MiddleCoastBias

I see we're now at the bargaining stage of grief as one month ago everyone was hell no on Joc and now it's "oh how I wish we got him".

Fwiw, MLBN had their Top 10 Right Now show last night and Giolito came in as the #10 SP in all of baseball.

I believe the suggestion was [NL team that needs Kimbrel] + Oakland = Manaea. Sure, doing nothing is "far easier", but you also *get* nothing. We're not getting a LH RFer but at least make the effort to bolster our SP so we're not trotting out the husk of Dallas Keuchel or Reynaldo Lopez every fifth day

This is such a sexy and well-crafted trade proposal, well done. It makes so much sense it's hard NOT to be doing this.

Thank you for making my point. Engel is Mr. Glass, Eloy plays the outfield like a bowling ball, and Robert is going to be fielding two positions between left-center and right-center. Until they show the ability to stay healthy and stay on the field, we have to be prepared for the probability that we'll be missing one or more for some period of time.

And this how the Billy Hamiltons and Brian Goodwins of the world will have job security. If we do not somehow wise up and sign Conforto, I fully expect that we will see Hamilton or Goodwin back in the fold at some point this year. And don't get me wrong, I loved them both as good "team" guys, seemed like they really meshed well with the team and had a positive impact (if not necessarily on the field). But they're 4th and 5th OFers at this point, and I never want to be in the position where we need to sign them to start games because of our lack of depth and foresight.

Not to belabor the point that we desperately need a true backup catcher, but cherry picking a stat from MLBN with the worst pitch framers last year: https://ibb.co/LhNRpSN Sal Perez: -19 run in 120 games started Collin: -10 runs in only 55 games started Severino: -10 runs in 102 games started Gary Sanchez: -6 in 110 games started

Ok so then who is going to catch on those days...? If they want to prioritize Yaz at DH, maybe they should also prioritize getting an actual backup catcher?

This. And to think we're going to somehow get them to take him AND give up someone of the caliber of Lux or Bellinger. I agree that they're now a good trade partner for him. But we're either eating a lot of money (not our MO) or get the money off our books and a modest/meager return.

I feel like this is the same thing that happens every year. The 'smartest guys in the room' think they're going to outsmart everyone else and grab their off-season target on a steal of a deal, and then they have no contingency plan when they realize there are other smart people that are willing to offer more money for those same players.

Glass half full perspective: this is exactly what we said when SD came out on Freeman before the LAD signing, so maybe this is a sign that a Sox signing is imminent. ?

Honestly, that new rule in indie ball or wherever it is that allows for an attempt to advance to 1B on any passed ball (ie dropped 3rd strike on any pitch), means that Billy will have use for more teams if it's ever adopted in the majors.

That's because LaRussa was able to use speedy assets as runners at 2B. You know, guys like Billy Hamilton and Liam Hendriks.

This sounds like San Diego sees there are fewer teams remaining preventing Freddie from going to the Dodgers, so they're just going to try to drive LA's price up. Bet this is over soon and he's a Dodger.

Farts. My conspiracy theory lived on for a fresh 30 seconds.

I don't think I've seen this offered yet, but where is Kimbrel right now (physically) while everyone else is arriving at camp? Haven't heard any indication that he's shown up. To me that's an indicator that the team has communicated with him that they're actively working on a trade and that he'll be on the move soon anyway, no point in coming here.

Which means it means EVERYTHING. IT'S HAPPENING. Ok guys, what number do we think Conforto will wear?? /gr

True, and it does sound like they aren't done going after Olson and Rizzo. They have options that could make Gleybar become available, but I think they'll still be in a position to keep him unless they really like the offer.

Currently LeMahieu would be slotted at 1B and Gleybar at 2B. They had DJ play 1B quite a bit and seem comfortable with him there.

Sheets' swing looks so smooth when he's confident. The latter half of the season, after he made some adjustments, he had great plate presence and looked confident that he could find a ball to drive. I'm excited to see that develop into what it could possibly be. Maybe that's as a White Sox or maybe that's with someone else, but he's one of those lefties where you can see some real potential to do some damage from that side of the plate.

Buehrle gets the love (rightfully) for the HR, but Matt Albers' double and celebration will always hold a special place in my heart. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/white-sox-pitcher-matt-albers-hits-double-and-has-hilarious-reaction-c181541836 https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/mlb/w5o8cxzivtbqakqphj0h.mp4 Other than that, good riddance to pitchers hitting.

Cancelled mine after the Machado/Harper fiasco. Only so much we can do to get a point across, "vote with your dollar".

Yep, the owners seem to work against their own long-term interests, saving a penny when it could pay off millions at the major league level. Just seems like the opportunity cost for teams to spend a little more earlier on to fully realize their prospects' potential could pay off huge down the line. Hell, teams throw int'l signing bonus money at 16 year olds on pure speculation, then turn around and squeeze pennies on the development of these same players once they're in the fold. It just doesn't make sense for anyone involved.

Mark Appel with a good a thread about being a minor leaguer and what they need to be successful re: housing, food, and off-season training. Lays out a pretty decent proposal that makes a ton of sense from the practical perspective, but owners will hate from a financial perspective. https://twitter.com/markappel26/status/1493693618988720137?s=20&t=KaSaeV1eqf_cY7VrDvMcZA

I'm on record with my concern/interest to see if/how he can adjust defensively to meet the requirements to play 2B. Let him get the reps in the off-season to see what he can do, can't hurt. Setting aside all rational thought now and jumping on the positive feedback loop, I now fully expect him to be the next Max Muncy that can play every infield position and mash as a big guy. Don't let me down, Max! Er, Jake!