Chicago White Sox

Dumb question, but is it possible Viciedo made mechanical changes to improve against RHP which ultimately affected his ability against LHP? It's just amazing how much he's regressed against LHP over the past two years.

I'll say he agrees to a contract extension for 6/$115M. Covers his remaining arbitration year at 10M and adds five years at $21M per. Slight home team discount IMO, but Shark still ends up with the nine figure deal he's looking for.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 10:33 AM) I don't think there is any doubt that if the White Sox staff feels like they will get .250 and 25 to 30 HR out of Davidson, that he will be the starter. We know he won't be a worse defender than Conor, so it all comes down to the bat. Now the odds of that happening are about zero, but then again, we have no idea what the Sox think happened to Davidson this year, and what they are looking for to see if is different. I just think the Sox will want to give Davidson a few months in AAA no matter what. Matt has fully admitted his confidence was pretty much shot last year, so throwing him into the major league fire from the get-go next year seems like a recipe for disaster IMO. I'll be honest, I'm pretty low on Davidson at the moment, but I'd rather see him regain his confidence and show some actual results before I give him a major league role. Spring training simply isn't enough for me.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 09:35 AM) It may not be the most popular opinion around here, but with the Bonifacio signing, I think Viciedo has a better chance of staying on the team than a month ago. Viciedo could provide power off the bench and platoon with LaRoche at DH. I could see the bench something like Bonifaco, Viciedo, Brantly/Kottraras, Davidson (providing he has a good ST to platoon with Gillaspie). I think there is almost no chance Davidson is on our opening day roster next year. Overreacting to a small sample of spring training at-bats would incredibly short-sighted. After last season, he needs consistent playing time in AAA to prove that he can still be part of the big league picture. As for Viciedo, I agree that having Bonifacio makes it easier to have Tank on the bench. And I know it's not a popular opinion around here, but I'd actually be ok with him as a reserve, since he could fill in at 4 spots (LF, RF, 1B, & DH) and provide a league average bat (if you assume last year was an outlier). The problem is both guys will make decent money and I just see Hahn committing that many resources to his bench.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jan 10, 2015 -> 10:25 AM) For anyone with a job that involves making these sort of predictions for a deadline in December, picking someone that no one else picked is both a f=great attention getter and if it pans out, makes you look like a genius. Not the Mr.Genius but a genius. Now be one of the guys that picks a team that has had a historical and for us hysterical streak of sucking (Cubs) to win and it happens . . . Wow. It gets people reading and talking. Great, and when the Cubs don't come close to even making the playoffs, the person who made the ridiculous World Series prediction should lose all credibility as an expert.

Anyone picking the Cubs to win the World Series next year is a joke and should lose all credibility as a journalist or sports writer.

The oldsox/witesoxfan beef has got to be one my favorites on Soxtalk, although it seems to be a bit one-sided.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 5, 2015 -> 12:29 PM) I don't get that feeling at all. Think the Sox have Bonifcatio pegged as the 10th man and they'll give Sanchez his shot. Just that platoon numbers from year-to-year are pretty small samples. You're talking no more than 136 PA's against lefties in any of those three seasons. Look at the career numbers (.291/.340/.380/.720) and it's clear he's capable enough. I really think Micah is the favorite for the 2B job. If you assume he's the long-term answer and anywhere close to ready, then giving him the starting job this year is the better alternative than spending two full seasons developing rookie 2Bs (Sanchez in 2015 and then Micah in 2016). And quite frankly, I think the Sox believe a healthy Micah Johnson is ready enough for a shot at the majors. His speed gives him a tool that will make him at least somewhat dangerous at the bottom of the order even if he struggles with the bat. And they may feel that working with the major league coaching staff and playing alongside Alexei would be good for his defensive development. Not saying that's the right call, but Merkin has pushing him hard since the end of last year as the starting 2B for 2015 and this is one of those rare occasions where he actually might have some insight into what the front office is thinking and is not just spitting out the normal fluff.

I think it's all but certain that Hawkins starts at AA next year.

I think some people are using the term "utility guy" incorrectly in regards to Zobrist. It's almost as if some people feel that him being a "utility guy" is a bad thing and makes him less valuable. Just because he plays multiple positions doesn't mean he's not an everyday starter. If a team wanted to use him exclusively at one position, he'd still be well above average at most spots. In fact, I'd argue that his versatility makes him more valuable than his individual numbers alone suggest. His presence allows for more matchup plays and provides insurance at multiple spots in the event of injury. Neither of those can be quantified very easily and his rolled into his WAR, but both make him more valuable to the team.

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Jan 1, 2015 -> 01:57 PM) What a baseball team should expect of it's manager: 1. A good sense of humor. 2. Gets drunk. 3. Goes off on asshole radio guy. Check, check and check!! Ozzie wins over Robin or for that matter anyone else. thanks, douglas POTY!

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 31, 2014 -> 05:51 PM) a great set of questions, but i would like to add 1 more. after #10 which is about Matt Davidson, i will also add will Erik Johnson rebound as well. i am still thinking the sox will like to see how Davidson rebounds, even tho no one from the front office is saying anything about that. I still like Johnson's odds of rebounding more than Davidson's. A 30% K rate isn't going to translate well to the majors without elite power and I think it's clear that playing in Reno and the PCL league inflated his previous AAA numbers (both BABIP & ISO). At least with Johnson there's some hope that a physical problem caused his stuff to detoriate last season and that with an offseason of rest his arm could return healthy next year. Obviously I'm not banking on that, but I think it's a more likely outcome than Davidson solving his significant contacts issues.

