CyAcosta41

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Dec 26, 2016 -> 03:01 PM) Bullpen help at the deadline comes at a huge cost. Better to wait and deal them mid season Agreed! Perhaps the most encouraging White Sox development this offseason has been the maturation of Rick Hahn as GM. Hahn is clearly one intelligent dude, but it seems he's learning to use his brains and resources and THEN let the market come to him. Don't chase. Don't telegraph. Don't be KW. His maturation is analogous to a toolsy, but undisciplined hitter who finally learns to swing mostly at pitches where he can do damage. Robertson is a decent closer, who sometimes flashes brilliant, but when he's on he has value as a decent closer and a strong set-up guy. Jones has the velo everybody looks for, and when HE is on, he's got that knee-buckling slider too. Jones also has the Eaton-Quintana advantage (solid + player whose value slots up because of a great contract). Neither are Chapman or Miller, but both can have strong value at the trade deadline. I have little doubt that various GMs - including Dombrowski and Rizzo -- haven't tried to deal for these guys and price them as throw-ins. They are anything but. I'm happy to see Hahn knows the value of his assets, prices them accordingly, and is showing he'll wheel and deal, but at a reasonable price. (And BTW ... spare me the national press that Hahn fleeced Rizzo, or even Dombrowski. In both cases, he demanded very strong prospects for established valuable big leaguers. He found trade partners who were willing to pay a reasonable price, either because of team circumstances or otherwise. Just because many other GMs have begun serious prospect "over-huggers" does not mean GMs like Rizzo or Dombrowski are making horrible or poor deals. They're dipping into strength to purchase established strength. And that's the way it should be. Bravo Rick Hahn .. finally, and so far.)

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 02:12 PM) Rank your trade partners: Yankees Pirates Rockies Rangers Astros Pirates/Yankees Rockies Nationals/Red Sox Astros Rangers . . . Schlubbies

