lasttriptotulsa

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 3, 2015 -> 12:06 AM) I want proof that we are not just acquiring guys (like Baltimore used to do) and will be out of the race in June. We need to make some moves to acquire real ballplayers. OK we dumped Flowers. Now we need a GOOD catcher and one who can hit .270 with 24 homers and throw out a runner or two. There is exactly one catcher that can do that in the entire Major Leagues and he is a former MVP who may go into the HOF. Last year just one catcher hit 24 HRs (McCann). His average, .232. Just four catchers hit .270+ (Posey, Pierzynski, Cervelli, Molina). Other than Posey who hit 19 HRs, the other three combined for just 20. The type of catcher you are looking for only comes around about once a decade.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Dec 2, 2015 -> 06:23 PM) If we were DFAing anyone surely it should have been Avisail Garcia. Zero reason to non tender Avi. He's only going to make $2.5 million or so and has an option left. You don' t give up his potential for so little money.

QUOTE (kevo880 @ Dec 2, 2015 -> 01:43 PM) As badly as we need a third baseman I would hate to see a deal of Quinatana for Frasier, even if there were more pieces involved. Hahn will not give up 5 years of Quintana for 2 years of Frazier.

Would I be happy with the Sox signing Ben Zobrist? Absolutely. Would I be happy with the Sox signing a 35 Ben Zobrist to a 4 year, $60+ million contract. Not a chance in hell.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Dec 1, 2015 -> 09:14 PM) Eaton Heyward Abreu Arenado Melky TFT Avila Sanchez Saladino Bench-Flowers, MJ, LaSuck, Shuck Rotation- Sale, Rodon, Johnson, Danks, Lackey? I dunno, this rotation could be pretty bad without Q. Lackey has draft pick compensation attached to him.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Dec 1, 2015 -> 06:03 PM) The Sox have to open the pocket book and sign Heyward. Our pitching is cheap for the rest of the decade. Spend some dough on some premium bats. Heyward is the least risky FA signing one can get just based on his age. Gotta spend some dough and compete or Abreu is gonna opt out and walk. Abreu can't opt out. He can only opt in to arbitration. The Sox control him in years 4-6 regardless of what he chooses to do.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 30, 2015 -> 12:51 PM) I clicked the link, a window opens but the page never shows up. Anyone care to summarize? Anyway. The idea of trading LaRoche is a novel one, I mean, like that hadn't been thought of already. As others have said, who the hell would want LaRoche? Nobody. Just accept that at this point LaRoche is not tradable and will be on the 25 man roster come opening day. Maybe LaRoche gets some at bats and hits well enough to be traded July/August but otherwise I've accepted he will be with the Sox next year and only LaRoche can change that. Just to show how much negative value LaRoche has, the Pirates are speculated to non tender Alvarez. A guy that actually hit 27 HR's with an OPS near .800 and expected to earn just over 8M. LaRoche is going to make 13M coming off a season in which he hit 12 HR's and a .634 OPS. What team would be dumb enough to trade for LaRoche and why? The difference between the Pirates and the White Sox is the DH. Pedro Alvarez is a horrid defender and that is the reason that he may be non-tendered. Any value that his bat has is completely negated by his defense. If the Pirates had a DH spot in the lineup that's where he would be. That being said, I think AL teams would be better off looking at Alvarez and NL teams at LaRoche.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 28, 2015 -> 02:40 PM) I have no idea. I'm not Hahn/Kenny. I'm just saying expect a lot of outs when this guy steps to the plate. I realize baseball is full of horrible hitters nowadays. Not completely hating, just saying Avila is a joke of a hitter, though I'll give him credit for drawing some walks. Despite Avila's down season last year he still managed a .339 OBP and .355 against RHP. His overall would have been 3rd on the Sox last year amongst qualified batters and .355 would be second. So you're assertion that we should expect a lot of outs is just false. Even when he's not hitting he still gets on base which is something this team has sorely lacked the past few years.

