Chicago White Sox

And that’s the question. Did they really have this cap the whole time or did they think SD was a bluff and simply botched it at the end? I honestly lean toward the latter because 1) It’s hard to believe they could have been so confident for months while having an eight year limitation, 2) Reinsdorf did offer A-Rod a 10 year deal back in the day, 3) they brought on two of his buddies for a combined $14M, & 4) their reactions just reeked of being caught completely off-guard. I personally lean towards them thinking they were in the pilot seat the whole time, trying to dictate the process by negotiating through the media, and eventually allowing SD come in at the last minute and quickly get things done. I think their lack of experience and ego undid then and they simply didn’t want to negotiate against themselves at the end (not realizing they were no longer in the lead). Obviously there is no way to prove this and the miss would still be a result of their incompetence, but it would be better than the alternative.

I really don’t believe this. I think Hahn thought they had a great chance at signing Machado and let his cockiness show. I just hope they thought SD was a bluff at the end, because having high confidence with an eight year limitation means our leadership is completely incompetent.

Rodon is under control through the 2021 season, so there is reason to hold him next year. Also, I’m not sure he said we were becoming a top free agent destination, but more so an improving one.

Trust me, I’m not going to defend Hahn here. His track record of building winning baseball rosters is terrible and he routinely spins pretty much everything. That being said, I do think he realizes he fucked up last offseason with all the hype and am glad he admits that fans have every right doubt our ability to land a stud free agent until it actually happens. At some point, it’s put up or shut-up time and quite frankly that has to be this offseason. They really have to start “augmenting” as Hahn puts it and stop the losing. No more fucking excuses.

You really don’t think people were more pissed because of the way Hahn talked last season? He literally spent the entire offseason hyping up our financial flexibility and made it seem like we were prepared to do whatever it took to land a Harper or Machado. Honestly, had he said nothing half this board wouldn’t even be that mad right now as they would assumed it was never a possibility in the first place. Expectations most definitely matter and he has nothing to gain from setting them. Good for him to learn that lesson, now him, KW, & Jerry have to realize that 95% of the time landing elite free agents is all about offering the largest guaranteed package. Getting cute and trying to get a guy to accept vesting options isn’t going to work in any normal free agent market. Match years and offer the biggest AAV or prepared to come our empty handed again.

95% of the time guys go where the most money is and I have a very hard time believing San Diego will be that team when they have $75M+ locked up to Machado, Myers, & Hosmer over the coming years.

The BB & K rates have been fine all season and he’s been legit good his last 20 games, so I remain cautiously optimistic with him. The biggest concern with him is age as he’s almost 24 years old, so he’s really got to figure his shit next year in AAA.

I don’t necessarily disagree, but Sheets has been phenomenal since mid May and could easily be in the DH mix at sometime next year. And I wouldn’t be that surprised if at least one of the AA outfielders (likely Basabe) has a strong rebound in 2020 and quickly becomes a potential option.

I’m not discrediting those things, but I still don’t think was using subliminal messaging to tell us Cole’s a no go. He’s simply managing expectations and saying some shit is out of his control.

I mean, he basically confirmed they had discussions with Micheal Brantley this past offseason, but his focus was on winning a championship. I don’t think his comment was about anyone specifically, just moreso reality and what they’ve dealt with in the past.

It doesn’t, Hahn is just trying a little harder to manage expectations this time around, which he admitted he fucked up last offseason.

This applies to Soxtalk too.

lol...you know you’re nuts when you use Greg to confirm your macro suspicions.

Caulfield, I like you bro, but what in the fuck are you talking about. I really hope you were never in marketing if you think any of this makes sense.

I honestly don’t care too much where we pick as long as it’s in top 10. If the young guys perform and keep us in the back end then great. If the old / AAAA guys continue to flop and drive us down to five even better. I just want to be able to sign any free agent this offseason and not have to worry about losing our first round pick.

Is Walker confirmed for the AFL? I’d probably send someone like Luis Gonzalez over him. Also, I’m guessing we might see Vaughn as there’s a good chance it’s his only opportunity.

You’re really confusing your job experiences to those of the rest of America.

I absolutely loved Semien (and so did many others) and have never been a big Narvaez fan.

Marcus Semien is pretty damn good.

Looks like we finally agree about something ?

He called the Nate Jones trade!!

The median payroll is ~$125M and yes I fully expect that much minimum. If not, then it’s clear Reinsdorf is trying to profit off the rebuild (which I didn’t believe to be the case).

It’s really simple, just bring in several impactful players. There is no magic dollar amount or years threshold. I think Grandal will be one of the best players on the market and we might be able to get him for like 3/$60M. Do I really care if the total commitment is less than Abreu’s original deal? Fuck no. The more important item is sporting a league average payroll or better. If they do that, I will likely be happy wit the results of the offseason.

If they don’t spend big this offseason, then the fanbase should riot. Now is the time to be aggressive.

Lol at 2021 at the earliest. If this team is not contending by 2021 then the rebuild has been a total flop. The goal should be to compete next year. Whether the young guys take the necessary steps forward is a TBD, but wasting another year of Moncada, Giolito, etc. would be absolute insanity. The clock starts ticking this offseason.