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 02:54 PM) i agree with everything you said. That is why this trade, or lack thereof, is a really interesting case. I'm firmly in the camp, that if the Sox don't get an outstanding prospect package offer, they should keep him. He may be worth more the the Sox than the market offers. Even the way it looks now he could be the leader of the rotation when the sox are good again. Bingo, right? Keep him then. There is the 2017 trade-deadline (when our desire for prospects won't hamper his return -- yes, fewer teams will pony-up then, but some team might unleash all the hounds to land that one missing piece) too. Hahn has played his cards masterfully this off-season. Those early deals were the hard part. Now, it's sit back and wait for someone to pay the piper. Pay it and you get a very very good starting pitcher. But Rick Hahn isn't going to let said very very good starting pitcher go for an underwhelming return because most fans, some more astute bloggers, and even some GMs fail to give Jose Quintana his just due.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 02:46 PM) The problem is, I don't think it's just fans. I think others around the MLB have similar doubts which is why an offer acceptable to the Sox hasn't materialized. The lack of dominance i think plays a role in that perception. I think it is just fans. I think when you hear it from a team -- like the Astros -- it's BS posturing and isn't worth anything. The fans says such things and GMs parrot it when it serves their interest to do so. The industry knows. The Sox haven't received an acceptable offer ... yet. Rizzo got ripped after the Eaton trade and Hahn is dealing with the fallout of that -- nobody wants to be considered his next "victim" (and Q's lack of national reputation will almost insure that this happens). I agree. He's rarely truly dominant. And because of that he's often going to be considered the underdog in a post season mano a mano between #1s. But the guy rarely has a bad game too. It seems game after game of 7-IP, 2-ER, low whip, and a deceptive amount of Ks. And I think his numbers are going to get significantly stronger in AAAA, umm, I mean the National League. He shouldn't get a Sale return (although, again, the Pirates NEED Q while the Bosox didn't truly need Sale). But the difference is fairly minor, especially when you factor in his extra year of control.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 02:33 PM) Agreed. It's the classic scout versus numbers player as well. The numbers show he is one of the best. Scouts will wonder if he has the mental makeup and stuff to be the leader of the rotation. There IS an importance in the "leader of the rotation" part. Agreed. And the uncertainty about that, for example, is one significant reason Sale is more highly regarded than Q. That said, Q is top-20 starter in all of baseball material. Often, under many metrics, top 10-12. He has extreme value for anyone, especially with his contract, durability, mechanics, style of pitching, and unflappable makeup. But other than in direct #1 vs #1 style post-season match-ups, the is he a middle tier #1 or a stud #2 question means nothing to me. The #1 vs #1 playoff match-up thing is TBD. We'll see. I'd love the Pirates to advance and would love to see Q dominate. But if that was the sole measure of a pitcher's true worth, then Clayton Kershaw wouldn't be anybody's idea of a #1 would he, despite the near-unanimous belief that he's the best pitcher in baseball.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 02:12 PM) I'm so tired of hearing that Quintana is a number 2. All the MLBN pundants were spewing that crap just now. Agreed! The only time those designations mean anything is Opening Day and in the playoffs. Throughout the season, you match-up with the other team's starters based on whose number is called for that given day. Q is dissed regularly because he doesn't have eye-popping pure stuff. That said, his stuff is far better than most casual observers realize AND his results speak for themselves. By virtually every metric he is unquestionably a Top-20 starter in all of baseball. Given that, on many, many teams, he's going to be the statistically accomplished "best starter" on that staff. And he's been that way for 4 years now, pitching under an insanely below market contract, and with a track record that suggests absolutely minimal risk going forward (for a human being that does something than an arm isn't anatomically designed to do). Any sane GM (posturing aside and under the influence of truth serum) will look at Q as a Top 20 in baseball. Period. Calling him a #1 or #2 matters little, other than providing fodder for the talking heads. Is he a classic #1 in the way most people think of a #1. No, but who cares? In performance he certainly is. He looks like a #2 ... he performs like a middle of the pack #1. His off-the-chart dominant games are rare -- a couple of out and out gems each season. But his dog-games are every bit as rare too. And all of the extras he brings to a team have significant value aside. Love Q. Every GM would love him as a top performer on ANY staff in baseball. Who cares what fans think. Hahn knows his value. He's tradeable, if another GM will pay that value. Otherwise, you wait until someone does. And someone will.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 11:13 AM) So, I gotta come in and defend the Pirates here. This is a team that won 98 games in 2015 and deserved to. If McCutchen is still able to put up all star numbers, this is a team with a number of strengths. In the OF, you've got 3 plus bats and at least 2 plus defenders - Marte is a borderline all star every year, McCutchen has won MVP awards, Polanco is 24, has gotten better every year, and had an above average bat last year. If his power develops as he ages he'll be an all star, so there's 3 borderline all stars and a guy who has been an MVP. That OF on paper is competitive for best in baseball. Their IF isn't filled with stars like their OF is, but Kang, Harrison, Freese, and Mercer are all 1-3 WAR players in a normal year. Decent defense, decent bats, fills in a fairly deep lineup when you have those 3 big OF bats. 1b has been a weak spot for them for years now, but Josh Bell pencils into that role nicely right now. Catcher - Cervelli