginal value of each win increasing. The Yankees aren't going to wait until the offseason to fill a need they have now. If Danks is the best guy available that doesn't cost any top prospects, my guess is that they'll be willing to give us a minor piece and take on most of his salary. That would obviously be an overpay in the offseason, but it's the price of doing business at the end of July. The Sox have some leverage here because they don't have to move Danks and Yankees just may be desperate for a starting pitcher.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Jul 30, 2014 -> 07:23 PM) Yes, it will. How can it hurt? Remember how we had a ton of money to sign that big 1B this winter? That's what freeing up money does for you, not only this off season, but next. There's no limit to "we should have plenty of money." I guess it depends how much you value Danks, and I don't value him much (and the numbers support that) at 14 mil. And I don't think he's going to get any better (his walk rate going way up this year is alarming, and he's throwing like 86mph, and his FIP is higher). Plus he's soon to be your 4th best lefty starter behind Rodon either next year or at the latest the year after. I'd much rather roll that money into more money to get a big-time starter, catcher, 2b, LF, etc. over the next 2 years. You're also going to need money to extend guys. We have $46M in payroll commitments for next year with Danks. I see no reason why we can't afford a $120M payroll in 2015 if we so choose. That's $74M in available space with only a couple of arbitration eligible players. That's more than enough money to fill all the needs you listed above (2B will be filled internally). Cash flow will not be our problem this coming offseason, finding a way to spend it all efficiently will be, which makes moving Danks less valuable to us. Furthermore, it's not like we have a ton of rotational depth. We're currently starting one guy who was released earlier this year and another guy who made his major league debut at 29 years of age. We basically have nothing behind them at AAA (Beck has proven nothing yet IMO), so things could get ugly until Rodon is ready. I'm not a Danks supporter by any means, but him eating 200 innings with a decent percentage of quality starts has more value to us than his WAR will indicate. I have no problem trading Danks, but salary relief alone won't make us better for 2015. We need something back for him, even if it's a fairly insignificant piece, or else keep him as an over-priced #4 starter for another year. Entering the offseason with three holes in our rotation is not ideal by any means.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 30, 2014 -> 03:07 PM) Probably not much of a chance they'd make him a qualifying offer anyway. Probably not, but who knows how he pitches down the stretch. His value could change a lot between now and the offseason.

Random question, but now that Masterson has been traded, the Cardinals can't receive draft compensation if he signs with another team next year correct?

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jul 30, 2014 -> 06:47 AM) Top 11 picks are safe this year bc the Astros didn't sign Aiken Don't think that is true, pretty sure it's still only the top 10, which means the team with the 10th worst record could lose their pick.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 29, 2014 -> 09:39 PM) 33-22 to win 85 games, and hope to get a TON of help. .600 ball. Yeah, probably not. Highly unlikely, but crazier s*** has happened. When is Garcia going to be back? Him in RF, with a De Aza/Viciedo platoon in LF, and hopefully Semien replacing Beckham at 2B gets us back to where we were earlier this year and a much stronger lineup IMO. The rotation and bullpen is another story though.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 29, 2014 -> 08:15 PM) It makes a ton of sense to get Beckham off the roster in the next 43 hours. I will be pissed if he's not moved. I truly believe Semien is the better player RIGHT NOW, and giving him two months of major league at-bats should hopefully reduce his growing pains next year. Trading Beckham is a no-brainer IMO.