Chicago White Sox

I absolutely love Adam Eaton. Left-handed bat that can hit for average and get on base, exactly the type of bat we needed to add to our lineup. He'll make a great leadoff hitter and if he can play a solid CF should become an incredibly valuable player. With Eaton & Garcia now locked into CF & RF respectively, that leaves one OF spot open for the foreseeable future. Unless Hahn wants to commit to De Aza long-term, it makes more sense to trade him right now and give Viciedo another opportunity in LF. Hopefully there is a market for De Aza, because he's still a useful player but doesn't really fit into our long-term mix IMO.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 10, 2013 -> 11:05 AM) Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 3m #White Sox working hard to get a CF.. Been linked to Dbacks Adam Eaton.. White Sox had some interest in Fowler before he was traded This tells me that De Aza is as good as gone.

QUOTE (dayan024 @ Dec 10, 2013 -> 11:00 AM) Daryl Van Schouwen ‏@CST_soxvan 59s Dback A. Eaton can play CF, bats left, 2 needs for #whitesox. And he's young (25). Santiago rumored in 3-way deal w Angels. #WinterMeetings And most importantly he adds much needed OBP to the top of the lineup.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 9, 2013 -> 10:07 PM) Day 1 - boring as hell. Way to blow your wad last Tuesday, MLB. Unfortunately, we may have to wait until some of the big starting pitchers sign before the market for our pitchers develops. I hope I'm wrong though, because it's so god damn boring around here without any rumors.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 10:29 PM) I agree that Danks could be a potential fit for the Yankees, but forget the 30 year old soon to be free agent. Mason Williams and Garry Sanchez are the names Hahn should be looking at. Both could be in the majors next year (2015) and are potential impact bats. I doubt either are in the Yankees plans for the next 2 or 3 years so they could be viewed as expendable. I could also see them liking Kepp. Plays both 2B and 3B and has a better track record than the likes of Brendan Ryan and Kelly Johnson. Danks + Kepp + Jones would be a nice package to offer the Yankees, although I'm not sure it would get us both Sanchez and Williams. Keppinger has basically negative value right now and Danks is pretty much valueless until he proves he's back to normal. The Yankees aren't giving up anything of value for those two guys, especially not a guy like Sanchez, even if we throw in Jones.

Trading Quintana for Headley would be a horrible move IMO, even if he agreed to an extension since you're probably talking about at least 5 years at $15M per season. If you trade Quintana, it's got to be for a young, cost-controlled bat, someone like Castro, where you retain most of your surplus value while filling a major need. Glad to see that Hahn agrees with that logic. I'd still love to get Headley, but the price would have to come down quite a bit for a deal to make sense for us.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 06:48 AM) Jason Schmidt on the Giants days Schmidt comes close to apologizing for the way the Giants treated Pierzynski. "His numbers were great with me, no doubt," he says. "He didn't get enough credit. It's just that when he came in here, we heard all this stuff about him … we just never gave him the opportunity to prove it wrong. I'll always feel bad about that." It would be different if there were some other quotes about what a bad guy he is, you would think there would be several. I am sure he is no angel, but neither is anyone. He has probably been an ass many times, but who hasn't? I will go with Dunn's quote, he is no more an asshole than anyone else. Don't believe what any of his current or ex teammates say. He is a s***ty teammate. If anything, the perception about AJ is he is a difficult guy. Even most of the people ripping concede he is a great teammate. Another random quote courtesy of google. He must be a great teamate, you've found two pieces of evidence on the internet that supports that claim. Again, I'll trust the words of patc and other people with insights to the clubhouse rather than a fan with a bias for the player searching for the truth on google.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 06:01 AM) "A lot of people have this bad image of A.J. in general, it seems around the league, but the guy is one of the greatest guys when he needs to be," Beckham said. "It's something nobody sees. He can be a really great friend. He was there for me in tough situations off the field and was a big-time mentor. So, it's tough to see him go." What a s***ty teammate. Dick Allen to the rescue! Quick, someone is ripping Greg Walker in the general MLB thread! But seriously, not sure how one random quote changes anything. Most guys are going to follow clubhouse rules and not rip their former teammate to the press. For example, you're not going to hear Beckham crying to the beat reporters about how A.J. didn't want to let his girlfriend fly on the team plane. What happened in San Francisco should be very telling. Even more so should be what patc has told us all. He has insights into the clubhouse that the rest of us just speculate about and he's told us time and time again that A.J. is a s***ty teammate. I'll take his word over what any of us can find out through random google searches.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 05:23 PM) Remember how Gordon Beckham put up very good numbers during his rookie season? We were treating him like Semien is being treated now. Then he came out and became the Gordon Beckham we all know today. Beckham got "figured out" just like Semien will. QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 05:44 PM) They're two different players with two different pedigrees. You should just abort this argument after your initial claim was Semien's minor league numbers weren't any good. These quotes summarize everything. Abreu, your initial claim was Semien's numbers weren't very "attractive", then switched to a "Beckham got figured out just like Semien will" argument, which makes no sense as raBBit highlighted above. Now you're trying to pull a complete 180 and pretending to act like you meant the reason Semien will get figured out is because he's being rushed like Beckham, which is a totally different discussion from the one we were having. Stick to your guns here, you said Semien was "overrated" based on his not very attractive stats. Do you still stand by that claim?

