Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 06:17 AM) I don't understand the people who think extending Danks is stupid and putting a damper on the "rebuild", but signing this guy, who is the same age or older would be exactly how you go about rebuilding. Isn't the ultimate goal to have as many good players as possible? I'm all for signing the guy, but I really wonder how good he is if he'll have to go to the minors at his age. Certainly not worth the money they have been talking. If he goes to the minors, my guess is that it would only be for a month or two, which wouldn't bother me too much. But considering that Alexei started in the majors, I don't think Cespedes will need time in the minors.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 03:51 AM) So what's the most accurate information out there, age 26-30? There's strong reason to believe he's 29 or 30, it obviously becomes a MUCH MUCH higher risk...26, okay, he hits his prime in the majors at 27-30. But not if he's already right on the cusp of that age as of now. False ages have been much less of a concern since 9/11. Cuba may be a different story, but my guess is teams will do their due dilligence considering the price.

QUOTE (Andrew @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 12:10 AM) So, are we going to sign this almost 30 year old who makes great workouut tapes, or what? The guy turned 26 in October, but I guess that counts as almost 30.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 01:55 AM) Silverio was an intriguing prospect a few years back when he was still a SS. But he's nothing special as a 3B, he's got a strong arm, but he doesn't have great range, and his throw is not accurate. I think he would move to LF eventually. His offense is a bigger suspect, as he couldn't hit for power, his plate discipline is terrible, and he is not a good base runner. Add that up, you got a sub .700 OPS player with no speed and average defense. He will be lucky if he can make it to the majors as a utility player. The plate discipline is a concern, but he's a 20 year old player latin player. Still too early write him off based on that. I completely disagree on the power, as he had nearly 60 XBHs last year. A huge number of those were doubles and triples, and some of them will start going over the fence as he fills out his frame. The defense is what will most likely kill his prospect chances, because his offensive potential won't translate to a corner spot, so it's really 3B or bust. His odds of sticking at 3B look pretty bad at the moment. No doubt he's a long-shot, but I like him than a lot of garbage in our system.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 08:09 PM) I'm not sure it's a lateral move. He went from Director of Latin Operations in Toronto to Special Assistant to the GM - International Operations with the White Sox. Probably a raise, more power, more autonomy, and all those good things that come with what seems to be a promotion. Then that's great news. Just wanted to understand why the Blue Jays would allow to leave and this makes perfect sense.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 08:03 PM) I wouldn't have Martinez, Marinez, or Silverio in my top ten. I'd probably have Hector Santiago, Dylan Axelrod, and Erik Johnson replacing them, though not necessarily in that order. The Baseball America list is pretty bad. Yes, the BA list is pretty bad, but what can you really expect from Phil? At least he got the first 5/6 right. As for the bottom of the list, for some dumb reason I was thinking Axelrod wasn't eligible, but yes he and Santiago should definitely have been included. I like Johnson as well and think he should be right around 10 - 12.

I really wish we had some insight on how the Paddy deal went down. Seems like it was a lateral move for him, so I'm hoping and guessing we gave him a significant raise over what he was making in Toronto. You have to wonder why AA was willing to let him go.

I really wish we had some insight on how the Paddy deal went down. Seems like it was a lateral move for him, so I'm hoping and guessing we gave him a significant raise over what he was making in Toronto. You have to wonder why AA was willing to let him go.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 05:32 PM) I can tell you one thing, Juan Silverio won't be in the top ten. What a joke. You really think Martinez and Marinez are better prospects? Silverio is still fairly young (turns 21 in April), has a nice set of physical tools, and is coming off a pretty decent season with the bat. He's obviously a huge long-shot and may not even have a true position (he was beyond terrible at 3B last year), but at least he has some upside if he puts everything together. Moreso than a lot of players in our system. Maybe he shouldn't be in the top 10, but he deserves to be ranked ahead of Martinez and Marinez at least.

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QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 01:20 PM) lol Phil Rogers writes for BA now? He's been doing the Sox list for years.

