Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 01:06 PM) Would have agreed after the first two months. Now there are some doubts again. Especially about consistency. That and the fact that he's not really a refined basestealer by any stretch of the imagination. The White Sox would be much more likely to stick him at 9th in the line-up to start out. Walker really profiles more as a prototypical leadoff hitter. Mitchell could be the guy...but he's got a ways to go. I wouldn't over-analyze stolen base rates in the minors. A guy like Mitchell is probably given the green light anytime he wants. The fact is his speed is top notch and he walks a ton, which makes him a leadoff candidate. His power is what could make him special though. He's still a raw player and high and lows should still be expected at this point.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 12:59 PM) I think they should consider bringing Pierre back. His .385 OBP v. righties would provide nice insurance for Viciedo and he'd come cheap. Deaza Pierre Youk Dunn Konerko Rios AJ Ramirez Beckham Wow, Juan Pierre??? No thanks. I don't care how he's doing this year, I don't want to see him on the Sox ever again.

QUOTE (scenario @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 12:13 PM) Mitchell is a much better prospect than many people on the board recognize. I think some of the hate is due to him being picked before Trout. Time to let this go... 20 something teams made the same mistake. It wasn't just us. Meanwhile, people look at Mitchell's .247 batting average this season and trash him without recognizing he also has a .373 OBP and .824 OPS. Personally, I think we're going to see a big jump in performance from him next year. He's got a freakish combination of speed and power for a CF. I agree with you 100%. The strikeouts are worrisome to some extent, but Mitchell also walks a ton so they come with the territory. The fact is his combination of power, speed, and patience gives him the potential to be one of the best leadoff men in the game. I still think Mitchell is our #1 prospect and easily a top 100 prospect in the game. As for Dempster, people need to realize that Hamles, Greinke, and Garza are all more attractive options. If I'm going to give up a top 100 prospect and more, I'm going to make a run at those guys first. On top of that, teams won't be getting any compensation for losing Dempster at the end of the year, which seems very likely at this time. Finally, there just aren't as many teams that are willing to sacrifice young talent as there used to be. The Cubs will get something solid for Dempster, no doubt, but to think they'll get way more than a Jared Mitchell as the centerpiece of a package is crazy IMO.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 11:04 AM) You wrote that maybe Axelrod and Mitchell could get you Dempster. I strongly disagree with that. I'm sure there is a team that views Dempster as the difference between winning a division or not and that is what will push his price higher than Axelrod and Mitchell. As much as people hate Jared Mitchell around here, he's going to be a top 100 prospect. I seriously doubt will get a much better prospect for Dempster, when there are better pitchers on the market and the acquiring team will get no compensation at the end of the year.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 08:35 AM) This. Which is why I'm not giving the world for him. Sounds like Greinke wants crazy money and is going to test free agency no matter what. I think that and his bizarre personality will turn some teams off. I wouldn't count out the Sox if we're willing to trade Castro. He is pretty much an immediate replacement and has a fairly high upside. I don't know if other teams would offer a prospect as talented and close to the majors. If we combine him with another solid pitching prospect (Rienzo or Johnson) and a solid position playing prospect (Saladino, Thompson, or Walker) we just might have enough to make a fairly interesting offer.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 13, 2012 -> 09:07 AM) Len Casper was on the score yesterday and he was talking about Cubs tradeable assets, and mentioned that the Cubs were willing to get rid of Marmol and eat most of his contract. Given crains recent injury issues, snatching Dempster and Marmol really seems like not so bad of an idea right now. I would actually put Marmol back in the role he excelled in, 8th inning, and let Reed continue to close. No thanks on Marmol. He's far too erratic for my liking. As much as I hate Dempster, he does make some sense if the price is right. While our system may not have any elite pitching prospects, we have quite a few interesting pitching prospects. Axelrod, Hernandez, & Leeseman are all low ceiling, high floor guys that are ready or close to being ready for the majors. Then we got some high risk, high reward guys like Rienzo, Petricka, and Johnson that are farther but away but could still fit in the Cubs long-term plans. I think we could use two of those guys and make an attractive offer, assuming no team goes out and offers something stupid.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 10:34 AM) Anyone still want to defend Paterno? Where is Jordan4Life and that stupid f***ing Paterno photo he rocked for a few months?