QUOTE (Baron @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 11:36 AM) Unfortunately I think they got worse at this position. Here's the thing. Who gives a s*** if he's a pro? He couldnt hit away from Detriot last year especially at the Cell. Comerica is one of the worst ballparks for offense in baseball. You really think he's going to drop off from moving from a bad hitter's park to what has traditionally been a great hitter's park? Come on, it's not like he's coming from Coors.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Nov 25, 2015 -> 10:47 AM) A platoon of 2 pretty useless catchers. That's different. If platooned properly, I think the combo of Flowers and Avila has a shot of putting up a 2.5 to 3.0 fWAR. For a combined $6.5 or so that's not too bad. Flowers has .751 and .732 OPS against LHP the last two years and Avila had a .720 and .767 OPS against RHP in 2014 and 2013 (I'm discounting his 2015 due to injuries but for the record he was .666 in 2015). Avila is a good defensive catcher and Flowers is solid. I would definitely take solid defense and a low .700s OPS from our catchers. I am actually okay with our catching situation now and think it's time to move on to much more pressing needs.

For $2.5 million it's worth a shot. Maybe a change of scenery will do him some good.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Nov 24, 2015 -> 11:23 PM) It's MUCH worse than MJ the Wizard. These alphas just don't know when it's time to quit. In his two years with the Wizards Jordan put up PERs of 20.7 and 19.3. Those are still pretty dang good numbers, especially for a 38-40 year old who sat out for 3 years.

If Johnson is really back on track to being the pitcher we thought we were going to have before 2014 happened, the rotation next year should be pretty dang solid for the next 4 years. And then we still have Fulmer, Danish, Adams and Montas all waiting in the wings.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Nov 20, 2015 -> 10:30 AM) They're better than the 90's Bulls. The 3-pointer puts them at another level. Could you imagine if they played with a reduced line like the bulls did for a few of those years? G.A.M.E.O.V.E.R! Who on that team would even stand a chance of containing Jordan? Especially playing by today's rules. He'd score 50 a night with 20+ free throws. Jordan, Pippen and Rodman would be able to shut them down. Rodman would probably pull down 25+ rebounds.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 05:30 PM) Stop the win now attitude. It's failed miserably for the past ten years. It's time for the Sox to rebuild. Disagree 100%. With a core of Abreu, Sale, Eaton and Quintana all in the prime of their career and Rodon soon to be breaking out there is no reason to completely rebuild. While 2016 may not be the year to go all in, I think they should be setting themselves up this year to make that push in 2017.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 20, 2015 -> 06:17 AM) Do I understand correctly that Puig's contract allows him to opt out, and into arbitration, after his 3rd year of service time? His service time will reach 3 years, during the upcoming season. That would make him just like any player on the normal "free agency clock," and nullify, what would otherwise have been, a very affordable contract. Nevertheless, he would still be quite affordable, for the next 4 years. I like the suggestion that Abreu be consulted regarding Puig's character. If Jose were confident that Puig wouldn't become a club house cancer, that would be very reassuring. Yes, you are correct. He has the same clause as Abreu in his contract. While Abreu doesn't stand to gain a lot until his 2nd or 3rd arbitration year, Puig will definitely opt out. He will probably gain roughly $4-$5 million in 2017 and $8-$10 million in 2018 by opting out.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 01:03 AM) I was pushing for BreadBoy, considering that was an occupation and he also looks like a 15 year old kid. "Man" didn't fit, but it appears BreadMan has won...so... oh well. Are people actually calling him that though? I heard a couple guys say it in the preseason and early on in the regular season but not since. Did it really stick?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 11:45 AM) I'm not that convinced that Trayce is a long-term starter, but I think if you are going that direction it likely indicates more of a youth movement. I'd also hope it indicates some focus on the D, but I don't know. We have a lot of poor defenders and I don't know that a guy who is probably better served as a 4th outfielder and starting him necessarily signals that movement. I still get pissed thinking about how we built a team around pitching with such a horrific defense. How does replacing Avi with a guy older than him signal youth movement? If they really are going into a full rebuild let Avi keep playing to ultimately see what you have with him as his ceiling is higher than Trayce's. In the grand scheme of things the $2.5 million or so you will pay Avi is nothing.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 11:39 AM) Dan Hayes said on twitter that they wouldn't be signing one of the big name OFs earlier. Even if they traded Garcia. Theu aren't paying $100 million for a free agent OF I pretty much take anything Dan Hayes says with a grain of salt.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 11:15 AM) Does trayce signal youth movement or d movement? I think the latter. I really don't think they are going to go into the season with Trayce as a starter. If Garcia does get moved I think it is to open a spot in an attempt to sign Upton or Cespedes. If Garcia is moved and you fail to sign and guy, then so be it Trayce becomes a starter.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 11:14 AM) I am not a fan of Avi and am fnie if we move him and prospects to get a piece we like at 3B or catcher. I am a fan and I'm still alright with including him in a trade for a Major League ready piece at a position of need. They shouldn't just give him away.