Phil Rogers is so f***ing stupid. Not surprised in the slightest that he included Marinez and Martinez in the top 10, despite them having no business being there. I'd take Escobar over Martinez if I had to, but we definitely have a couple other position playing prospects with higher upsides than just a reserve infielder. Mitchell is reaching his make or break year, but he's still a better prospect than Ozzie f***ing Martinez. If I had 30 minutes, I bet I could come up with 3 - 5 more obvious ones. Also, while Wilkins is nothing special, Rogers has the nerve to say he'll be our future 1B but still rates him lower than Martinez. That makes absolutely no sense to me. As for Marinez, how is Hector Santiago not ahead of him? Hell, I may take Infante or Leesman over him if I'm just looking at relievers that are close to major leage ready. There's also three pitchers from last year's draft I'd rate higher in Johnson, Soptic, & Snodgrass.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Jan 10, 2012 -> 09:03 PM) This isn't happening. The White Sox still have a horrible reputation in the DR and Cuba for the bonus skimming scandal. Also, someone explain to me why an organization that spends no money in the draft would pay top dollar for either of these players. I don't really see how our bonus skimming scandal would affect us in Cuba. I think the fact that we signed Viciedo months after firing Wilder is proof of that. Not sure why you think it would. As for signing Cespedes, we're talking a near major leage ready 5 tool talent. Guys like that aren't available in the draft, so I don't see how bringing up our lack of spending there really makes sense. You don't think KW would be willing to take a chance on a potential superstar? He's gambled on much less in the past.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 10, 2012 -> 09:28 AM) And this is normal in January. You don't run out and offer big money to backups to fill out the bench. You offer minor league deals in February to guys who can't find anyone to offer them a starting job. There's also a lot of time to bring in some bullpen arms on minor league deals too. Right now, the concern should be on the potential big moves like trading Floyd or signing Cespedes. If Floyd returns, then Axelrod is all but a guarantee for the bullpen IMO, so that's one less spot to fill. If we bring in Cespedes, then Lillibridge can spend most of his time in the IF, so the need for a veteran backup IF becomes less critical. The big dominos need to fall before we worry about the little ones.

QUOTE (striker @ Jan 10, 2012 -> 07:18 AM) Maybe AA is waiting on some other dominoes to fall, which in turn are waiting on other dominoes: Darvish (TEX), Fielder (TOR/WAS/TEX), Garza (TEX/TOR/DET). Waiting on Darvish would be a mistake. If the Rangers can't get him signed, that just means another possible suitor for Floyd. Most likely, they are still in the running for Garza and won't turn to Floyd or other options until that gets settled. Unfortunately for KW, Garza is probably hindering his ability to move Floyd. Hopefully Epstein hurries the f*** up.

Yeah, this would have been a spectacular deal. Two quality SP prospects, one with significant upside, who also happens to be major league ready. That's the type of return that KW should be demanding for Floyd. If he can't get it now, then move Floyd at the deadline. Even if this rumor is bulls***, as it appears, I really hope there have some talks with the Jays regarding Floyd. If we can add two more quality SP prospects to the Stewart, Molina, Castro, Santiago, & Petricka mix, we'd be in pretty good shape to build a nice long-term rotation.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 5, 2012 -> 06:22 PM) You can never have enough relievers. If they do get Thornton though, that would be one hell of a bullpen. Santos, Thornton, Oliver, Frasor, Janssen, Camp, and Litsch (if he doesn't start). I don't disagree, but Thornton's $6 million option seems like a lot to take on, especially after signing Oliver and then acquiring Floyd. I have no idea what the Blue Jay's budget is though.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 5, 2012 -> 06:22 PM) You can never have enough relievers. If they do get Thornton though, that would be one hell of a bullpen. Santos, Thornton, Oliver, Frasor, Janssen, Camp, and Litsch (if he doesn't start). I don't disagree, but Thornton's $6 million option seems like a lot to take on, especially after signing Oliver and then acquiring Floyd. I have no idea what the Blue Jay's budget is though.

If the Blue Jays just signed Oliver, would they really want to take on Thornton's salary as well? That doesn't seem likely IMO.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jan 5, 2012 -> 12:44 PM) Think Jax would sign for It's not happening. What other pitcher are you talking about?