What are the odds the Magic would consider Noah, Korver, the Bobcats pick, and a couple future 1st round picks for Dwight? I think that's a better package than what NJ was offering and if Dwight is unwilling to sign an extension, how much can the Magic really expect to get for him? They'd be getting one of the better centers in the league (with ties to Florida), a $5 million expiring contract, one extremely high upside pick, and a couple fluff picks. If necessary, they could move Noah in a separate deal for picks and/or young players. I think there's some logic to it for them. If I'm GarPax, I'd be willing to trade Noah and the Bobcats pick and risk losing Dwight for nothing. Worst case scenario is we gain some future cap space. Best case scenario he enjoys his time here and resigns with us. The middle ground is we control his bird rights and assist in a sign and trade that recoups some value. No matter how it would play out with Dwight, we'd still be able to amnesty Boozer and allow Deng's contract to expire to clear addional cap space to go after a second star in two years. Plus we'd still have Mirotic, Gibson, and Asik under our control or would have received other valuable assets for them. I just don't see too much downside with such a deal.

People need to realize that there will be like 5 or 6 starters on the market better than Volquez. The Padres will get something solid for him, but let's not pretend they have a ton of leverage here. Teams will move on to other options if the price is outrageous. Also, there just aren't enough teams anymore that are willing to sacrifice a ton of young talent at the deadline for average players. The new compensation rules won't help either. Prices should come down somewhat, although I think the additional wild card spots will negate that some.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 01:02 PM) Otherwise, I don't know how to do it without using Viciedo. What? We can add a starting pitcher without trading Viciedo. Maybe not Hamels or Grienke, but we can definitely get a decent innings eater for much less. Also, the cost of rentals should drop with the change in compensation rules.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 12:34 PM) Did I miss a game where he pitched poorly? He had a terrible one batter outing when he looked very green. The rest I can remember were fine outings that made it seem like he deserved his role. I didn't see the particular outing, but caulfield has mentioned it multiple times. I've liked what I have seen of him so far.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 10:10 AM) Beck was a consensus top 10 pick prior to bulking up and losing a bit of mobility, which cost him some velocity and ultimately his overall draft status. Lot of upside with this pick. Heiden is young, has put up good numbers, however, his overall stuff is relatively fringy. He is a lefty and he has seen some increases in velocity since joining the system (which is a plus). I tend to think FS as a whole thinks lesser of Heiden than it probably should, however, I can easily see why it is hard to get excited about him when you consider his stuff (he does possess a good sinking fastball). Heidenreich is a righty.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 08:59 AM) The problem of course is that if a rookie reliever comes up in a pennant race and has repeated outings where he can't throw strikes...he might well have a great future as a solid reliever for the next 20 years, but he'd still be a liability during that particular pennant race. Repeated being the key word here. He's had one so far. Let's give him a few more appearances before we start looking at other options for this year. I'm not saying you're guilty of this, but there are way too many people on this site who have no patience for young players. Let these young guys get some work in and get over the initial pressures of being in the majors before writing them off. That's all I'm saying.

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 08:40 AM) All this talk of Humber coming back make me Why? He'd be replacing Axelrod. Worst case scenario, it's a neutral move. Best case scenario, Humber is a significant upgrade. I'm not sure what's not to like.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 08:41 AM) Septimo's going to be on short notice too if he has a couple more outings like Sunday. Walks and no clue about holding the runner (Rajai Davis) on base....wild pitch, the perfect storm of a bad appearance. It's one thing to do well against the Yankees in games that are out of reach, but pitching when the pressure's on? I've seen you make this same statement four or five times now. Why on earth would you jump to conclusions on a reliever after one appearance unless his stuff was terrible? Clearly that's not the case and he's new to the majors. Let's give him some time before we write him off.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 12:20 AM) Is Carlos Sanchez going to have the glove to stick at 2B? I want to be excited about the kid because a 20 year old with those kinds of peripherals - ISO aside - looks like he could be a very valuable member of the lineup, depending on how he fills out. Just based on his height/weight, he sounds a lot like Alexi Casilla. Alexi Casilla - age 21 - A+ - .331/.390/.406/.796 in 359 PAs, with a K% of 10% and a BB% of 8.4%, and much better speed numbers (12 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 31/37 in SB). It's eery how similar those seasons really are. So, if Sanchez has the bat to stick at 2B, he could be a nice player. It also depends on how he fills out, because if he can get stronger, a few of those singles can turn into doubles. He is probably the one player in the Sox system I'm the most interested in going forward. Sanchez plays a lot of SS, so I'm guessing he can stick at 2B long-term.

