Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 3, 2014 -> 08:24 PM) I feel like if they can solve one of these major issues through trade they can pull of the rest in a sensible way (and don't have to lose their 1st round pick if they sign someone), but the key step is they need a major trade to fill 1+ of these holes. Call me confused. First, our 1st round pick is protected. Second, how is filling a major need by trade going to be more sensible than losing a 2nd round draft pick? We're talking about giving up partially developed prospects or even major league players vs. an unknown commodity years away from contributing. Unless of course you're talking about taking on a big contract that doesn't require much of a return. I agree that filling all our needs in free agency is unrealistic, but all else being equal, I'd much rather use our cash to fill needs than our limited minor league talent.

I think some people on this board are really over-valuing draft picks. 1st rounders are obviously important, but losing 2nd & 3rd round picks should never sway you from adding an impact player, at least if you think you're team is close to being competitive. And I get you also lose their bonus allotment, but when you're trying to add outside talent and the trade-off is losing a pick/bonus or trading away partially developed prospects, I'm going to sacrifice the unknown commodity first every single time.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 1, 2014 -> 01:53 PM) I think anybody saying that Adam Dunn was a horrible hitter for the White Sox is completely mistaken, but he definitely didn't live up to lofty expectations. He was a horrible hitter one year and about exactly what you could expect out of him the other 3. I wish him well, hopefully he keeps winning Oscars. Adam Dunn was a 135 wRC+ hitter when we got him and he was about a 110 wRC+ hitter for us his last three years. Even completely ignoring 2011, I was expecting a lot more out of him.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Oct 1, 2014 -> 11:54 AM) To come to eminors defense he did say Beck, Viciedo, and a couple fliers for Bruce, not just Beck. I think the deal he actually proposed, depending on your definition of "Fliers" is, is actually pretty reasonable. Perhaps something like Beck. Viciedo, Saladino, and Andrew Mitchell. Or lesser versions of Saladino/Mitchell Saladino & Mitchell have almost no value. Viciedo isn't worth much either. I don't see much of a difference between Chris Beck (who isn't that good of a prospect in the first place) and Chris Beck plus some garbage. Again, this is a guy who would have cost at least top three 5 prospects a year ago. He won't be available that cheaply when his contact is pretty reasonable.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 1, 2014 -> 07:58 AM) You haven't added why I should have confidence that a knee injury that hurt him the entire season will not be a future issue. Because he'll actually have a full off-season to rehab it. I'm sure patc could offer some expertise here, but everything I read said a full recovery is expected. Balta, I really wish the other 29 GMs had the same tolerance for risk as you. "Oh s***, my 27 year old star outfielder had a horrible, injury-plagued season, I better trade him for Chris Beck & salary relief ASAP! He'll never bounce back from his negative WAR season!" Again, Bruce is a perfect buy-low candidate, but Jocketty isn't going to overreact to one bad season and just give him away. We have to be prepared to give up some talent if we really want to get him. Salary relief and a C+ prospect won't cut it.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Oct 1, 2014 -> 12:09 AM) So you'd give up something like Montas/Danish, Ravelo, and Sanchez for him? Because I sure as hell wouldn't. Our system is no longer so atrocious that our 6-15 guys are worthless. Jay Bruce from 2010 to 2013: WAR: 4.9, 3.0, 2.1, 4.0 (avg. = 3.5) wRC+: 124, 119, 120, 117 (avg. = 120) He turns 28 on Opening Day next year, bats left-handed, and is under-team control for the next three years at $12.5M/per. One horrific season, almost certainly due to a knee injury, won't change my expectations of him over the next three years. I'm confident he'll be a 3 to 4 WAR player during that time. Bruce is a guy that would normally cost you three top 5 prospects to obtain, so if I can get him for three guys in our 6 to 15 range you can bet I'll make that deal. I'd obviously like to hold onto Montas and Danish if possible, but they aren't going to hold me back from Jay Bruce if the other two pieces I'm giving up are Sanchez & Ravelo, neither who has star upside. Your deal is a no-brainer IMO.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 07:24 PM) I don't see why it's impossible to discount that. After all, you discounted the words "or 2012" in my comment. Come on Balta, Bruce had a horrible 2014 season, but do you actually think he forgot how to play baseball or suddenly aged seven years? From what I've read he was never 100% this season due to a knee injury. As long as he can fully recover in the offseason, I see very little reason expect much less than his pre-2014 performance. If so, trading him for Chris Beck would be a firable offense IMO. If I'm Hahn, Bruce is definitely a guy I go hard after. I'd be willing to give up three guys in the 6 to 15 range for him without hesitation. Not sure that will be enough, but I think it's worth a shot in the off-chance the Reds are desperate to rebuild and no-one is offering more.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 06:39 PM) OJT? On job training?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 05:41 PM) After what he did this year, that would be like us laughing at an offer of Chris Beck for Adam Dunn after his 2011 or 2012 seasons. I don't think that would be laughable if the team giving that guy up took the salary on. So a 31 year old DH coming off a -3.0 WAR season with $42M in remaining payroll commitments is the same as a 27 year old RF coming off a -1.1 WAR with $25.5M in remaining payroll commitments?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 10:31 AM) This is more "pie in the sky" than usual for me, but what about Jay Bruce? Reasoning: Reds are looking like a disaster now and are expected to start a rebuild, beginning with unloading their pending FA starters. Bruce is under contract, but he still costs a significant amount of money and is coming off a terrible year. So he could be available. Why would we want him? He is one year removed from being good and is still currently left-handed. He's a good defender. He is under contract for two more years at $12m per year with an option on the end. I think 2/24 is more in line with the risk I'd be willing to take on a NOW type of bat, and if it worked out, we could extend him or just let him go to free agency. What would he cost? Tough to say. He obviously has upside and a good track record, but holy crap did he have a terrible, terrible year in 2014. How much did that sink him? I think I'd be willing to send a mid-top ten type of prospect (Chris Beck?) along with a flier or two and throw in Viciedo for good measure if they want him. I don't know if that would get it done or get me laughed off the phone, honestly. I mean he was worth -1.1 fWAR in 2014, lol. Chris Beck for Jay Bruce?? Walt Jocketty might actually did from laughter from that offer. Having said that, I would love to target Bruce and would easily give up several prospects in the 6 to 15 range to get him.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 06:06 PM) Q: If Ozzie signed a document saying he would pay a $1 million fine if he opens his mouth about any issue besides baseball would you accept him back on a one-year deal, to be renegotiated after each season he's with the Sox? f*** no.

