Chicago White Sox

They had to protect a bunch of guys and were planning a bunch more via free agency / trades. It wasn’t a decision between Mercedes & Ross Detwiler in September, it was about whether adding Mercedes preemptively might cost them the ability to protect someone like Burdi in the offseason.

Crowded 40 man roster situation and didn’t want to do commit to Mercedes until they knew how everything might shake out. No doubt it was frustrating, especially in hindsight, but I can see why they decided to wait.

Man, if we could get something out of Dunning this year at the major league level that would be fantastic. He’s one of my favorite prospects in the entire system and I think he was going to be a long-term rotation staple before his injuries. I really hope he can flash something this year as he’s going to be 26 in December and the clock is ticking.

Meanwhile, my 70+ year old parents left Chicago to go to the death trap that is Florida...

Please tell me she didn’t really say this. My god if there’s anyone more incompetent than Trump it’s Betsy fucking DeVos.

I would expect him in Schaumburg eventually just because he’s on the 40 man roster.

I agree with what you’re saying, but Cooper is an emotional guy and I do think his comment came from a good spot. And definitely agree with that final point, as a simple comment would definitely stop much of the speculation.

I think you’re taking that quote a bit out of context. Here’s the full quote: "I don't know what is going on with Michael, but I know he deals with some anxiety and depression, and my thought is, I sure hope he's OK”. To me, that’s Cooper stating what we’re all thinking, that hopefully Kopech is ok given his past struggles with anxiety & depression. I really don’t see the harm in the comment, but to each their own.

Because of this?

Kopech made four major league starts for a total of 14.1 innings. A couple of his starts were disrupted by rain and one by injury. He was also probably amped up a bit finally getting his shot, which isn’t unusual for a rookie pitcher. I think you are drawing way too many conclusions from a small sample size. Yes, he hit five batters (only two BBs though) and wasn’t on point with his command, but beyond the small sample size we don’t know when the injury started affecting him. His velocity was never quite right, especially after his first 2 IP start. The pitcher I saw in AAA prior to his call-up was straight up dominant and I think he would have gotten there eventually in the majors if healthy.

I don’t see what’s wrong with Cooper’s comments because they reflect nothing that isn’t public and he simply expressed concern over his well-being.

What in the fuck are you talking about?

Kopech was 100% ready when they called him up in 2018. Here’s his line for his final 11 starts at Charlotte: 64 IP, 2.25 ERA, 2.63 FIP, 12.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9, .324 BABIP. I watched a ton of those games and dude was simply dominant.

No

I think Hamilton is close to a lock given he’s on the 40 man roster already. Not sure who the other pitcher might be though. Fegan predicted Dunning and that was before Kopech opted out, and I could then including him (if healthy) until rosters get called down to 28. I think Cuthbert is the one guy not on the 40 man who is very likely to be given a spot (assuming they wait a week to call up Madrigal). And I think Collins gets that catcher spot so they have a left-handed bat off the bench.

I thought the lack of ill will in Kopech’s camp was the more interesting part of the quote.

Why is he going to miss the first week?

Definitely have to be.

What?

Depends on the prospects, although I’d definitely lean towards no. That being said, why would any team trade for him right now?

Quote from the Athletic:

lol...ok

I will say Lopez is the real winner in all of this. Giolito, Cease, & Keuchel are rotation locks. I think Lopez would have no doubt started the season in the rotation but now has a lot more breathing room with one less threat to his spot. Hopefully he takes advantage of this opportunity.

What a fucking amazing moment.

There are still 16 spots available on the taxi squad. I’ll wager large sums of money both of them will be on there.