QUOTE (bruni @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 10:35 AM) Eaton - poor 2 month+ start (along with several others) helped doom this team in 2015. Abreu - they won a bidding war on a guy who looks more and more like Trumbo since 2nd half 2014 than any player that can carry a team to the WS going forward. Furthermore he looks increasingly fragile and is better served as our DH vs 1B. Rodon and Fullmer - you and I could pick top rated undergrad pitching prospects - - this is not evidence of superior or even above average talent evaluation, but merely the byproduct at being a really bad team several years in a row. Montas - potential yes, but let's not make this out as a huge win at this time - - look at his ERA from his cup of coffee in the bigs last season. Power pitching without control does little good. Anderson - we don't know what he can do at the MLB level (and likely wont until late 16 or 2017) but so many are drinking the kool aid here. How many wins is he going to earn this team in 2016? In the meantime our current brain trust (in the middle of their "3-year plan", remember) put bottom 5 production at C, 2B, SS, 3B and RF and bottom 10 production at DH and LF. How do players like Anderson and Fullmer even make an impact in this '3 year' window? How you can point this as proof of a front office we should have confidence in is beyond me. Other than identifying Q as a lottery ticket to target, I fail to see much that gives me confidence in the current and stale 'brain-trust'. Oh boy, where do I start. Eaton - So he had a bad month. That doesn't change the fact that he has put up 6.6 fWAR in his time with the Sox. The guy they traded for him, 1.3 fWAR. How is this not a massive win? It was quite clear in Santiago's time with the team that they didn't think that highly of him so they traded him for a player they did think highly of. Sounds like good talent evaluation to me. Abreu - To compare him to Trumbo is laughable. He seems to have gone through the typical sophomore slump last year and still managed a 3 fWAR season with 30 homers and 100 RBIs. Rodon and Fullmer - Yes they are top talents but other teams passed on both. Montas - He was acquired as a throw in in the Peavy, Iglesias, Garcia trade. Part of this trade was shedding nearly $20 million in Sox payroll commitments for a team with no intention of competing the next year. How this could be seen as anything but a win is beyond me. Even if he just ends up being a bullpen guy, he was acquired basically for nothing. Anderson - While he hasn't proven himself in the majors, he has made great strides both offensively and defensively since the Sox drafted him. Remember he was very raw and did not start playing baseball until his Junior year of high school. He has made great strides and I think at this point everyone will be pretty disappointed if he doesn't become at least an average MLB player. Pretty good talent evaluation there to draft a guy with only a couple years baseball experience. Q - I love how you just kind of pass him aside when he was the best find of any of them. The guy was picked up for nothing and now is so valuable that he is almost untradeable. Imagine how great of pitchers they could find if they could actually evaluate talent.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 10:50 AM) i really think the cost of getting a FA 3b vs the idea of walker providing a 1 yr reprieve is the actual question. also take into account giving him a QO if it works. so lets say he accepts it, still your team will not be laden with a FA of todays value of a 5+ yrs. Walker is not a third basemen. What makes you think he can adequately play there is he never has? The guy is a mediocre second baseman as it is. And by moving him to third, you are devaluing his offense as well. The .750 OPS he put up last year is great as a second baseman but not nearly as good if playing a corner position.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 10:20 AM) I believe this post implied it: I should have quoted it, my bad. I think the question is not really whether Walker is better than Sanchez, it's more is the difference between Walker and Sanchez worth trading prospects away and adding a difference of roughly $9.5 million dollars in salary for a guy with just one year team control? And, in my opinion, the answer to that question is no. Especially when we have other greater needs when could spend that money and those prospects on.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 19, 2015 -> 10:11 AM) I mean, probably when they finished in the bottom ten of the league 3 years in a row. Oh you mean during a rebuild? Yes, because all teams do great in the standings while rebuilding. During these 3 bad years in a row they have acquired Eaton, Abreu, Rodon, Anderson, Montas and Fullmer in various ways who should make up their core for the next 4-5 years minimum. Yes, poor talent evaluators indeed.