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jan 5, 2012 -> 12:23 PM) Not a chance on earth I know it will never happen, but that plan would make perfect sense. IMO, Jackson is an upgrade over Floyd. With him, Danks, & Sale, you have three long-term pieces already in your rotation. You'd just need Humber or minor leaguers to fill those last two spots. That would seriously quicken the rebuilding of the pitching staff.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 5, 2012 -> 08:12 AM) You have to admit that sticking to a "The Sox aren't picking up any portion of Peavy's remaining salary" rule this season would be nuts. If the Sox are below .500 at the break and Peavy has pitched well enough that another team will absorb $3-4 million of what he has left, maybe even just the buyout, and give something back that might prove org. filler, the Sox would be crazy to hold him. That's "Fire everything!" level stupidity. I think you're undervaluing what Peavy would be worth if he pitches like a legit front of the rotation starter. Once you get to the trade deadline, the price to acquire players usually increases, especially for starting pitching. Look what it cost the Cardinals to acquire Jackson (mid rotation starter) and some relief arms. GMs are willing to pay a premium at the deadline if a player is believed to help them make and/or succeed in the playoffs. With the lack of quality SP, the price is always crazy. We wouldn't have to eat much (if any for a team like the Yankees) of Peavy's salary to get something of decent value for him IF he's pitching like a #1 or #2 starter.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 5, 2012 -> 01:04 AM) They're much, much, much smarter and cheaper ways of acquiring OF depth. I can appreciate everybody wants Rios, Dunn and Peavy gone. But coming up with these ridiculous scenarios (not just you hi8is) that make no sense at all for the non-White Sox side is not going to make the impossible possible. Yup, people need to accept the fact that we are stuck with Peavy, Rios, and Dunn until the trade deadline bare minimum. If Peavy is both healthy and performing well, then he should be fairly easy to move by then. However, no one is going to take on Rios or Dunn until they've proven last year was anomalies for them. That may be 4 months of strong performance for some GMs and maybe a full season for others. There's no way of really knowing for sure and until they actually produce like quality players the point is moot. So Peavy will definitely be gone after next season and everyone would move Rios at a drop of a hat no matter how well he was producing at the time, but what about Dunn? If he comes out strong in 2012 and looks like the player he was prior to last year do we keep him? I think that's a tougher question to answer. IMO, his consistencely prior to 2011 would proably convince me that 2011 was an outlier and that we should keep, especially with the void of left-handed hitting in the organization.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 09:24 AM) I think some of us do have an idea of the value of a baseball players and it isn't two so-so minor league pitchers for a player like CQ. The trade happened because the GM made some bad decisions and now needs to shed payroll by trading off the better players we have that will and were coring some salary money. We keep the mistakes, who are paid way to much, and continue to suffer. I understand you aren't crazy with the trade and I am certainly not. Reality though is it was done and it's over. So you are saying KW purposely passed on significantly more value to make this particular trade? Because two "so-so minor league pitchers" is what KW got for Quentin as you said. If that isn't the true value of Quentin, then he must have passed on better trades right? That's what your saying? The reasons KW dealt Quentin are irrelevant to his value. He's worth what is right now because of his current abilities and expected production, not what players like Dunn & Rios are being paid. Your problem here has nothing to do with a lack of statistics, but simply not using basic logic to walk through the scenario. Quentin is worth very little due to his own doing and no one else's. Why is this so hard for you accept?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 2, 2012 -> 10:52 PM) Okay, in that case, they'd have to trade for him, so it doesn't make as much sense....too risky, giving up talent and committing to an uncertain pitcher who has never pitched in the AL before. He's in that Danks/Quentin/Jenks/Crede delicate year-to-year arbitration no man's land. And surely the Braves won't try to extend him unless they're 100% certain about his long-term viability and injury prognosis. So that leaves Kuroda, Rodriguez and Oswalt (that it could be realistically argued would be able to outperform Floyd). Isn't Rodriguez under contract too?