again, not an all star, but a good strong catcher and handles a staff well. Their pitching rotation - Gerrit Cole is a legit number 1 starter, follow that by Taillon, Glasnow, and Kuhl and you have a young, strong, cheap starting rotation to pair with him. Bullpen has been a strength for years, and they've had an excellent record of both developing pitchers and of pulling out reclamation projects. What happened to them last year? Well first of all their pitching rotation got hurt and fell apart. Cole hit the DL, Liriano was terrible, that took a rotation that was near the top of the NL in 2015 down towards the bottom last year. They had to play a lot of rookies, the rookies have talent but you can only get so far with that young of a rotation. On top of that, McCutchen fell apart - that's the difference between being in the WC race and out of it right there, you don't replace an MVP who has a terrible year. With the young pitching they have, the only reason why that team can't be competitive with the Cubs and Cardinals again is if the same things happened this year. If McCutchen's career is really finished, then they're not competitive unless they trade him, and if Cole can't stay healthy then that does what Sale being hurt would have done to us - destroys them. That's a strong roster if a few things go well. Adding in Quintana could be a really good fit - if they're worried about injuries then add in the most reliable pitcher you can find into that #2 slot and you've made that rotation into as good of a rotation on paper as there is in that division, and if you could do it without subtracting Bell or anyone from the big league rotation by using Meadows as the key piece, then the baseball logic works. That doesn't guarantee they'll beat the Cubs, they need Cole to be healthy and McCutchen to be MVP caliber again to do that, but they would be a strong roster on paper and that's a good place to be. There are other ways to make that work if they got a full return for McCutchen also, so there's a good match on paper for that franchise. Agreed. Virtually everything went south for the Buccos last year and everything went right for the Schlubbies. The Cards will always be somewhere in the mix. With all of their strengths, the Pirates MUST add someone like Q (or better than a Q-type, Q himself), as a best in the game style #2. I think Q is going to explode into national prominence in the NL. The price needs to be steep, but it's go-time for them and they will pony-up. I've long believed that and now feel it. I think we'll see a mixed quality/depth trade we need. I'm thinking the framework might be that we'll get the one bona fide stud in Meadows , plus any 3 in their system of our choosing, not named Glasnow, Bell, Newman, or Keller.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Dec 21, 2016 -> 08:04 AM) Cy Acosta, where are ya buddy? There is finally a legit rumor involving the Pirates. How about Meadows (#9), Newman (#42), Keller (#72) and Diaz? Gives the Sox a return of two top 50's, a top 100 and a catcher that profiles to at least be a backup MLB C with good defensive skills and strong arm. Right here, man! Like most of us -- watching, with great interest. It ain't over 'til it's over, but, yeah, for the longest time I've been thinking the Pirates would be a serious contender for either Sale or Q (most likely Q) since it became obvious the Sox were going to auction off their prime assets. Baseball is just like most businesses, heck, like most relationships. "Need" trump "like." Every single team with any reasonable chance of contending would "like" a Sale or a Q. Not only for their talent, but also for the contract attached to the talent. But a team like the Pirates truly "need" this kind of asset because they can never win a FA bidding war against the big boys. Push come to shove, I always suspected the Pirates would likely step-up and, in the end, would be willing to pay MORE out of the warchest from which they could actually compete -- young talent. Take a team that needs to pay more like the Pirates, factor in that their available currency (young talent) is what they have in significant quantities and is exactly what the Sox need out of this "auction," and then add that the centerpiece of any likely trade -- Meadows -- is exactly the kind of everday stud OF'er the Sox need ... well, they always seemed to be a super-likely trade partner to me.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Dec 19, 2016 -> 11:44 AM) I can't see this being more than due diligence by the Yankees. They have an excellent farm system and it would be a big step backwards for them to pilfer it now and trade for Quintana. They certainly do have the prospects to put a deal together though Respectfully, disagree. I like to think in terms of who truly NEEDS a player. Having lived in both Boston and New York, one can never underestimate the rivalry between these two behemoths. After the Sale trade, Yanks want and need to make a splash. Yes, they've built up a farm system, but I think they did that to gain more ammunition for trading. The Yanks want stars more than potential stars in the making. Could be a blockbuster involving former Yankee property Q and Robertson. Still think the Pirates could come out of the woodwork. They have absolutely no ability to get TOR at market rates, so if they keep Andrew McC and decide they want to take a shot, I'm still not convinced they don't take a run at Q. Properly motivated, they'd have the prospects to do it.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Dec 12, 2016 -> 11:12 PM) KW's strategy worked a helluva lot more often before he ran out of guys to trade, whether they panned out or not. Hmm, I don't really agree. Sure, some of his targets were justly targeted. But it was the targeting itself -- the intensity of the targeting (ugh, me must have player x) -- that got him in trouble. Targeting Swisher was a good example -- it was so widely telegraphed and it was Gio AND de los Santos AND Sweeney. He'd always toss in that extra prospect to get the deal done. Targeting Samardzija was another example. Billy Beane just feasted on Kenny. Point is, it wasn't it just a harmless quirk, it led to continual overpayments and, ultimately, an environment that devalued our own prospects and contributed to a crappy farm system that is FINALLY being righted.

