The Sir

No joke, I've thought about the viability of creating some sort of Air Uber. Of course somebody already did it. Guess I have to keep thinking about how to make my fortune.

Wow. Thought people a lot less rich than that would be in that market. I believe you, though. Again, I think this would just be my big thing if I was rich. Even less so than being a billionaire. Have a plane (could be old and used, as long as the range is oceanic), and a few yachts strategically stationed around the world, and I could vacay whenever and wherever I wanted. Probably not everyone's dream, though.

Silly law abider. I'd kidnap a mechanic, park the thing on my neighbor's lawn, siphon gasoline from folks at the local airfield, and find some cut-rate insurance based out of Mexico. Problem solved. On a serious note, though, I could be wrong, but a) I think you're a bit high on those costs (my dad owned a plane, albeit a smaller one, for years, and we're not millionaires) and b) I feel confident someone who earned $150 million over the course of their career (and we're ignoring the many endorsement deals a guy like KG would have) could, with even conservative investments, produce more than $4 million in additional yearly income.

Maybe not the "low end rich", but Ken Griffey made $150 million in his career, just off contracts. You can get yourself a jet of your own for a million. The pilot costs a bit, and maybe this isn't Ken's thing, but rich me would have like three jets and five yachts, and I'd be the only crew for all of them.

Might take a bit longer after all. Hat tip @NCsoxfan.

Per my suggestion in the latest Machado thread, and with Chisoxfn's blessing, this is where I will post all the tweets and ST insider posts I can find. I'll update this as much as my workload and sanity will allow. Enjoy! Note: In terms of credibility, I'm pretty much going to include everything I can find that relates to rumors about the intentions of either involved teams or players. Whether Nightengale is a plant, or Bowden's been wrong about everything ever isn't really my focus and can be up for discussion. I mostly want to help the constant but understandable latecomer who pokes in just to ask, "What'd so-and-so say?"

It would be cool if there was a separate thread that only an mod/admin could post in, solely with tweets from credible types or posts from the buckets, Rocks, and raBBits of the world. Make the real emotion swinging rumors easy to find. Leave this open for the thoughts of the horde. Don’t want to put too much on the mods’ plates (I’d do it if properly deputized). Just FWIW.

That’s fair. Some of your purists might have an issue with three Rs right in a row in the middle, but I’m pretty ambivalent about that.

2B Moncada 3B Machado DH Abreu RF Harper LF Jimenez 1B Alonso C Castillo SS Anderson CF Engel (we’d have to fix this with literally anyone else, though)

Actually, social media needs fixed. As in, people should stop using it so they can act like people again.

Why are we interested in either Martinez or Encarnacion? What hole do either of those fill? We don’t need any more 1B/DH/LF types.

1. Frank Thomas 2. Ray Durham 3. Juan Uribe 4. Jermaine Dye 5. James Baldwin

First off, I know exactly one Cubs fan, and that's my brother who lives in another part of the country. Therefore, I hope the Cubs, Cards, and Brewers dominate that division and the Reds don't put up a winning record for 20 years. I know tanking pisses people off, but acquiring shitty contracts for marginal improvement so that other teams can swing for the fences is embarrassing. Screw the Reds- although I feel sorry for their fans, because they're still going to suck. Second, let Harper go to LA. I wanted him, but the truth is, he's not a $40 million player. Two years of an OPS over .900, and only one which was actually a full season. Limited defensive value. And there have been so many FA disasters in recent years. Look at Heyward, Pujols, Cabrera, Davis, Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Desmond, Fowler, Gordon, Cespedes, etc. If we're dubious about Harper's value now, how do you think we're gonna feel in eight years when he's 34 and not even playing RF anymore? A $40 million DH? No thanks. Third, I don't blame anyone for this, but we've gotten really caught up in the shiny object of the last two months, but before that, did we really think we had any chance at these guys? No. It doesn't speak well of Hahn to be inflating our hopes, but two months ago, we still thought we were gonna be dominant in a few years. Why? Because of Eloy, Kopech, Cease, Robert, Madrigal, 2019 #3, Moncada, Lopez, Gio (?), Collins, and so on. So let's remember the main allure of our franchise as it stands now. 3B looks like a hole for the foreseeable future, so Machado would be nice, but if that fails (and I'm not yet certain it will), let's not play the games of 2014-15 and sign the second rate guys. Save the cash for later, and focus on our organization's primary strength right now. I don't think the future looks grim for us at all.

Why that stance on Burger? Just not impressed and the injury?

Geez. This thread isn’t going to make it five pages. Also, “Machado: Endgame”, really? I saw that title and immediately thought, “Oh shit.”

I do see what you mean, but I don't really get it. Why isn't there a shot? We have lots of young talent like I said, but it is the bullpen. Chris Volstad got 47 IP last year, and even in the second best pen in baseball, Brian Duensing got 37 IP over 48 appearances. And he was 35 with nothing to prove, other than that he was clearly over the hill. We, as a much less competitive team, can't give a still-young second round draft pick more than 13 IP over three years to show his stuff? I'm not that sad about it, and I'm sorta just playing devil's advocate, but it kinda does baffle me.

I jokingly mentioned this in the Machado thread and got exactly one response. Think it's a little more noteworthy since he was a second round pick, will be 24 for most of next season, and had his fate with us apparently decided on the back of 13 MLB innings. Probably a better way to use roster spots, particularly with Hamilton, Burdi, Frare, Ruiz, Burdi and others on the way or already in the pen, but his departure isn't nothing. So...thanks for the effort, Tyler?

Only one opinion matters, and nobody really has a clue what that opinion is. I won't sweat this.

He's going to walk 8 batters in 9 relief innings for the Mariners next year, apparently. I partially wonder if we've given up on him too soon, because he's only 24 and only has 13 IP in MLB. But I suppose he's out of options and we've got better youngsters to use roster spots, especially in the pen.

You guys can make fun of WSI all you want- I still don't see a Soxtalk thread devoted to the departure of Tyler Danish.