QUOTE (Douglas Rome @ Dec 31, 2014 -> 07:06 AM) who's the better manager, Ozzie or Robin? thanks, douglas Robin is funnier IMO, so I'll go with him.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 03:10 PM) Albert Breer @AlbertBreer· Baltimore's Eric DeCosta drawing big NFL interest. Jets asking again, after a hard run in '13. Bears unlikely as long as Phillips is there. Wow, this right here shows how bad it is having Ted Phillips involved in football decisions in any capacity.

QUOTE (MAX @ Dec 29, 2014 -> 06:38 PM) Yeah, people are free to make there own sexual choices. Crazy I know. Wow, you are one messed up dude. Sleeping with a teammate's wife is acceptable, but past steroid use is completely disgusting? I can tell you for a fact that all 25 men on the White Sox roster would find your position on this laughable, with Avi Garcia being the lone exception. There's absolutely nothing worse for a clubhouse than a guy who is banging a teammate's wife. But hey, freedom for sexual choices!!

QUOTE (MAX @ Dec 29, 2014 -> 05:20 PM) I don't really care if he does tbh. As long as he hits the s*** out of the ball. Hold the f*** on, cheering for a guy that used steriods would make you sick to your stomach, but you're cool with a dude who banged his teammate wife?? I really hope you're just f***ing around, because otherwise you got some f***ed up morals.

Is the HD version of the Wire on ComCast OnDemand?

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 26, 2014 -> 08:19 PM) (beside the fact that most are woefully overrating what Longoria did in the past). Dude, what the f*** are you talking about. Longoria is 2nd in total WAR from 2008 to 2014. What could we possibly be overrating? He's been without question one of the best players in Major League Baseball over the course of his career. You're love for prospects is actually skewing your ability to reason.

I'm not a Robin Ventura fan by any means (manager-wise), but who gives a s*** about his personality. His job is to win baseball games, not to entertain our fan-base during post game interviews. It's amazing in this day and age that someone would actually want to see a head coach/manager fired simply because they're "boring".

QUOTE (oldsox @ Dec 25, 2014 -> 06:40 AM) Are we talking $50 large Up Front? Or spread out over a few yrs? The money will be paid up-front since it's a signing bonus, but how the Sox account for the expense is unknown. Most businesses would consider this type of move a long-term investment and would allocate the cost over the life of the asset (or contract in this case). Baseball is obviously a different animal so who really knows. Either way, I think the sacrifice of future Latin American signings of any significance is the bigger reason why they won't sign Moncada.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Dec 24, 2014 -> 07:10 PM) The Conor platoon talk is getting out of control. Apparently most of Soxtalk hit their primes career-wise at 24 years old and never wanted to get better at anything...or you all got fired after a year. Buncha spoiled jagoffs- merry Christmas Dude, he had a 52 wRC+ (.565 OPS) against lefties last year, which is way better than his career numbers. Conor has showed no signs of being an effective hitter against lefties and it would be foolish to give those 100+ at-bats next year if we're serious about competing. Maybe a Christmas miracle happens and he finally figures out how to hit lefties at some point in his career, but we've done our due diligence and should accept him for what he is currently, which is the strong half of a 3B platoon.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 24, 2014 -> 01:31 PM) I wonder if Danny Valencia could be had from Toronto. I think he'd be a great fit. I wouldn't mind signing Chris Denorfia for his defense and taking him out of the hitters' hells he's been in. C - Brantly/Kottaras 1B/3B - Valencia INF - Saladino/Garcia/Sanchez OF - Denorfia Denorfia makes a ton of sense for us. Strong defensive OF who's been very good against LHP in his career (obviously not last year). When we face lefties, we could play him in RF, shifting Avi to DH and taking LaRoche's bat out of the lineup. How is his CF defense though? Not sure I love the idea of him being our only extra OF given how often Eaton gets banged up.

Where does this idea that Longoria will be cheap come from? He had a down year in 2014 (still very solid), but has been without question one of the best players in the game for a good half decade. Given his relatively affordable contract, he'd cost a f***ton. Last year won't change the price nor should it.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 22, 2014 -> 01:47 PM) I'm all for optimism when it comes to prospects, but can we cool it a little? Sale, Samardzija, Quintana, Danks, and Noesi....that's a rotation good enough to win 90 games if they make their starts and the rest of the team is healthy. Rodon is 22 and could use a couple months in the minors. At the very least, play the first 54 games without him and then evaluate. While I love all the improvements the Sox have made this offseason, we're still on the outside looking in as far as contenders go. Part of that is the back-end of our rotation. Even as a rookie, Rodon could be a big upgrade over Danks and/or Noesi. Given our expected margin for error, I really don't think we can afford to wait two months or more if an upgrade is presently available. Also, what does 54 games get us? No super 2 status? I'm all for the extra year of team control, but avoiding super 2 status isn't worth the cost if you feel that Rodon is better than Danks or Noesi.

I may be in the minority here, but I want him with the big league club ASAP while getting that extra year of team control. Not sure if that's mid April or early May, but I truly believe he's a better starting option than both Danks & Noesei and I don't think we can afford to wait 3+ months for him to replace one of those guys in the rotation if we're serious about competing. Also, I don't think spending a full season with Cooper as a starter in the majors is going to be any worse for his development than dominating minor league hitters for most of the year. Rodon is a special talent and IMO he should be pushed along more aggressively.