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Dec 12, 2016 -> 09:51 PM) Has nothing to do with leverage with a rebuild. Has much more to do with interest level and immediate need for specific players across all the teams. See the Chapman and Eaton deals. You need a team to do what KW used to do. Get tunnel vision and need "his guy" and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Good old Tunnel Vision Kenny. That was so infuriating. With the asterisk of never 100% knowing whether reported progressions toward a trade jive with actual reality, that seemed such a pattern with KW. He was going to get his guy. Period. And his counterpart just sat back and let Kenny add another piece and another piece until Kenny "wore them down." Who is that guy now? We've got to find him. But that sure seemed to be the book on Kenny -- throw the young slugger soft stuff low and away; identify Kenny's must have target and just sit back and smile.

Excellent interview, Brian. Thank you for sharing. There are so many reasons that this particular message board rocks, but getting insider's info straight from the proverbial horses' mouths is high on that list. First time in ... like ... umm ... FOREVER ... that the Sox seem to have a clue on managing prospects for the overall good of the organization.

In the World According to Me ... if the Sox are going to give up the rarity of a true ace who is also incredibly cost-efficient for three full years ... the return from the team getting such a prize needs to be special. Perhaps special might mean a special position player (talent + contract), for example Turner, Benintendi, Bregman, or Swanson (that's my preferred order), plus some reasonable sweetener because Sale's track record warrants it. Or, if the Sox decide that by abstaining from focusing on that "one special guy" they benefit by a quantity (plus more speculative quality) focused transaction, then the focus NEEDS to be on positional talent. That's where things are lacking; that's been the achilles heel. If we go that route, something like Moncada, Devers, Basabe would be the template -- 3-4 positional advanced top prospects who project as better than average major league starters (knowing that 1-2 might never achieve that level). I agree the Sox haven't done a lot to warrant our faith in their trading and/or talent evaluation abilities, but I have guarded confidence that they understand better than any of us that Sale is a once in a decade type of trading chip (if not even more valuable than that) and they aren't going to trade him unless they feel VERY GOOD about the return.

QUOTE (kwill @ Dec 1, 2016 -> 01:20 PM) What is weird is the Pirates interest in Robles. I thought the reason they want to move McCutchen is to make room for Austin Meadows. I would love to see the Pirates get into the bidding war as they have some fantastic young talent and could use an ace to anchor their rotation. Sale+Cole would be as good as any in the national league. I've thought (and perhaps hoped) all along that some of the smaller-market teams would get involved in the Sale derby, Pittsburgh foremost among them. The big-boys -- your Dodgers, Red Sox, Yank-mes, Rangers, and the like -- might WANT a true ace on a cost-controlled contract, but, face it, they don't truly NEED the cost-controlled aspect as much as some teams might. A smaller market team on the brink of true contention NEEDS the entire Sale package to compete. Meaning, in theory they will pay more for a NEED than someone else might pay for a WANT. I like the idea of the Pirates trading a veteran commodity that we don't necessarily want as a headliner, in order to load-up on ready for prime time (or nearly ready) primo prospects. I've thought all along that this could be a very best route to the proverbial "haul." Who knows if this is what the Bucs have in mind, but for the moment, I'm liking what I'm seeing.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Oct 29, 2016 -> 12:46 AM) Have yourselves a day Cleveland! I was torn as to who I would even root for during this series, originally opting for "no one".... however, after about... ohhhh... the first pitch of game one... it became clear right away that I didn't want to Cubs to win. Badly. 😆 Exactly! I agonized endlessly at an intellectual level, finally settling on (a) not actively rooting against the Cubs, and (b) focusing on the joy that the many Cubs fan relatives and friends in my life would receive if the previously unthinkable should occur (after all, we won that Sox vs Cubs bragging right race in 2005). But it took one pitch, one shot of a Cubs fan whooping it up, to remind me that intellectual analysis means nothing when you're talking "fandom." I can't stand the Cubs, their overall fan-base, and the thought of them winning makes me ill at a visceral level. It really does. Go Tribe, Go.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 08:34 AM) You make a strong case, Carpe. But I doubt it happens...I think they will trade Sale, but at least 1/2 his value will come from "Proven veterans". Watch for McCutchen, the type of player Williams and Hahn drool over Bingo. It's rare when you hear the so-called experts mention the Pirates as a potential landing spot in a hypothetical Sales trade. The conventional thinking is that they don't spend the money for stars. That's exactly why I've thought the Pirates were likely Sales buyers (that's a mouthful) from Day 1. Sale is a tippy-top performing talent at a far below market rate for years to come. Teams like the Red Sox, Yankmes, Dodgers, and Rangers can afford to pay free agent prices for top pitchers (even though no such pitcher exists -- kind of a stretch to call resurrected Rich Hill a truly top pitcher). And those teams CAN trade for top pitchers who are being paid as top pitchers. The Pirates can do none of those things. Consequently, Sales is of far more value to them than to the wealthy franchises. That should lead to the Pirates being willing, theoretically, to paying more because they don't have the Plan B that those other franchises do. Factor in a very solid farm system and a down year from McCutchen, I can see a McCutchen plus prospects deal going down. The Sox do love their plus 30 one time superstars (I'd personally have a bit more confidence in McCutchen rebounding than most). That said, Sales is a lot more valuable generally and to the Sox (contract status included -- McCutchen is signed through '17 with a team $14M+ option for '18), so McCutchen plus some top prospects would be required. If I had confidence in the Sox talent evaluators, and I don't, separate trades of Sales, Q, Eaton, and Abreu could land youth and prospects aplenty. I don't see the Sox going that way, because of (a) their organizational DNA, and (b) they sure know at some level that talent evaluation is not their strong suit.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 23, 2016 -> 02:17 PM) I dunno...I seem to remember a little bit of that. I think I still have some papers with the headline "Believe It" or something to that effect. There was a similar storyline, albeit on a smaller scale, most likely due to the White Sox being a storied franchise despite being the red-headed stepchild in Chicago. Of course, back in 2005, the Cubs were creeping pretty close to their lowest point, while the Sox had been pretty competitive for a number of years. However, I do agree in re: the successful white people part...obviously the White Sox have a more diverse fanbase, but even still, you mostly heard the stories of long-suffering white people (the minorities simply had not suffered long enough, apparently). Shack ... The political part of the post was a side-issue ... wasn't truly necessary ... more of a proverbial "things that make you go 'hmm'" kind of thing. Interesting to me that the Cubs are getting national story after story, prematurely, for just making the World Series. White entitlement seems to play a part in the intensity of the media coverage and the perception of this being such a darn good feel-good story. And that's coming from someone who has lived my life as a charter member of white entitlement club. When it comes down to it, the purist in me is annoyed by the premature coronation parts of the Cubs rise. Win it, then chirp (and try to stay bell-curve classy in your chirping if and when you do win it). Perhaps it's because I spent a few years living in Boston in the 1980s and enjoying a kind of instant kinship with the Red Sox fans of that era -- devout and knowledgeable fans, not yet insufferably full of themselves and their team. We all know what happened after they won, not once, but twice. From Jim Caples: Enough already. Get over yourselves, Red Sox fans. Better yet, follow the lead of White Sox fans. Their team went 88 years without winning a World Series. They went 46 years without even playing in one. Yet when they finally won in 2005, they had the decency to keep their celebration to themselves. And if their fine example isn't enough, then maybe this will be enough to sober you up: You're acting like Yankees fans. Cubs fans have been insufferable for years without a World Series title. I dread seeing how bad they're going to get if they win one with the very real possibility of winning a few. I'd much rather see the Indians blow them out this year and perhaps next time they knock at the door there will be a bit more humility.

