Chicago White Sox

I don’t understand the tweet…what are they talking about TJS rehab?

You can argue if RB was a big need, but the Swift doesn’t look too bad after seeing what Singletary and Jacobs got.

I pray Poles is working on a Hunter signing because things have been way too fucking quiet.

I’ve seen some questionable rumors on Fields to the Raiders…I’d be absolutely shocked if Getsy wanted to pair up with Justin again, but would be sweet if they preferred that vs. trading up or taking Penix / Nix in the 2nd.

I don’t necessarily disagree, just highlighting that in division trades are usually tougher to pull off, but the Vikings did recently trade for Hockenson so it does obviously happen at times.

I think there is zero chance the Raiders trade for Fields. Vikings are tough because of being in the same division. Unfortunately, ATL & PIT were the best options on paper and they have moved on.

Cousins to ATL…Fields market imploding

Huff now off the board and so are a few of the Centers. Would love to hear some smoke around the Bears as only landing a RB today would be highly problematic.

The Packers signing Josh Jacobs is quite something.

You hearing anything on this Pal?

PFF pretty much on the money here, although a much bigger guarantee. They have Hunter getting 3/$67.5M with $47.5M in guaranteed money.

He stayed healthy all of last year. Personally, I’d rather gamble on the RB who has been nicked up a bit in the past moreso than a guy with a ton of mileage. RBs are notorious for suddenly falling off a cliff and I don’t envision that for Swift at least like some of these other FA options.

The mileage is also very low from all his injuries.

Swift coming in pretty close to PFF’s projection of 3/$22.5M with $15M in guaranteed money. Really interested to see what Saquon gets now.

So we’re less than an hour away from free agency opening up. I think we see a couple quick strikes from Poles today. Definitely expecting us to sign one of the more impactful EDGE’s (Greenard or Huff being most likely), which is probably the finishing touch (outside of some depth signings) for what should be a high-end defense year next year. On the offensive side, I still think Saquon is a very real possibility and if so we find in the next few hours. Rumors are that the Eagles are in heavy pursuit, but I do think it’s harder to afford a luxury item like Barkley when you’re paying your QB top dollar. I know I’m very much in the minority amongst Bear fans, but I would love the addition. I’d much rather pay for him than sign the type of WR who will go for similar money in FA. No doubt we need to add a WR or two in free agency for depth purposes, but I think we should double-dip in the draft to get impactful ones, including taking one at the 1.09 (or via a trade-down). The O-Line is the other place I could see a bigger signing right off the back, especially at Center. The question quickly becomes is Bates really cemented at Center or does Poles envision him as the backup at all three interior spots. To me, signing a stud Center would be prudent with Williams coming on board and there are a ton of options in free agency. Just not sure what Poles is thinking there and Brad Biggs seems to be suggesting Bates is the plan for Center.

Hard to say with Martin as I haven’t seen him since coming back from TJS, but if healthy he hopefully can be part of a competent pitching staff.

My anger at Grifol is misplaced? I can’t even begin to comprehend what those words even mean. You seem to think because JR sucks as owner and reflects a larger problem that we can’t be critical of the manager. I’m sorry, but I will critique all elements of the organization that warrant criticism. And Pedro is an absolute joke who will only contribute negatively to the organization. Not sure what your endgame is here if I’m being fully honest.

He literally said he wouldn’t sacrifice a single win for the development of a young player. He’s legit a stupid f*** and the damage he could do with his incompetence is immense.

Because having an incompetent manager isn’t great for the development of young players.

Byard to Bears

I think Fields should have far more value than Mac, but I agree that the path to get a 2nd is hard without the Falcons involved. When I look across the league, I see nine other teams with a QB need (NE, PIT, DEN, LAR, NYG, WAS, MIN, ATL, & TB). Cousins (MIN or ATL) & Mayfield (likely TB) will address two of these spots. WAS is taking a QB at #2 and I think NE will do the same at #3. Someone is likely to draft J.J. McCarthy around the #10 pick IMO and it’s very possible he’s starting right away. Russell Wilson probably get a starting gig somewhere as well. That likely accounts for seven of the spots. I personally think the Giants go with the best WR available at #6 and add a cheaper QB veteran to compete with Jones or take a guy in the 2nd. As such, I don’t really seem them as option for Fields unless the price drops to like a 4th. The Raiders are not an option for Justin at all given the Getsy hire. Don’t really see DEN or MIN making sense either for various reasons. Specifically for Fields, the list of options is very much limited. Cousins staying in MIN and Wilson going somewhere other than PIT or ATL would greatly enhance Fields’ market.

Mac Jones to the Jaquars for a 6th round pick. Got to think there is at least one team out there that would do a 2nd for Fields. I still hope Cousins resigns with the Vikings and the Falcons end up taking the plunge on Justin.

So what are our expectations for Bears free agency? On the defensive side of things, I think we see one splashier signing for the D-Line (more likely an EDGE IMO) plus a starting safety. Offensively, I expect at least one WR added (unsure of the caliber) and a TE to pair with Kmet. Not sure what they do on the O-Line, but at minimum they will add some depth there even they plan to go with Bates at Center. I do kind of think that they might make a serious run at Saquon. PFF projects he will get a 3/$36M deal with $19M in guaranteed money, which is very doable for us even if the common thinking is don’t spend big on RBs. While I generally support that logic, I could get behind it as a creative way to help Williams out early on and I do think Saquon is a unique talent for the position.

So random thought, but what if Soroka magically returns to form? Would he be a guy worth trying to extend or would we better off flipping him? He won’t be 27 until August, so age wise he’s a legit fit for us. Can’t even begin speculating what an extension might look like, but my guess is it wouldn’t be exorbitant. But if you send Crochet down to AAA for a few months and claw back that extra year of control like I proposed, there is a path to a pretty solid rotation of the future (and as soon as next year) if paired with a Soroka extension. Soroka Crochet* Nastrini Eder* Cannon That rotation would obviously be lacking at the very top even if Soroka were to return to form (unless Crochet were to take a massive leap forward), but it could theoretically be solid enough to be competitive in the AL Central and you’re hope would be that Schultz and whomever we take at the 1.05 (if we go with a pitcher) could eventually provide that type of TOR production. This is all hypothetical at the moment and most of the guys highlighted above have a ton of question marks, but it’s fun to dream on guys like Soroka and Crochet going from complete wild cards to rotation stalwarts. And if it were to happen, it would greatly increase our chances of being competitive by 2026.

Why do we have to evaluate a manager by wins & losses?