Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 07:26 PM) The Sox were still doing OK with a worthless Morel and then Hudson in 2011. Hannahan/Morel would be depressing, without a doubt but still an upgrade over the first half of 2011, We would have been a much better team with a legit 3B during the 1st half. Who knows how many games that cost us and if things would have turned out differently. I'm a very optimistic fan and I honestly feel like this team will have a real shot next year with a few tweaks, but if we go into 2013 with another black-hole at 3B then I'll lose most of my hope. We don't need an impact player there, just league average production and Brent Morel has shown no signs of being even close to level of player.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 07:07 PM) I always laugh when people use things like "unacceptable". Like they could enforce a consequence for the teams actions... I can't force s***, but I will stop going to 30+ games a year if Brent Morel is our 3B next year. Not sure what wrong with my statement, but please keep post padding.

I'd be fine with a Keppinger or Chavez type, but to settle for Jack Hannahan right now is crazy to me. I'd rather just wait and see if someone becomes available later in the offseason with Sanchez or Beckham being a plan D.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 05:45 PM) @DKnobler How weak and overpriced is 3B mkt? Frustrated White Sox have even looked for guys they could convert to 3B There has to be someone out there that would be better than Jack Hannahan at 3B. Hopefully this tweet is true and Hahn is trying to get creative, because settling for crap this early in the off-season is completely unacceptable IMO.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 05:42 PM) That scraping noise you hear is us at the bottom of the barrel. But seriously, Hannahan is nothing more than a backup on any team. He's not even a platoon player, he just sucks. I don't even want him for the bench. If Brent Morel and/or Jack Hannahan are our 3B next year, then we won't be competing for s*** and I'll start having some concerns about Hahn's chances of becoming a good GM.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 05:29 PM) 3 years, $39 million. Awful deal IMO. I love that Cherington cleared all that salary in the Dodgers mega-deal and then spends a big chunk of it on two average free agents. What a waste of f***ing money, but I guess that's what happens when you try to rebuild in free agency.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 3, 2012 -> 08:15 PM) If he said that he wanted AJ to come back and start you'd be up in arms as well. Kid wants to play, I love it. And we all know AJ feels the exact same way and would admit so as well. They are both super competitive and Flowers is just being honest. I see nothing wrong with the comment.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 3, 2012 -> 11:07 AM) I think a distribution of runs scored in games would be more interesting. From a purely feeling basis, I'll bet a team like this would have many higher individual runs scored in games, but I think they would also be shutout much more often. I'll be their deviation in runs scored would be huge. There might not be a difference in total runs over a season, but an uneven distribution could costs W's. Great post, been saying this to friends for years. This is why batting average and contact are underrated. They lead to more consistent run scoring, which over the course of a season are more valuable than just the sum of the individual runs.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 1, 2012 -> 03:17 PM) If the White Sox are confident Flowers would put up a .791 OPS they would not even consider bringing AJ back. Maybe they are. It has been very quiet on the AJ front. I do think Flowers defensive reputation here will take a little hit if he plays everyday. When he is a little more banged up, and a little more drained from playing, blocking balls in the dirt is going to be a bit more difficult. First let me say that I find that Bill James projection to be very aggressive. I seriously doubt that Hahn expects a .790 OPS out of him next year either, but I really do think that Hahn wants Flowers as his starting catcher. This is an easy spot for Hahn to upgrade the lineup's OBP while saving money for other needs. Your points about Flowers' defense are fair enough. We'll have to see how he handles a full season workload. I think it would be foolish to expect to him to play as many games as AJ typically has, so getting a catcher that can hit right-handed pitching well seems critical to me if Flowers end up as our starter.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 1, 2012 -> 01:47 PM) Well I can't see him being available for a million in the first place. I think he's going to get at least $4 million or so. To your point, however, while I was very optimistic about our chances last year, this year, I am quite pessimistic. I think we are going to really struggle this season, so I'm not concerned so much about durability as much as I am sorting out who is going to be a long-term option and in what roles. IMO, having Joe Saunders or any one of those other veterans isn't going to provide anything that makes a difference one way or the other, so I'd rather save the cash and give the innings to someone for development purposes. Why do you think we're going to struggle next year? Just curious.

QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 1, 2012 -> 12:14 PM) I wasn't overlooking AJ's age. I agree he will most likely drop off (how many said that a year ago and were very wrong). We probably disagree how far he will drop off. I'm not certain what you mean by "not come close". Are you thinking his .278 avg to .225? Slugging from .501 to .300? A 15% drop? 50% drop? Adam Dunn 2011 drop? I'm talking about his slugging % dropping from .501 to about .405. Even at his career OBP of .324, we're talking about an OPS of roughly .730 next year, which is about where he was at in 2011. Solid for a catcher, but nothing spectacular. Flowers had OPSs of .719 and .708 the last two years with us in minimal playing time. Those numbers should improve with consistent playing time. Honestly, I think he'll have a higher OPS than AJ next year, even if AJ hits 50 points higher than him, because he draws a lot more walks and should hit more home runs. I do think that batting average is often underrated, so AJ deserves some credit for that, but overall offensively I think they'll be pretty close. Also, not that this is the gospel or anything, but Bill James is projecting a .791 OPS for Flowers next year vs a .732 OPS for AJ. Thought it was worth pointing out though.

QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 1, 2012 -> 07:59 AM) It seems that what happens with AJ will be a nice indication of JRs and K-Dubs "gut" on the chances for next season. If they believe a playoff shot is less than 50-50, seriously why spend money on AJ? I don't believe they can backslide too much here and remain competitive. I also do not see a no AJ scenario where it would not be a backslide and the chances of Flowers being an upgrade are rather slim IMHO. The problem you're over-looking is that retaining AJ will also be a downgrade at the position. The guy just had a career year as a 35 year old catcher and will not come close to those numbers next year. No matter who we go with, we'll be getting less production at catcher than we did this past season. AJ is one of my all-time favorites and I consider him the smartest on-field player I've seen in my entire life. Unfortunately, he's approaching the age where rapid regression becomes likely. Do I think he'll be the better offensive player over Flowers next year? Sure, but it will be closer than a lot of people think IMO. Plus I think Flowers is the better overall defensive player and game caller right now. Throw in the big salary difference and the fact that Flowers' value diminishes each year he's not a starter and it's clear who I think should get the job in 2013.

QUOTE (flavum @ Nov 30, 2012 -> 05:56 PM) Humber avoided arbitration with the Astros. One year deal with an option for 2014. Assuming the guaranteed year is around $1 million, this is a pretty smart move for the Astros. Nothing to really lose here and if he bounces back they could get something of value for him at the deadline.

The 40 man roster is now at 37.

Humber claimed on waivers by Astros per the Score.

Dan Johnson non-tendered per the Score.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 30, 2012 -> 08:41 AM) If Tyler Flowers is the starting catcher, the Sox just have to find a LH hitting backup, I don't care how they do it. I agree with you 100%. I just don't know what's out there at the moment.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 30, 2012 -> 08:13 AM) Depends on who your other bench guys are. Assuming you carry Johnson and a backup C, with a 4 man bench, you have two guys to cover the OF and skill IF positions. If one of them is a guy like Lillibridge, then all you reall need is a CF backup and you're set. We already signed Wise for next year, so bringing back Johnson would only leave a reserve infielder and backup catcher left to find if we go with a 4 man bench. And quite frankly, in a perfect world our reserve infielder and backup catcher should be left-handed. That probably doesn't happen, but if it did, we'd have an all left-handed bench which is certainly not ideal. Regardless, Johnson just doesn't seem flexible enough to be part of a 4 man bench IMO.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 30, 2012 -> 06:36 AM) This isn't really news. Floyd getting moved is not news, but potentially signing another starter is. I guess my question is what does this mean for the rest of the rotation? Let's say we sign Hochever to be our #5 starter, does Santiago start in AAA or go to our bullpen? Or maybe Hahn just wants to bring in another starter to add some general competition this spring, but it seems Axelrod would be perfectly capable of that. Needing to have 6 starters could also be a sign that Danks isn't progressing as quickly as expected or that Hahn has concerns that Quintana will regress next year.

While I'd like to keep Johnson for his left-handed bat, we obviously can't if we go with a four man bench like we typically have under KW in recent years. And personally I don't think a 5 man bench is needed in the AL. It will be interesting to see how Hahn handles the bench and if he possibly goes with five guys. Honestly, I never thought KW did a great job putting together a bench outside of a few specific years. Maybe Hahn will give it more thought and look for players with specific skillsets that complement the rest of the team.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Nov 29, 2012 -> 05:47 PM) This is definitely one of the more "WTF?" posts I've read in a while. What will it take for people to realize Greg is a troll. I mean he just recently ripped signing Dwayne Wise to be our 4th OF even though Wise was a favorite of his as recently as last year and overall he did fairly well. I'll give Greg some credit though, he's one committed troll and definitely puts a lot of time into this character he's created.

Beckham and Sanchez are natural 2B and should not be considered options at 3B. Unless some GM is willing to overpay for him, Beckham should get one last shot as our 2B. He'll be relatively affordable this year and at least provides great defense. I don't think he'll ever put it together offensively, but if he does he quickly becomes one of the best all-around 2B in Major League Baseball. That potential alone is worth one last shot. As for Sanchez, give him at least half a seasonat AAA and see what you got. Maybe he does well and pushes Beckham for the starting job. No matter what, he provides us with some IF insurance for 2013 while also allowing him more developmental time. I really see no reason to rush him, especially by playing him at a position he doesn't project well offensively at.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 29, 2012 -> 08:07 AM) The problem with signing Youkilis to a 2 year deal is that the team still has a big money DH for the next 2 years, and thus Youk can't be moved there if he gets beaten up at 3rd...and if he does get beaten up, trading him basically = buying out whatever contract he has left. One of them could play first if Paulie isn't brought back.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 29, 2012 -> 12:19 PM) It would make sense considering you aren't going to get what some think you can get for him. I'd dump him in a hearbeat. I would have felt similar about his value two days ago, but given that BJ Upton just got $15 million in free agency, Rios definitely has some value on the trade market. Nothing crazy but he should be at least worth a B-level prospect IMO.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Nov 29, 2012 -> 07:37 AM) That said, I think they'll go cheap at 3b, and possibly sign AJ. I think A.J. is as good as gone. I think he'll be a very effective player for another year or two, but given our payroll concerns, I'd rather allocate my resources elsewhere. Plus Flowers is a solid in-house replacement. 3B is the real concern and going cheap there shouldn't be an option. We really have no in-house candidates there, short of moving one of our 2B like Beckham or Sanchez, which doesn't make much sense IMO. Therefore, we should try to find a long-term solution for 3B and spend the young talent necessary to do so. If such a player is not available, then overpay Youkilis on a short-term deal. I jusr don't see how this team can compete without a legit 3B.