Baseball fandom is of course intensely personal -- I live and die White Sox, but also consider myself to be a fanatical devotee of the sport itself and professional baseball generally. Grew up in the 60s where for most serious fans, you were a Sox fan, a Cubs fan, but rarely if ever both. Here's my mindset entering the Series. Let's hear yours. *Sox are a major disappointment at the moment, so who actually wins is of very limited importance. *HONESTLY happy for my many friends and family who have suffered FOREVER. I can be happy for them as people without rooting for THEIR team. I'm certainly NOT. *Could never root for them, but grudgingly respect many in the org -- particularly, Bryant, Rizzo, Zobrist, Hendricks, Maddon, and Epstein (NOT -- Arrieta, Contreras, and Chapman). Hope the Sox learn some hard lessons. *Privately, MOST Cubs fans annoy the heck out of me, particularly their "premature coronation" (WIN the Series, then chirp). *Media love for the plight of the long time Cubs fan is disgusting, yet revealing. See some parallels to politics -- better story because it's about possible happy ending for socioeconomically successful white people. Sox sure didn't get the "world just changed" treatment. *Here, in the safety of this relatively anonymous outpost, I'll admit that I HOPE the Cubs lose in an epic and devastating way. You've got to the Series, Cubs fans; you've won nothing yet. I LOVE having bragging rights even if 2005 is retreating farther and farther into my rearview mirror.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 3, 2016 -> 01:39 PM) That doesn't matter, he was chasing the ball. He pulled up on the first one and he wasn't at the warning track yet. It's pretty obvious if you are still on grass you have some room to run. And he needs to check that all out before the game. I bet he would be the first to tell you he screwed up the first one. The first one, as in the first botched one? Actually, he looked good on his very first chance. Got back easily and with the instincts of a career CF'er on a long drive to center (VMart, I think). Played CF myself in my own goofy baseball history, but the relevance is that I tend to watch CF'ers very closely. He looked good on the first play. He was definitely "spooked" on the second one -- likely because warning track or not, thousands of plays out there don't quite prepare you for being over 400 feet away without being right on top of a wall (I'm sure he'd make no excuse -- just facts). And the third play was a scary looking injury (looked horrible as it happened and he reacted as if there was major structural damage) that made what actually happened on the play itself irrelevant. Jury is out for me on Tilson. Based on reports, coming up through the Cardinals system, and my own eyeballs, I'd wager that he's speedy but adequate as his floor, and speedy and good (but not great) as his ceiling. Way too early to judge his hitting. Fast hands on his first hit though. That's good. But all that might mean that he'll get the Tim Anderson dose of breaking slop in his second time around.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 1, 2016 -> 12:45 PM) They all are aware of the cost. A deal could get done as fast as they can say yes. Kudos to the White Sox for not budging. Absofrickinglutely. It's been horrible so many years when it was the Sox who always added-on to any deal, did all of the sweetening, to get the guy they just had to have (a/k/a "Kenny's guy"), no matter what. If it takes being hardcore to change that perception, you do it. That's also a form of "laying the groundwork." I think there's little doubt some of the power teams are applying the pressure because they know Hahn, KW, and company have an under-performing team with little help available on the farm. They see low-hanging fruit and they're looking to swipe it. Too bad. Given their talent/surplus (value) mix, Sale and Q are both insanely valuable trade chips. In Sale's case, we're talking perhaps a once in a generation trade chip. You don't give that away just because we're poor (baseball asset wise) and our trading partners are rich. Nobody wants to be the 40s - 60s teams that essentially functioned as the Yankees minor leagues. You want Sale? You want Q? Fine, we'll trade, but we expect to be wow'd. We don't have to give them up. (PS -- While we don't have to give them up now, I'd love to give them up if they get the RIGHT deal, because sooner or later -- perhaps off-season 17/18 -- we really will have to give them up for what we can get.)

