Chicago White Sox

Oh I don’t expect the offseason to be a flop, just wanted to see if posting some ridiculously pessimistic shit actually felt good given all the negativity around here. Unfortunately, it just made me feel like a little b**** and I don’t get the allure of being pessimistic all the time. That being said, this idea there is too much competition to expect anyone impactful (cough Jack Parkman cough) is beyond fucking absurd. We are better suited to add impact talent this offseason than any team in baseball. I don’t give a fuck if there is no track record, given our payroll flexibility the expectation has to be multiple impactful pieces are added. At this point there are no more fucking excuses to not get shit done and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt until they don’t. I refuse to live my life under Murphy’s Law and assume the worst at all times...just a sad way to go about life.

I just think there are diminishing returns playing a natural CF 81 games in RF at the Rate. If we played at Comerica for example, I’d be much more willing to consider it. Instead, give me the offense oriented guy, especially in today’s game.

There’s going to be a ton of competition though, I really think it’s crazy to expect much more that. Honestly, I even think us landing Roark is a bit of a stretch. Change that to Matt Moore & Wacha instead. Not the sexiest offseason, but I’m trying to be realistic here. The Sox simply don’t have a track record of being successful in free agency. People who think we’ll even land a third tier arm like Odorizzi are nuts. We’re going to have to win with our home-grown talent, because we can’t count on free agency to bare any fruit for us while Jerry is still around. It’s just not happening...

I think you’re aiming too high TBH. I think we sign a couple of Nova type pitchers (say Roark & Wacha) and then add Puig & Adam Jones to plug our RF & DH holes. Just too much competition to expect much more than that. Puig will be sold as the big offseason addition because someone has to be the guy and he theoretically has some star appeal. Maybe if we’re lucky we add a backup catcher to allow Collins to DH some, but I’m not even holding my breath there.

He’s been a 10% below league average hitter for three straight years. I don’t really see the allure with him for RF. If nothing else materializes I’d be ok with it for one year, but not he’d be a better option than say Kalhoun in that regard.

He’s really bulked up over the past few seasons and I think that’s taken away some of his athleticism / speed. Again, not suggesting he’s a tank out there but he’s not the lanky 16 year with surprising speed we initially signed.

I’ve never read a scouting report that listed him as a plus defender outside of arm and Fangraphs (not the end all be all by any means) gave him a 40 grade on fielding. I’m not ever suggesting he’s bad out there, but I don’t buy he’s plus outside of his arm.

Explain what you mean by a plus defender. Because in every element but arm, he’s most definitely not a plus defender out there.

It all depends on the cost.

Theoretically if you could sign Grandal and trade/extend Joc, you could be rocking out this lineup by 2021: Robert, CF Moncada, 3B# Jimenez, LF Pederson, RF* Abreu, DH Vaughn, 1B Grandal, C# Anderson, SS Madrigal, 2B

I just don’t even know how to speculate on the price. The rumor last offseason was Bummer, Fulmer, and a prospect like Laz Rivera. Given he has one less year of control now, would something like Fry straight-up work? Obviously he’s coming off a terrible year, but the strikeout stuff is still there and he’s got four years of control left (including two options). We’d be selling low on Fry, but it’s something I could see definitely the Dodgers being interested in.

Because some writer from the NY Post randomly threw us out a potential option? I’ll wager large sums of money we won’t go after Chapman.

Agreed, not sure what else is could really be. I mean technically Ozuna or Castlellanos would be bigger name free agents for RF, but my god would they be terrible fits given their defensive concerns / limitations. I do think they’ll evaluate trade options for RF and could see Joc being positioned as that third big addition along with Grandal/Martinez and Wheeler/Bumgarner. Would need to find a way to extend him, but he’d be an excellent fit and may not cost a ton given his lack of control beyond 2020.

Dream for a realistic / won’t break the bank option. I honestly don’t think we can do much better than him via trade. After him, you’re looking highly flawed but talented guys like Mazara & Polanco and one year rental types like Joc. We simply don’t have the assets to acquire a more impactful player unless we’re prepared to trade from the Cease, Madrigal, Vaughn talent pool which we shouldn’t. While Mookie would be the absolute dream, his acquisition cost and lack of control don’t make sense for us. We aren’t far enough into the rebuild to take chances like that IMO.

The plan should be to quickly do the following: Land one of Wheeler or Bumgarner Land one of Grandal or Martinez We should then evaluate trade options for RF. If there’s something worthwhile at a reasonable price (Nimmo being the dream), go ahead and pull the trigger. If not, sign Dickerson or Kalhoun to be a stop-gap. Doing so buys you a year on your OF prospects and if none of them take a major step forward you look at being serious players for Betts, Springer, & Pederson in 2021. After those critical needs are filled, it’s primarily about pitching depth. We definitely need another starter type (there are plenty or options) and at least one established bullpen arm to add to the mix. Maybe look at a bench piece as well, but only if you can land said player on your own terms.

Joker is definitely a movie worth watching. I’m a little surprised at how divisive reviews have been on this one. I was expecting a much higher score on Rotton Tomatoes than a 68.

What prompts someone to type something so stupid? The Sox were a top five payroll the three years immediately following 2005 and were top 10 well beyond than that. Why didn’t they say this in 2006, 2007, 2008, etc?

But unlike other teams, the White Sox haven’t started spending their shared revenue yet. Additionally, the new TV deal likely provides additional revenue as well. I’ve run the figures before and I truly believe they could afford a ~$160M payroll without much change in their attendances. The problem is with some of our younger guys hitting arbitration in 2021, we won’t likely jump straight to that ledge in 2020. I’m still expecting a ~$135M payroll next year if they’re able to land their targets.

I’m hoping the traditional big spenders play the slow game for Cole & Strasburg, but I fully expect teams like the Twins to pursue a similar strategy centered around Wheeler & Bumgarner.

100% agree. Make aggressive bids for Wheeler & Bumgarner right out the gate. Have to come away with one of those guys for this be a successful offseason IMO. As much as I’d want Cole or Strasburg, I think the process will be too risky and too drawn out. The second priority should be landing one of Grandal or Martinez. Those guys are true impact bats and none of the other guys that qualify really fit. RF will definitely be addressed, but I don’t think there is a major free agent fit there and will require more creativity.

Yeah, that’s a $170M roster if I’m thinking through correctly. Would be an absolutely fantastic plan if they were willing to ball out, but that’s a good $30M or more too high.

How in the world is your total salary $120M when you’re spending $130M on just free agents? I think your file is using the previous salary amount in your total payroll calc instead of the 2020 salary amount.

The Cubs & Red Sox were the only teams with four $20M+ players last year, I seriously doubt the Padres will be the third team in that prestigious club.

I honestly think our plan will be aggressive pursuits of Wheeler & Bumgarner right from the get go and not ever getting involving in the Cole & Strasburg sweepstakes.

Sale never reached free agency, he agreed to a somewhat team friendly extension.