Chicago White Sox

What are you giving up for Frazier?

The Sox are going to spend what they are going to spend. Jerry isn’t going to tell Hahn the payroll is $180M with La Russa, but only $130M with Hinch. That’s just completely nonsensical.

He’s just speculating that’s what a hiring decision would imply. Either way, the fact they are going after the big name managers implies there is more in the coffers then they are letting on.

If you’re talking all players at all positions none of this is remotely true.

13th overall in what? The AL for RFs?

What do you mean by “ops”? You just want the link to what I just posted? If so, see below: https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=rf&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=150&type=8&season=2019&month=0&season1=2019&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2019-01-01&enddate=2019-12-31&sort=5,d

If it means we’re planning to spend ike crazy, then sign me up. Unfortunately in the world of financial constraint, a space Reinsdorf typically operates within, a McCann signing likely means limitations elsewhere.

Here is FG’s 2019 leaderboard filtered on RF and sorted by HRs. I have not gone through it detail to see how generous their definition of RF is but the point is a lot of guys hit 20 bombs.

Especially when paired with a monster 20 bombs!

But at the same time, how the fuck would you know? Seems to me that Stone would have access to much better info the matter than you.

I did and gave that $3.5M to Marwin. Not sure if that’s feasible or not, but between a down year in 2020, his past connection to Hinch (my targeted manager), and economic uncertainty I felt it was possible.

This is pretty similar to my SoxMachine offseason plan which had Bauer + Calhoun as key additions plus Kela for the pen, Peacock as a swingman, and Marwin Gonzalez as a UT guy.

I know your article mentioned we probably still have $2M+ to spend in the upcoming period, but any chance it’s closer to $3M? Seems like we’d have a much better chance of adding one of Colas or Cespedes + Pino if that were the case.

That would be fantastic. Pretty wild there has been no major movement on Cespedes. We are basically 80 days from the official signing period start date and there hasn’t been much noise at all. At least with Colas we know he’s got some contractual stuff to work out.

If they were to add this Pino kid, I would think that means they have a bigger plans for RF this offseason. Otherwise just sign a stop-gap so you have a cheap RF option potentially ready by 2022 in Colas or Cespedes.

Sure, but does that mean every young pitcher in the game is into analytics & biomechanics as much Bauer like Let Ray Ray just claimed?

And why did Stone tweet this about him if “any youngish pitcher is just like Bauer”? I can totally respect not wanting to overpay him if you think he overachieved this year, but discrediting his drive & willingness to learn is complete bullshit and makes me think you just don’t like the dude.

Bauer put up a 5.8 win season in 2018. Why does that season not count?

You should be paying free agents for what they are projected to do, not what they’ve done in the past. Obviously past results can be an indicator of future performance, but you can’t just fall back on career WAR and assume that’s who a guy is. Bauer is a student of the game and is constantly trying to make himself better. Over the last three years he is 6th overall in fWAR amongst starting pitchers despite a fairly ordinary 2019. Is he on Cole, deGrom, or Scherzer’s level? Probably not, but this year he was better than two of them and nearly as good as DeGrom. Without question Bauer is a #1 caliber starter and one who is capable of being amongst the best in the game when things are clicking. Given both his talent and durability I think he deserves a contract close to what Strasburg got last offseason. I think his personality and the pandemic will likely prevent that from happening, but the dude deserves to get paid this offseason and will likely clear $200M.

What’s the plan for Vaughn then?

Resigning McCann means there will be another hole on the roster that can’t be filled with a quality player. Unless we are going to rock a $180M payroll or McCann will take a backup caliber salary it’s a ooor use of resources.

Alright I feel like I’m having a little bit of Machado deja vu here, but who are the serious contenders for Bauer? AL Central: Outside of us, none of the other teams can probably afford him or would even want to sign him right now. The Twins would theoretically make some sense, but it sounds like their payroll is starting to balloon as is. Doubt they can fit a $35M salary into their budget for 2021. AL East: Maybe the Red Sox? They reset their luxury tax and will need to spend if they want to be competitive anytime soon. I really don’t see the Yankees adding another $200M+ pitching contract, especially for a guy that Cole doesn’t like. And while I expect the Blue Jays to add more pitching, they’re probably looking at a tier below Bauer. AL West: The Angels could be a threat for obvious reasons. None of the other teams seem like real options. NL Central: The Reds can’t afford him and none of the other teams make sense based on needs or financial resources available. NL East: The Mets may have the financial means to add Bauer now that they’re owned by Cohen, which makes them a legit threat. Not sure about the Braves, but he’d make a ton of sense there. From what I can tell, the Phillies won’t be adding a $35M contract this offseason. Not worried about the Nationals or Marlins. NL West: The Dodgers can theoretically afford anyone, but signing Bauer to a massive long-term deal sort of goes against Friedman’s management style. I doubt any of the other teams would be interested in him right now or could afford him. So basically there are four or five teams that seem like they could be serious contenders for Bauer in Boston, Anaheim, the Mets, Atlanta, and possibly the Dodgers. I will never get my hopes up on the Sox signing a starting pitcher to a 6+ year deal, but I am starting to think the market won’t be as robust for Bauer’s services as it normally would be for the top starter on the market. COVID-19 is the ultimate wild card and the Sox really should take advantage of this unique situation if Bauer’s price gets pushed down closer to $200M than the $245M Strasberg got last offseason.

Random article that lists us as one of the top five destinations for Bauer. Obviously this means nothing, but it’s better than arguing against a delusional Mazara fanboy. https://www.radio.com/sports/mlb/gallery/trevor-bauers-top-5-potential-landing-spots-in-free-agency#chicago-white-sox-ckgmga8570061u4pc0d1ngpfm

Meatball status confirmed - I think we can all move on here and refocus our thoughts on Bauer again.

And if they were, who in the word actually thinks a .265 BA with 20 HRs to be that good?