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:38 PM) It's one of them. Nobody is bashing AJ. I liked him on the White Sox. He was one of my favorite players on the team. He's not a class act though. And pretending like he is some great person doesn't do anything for me. Great post. A.J. will always be one of my favorites for what he did on the field, but clearly he was/is a s***ty teammate off it. Not sure why some people refuse to accept this.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 04:50 PM) Semien is a nice spect but let's not get carried away. Beckham still has loads of ability at the plate if anyone can ever get it out of him. Semien may be the better player in the end though, who knows. I do however agree with what you're saying in this thread about not wanting to trade for more 2B prospects when we already have a good one in Semien who is close to being ready. I'm only talking about at this point in time. For four straight years, Beckham has been a low AVG, low OBP hitter. While it's possible he finally puts it all together this year, the odds are he is what he is. If that's truly the case, then I think it's safe to say Semien has a higher ceiling. I'm obviously not comparing Semien's ceiling to Beckham's when he was a prospect. And like I said, the reason I believe in Semien is because he demonstrated outstanding plate discipline in AA, and prospects with good plate discipline typically flop at a lower rate IMO. He's really the only position prospect in the system I have a lot of confidence in for that reason. Again, I'm not trying to say he'll be a star or anything, but a 2B with a .350/.360 OBP and solid power is incredibly valuable, which is what I think he's ultimately capable of. Unfortunately, I do feel he gets a bum rap being in our system, which really isn't fair because unlike most of our prospects he actually has some baseball skills.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 02:02 PM) I think that Semien is being overrated on this board. Sure he played well but his minor league numbers are not very attractive, plus pitchers started to figure him out towards the end of the season. I see Gordon Beckham as his ceiling. What the f*** are you talking about? He put up a .903 OPS in AA last year, which lead the Southern League for all qualified hitters. I'm not sure how that OPS is "not very attractive", clearly you didn't really follow him much. And while he wasn't as good in AAA during his brief time there, which should shock no one, he still managed to put up .802 OPS. What's funny is that Semien is completely underrated. In most organizations, a 22 year old middle infielder that puts up a .420 OBP with decent power would be heralded as a future star, but since he's a member of the Sox's farm system he's not considered toolsy enough which is bulls*** IMO. And for what it's worth, I don't think he'll be a star, but I do think he'll be a extremely productive major league 2B because he has great plate discipline and can do a little bit of everything. His potential is way higher than Gordon's as Beckham isn't very good.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:50 PM) Not if Semien ends up at 3rd. We can't count on Sanchez til he proves he can hit at AAA and the rest of the depth is at AA, with talk of Micah Johnson going to CF due to his lack of defense at 2b. Well there is no good reason for Semien to end up at 3B other than we have a gaping hole there. He's a middle infielder and that's where his value lies. On top of that we have Sanchez in AAA, Johnson in AA, and potentially Anderson in A+ if he can't handle SS long-term. Point is that four of our best propsects should be able to play 2B (giving Johnson the benefit of the doubt here) if their bats continue to develop. There's absolutely no need to trade valuable assets to block some of our best propsects and fill what typically is one of the easiest positions to fill on a baseball field.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:45 PM) Leesman and Veal. Quite frankly, I'd rather start the season with 6 righties than carry both of those guys. I have very little confidence in either of Leesman or Veal, so either sign or trade for a left-handed reliever or start the season with just one of them in the bullpen.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:30 PM) He's only 22, a switch hitter with lots of upside. His minor league numbers are intriguing. http://m.bbref.com/m?p=XXminorsXXplayer.cg...p;t=all_batting Trading any of our limited assets for a player that fills a position where we actually have organizational depth would be a huge mistake IMO.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 09:01 AM) I don't think I would trade Quintana for Castro, especially based off Hahn's comments that he's one of 4 that's unreadable. I would focus on building a package centered around Santiago for Castro. That line up looks real good if everything comes to form Honestly, I hate trading either guy, but if 2014 is going to be a transition year we're better off moving one of them for a young impact bat and having both Johnson & Rienzo in the rotation. The problem is that Quintana has a lot more value, but is also the guy you'd rather not give up. Building a trade for Castro around Santiago would require another couple of pieces and that's only if they really believe in Santiago's potential. I think this is definitely a trade worth exploring as Castro would be an insane upgrade over the crap we trotted out there last year.

