Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 10:03 PM) I def think he got tired. It happens to a lot of guys. Conor is a nice option at 3B against RHP and he's cheap so unless he goes out in a trade that brings back more than a 2 WAR short stop or 3B that's also cheap doesn't make any sense to move him and or not play him. 3B is like 6th or 7th on the list of needs imo. I'd rank pen, starting, lf, 2b, and c ahead. Conor needs a platoon partner that man is Semian. I hope they bigger things planned for Semien than being the weak half of a 3B platoon. Give that role to Saladino.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 06:00 AM) Everyone has a price....even Chris Sale. The package would need to be in the range of Swihart, Bogarts, Ceccini, Betts, Owens and Ranaudo. And that just gets me to start thinking. I'd probably force Danks on them as well. If we trade Sale, then we're punting the 2015 & 2016 seasons. If that's the case, why would you care about John Danks' salary being on our books?

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 08:27 PM) Perhaps you're right, but we don't know that much about Diaz yet, nor the intentions of the front office. Moreover, the Sox probably need Semien to platoon with Gillaspie at 3RD. Honestly, I think Saldino will be Gillaspie's platoon partner. I think the Sox have much bigger plans for Semien than being the weak half of a 3B platoon.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 07:59 PM) I'm just curious. Have you read the all of the recent posts in this thread? Sanchez is far better suited for 2ND, and the Sox will likely need him there, as Micah Johnson is not a Major League defensive second baseman. Semien is not an acceptable MLB defensive SS. And Diaz is not an acceptable major leaguer starter. Defense is obviously important from the SS position, but not at the complete expense of offense. Don't let some PCL stats fool you, there's a reason Diaz was a minor league free agent and not on a team's 40 man roster. Also, where Carlos Sanchez is better suited doesn't matter if the alternative is Diaz being our starting SS. And I'm not yet convinced that Semien can't be a passable major league SS defensively. He only played three games there for us last year, but it's still his natural position. The Sox played him at 3B & 2B a lot last year because they wanted a way to get his bat into the lineup. Yes, he struggled last year at those less familiar positions, but that's not unusual for a young player who is still learning but also trying to make an impression. IMO, it seems like certain posters are overreacting to his high error totals and automatically assuming he's a bad defensive player. I think it's way too early to jump to that conclusion.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 07:54 PM) If Diaz is the starting shortstop at any point next season something went horribly wrong lol 100% agree. Maybe an infielder or two gets injured next year and Diaz becomes a reserve for us, but giving him a starting job!?! Wow is all I have to say.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 06:45 PM) I like Semien's bat potential but there's plenty left to prove yet. He had 10 errors in 33 games at third and 4 errors in 26 games at second for the Sox last year and as I said in an earlier post, Semien's track record as a SS in the minors show he's no SS either which explains why the Sox have tried to convert him to a second or third baseman. Semien is tolerable at second and I'm sure he would improve but if he cannot win the starting second baseman job in ST, the only options are to be a super sub for the Sox or go back to Charlotte. IMO, I think Semien ends up the odd man out and is traded before ST. Just a guess but second base comes down to a Sanchez/Johnson duel and short stop Saladino/ Diaz and likely Leury gets a look as well since he's so versatile defensively. I know this is not what Semien fans want to hear ( myself included) but this is how its starting to take shape. Semien is becoming a bat without a home on the field and if the Sox are going to be legit contenders they must improve defensively. Saladino vs. Diaz for the starting SS job?? Dude, it's not shaping up that way at all. Diaz was added for AAA depth, nothing more. Saladino projects as a useful utility guy once healthy. I seriously doubt Hahn considers either guy a starting caliber player. And I'd be completely shocked if Hahn preferred either guy as a temporary SS fill-in over Semien or Sanchez. In fact, if he's willing to deal Alexei after signing LaRoche, then I'm guessing he's confident one of Semien & Sanchez can handle the SS job. He's not going to give a AAAA player or a fringe prospect 600 plate appearances if they're trying to compete. And what track record are you referring to when you mention Semien's minor league SS defense?

