Thad Bosley

What’s your opinion of Jerry Reinsdorf as owner of the White Sox? Kenny Williams as Senior Whatever-He-Is and Rick Hahn as General Manager of the White Sox? Ricky Renteria as the field manager of the team? Your fervor in providing feedback on those questions surrounding White Sox baseball would be more valued than those too-often repeated views on the one guy who has actually given the franchise any worthwhile face value the past several years

I think the focus should be on what's supposed to be our prime window of contention, which is the next 5-7 years. That's when a premier starter like Cole would greatly enhance our chances to succeed during that window. We can worry about post-window compensation for any aging pitcher and what our core prospects might cost after 2024.

This major market team with it's new TV deal isn't going to be "crippled" at any point. This is not the Villa Park White Sox we are talking about here!

And with PLENTY of room to grow! Let's put this into context. The median payroll for MLB teams right now is somewhere around $140M. We will be nearly $100M below just the median. But as a major market club that just signed a new TV deal of our own, there is no reason in the world why this franchise shouldn't be clearing the median payroll numbers by a long shot. This is why not signing either of Machado or Harper last offseason will continue to be a major blemish on the Hahn/Williams/Reinsdorf record. They could have signed either to the exact same contracts the two eventually ended up signing, and STILL had plenty of money leftover to fund any and all other commitments.

Lowest payrolls in the game, AND the benefit of increased revenues due to the new TV deal. That's why any nonsense of not going after any premium free agent they want and fielding as competitive a bid as any other team is just that - nonsense! It's not a question at this point whether they "can" spend the money. Rather, it's whether they "want" to spend the money. Last offseason, they clearly decided they didn't want to, despite the still-empty words of "the money will be spent". Show us.

I might swap Abreu and Eloy in this mock-up line-up, but only because I want to see that murderer’s row of Robert/Moncada/Jimenez back-to-back.

I don’t think I’ve expressed outrage over anything here. I was just merely amused at your reference to the thought process of the Sox braintrust as something special. The fans are well-accustomed now to the typical results of their thought processes, the majority of which, I’m sure you’d agree, are not much to write home about.

I’m good at my current job as a fan who assesses the results on the field.

HA! Now that’s a good one. That certainly stopped me in my tracks to pause for a hearty chuckle! “The actual deliberations and thought process” of Jerry Reinsdorf, Kenny Williams, and Rick Hahn. The braintrust whose “actual deliberations and thought process” for nearly 20 years running now has brought us all of just two trips to the postseason, and the fourth longest playoff drought in baseball, currently. Who would dare to question or be skeptical of their collective genius!

Imagine how maddening all of this bunting will be if and when we return to playing games that matter.

Better?

Yeah, I know. I didn’t intend to change it, it just happened when the site was upgraded.

Present and accounted for, Hatchetman!

You are easily one of the best posters on this site. Really hope you stay and continue to share your informed point of view and the wonderful, historical perspective you provide.

A big part of the problem is that it’s almost August of this 2019 season, the 7th year in a row of absolutely putrid baseball, and its hard for many fans to imagine at this point that our fan base will be lifted out of this constant losing rut in 2020, the way things are going. And it’s just not enough to say things will be super duper come 2021. That’s still a long ways away.

7th summer in a row of crappy, losing baseball.

Alright, alright. Just seemed like he wasn’t causing any major harm.

Either engage the guy in the discussion and help him understand the stat, as he’s politely asked the folks here to do, or STFU and just stay out of it. No need to be condescending and insulting.

wOBA sounds like the name of a Star Wars character. That’s the best I can do for ya! ? Meanwhile, back to Senor Abreu, what I’d like to know is who in our system are his current year projections of 35+ home runs, 35+ doubles, and 115+ RBIs blocking? In other words, for whom should that offensive production step aside?

So what’s your prediction going forward for this guy? Next year he’ll no longer be “only 24”, but rather 25, which is starting to get a bit long in the tooth for a former first round draft pick to not have cemented a spot as a starter at the big league level. In other words, when will these nifty 162 game average stats start making their way to the White Sox?

Wrong song, Leroy. Guys don’t get selected to be on the All Star team because of “reputation”, unless they are in their last season of a storied career. Abreu got selected because he earned it through being at the top of the league in several offensive categories among first baseman, which indicates in no uncertain terms that HE IS GOOD. PERIOD!

You’re comparing apples to oranges. Neither Cabrera nor Pujols were signed to their current long term contracts at the ripe, ‘ol age of 26, like Machado was. The Tigers and Angels will be paying Cabrera and Pujols into their early 40s, while the Padres will only pay Manny through his age 36 year. HUGE DIFFERENCE! Again, epic fail by the Sox not to take advantage of the rare opportunity to sign a guy of Machado’s caliber at the prime age that he was available.

You can remember back that far?

LOL - ok.