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 08:31 PM) The kind of production that 15 million bucks will get you in three years may make Danks look like an amazing contract Exactly, I think people need to accept that players prices will continue to rise significantly over the next few years due to all the extra TV money being dished out. Fair market value today is not what it was last year and Danks contract will look better each and every year as market rates continue to rise.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 07:41 PM) That is the whole point of "Value!" What I'm saying is a team may not want or be willing to give Danks a long-term contract (i.e. a 7 year deal) because of his recent health problems, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a ton of value on a short-term deal (2 to 3 years) which is exactly what he's under contract for. Teams at the trade deadline are going to be much more likely to give up something of value for Danks if the risk is short-term.

Who cares if Danks would get a 7 year deal on the open market, as teams don't want to give 7 year deals to starting pitchers in the first place. Having said that, if Danks can return to form this year, he'll have 2+ years of team control at a reasonable rate (given this market) and will have plenty of value. Given our lack of long-term financial commitments at the moment, holding on to Danks and hoping he rebuilds his value this year is a risk worth taking IMO.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 06:00 PM) People also tend to forget that: 1) the Sox have a bad farm and most talent is at AA or below 2) this team has a lot of holes at player positions 3) Sale can only help this team for 33 out of 162 games per year 4) like it or not the Sox ARE rebuilding and moving Sale in the right trade speeds that process up 5) even the Sox have been concerned in the past about Sale's durability, so if a team wants to offer up serious talent why not listen? 6) too many fans way over- value their favorite teams players, I saw this at the deadline when fans wanted top prospects for guys like Ramirez, Rios etc. I laughed hard to say the least! IF, the right package were offered for Sale that makes this team better, I would put him on my back and carry him wherever he needed to go. If not, I look forward to watching his next start. First and foremost I am a Sox fan and a secondary fan of Sale. Team first. The underlying problem with a Sale trade is that unless its for a Trout or Machado type player, there is no trade that will make us better, only trades that might make us better. You're simply gambling on enough of the prospects you get in return actually panning out. Unless you're getting six or seven of the top prospects in a very good system, trading Sale is a gamble that isn't worth taking IMO.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:25 PM) You are assuming that Walker or Bradley pans out or doesn't get hurt or whatever and they end up busting. The Sox have a proven commodity in Sale. If they want to add, they should make small moves. Trading Sale is extreme, unnecessary, and would contribute to the rising possibility that the White Sox are developing a culture of losing. You aren't going to get the offer necessary. I don't know why this always comes up. Because people tend to forget that even top 100 prospects flop at a high rate and honestly think we'll get four or five legit major leaguers in return for Sale.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:58 PM) I disagree, the Sox are notorious for rushing their hitting prospects and have very little to show for it. The two homegrown prospects that are on the roster are the two that everyone wants replaced. Buddy Bells "challenge assignment" philosophy has yielded very poor results. They can ruin him if they throw him out there and he is overmatched, ease him into it and let him experience success, build his confidence and let him thrive. Bringing him along slowly will not affect the teams playoff chances next season, but may every season after that. This isn't your typical rookie, he's a 26 year old that's faced major league pitching in the WBC and has had success. I'm fine with him getting the occasional day off to clear his mind if he's in a slump or something, but otherwise he should be starting 150 games between 1B & DH. If he needs to make adjustments, then getting a lot of at-bats and getting them consistently is exactly what he'll need to speed up his development.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 03:17 PM) Kill everyone is sight. Sometimes I would put them to sleep, but for the most part I was killing. I liked being up on top of buildings and jumping down on unsuspecting victims. I also really enjoyed picking up the bodies and putting them in dumpsters. I don't know if that says something about me or what. Lol...I took the stealth approach, but would occasionally just kill everyone in sight. I love the spring razor, had so much fun with that thing. Just a really fun and smart game all around IMO.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 11:05 AM) I just finished this a couple weeks ago. Really fun game. Did you take a stealth/non-lethal approach or simply kill everyone in f***ing sight?

The Sox are not going to offer Dunn a tender no matter what he does this year. Just ain't happening.