Quin

I think Vargas would actually learn a lot from Konerko, cause if he's gonna be a guy who does swing changes, why not learn from the dude who always tinkered?

Until Vargas, Perez or Albertus are contributors to a World Series winning team, the Dodgers won the trade. This is like saying the Sox lost the Carlos Lee trade cause Lee put up monster numbers for the next 4 seasons and Pods had one great year.

Most def. It's just disingenuous for people to talk about Our Chuck while he hypes up Hanser Alberto and then rag on Merkin. They both serve the same purpose, Merkin just doesn't come across holier than thou while somehow being beloved.

I think it's pretty clear the Dodgers won the trade.

We're agreeing in this regard. Chuck Garfein was lambasting Robert for organizational (Montoyo, La Russa) failures.

Chuck Garfein is the ultimate water carrier. I know he works for the org, but dude is such a snake with how he hypes up every player, then if they can absorb any blame that should be assigned to the organization, he piles it on. Once Robert is gone, I anticipate Lenyn Sosa to be Garfein enemy #1 when the team doesn't make the playoffs next year.

I really want Billy Carson to satisfy the itch of a S-Tier defensive shortstop that I've had since Cleuluis Rondon was in the org.

All right, we can get back to talking about the draft / Sox farm system.

That was roughly enough for Miguel "the Swing Change" Vargas to become the anointed savior for some.

Birmingham is not kind.

Don't you constantly say the Sox should have drafted someone like Bobby Witt, Jr.?

Trying to create a hypothetical team based on moves stretched out over that many seasons is crazy difficult. It's like when people say that if the Bulls had kept Aldridge instead of trading him, imagine pairing him with Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. They probably don't land Derrick Rose in that scenario. If Sale was still around in 2020, Quintana and Eaton are probably still around. When are the Sox drafting in this new timeline and is Crochet still around? Do they still whiff Wheeler or does he join them? Do they get 2020 Keuchel? If they keep Sale and Quintana, do they need Rodon as a starter in 2021, fueling his resurgence? The butterfly effect on draft picks, trades and other moves is too strong to say that they'd have all three of Sale, Rodon and Crochet, even if Jerry was willing to shell out mega contracts.

"Look, Luis is extremely depressed being here. We think he'll do better in a more nurturing environment. Thus, I need your most extroverted prospect."

Notably, only young and dumb people enjoy home runs.

70-grade baseball name.

This is as good a time as any to drop one of my favorite Buehrle articles: The Curious Case of Mark Buehrle

For some reason, NBA League Pass won't let me watch fucking Summer League. If Summer League is getting blacked out, there's a problem.

To save money, Reinsdorf will commission a statue of Manager Ozzie fielding a ball.

To be fair, Mark Buehrle is one of the craziest draft picks of all-time and the key to his pitching wasn't his stuff, it was the fact that he's one of the best defensive pitchers of all-time and pitched stupid fast.

Time to expect the underslots?

The reaction to Jacob Gonzalez tells me otherwise. And he was ranked right where the Sox took him, so that makes me even more confused.

To be fair, this is better than when Hostetler loved calling it "a sixth tool" and suddenly they were drafting six tool players.

Any time the Padres are interested in a Sox player it makes me want to keep the Sox player.

After Misiorowski got named an All-Star, Houser deserves it if more AL pitchers drop. Legit great signing from Getz.