1. Jared Mitchell 2. Courtney Hawkins 3. Simon Castro 4. Keon Barnum 5. Nestor Molina 6. Trayce Thompson 7. Carlos Sanchez 8. Keenyn Walker 9. Tyler Saladino 10. Andre Rienzo

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,5498797.story

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 12:49 PM) Jim Callis ‏@jimcallisBA RT @BAHighSchool: #WhiteSox signed Sammy Ayala for $258,800. Calif HS C went in 17th rd. Physical w/ plus arm, good pop. #mlbdraft Pretty nice get for the White Sox here. I didn't think he was signing. This is great news. Glad to see we're actually using our excess funds.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 8, 2012 -> 04:23 PM) I wouldn't feel like a team needs a multi-year run like the Rays to have "broken through" or become good of however we're going to say it. Pirates are right in the thick of things this year, 11 games above .500, leading the NL Central at the break with a better record than the White Sox. Good for them. I'm actually cheering for them to win the division. I just don't think it's going to happen. Also, I hope you realize the Sox are much, much better team than the Pirates. I could care less what the records say.

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Jul 8, 2012 -> 12:36 PM) What does that matter? Not everyone on your team is going to be long-term, hell we are losing Peavy/Youk next season most likely but that doesn't change what they are doing for us this season. You build from within the organization and take chances on guys like Burnett/Bedard to help get you where you need to be. Because I'm talking about the long-term outlook of the franchise and that right there is 2/5 of a rotation to fill and we're not talking about stiffs. Balta made a comment as if the Pirates have finally broken through and that's just not true. The only reason the Pirates have been good this year is because of their pitching and they'll have to replace those two guys fairly soon or commit big dollars to them that will prevent them from doing other things. Plus their offense is garbage outside of one player. I just don't think they have a great major league core to build around yet. Not sure what you're even arguing here.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 8, 2012 -> 09:26 AM) Pittsburgh isn't out of anything yet. But it helps to have guys like Longoria and Price, or McCutcheon and McDonald, etc. Thank you. Pittsburgh may have a good record right now, but it's not going to last, as their offense is incredibly bad. Also, they have two starters in Burnett and Bedard that aren't long-term solutions. Everyone likes how they're building that organization, but let's not give them too much props just yet. One other thing people need to realize is that teams like KC and Pittsburgh have spent big on the draft to quicken their rebuilding efforts, but a good chunk of these over-slot players are Boras clients. So they'll have these guys for six years and then they're likely off to the highest bidders. IMO, the Royals are in big trouble, because by the time they develop a half-way decent pitching staff, a bunch of their position players will be gone.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Jul 7, 2012 -> 06:07 PM) I believe the majority here believes Sale will be shut down at some point at the end of season. I don't believe that all. I think there will be one, maybe two breaks along the way. Sale is critical to any post-season success.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 7, 2012 -> 11:57 AM) You guys are delusional for where the free agent market is going. In what sense? I don't see any reason to extend him now, but if he keeps it up the rest of the way, my max offer for him would be two years, $15 million. I really don't see a lot of teams going much higher. His age will limit the years and his reputation will limit the dollars. I think he'd be willing to take a $1-2 million less a year to stay in Chicago.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 04:25 PM) A better hitting backup catcher would at least be useful if one were available. Does Flowers have any options remaining? I don't want to lose him for a marginal upgrade at backup catcher, especially when there is no guarantee A.J. will back next year.