Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 12:02 PM) I keep saying it because it is still what I think makes the most sense, for all of the reasons which I articulated earlier. I wasn't trying to beat a dead horse, but rather simply stating that after all of the speculation, I haven't changed my mind. It's just my opinion. I can't really believe that this organization is going to let one year's "budget restraints" dictate their chance for being competitive this year, when they have already stated that they intend to contend, and have traded several promising prospects to acquire two guys with just 2 years left, before free agency. What was the point of that, if they aren't going to try to contend? I believe that they could figure out a way to make it work financially. What about all of this revenue that everyone keeps talking about? They know that the money for La Roche and Danks will be coming off of the books next year. That is a certainty, so there must be a way to work around that. If not, then they just have to accept that they are not only not going to be competitive, but that they will also be totally irrelevant in Chicago. The problem with the second tier guys is that not one of them can bat between Abreu and Frazier, and Frazier's .310 OBP won't cut it, at clean up. Too many of us are focused upon an acquisition to play right field. That is only half of the equation. they need a clean up hitter. Cespedes or Upton would fill that role nicely. You're missing my point. My guess is they'll already have to go above their budget to land one of these guys. Do you really think KW or Hahn will go Reinsdorf for even more money on top of the base cost just so they can front-load a deal to help "motivate" their biggest signing in franchise history? Reinsdorf would probably call off the deal on the spot.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 09:49 AM) After all of this time waiting, all of the talk and speculation, I still think the wisest move for the front office, in which he would be interested, is a 6 year deal, front loaded, with an opt out privilege for him after 2 or 3 years. How many of you share that view? You literally keep saying this every other day but continue to ignore the fact that we're up against a budget this year. It's incredibly unlikely that we'll be able to front-load a deal for either of these guys.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 09:25 PM) On the plus side, there's finally some type of movement or information out there on Upton...and you'd have to think that the Orioles would set a deadline on Chris Davis at some point so they don't miss out on both him AND the outfield market simultaneously. What movement has there been on the Uptpn front?

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 07:27 PM) I think Sox want to give Garcia one more chance this year. Danks and LaRoche deals will be off the books next winter, If Avi stumbles again Sox will get a new OF. Hahn has all but said they want to upgrade from Avi in the OF. Maybe they wanted to dump LaRoche to open up the DH spot for him, but the chances of him being are starting RF next year are slim to none. Rick will definitely get us another OF.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 10:35 AM) By all reports if he would take a one year, he'd be here. What reports are those? Haven't seen a single thing mention we've made any sort of offer to him.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 10:24 AM) Give me Alexei on a two year deal over Desmond on a one year. Figure out the situation with Anderson when it comes. Why would you want Alexei on a two year deal? I'm fairly certain he'd take a one year deal to come back here.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 07:24 AM) Because everyone who spent this off season spent on pitching. And Yankees were not involved with anyone. And a lot of teams close enough to luxury tax to point where they were not interested. Just a deep free agent class is what hurt these guys Not just the Yankees, but also the Dodgers & Red Sox. Those are the top three spenders in baseball and none of them are involved in the OF market this year. Most of the other big spenders with outfield needs are up against the luxury tax (Tigers, Angels) and/or went with cheaper options (Giants, Nationals). The Cubs already got their OF, which eliminates them. The Phillies are tanking, which takes them out of play. The Blue Jays and the Rangers aren't desperate for OFs. The Mets are a financial mess and aren't an option. It's really been a perfect storm for the Sox. Outside the Orioles (if Davis leaves) and maybe the Cardinals, there aren't any serious competitors that look motivated to pay one of these guys $20M+ a year.

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 01:57 PM) Boras pitching Davis as a regular Corner OF: https://t.co/AB8woKXQMU If there isn't a market for Cespedes & Upton, I'm not sure how Boras thinks he'll get more than $150M for Davis by selling him as an OF. We really got to hope Boras doesn't blow this and force Baltimore to sign one the big two OFs instead.

I agree, a one year deal with Upton should be a last resort. Puts us in the same spot next year, but without the benefit of a ton of OF options.

Who plays LF for the Jays now? This doesn't make them players in the Cespedes/Upton talks?

QUOTE (Saufley @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 07:44 PM) Hmmm, Not sure I like hearing that. Clearly a leak from Cespedes' side, no reason to worry IMO.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 06:44 PM) Orioles waiting on Chris Davis. Nationals I think is more focusing on getting a CF. Cardinals best fit is the trade route, imo. Tigers are a scary team because YC has a past with them and the owner is willing to throw money all over the place. Ilitch hasn't shown a willingness to go above the luxury tax though. Can't rule them out, but I wouldn't them a serious threat at this point.

And how about Gary Sheffield, I'd say that was a successful transition.

I believe Jose Valentin played some OF towards the end of his career.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 06:42 AM) I hope there is an announcement of Davis signing with the Orioles today. That would be about the best piece of news possible for the Sox. I do think the Span signing helps as well, as this is slowly becoming a game of musical chairs and these free agent OFs don't want to be the guy stuck without a team and be forced to take a pillow contract. I remain cautiously optimistic about the Sox's chances, but getting Baltimore out of the mix would increase my optimism significantly.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:11 PM) Cmon man this is pure toilet dick. It's an absolutely embarrassing post and confirms his need to be a Negative Nancy at all times.

