Chicago White Sox

Honestly, bad for Robert given where he used to be but a great sign for the broader group. Having a lineup full of league average hitters or better should help raise the floor of this team substantially. I also think some of these projections are very pessimistic, in particular Colson & Teel.

Feels that way.

Cross them off the list then

If we can keep Robert, I think this lineup has a chance to be good next year. But the outfield is a potential weak spot and our depth there is atrocious. If we trade Luis, we have to add another corner OF to the mix.

Updated post Murakami signing: Lineup: Meidroth, 2B | 108 wRC+ | 3.2 fWAR Teel, CA* | 106 wRC+ | 2.0 fWAR Montgomery, SS* | 98 wRC+ | 2.6 fWAR Vargas, 3B | 107 wRC+ | 2.3 fWAR Benintendi, LF* | 103 wRC+ | 0.7 fWAR Robert, CF | 96 wRC+ | 2.0 fWAR Murakami, 1B* | 118 wRC+ | 2.1 fWAR Quero, DH# | 104 wRC+ | 0.8 fWAR Baldwin, RF# | 101 wRC+ | 1.7 fWAR Depth: IF: Sosa | 93 wRC+ | 0.9 fWAR IF: Mead | 94 wRC+ | 1.5 fWAR IF: Antonacci* | 92 wRC+ | 1.9 fWAR OF: Pereira | 89 wRC+ | 0.8 fWAR OF: Hill | 85 wRC+ | 0.8 fWAR OF: Peters* | 81 wRC+ | 0.5 fWAR

I was 100% wrong on him exceeding the option…no doubt about that. But at the end of the day, that wasn’t the bet my friend nor was it even the spirit of the bet. You thought Fairbanks was going to easily clear $20M because of some ridiculous Spotrac forecast and that did not happen. You also thought the Sox wouldn’t sign someone for more than $17.5M in total contract value and that did happen. Ultimately, we must hold one another accountable for our words & actions. A bet was agreed to and a ban must be issued accordingly now that the dust has settled. I respect your courage to actually put some skin in the game and look forward to future interactions come Opening Day. 圣诞快乐，新年快乐！

Mods - @caulfield12 has lost both of the above bets and has agreed to sit out the rest of the offseason. As such, please proceed with his temporary ban at your soonest convenience. Thanks in advance and hope y’all have a Merry Christmas.

He had a 119 wRC+ against RHP in the second half of the season last year. He has sneaky speed and was ok defensively in CF in his first go at it based on advanced metrics. To me, there is a very useful player here. His fWAR was bad because of poor defense in many other spots (mostly OF corners), but I think with time that will change. I think his floor is a quality utility guy and his ceiling is a first division regular if he can find a spot where he can excel.

Sosa isn’t going to lead the team in HR’s & RBI’s with Colson up for a full season and with the addition of Murakami. Not suggesting we get rid of Sosa, but being the team lead last year is somewhat arbitrary given injuries, promotion dates, and player profiles. The bigger issue with making Sosa the everyday 2B is he did most of his damage against LHP. I still like Meidroth’s potential value vs. RHP more than Sosa’s when you factor in all facets of the game.

He beat the option value

I’m actually ok with Baldwin being the guy in CF if we move Robert. I’m certainly not against trading for a CF prospect if the right deal came along, but don’t really see the allure of trading for a 29 year old CF with two years of control. If we need a cheap placeholder somewhere, go get that guy in free agency. Otherwise, trades need to focus on controllable players IMO.

What in the f*** is happening in this post. You’re a good dude caulfield, but you also bring on a lot of negative energy towards yourself by posting mindless slop like the above.

Friedl would move to LF…problem solved

Honestly, I’d be ecstatic about the idea if I were a Reds fan. Prospect hugging B tier guys while shooting for 80 wins doesn’t seem like a lot of fun to me. I’d much rather take a calculated risk and hope Robert can stay healthy and return to form offensively (which he flashed prior to injury last year) in a new environment.

JFC…what a terrible trade.

Lots of Robert talk on the Reds forum recently. Most posters seem very unexcited about the idea and do the “I’ll take him if the Sox cover half his salary and he costs nothing in terms of prospects”…lol. The reality in my mind is the Reds need to take a big swing via trade in hopes of landing an impact player or risk being stuck in baseball purgatory for the near future. I think Robert is the perfect move for them because he won’t cost a premium prospect but comes with a very high ceiling if all goes right. Fans don’t normally love that, but a GM who is handicapped by their cheap owners and is feeling some pressure to win may feel differently. I think if a deal happens before OD, it’s very likely going to be with Cincinnati.

He had a 115 wRC+ from August to October. That being said, I don’t use bWAR but assuming he must have had a lower value on his defense than Fangraphs. On the defense side, he did switch over to LF for the first time in his career and that might have caused some defensive fall-off. Ultimately to me he looks like a declining player but one with a little bit of juice left. Maybe $8M is a bit too high for what will likely be limited production, but seeing Lane Thomas get like $5.5M indicates it’s a weak OF market and guys will get a premium.

I think he’s worth more to us a 10th man than what he’d return on the trade market.

Why do you think he’s toast? For Tauchman, my only fear is he got non-tendered over a $3.5M salary. Even with some injury risk, he’s worth that salary if he can provide even passable RF defense. Makes me worry his ability to play the OF may be compromised some by his recent health issues.

Bader is likely getting three years. I want nothing to do with a multi-year commitment to Bader.

He’d probably be my #2 option and the better long-term play given his potential team control.

Lots of potential reinforcements on the pitching side (both SPs and relievers) to challenge incumbents and fill in holes due to performance or injury. Braden is your eventual OF reinforcement and Antonacci your IF reinforcement. Not a bad amount of depth.

Meidroth is the primary backup SS when needed. Baldwin or Sosa can cover there in an emergency. I think that’s a totally fine to handle the position.

I think Bader is going to get a fuckton of money relatively speaking. Hayes gets most of his from hitting lefties which is likely redundant with other OFs on the roster. Kepler is super inconsistent, but is a good defensive RF, has some power, and was super unlucky last year based on how his wOBA compared to his xwOBA. By no means do I love the idea, but it’s a shitty OF market and Kepler might be the best mix of floor & upside in that price range. I would not do anything but a one year deal with him.

I read teams have health concerns with Fairbanks over a nerve issue, which probably explains why other teams have prioritized non closers over him.