Eminor3rd

How do you figure? Look at all the offers that leaked. Both players signed for the highest guaranteed dollars. This stuff isn’t rocket science. For once, the old analogy works backward: Hahn is trying to play 4D chess in damn game of checkers!

By then they’ll have signed four or five average players for $40-60m apiece, and Hahn will point to it and tell us that the “money was spent.” Then Eloy is going to sign with the Tigers and lead their next window of contention.

They were damn near unwatchable last year, when I still felt like the franchise was at least trying to win. I can’t imagine I’ll feel like spending much time on them this season. Sure as hell am not buying merchandise.

Shoot - Based on the way inflation works and the probably larger % of the financial pie the players who’ll be lobbying for in the coming decades, the PHILLIES might not even have that albatross. $25m could very well be what a 2 WAR player makes in... 2090 or whenever the hell that contract ends

Machado and Harper signed for $300m and $330m respectively, with one opt-out combined between them. Neither AAV sets a record. And the White Sox didn’t get either of them. The White Sox have a total of $15m committed to next year’s payroll.

How do you know this?

And yet it wouldn’t even have been the biggest currently active contract in baseball. It wouldn’t have been the biggest currently active AAV in baseball. In a few days, it won’t even be the biggest contract or AAV in this current free agent period. Despite the fact that Machado was, considering age, premium position, and track record, the second best free agent in history, behind Alex Rodriguez. And the White Sox payroll commitments, I’m guessing, are by far the lowest of all the Chicago sports teams, at least in terms of rank in the league. Adjusted for era, they might even be the lowest in the history of the franchise. If you’re going to contextualize an event, you have to look at all of it.

The amount of innings they complete is irrelevant — it’s an arbitrary number the pitcher can’t control. It’s about the amount of effective pitches they can throw. It’s about building mental and physical endurance. If Lopez throws 100 great pitches, but only gets through four because Palka ran the wrong direction on a pop up, it’s a still positive outing. If that leads to the bullpen being taxed, well then we call up fucking Chris Volstad again. Unfortunately, the W’s just don’t matter yet.

The coaches should take them out of the game before that becomes a concern.

It won’t make enough of a difference to affect the pitchers’ development. Might affect their ERAs a bit, make them throw a few more pitches here and there, but they’ll need to tough through that if they’re going to eventually be good anyway. Jones/CarGo aren’t good OFers either at this stage of their careers.

They don’t want to attract free agents. Hold him down — they need every extra minute they can get if they’re ever going to have a prayer.

Nothing. Give players development time. Signing a rando just to add one or two wins does the franchise harm at this point.

Shields is your ace.

Four million bucks to keep Dylan Covey from having to pitch.

This ^ He’s an extremely frustrating player. The talent is enticing but we shouldn’t be giving up any high upside prospects for him. Especially since we’ll never sign a good free agent. The way to do this now is pure, mass numbers on the farm system. Gotta get like the Rays where you have more decent guys than you can even play, even if none of them are stars. Then we can sign veteran role players to fill the gaps. Heavy platoons, specialized bullpens, etc.

You guys are missing the point. The rebuild didn’t hinge on Manny Machado, but it DOES hinge on the team being willing to spend money on the stuff they need the most. There will never be an opportunity to do so that was easier and made more sense than this one. So if not now, when? On an older player? When bidding against the Yankees and Dodgers? This isn’t about them missing the player, this is about them fucking up the process. And, specifically, in a way that just happens to be “cheap” as opposed to simply incompetent. This does not bode well, my friends.

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I'm not saying he won't make any, just that he shouldn't.

They shouldn't. If it isn't on Harper, there's no player that makes sense.

He actually did it. He is saying we should feel good that they made a losing offer.

Don't try to convince me you're angrier than I am, Rick, you fuck -- tell me how you're going to make it better.

It’s not about Machado, it’s about how the White Sox just proved that even in a literally ideal, all-planets-aligned situation, they will not pay market rate for the player they need. Even when the market is depressed. They will take your money while they rebuild, but they will not spend it to contend.

Killer ballpark in Nashville from what I’ve heard. They draw very well. Overall, the minor league ballpark experience is just so much better than the MLB anyway.

No, they just weren’t willing to win the bidding. KW literally said today that they couldn’t go to 300mm.

I know.