The King of Sabes strikes again!

I hope to god Leury Garcia is not the regular SS if Alexei is moved. I don't care how good some of you think he is or might be defensively, he is absolutely dreadful with the bat. He should be in AAA next year getting consistent at-bats. Semien & Sanchez both provide superior short-term solutions at SS.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 03:18 PM) This move of acquiring Juan Diaz only increases the likelihood that there is something brewing with a Ramirez trade. The Sox have plenty of middle infielders, so this doesn't seem like an organizational roster fill in kind of move. The only thing that I can find about his defensive ability is that he has a strong arm, which is not surprising for a 6'4" SS. He could be the answer to the question; "Who fills the stop gap SS role until Tim Anderson is ready?" To reiterate; If he can play defense, and Kemp would be coming to the Sox in a trade centered around Alexei, I'd be thrilled. He wouldn't have to hit much with that lineup. Remember, this speculated move would not require the loss of a Draft pick. Moreover, if Diaz were to be the SS, his salary is inconsequential. I'm not sure why you're completely ignoring Semien, Sanchez, & Saladino. All three guys would get a crack at the SS job before Juan Diaz. Whether the Sox are trading Alexei or not, adding Diaz is purely a depth move for AAA. He will not be our everyday SS, it's almost as outlandish as thinking Rondon would be given the SS over three prospects that are major league ready.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 10:29 AM) I will say I'm just somewhat disappointed in that it seemed like this would be beginning of a new team strategy for using our position players. For first time since forever, the possibility that our DH could be switched among 11/12 position players could have happened rather than just having two 1B. In all likelihood finding a LH non 1b for this would have been extremely expensive. But, just feeling a bit of "more of this then, eh?" LaRoche was a top 35 hitter last year. I'd much rather use him as our primary DH than rotate a bunch below average hitters there. The rotating DH concept is nice in theory, but you really have to have the right guys in place for it to be effective.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 09:40 AM) I have advocated for Yasmani Grandal for a long time. He's available. The White Sox should trade for him. http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/..._Mike_Petriello 100% agree. Grandal makes do much sense for us. No idea what he would cost though.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 07:59 AM) I think he was top 7 in the NL in HR, RBI and BB. Also, LaRoche's BB % of 14.0 ranked fourth in all of baseball last year, just ahead of Adam Dunn. However, LaRoche's K % was 18.4%, while Dunn's was 31.1%. Considering they had matching ISOs, despite Dunn having a massive home field edge, LaRoche is a clear and significant upgrade IMO.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 10:18 PM) I count approx $80 million if you include Viciedo. With 4 roster spots open- presumably an OF, SP, RP, and (backup) C. $75.6 if you don't include Viciedo. So assuming a $100M payroll and Viciedo is traded, we're right back at the $25M in available payroll that I mentioned earlier

Balta, I don't know what you're suggesting, but there is zero chance our payroll is below $90M this year.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 04:28 PM) I think they will add one more SP. Maybe an upside arm for Tank If we're serious about competing next year, we really need to add a legit #3 starter or better. Rodon, Noesi, & Danks can fill those last two spots IMO, but we another guy at the top with Sale & Quintana that we can rely on.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) In the end I think Tank talk will be irrelevant anyway. Highly doubt Danks gets put in the pen. He's either moved or is the 5th starter. As a 5th starter you can do much worse than a guy who's capable of giving you strong innings a good deal of the time. With Rodon eventually coming up I highly doubt they invest "big" on a starter who will eventually be replaced. That's why I think a guy like Bassitt will start the year in the rotation then eventually move to the pen I hope you're not suggesting a Sale, Quintana, Bassitt, Noesi, & Danks rotation to start the year.