I can accept losing out on Cespedes or Upton if it requires doing something dumb. But this not going over three years idea is beyond ridiculous. We have Chris Sale under control for four more seasons and our goal should be to maximize our ability to win during that window. The next two free agent classes are bad, so refusing to sign one of these guys will either hinder our chances to compete in the near future or cost us significant minor league talent. How is either option preferable to signing one of these guys to a 4 year deal? Honestly, I'm going to lose my s*** if we lose out on these guys because of this three year nonsense.

Not to be a dick, but I think The Dark Knight Rises is a bad Batman movie and easily the worst one in the new trilogy.

QUOTE (CyAcosta41 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 06:35 AM) I'm certain you're raising this for argument's sake rather than believing his 2015 ISO stops any serious consideration of Markakis as Plan B (or C, D, or E). How about adding these to the brew: * Advanced professional hitter for nearly a decade * Continuing ability to be a left-handed stick * Regularly among OF leaders in OBP * Low-ish strikeouts, plus has a clue about situational hitting * Been a doubles-machine many years of his career * Last year's power numbers (first year in the NL) "MAY" be a total outlier * IS a RF * Passes the eye-test as a good defender (understand that the somewhat controversial advanced defensive metrics are mixed) * $11M AAV for the next 3 years is likely solid value for his likely WAR (likely to age fairly well given his body type) * Cool name Seriously, I can't believe I'm appearing to be an advocate for bringing in 2016 version Nick Markakis. There are all sorts of possible moves I hope we hit on before I go to Plan Whatever. That said, for some of the reasons set forth above and more, he is absolutely a solid incremental addition worth considering if we need to. It's about fit for a particular team. Brute thumping isn't the only gauge of any player, plus what tools can a possible acquisition bring to a team that a certain team might otherwise have in short supply? A football team in need of OL help doesn't forego a prospective lineman because he can't run a sub 5.0 40. IMO, this is very simple. He's averaged about 1.4 WAR over the past five years. Would he be an upgrade over Avi? Sure, as Avi was one of the worst players in baseball last year. However, the worst thing we can do right now is lock ourselves into a multi-year contract with someone who provides below average production. Even if we miss on Cespedes or Upton, with the glut of OF free agents available one of them is bound to take a pillow contract. Either commit to a significant upgrade or go short-term/cheap on a more questionable one. Markakis doesn't fall in either bucket and should be avoided at all costs.

Markakis hit 3 HRs in nearly 700 ABs. His ISO last year was .080. For perspective, Carlos Sanchez's ISO was .103. He may have a nice OBP, but no way in hell am I committing $11M/per for three years to a corner OF with those kind of power numbers.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 10:08 PM) This after show is the best thing ever. One of the greatest 30 minutes of television I have ever seen.

There is nothing good about Gordon going back to K.C. Reduces the supply of impact OFs, doesn't impact the demand for them (if you assume the Royals were all or nothing on Alex), & makes a key divisional competitor stronger. If Upton is a long-shot, then the Sox can't keep dicking around on Cespedes.

I'm sorry, but is this thread serious? Fowler has been a switch-hitter his entire career. What evidence is there to suggest he'd be better batting exclusively right-handed? Are you really using his splits against LHP to make that case? Of course he's better batting against LHP, the majority of right-handed batters are. And unlike a lot of switch hitters where the results are horrible from the weak side, he's actually been pretty solid (about a 100 wRC+), suggesting switch-hitting may be helping. Regardless, it's a huge risk to sign this guy (while giving up a pick) and have him change his entire batting approach, all in hopes of finding the perfect two hole hitter. Who cares if Gordon is left-handed and has to bat after Eaton? He'll face a ton of RHP and likely would be far more valuable in front of Abreu than Fowler would be facing RHP from the right side.

I think it's important to point there isn't one Latin American signing in that list. If I had to guess, I would have to think there are only a handful of other teams (if any) without one in their top 10. Outside of a few exceptions, we've pretty much have had to rely on the draft to build our minor league system. That's obviously changing and the good news is we'll finally see the fruits of our labor this year with the first wave of guys hitting full-season ball and a ton more interesting prospects in rookie leagues. Even if that top 10 list is a bit underwhelming, there is plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the system.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 11:39 AM) Ilitch is old and the Tigers are built to win now. Their farm system is f***ed anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them try to get one of the big 3 even if it put them over the luxury tax. They're right at the luxury tax threshold right now, so basically every dollar spent from this point forward will come with a 17.5% tax. And backloading a deal won't help, as luxury tax calculations use the AAV of all contracts. And let's not forgot the luxury tax rates increase each consecutive year you're over, so there are potential repercussions for 2017 by going over now. IMO, I think they avoid any big free agents, but you never know with Ilitch.