I think Hahn deserves an A for Abreu alone. Think about how bad our offense would be right now without him. We'd basically be completely f***ed. He filled our biggest hole in the entire organization (impact bat) and did so relatively cheaply. The rest of his moves are simply icing on the cake. Now, obviously it wasn't a perfect offseason, but his hits far, far exceeded his misses and he's moved us in the right direction.

Quintana getting anything less than an A is ridiculous. He was amazing this year.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Sep 28, 2014 -> 08:47 AM) I don't even know if you can expect 80% of his current production. His OPS is 100 points above his previous career high. Then add in the aging curve. I would not prefer to wait for the magical core; I want things to happen this offseason. I just don't think he's the right answer. Fair enough, I obviously understand the risks that would come with signing Martinez. I just think we need be aggressive this winter, because we don't know how long we'll have a healthy Sale/Quintana/Rodon to build our team around. We need to add as much as talent as possible this offseason without hurting the farm, which means taking some chances in free agency and/or acquiring a guy(s) with an overpaid contract.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Sep 27, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) Beltran was two years removed from anything resembling a season like the one Victor is having now. I agree that signing him at that price would be a good call. And when it's that easy, you can bet he'll get more money. Also, notice how Beltran had his worst season ever this year. The risks of signing a player that old are very real, guys. If he's going to cost way more than I suggested then don't sign him. I'm just saying if the risk is limited to three years, I'm willing to give him $15M per and lose a 2nd round draft pick. As I said before, it's possible he falls off a cliff, but so could any major league player. Adam Dunn was one of the most consistent players in major league history before we signed him. Do we just stop signing players over 30 years of age like Balta would do if he was GM? Hell no, you always take calculated risks if the reward can be significant. The offensive environment is way different today than it was a few years ago and Victor Martinez at 80% to 90% of his current production is still an impact bat. We have money to spend and a huge need for a left-handed bat. Keep Victor strictly at DH, give him a day off every couple of weeks and I'm feel pretty good about his odds of staying productive over the next three years. What I find amusing is people are so risk adverse against signing older free agents, but would prefer to wait for this magical core to come up through the minors and fill all our remains holes. IMO, the biggest risk we can take right now is wait much longer to supplement Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Abreu, Eaton, & Garcia while they're still young, cheap, and healthy. Fills needs now as best you can and not waste the surplus value these guys are currently providing.