QUOTE (Jake @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 01:18 PM) Seems like the problem with Kemp is that he played atrociously, unfathomably bad defense last year. Like, Adam Dunn kind of numbers in the advanced fielding metrics Seems like he's better in RF than CF or LF, which would work for us.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:57 AM) Alright, I'll "stop". I realize that it is not a suggestion that fits with conventional wisdom on this board. Although I don't quite understand how regular playing time in the big Leagues "stunts" a player's development. And, I do believe that Rondon is arguably the best defensive SS in the entire Minor Leagues. That said, whom do you recommend for SS, if Alexei is traded? Semien or Sanchez. Both present much better alternatives to Rondon, even if they are defensive downgrades.

And let me point out to everyone, LaRoche was 35th in wRC+ & 28th in OPS last year, despite his significant platoon splits. This guy was damn good with the bat no matter now you slice it. He's not the chump some posters are making him out to be. The guy can really hit RHP which is exactly what we need. I'm still concerned about his age to some extent, but the more I look at this deal the more I like it.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 08:06 AM) You're right. And they didn't. I don't see too many positives with this deal. I would've reached higher and farther. It's weird so many people here like the deal, but they didn't like Dunn. LaRoche was way better than Dunn last year and can actually play some 1B. And other than being left-handed first basemen with significant platoon splits, I'm not sure they're that similar. LaRoche is more than just a three outcome hitter against RHP. These Dunn to LaRoche comparisons are just lazy.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:48 AM) jeeze, I must be missing something here. I don't know why I can't embrace him and for what is est to be his salary. Trust me, I don't want to give Headley $14M to $15M a year, but that's likely what he'll get in this market.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 21, 2014 -> 10:38 PM) I still expect Headley is closer to 5/$75. Yeah, you're probably right. Regardless of the years, an AAV of $7M ain't happening.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:39 AM) Oh so the Sox are done for the offseason? News to me. And they got Adam under market value for a short term which fills a need. No reason to not like the deal. Rock, what else are you hearing? Any insights on what may be coming next?

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:13 AM) I had written earlier, that Rondon could conceivably be pushed up to the Majors, because of his defensive prowess. Defense translates at higher levels. If a SS has great hands, instincts and the arm, there is no reason he can't employ those attributes equally at the Big League level. If anything, the better groomed infields might actually improve his performance. The other point I made was that with a lineup featuring Eaton, Abreu, LaRoche, Kemp, Garcia, and Gillaspie, I think the Sox could handle a weak hitting SS. Moreover, I've been intrigued by the fact that Rondon only recently started switch hitting. I believe that it was "Northsider72" who pointed that out. Rondon has actually been pretty good batting right handed. It might interesting to see what would happen if he just went back to hitting exclusively from the right side. Please stop with this suggestion. Rondon would be so bad offensively that it would negate any value his defense would provide. On top of that, you'd be stunting his development significantly. Just an all-around horrible idea when you consider short-term and long-term goals.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Nov 22, 2014 -> 07:18 AM) Rumors are just that. Was that prior to giving Stanton 3 billion dollars? Plus that's just one team so it's not like there was a huge demand for him, if they wanted to sign him, I would have let them. To me, LaRoche is the final piece on a contending team, a guy that can come off the bench in a pinch a hopefully be productive. I don't think he's a guy you count on as a main weapon. At least not on a good team at his age. The problem here is that you clearly haven't accepted we're in a very suppressed offensive environment. Based on both advanced metrics (wRC+) and more traditional ones (OPS), LaRoche was a top 30 to 35 hitter in all of baseball last year. That doesn't mean he will be that productive going forward, and his age is obviously a concern, but has been a much better player than you're alluding to and has a solid chance of being a very valuable member of our lineup. Also, LaRoche will never be our main weapon as long as Abreu is on the team. And I still think Hahn will another impact hitter for the OF. In reality, I think LaRoche will ending up being our third most dangerous power bat. That would be a significant upgrade vs. last year.