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 1, 2016 -> 11:32 AM) Not sure if I buy the bolded...in the offseason, the option always exists to give some guy coming off injury a try, or to wait and see how the season begins, etc... I think this is the right market to move these guys. Given the state of our org, I almost think we need to roll the dice on prospects instead of a proven MLB guy anyways. I thought it might be YOU catching the shorthand. You're right, current contenders might offer a bit more -- at least in quantity of big-time prospects -- now. From a shorthand perspective, I'm not so sure that difference isn't offset completely by opening the bidding to everyone in baseball. AND everyone in baseball is absolutely in the discussion for Sales / Q because of their unique talent/surplus mix. Personally, I'd make every effort to do the deal now -- not only because contenders will pay more, but these particular contenders are the BIG BOYS. All I'm suggesting is that we truly don't need to do anything coming close to a "cave" because Plan B (off-season moves) will be highly favorable for us as well.

What is the deadline today (CST)?

Don't let the tick-tock get to you, fellas. This is how it plays out. Hold those cards until the last few minutes. Red Sox, Dodgers, Texas, and Yankees make their best deals then. Everything until then is posturing and noise. And here -- we win on the Sales/Q fronts no matter what because similar if not better trades are available off-season (big * if an injury). All that said, still work on those Shields, Gonzo, Robertson, Melky, and Frazier trades if a good one is there to be had!!!

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 1, 2016 -> 11:03 AM) Which is where I counter with Q. I'd do Q for their 2-5 prospects in a heartbeat. Sale...I'm torn on not getting Moncada as part of the deal. Agree. I'd do that too. That's the beauty of Rick truly holding all the cards. And I'd actually prefer that result -- send Sale to the N.L. (far away from us) for a king's ransom and still get a boatload of REAL prospects from prospect rich Boston.

Assuming that anything we're hearing is what is actually happening (and that's assuming a lot) ... so much of the posturing going on is near textbook. Sox: We hold all the cards -- this is a once in a generation trade opp (talent/surplus) and you don't get him unless we're overwhelmed. Bosox: We'll overwhelm you, but you're not getting Moncada because we've got too much invested in him already. Take any other 5 you want. And for those of us who have seen similar hard-line positions play out over and over again, Sox will allow the clock to wind-down, while Bosox will keep playing the "anyone but Moncada" card, and we'll see who caves first. Very likely that Robertson, Melky, or even Jennings gets added to break a tie. Or, and I hope not, Sox keep insisting on Moncada, but cave by taking a couple fewer prospects in order to achieve the "victory" of attaining M + B + maybe just one other (Devers?). Fascinating stuff. Oh, to be a fly on the wall. Because, unfortunately, we'll hear what we hear and never know exactly what is going on. I still wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees swoop in last minute and blow everyone out of the water. That would be classic New York. Would so love to win a deal big-time taking advantage of the hated East Coast rivals doing their thing with each other!