I don't see Martinez getting much more than 3/$45M. That's the exact contract Beltran got at basically the same age. If so, that's a no-brainer for us IMO. I'm perfectly aware that's he not going to repeat his current season and there is some chance he suddenly falls off a cliff, but he's such smart/pure hitter that I think he's got a good shot of remaining well above-average with the bat over the next three years. A 1-2-3 of Eaton-Semien-Martinez would make Abreu even more dangerous.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 26, 2014 -> 04:14 PM) I don't think anyone would argue his stuff was good this year. The question is why, and no one seems to know. But when a guy's stuff just disappears like that, I'm not ready to say he's just not good. There's likely an explanation. And if it is something that can be addressed, I like his chances of contributing. 100% agree, which is why I like his chances of returning to form more so than Davidson's. Contact issues are very difficult to overcome once you reach the high minors. I think some people bought too much into the Baseball America hype and refuse to let it go. Hope he proves me wrong though.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Sep 24, 2014 -> 06:41 PM) Not only that, but I got him with the 9th waiver position. Ridiculous. The league is almost half women. Settle down Hawk!

I think the Sox are planning on Tim Anderson becoming our starting shortstop by 2017. So unless you can get something of significance for Alexei, you might as well hold onto him through 2016. If this team is serious about competing over the next four to five years, I can't think of a better way to maximize our SS production. Also, Luery Garcia has no business being a starting SS in the pros. I don't care how special you think his defense might be, his bat is beyond horrendous and would simply destroy the bottom of the lineup.

QUOTE (Charlie Haeger's Knuckles @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 10:15 AM) Destiny is an awesome game. The reviews baffle me. Its as if the reviewers played the story mode and stopped playing. The game doesn't really "start" until you get to level 20. I think the reviews make complete sense. The shooting mechanics may be near-perfect, but the story is boring and the mission structures are incredibly repetitive. The competitor multiplayer is also lackluster IMO (compared to Halo or CoD) and completely unbalanced when you first start. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the game right now, but the endless grinding won't do it for me in the long-run. I'll be switching over to the Master Chief collection for my shooter needs as soon as it's released.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Sep 20, 2014 -> 03:59 PM) Gillaspie is an offensive black hole against LHP though. I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility that Davidson has an .820 OPS against LHP at some point either. This year has proven Gillaspie is a platoon player, but when you're the left-handed half of the platoon you can still provide a ton of value. We need someone to take Conor's ABs against RHP and we should be able to get above-average production out of the position. I don't believe that player will be Davidson though, more likely Semien or possibly Saladino.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 20, 2014 -> 01:43 PM) 9 of those are at 3B. To me he's either A. the 2nd basemen next year B. Lexi is traded and he's the SS (Albeit in extremely limited time there he hasn't been bad there) or C. trade bait. I've expressed my concerns with him, so I'm kinda hoping it's C. What were his splits this year that got you so down on him?

I'm not sure why wins & losses is the only way to evaluate a manager around here. Clearly they can't make up for a lack of talent, so saying "look at how bad the Rays were when Maddon started" is completely pointless. The talent will always make the manager look better or worse if you're focused on the team's W-L record. If you want to evaluate a manager, look at his in-game decision-making. Review his strategies in close games. Try to get a sense of the team's effort, especially during times of struggle. How does he handle young players? Does he give bench players and relievers enough playing time to keep them fresh? The point I'm getting at is to evaluate managers on the things they can control, not the things can't like talent. IMO, Robin is a poor manager regardless of the talent level. He may have been a childhood favorite, but as a manager I think he fails in a lot of the areas I mentioned above.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Sep 20, 2014 -> 11:33 AM) Top 100 prospects who can't hit over .200 in the International League usually lose their status as a top 100 prospect. Davidson has fallen straight on his face this year after having what was an average year in the Pacific Coast League. Lining up Eaton's stats next to Davidson's really illustrates that point. 100% agree with this. People are acting as if Davidson struggled in his first season as a major leaguer, not in a repeat season at AAA. Dude was absolutely horrendous for Charlotte despite AAAA type players like Jordan Danks, Josh Phegley, & Andy Wilkins putting up strong seasons. There is nothing to debate here, Davidson sucked balls in 2014 and lost all prospect status as a result. He's going to have to rebuild his value from scratch next year and hopefully he was hiding an injury this year, because his fall from grace was quite epic. Despite all this, I was a fan of the trade at the time. Wasn't a huge fan of Davidson necessarily, but loved the concept of dealing a closer that's about to get expensive for a top 100 type prospect. Again, the trade clearly hasn't worked out for us and Hahn should accept some blame for Davidson actually regressing before even making the majors. That doesn't mean he should be ridiculed for the move, but a sound process alone shouldn't negate him of all blame.

Acquiring a 2B would be a terrible use of resources.