ChiSox59

I don't think we NEED SP. I think the Sox sign a legit RF (Conforto) and a cheap 2B (several options). I don't think the Sox should trade Vaughn to fill either. Would I trade Vaughn for Marte? Yeah, maybe. But now we need a LF/DH and and RF (no I don't care about Sheets). Just plugs a hole we created with the dumb AF Madrigal trade by creating another hole in trading away another pre-arb potential star in Vaughn. Keep Vaughn. Sign Conforto. Sign a cheap 2B. Go to battle with best roster in AL.

Vaughn can play LF. Eloy can DH. Days Yaz needs to DH/1B, Vaughn/Jose/Eloy/[Conforto] can get a breather. Plenty of at bats to go around. No need to trade Vaughn unless you get bowled over.

Easy peasy.

The third one is the only one that makes a lick of sense. I am not trading Vaughn tho.

As I’ve said before, they deserve and have earned the skepticism. I guess I just want to believe they’ll do the right thing. They went multiple seasons during the rebuild making good decisions. Madrigal was a step in the wrong direction. Hope to see it end there. But understand those who feel it’s as white Soxy as it gets.

Also imagine the Sox trading a cost controlled solid 2B that was a great team fit (on the field), a former top 5 pick and quick mover for literally nothing, and then turning around the next season and trading your cost controlled future middle of the order bat who was also a top 5 pick for a 2B. Lol. It’s literally comical to imagine. I would lose so much faith. Doubling down on stupid.

Right. Castellanos and Schwarber should be non starters. They’re awful defenders. Flanking Robert with 2 of Eloy, Vaughn, Castellanos and Schwarber is asking for Serious and consistent trouble. Continue to refuse to believe the Sox would make that stupid of a decision at this juncture.

Yes, everyone who posts here knows you hate Vaughn.

Continues to make less than no sense.

Bummer. I still held on hope that he'd make it as reliever someday. Even if not for the Sox - he was just a guy I rooted for. But he's 27 now - it wasn't going to happen. Best of luck in your future endeavors, Alec.

Sure, I get the thought process behind it. But there is simply 0% chance I am trading Eloy right now. That would be nuts. Dude has the upside of one of the very best hitters on the planet. He's coming off a dreadful season. Eloy is my DH for the next 5 seasons. I would allow him to play a little LF in 22 and 23 to keep him happy, but the Sox are much much better off with Eloy at DH at this point. He's a risk to himself and everyone around him in LF. So Eloy stays. I fully expect him to pop out over 50 homers - while also hitting for average - one of the next couple seasons if the Sox commit to DH him 80%+ of the time. I am not a Sheets guy. I do not expect him to be anything other than a Brandon Moss type if everything goes well. Now that is a wonderfully useful guy to have around at the moment because we need lefty bats bad, but he cannot field a single position and we have Eloy at DH. I put him in AAA to start the season and wait for a need - one will certainly arise. He's got 2 more option years - lets use them. Vaughn is my LF for my aforementioned reasons. He'll always be a 1B. We can always move him back to 1B when father time eventually catches up to Jose. But we all know 2022 isn't Jose's last year in a Sox uni. Don't get me wrong - Ketel Marte would be a great addition. But we simply cannot add him without meaningfully subtracting from this roster. He's a luxury we don't need. Put on your big boy pants and give Conforto 4/$80M. Bring in one of Villar, Miller, Solano or Harrison to platoon with Leury at 2B and fill in around the diamond. We don't need a star at 2B. That roster is loaded.

Especially when he has a very clear role on this team. Trading him++ for Marte is simply plugging a hole and also creating one. No thanks.

I don’t think it’s all that hard to imagine Vaughn improving immensely in 22. He was asked to do a ton in 21 with an enormous jump in competition and having not played at all in 20. AV is going to be an excellent mlb hitter.

Are we selling high though? If selling high is the plan, let him rake this year and then trade him. He's my primary LF for the next few seasons though. No problem mixing him in at DH and 1B here and there, but he was plenty capable in LF and I want Eloy out of the field as much as possible so he can actually do the one thing he can be elite at....hit.

They're never getting rid of interleague play. Play each team in the other league 2 games home and away (60 games). Play each team in your division 8 times; 4 home and 4 away (32 games) Play other teams in each league 7 times; 4 game series and 3 games series rotating H/A annually. (70 games) As close to a balanced schedule as you can get. I wouldn't be opposed. Will never happen though. Way more 2 game series, way more flying around the country.

So you're playing Engel everyday in LF and DHing Eloy? IF not, who is the DH? Sheets? Why makes you not a huge Vaughn guy, out of curiosity?

Expanded playoffs AND shortened regular season? Woof. Those are probably the two things I want to change the least

I assume that means 28th ranked prospect in this years international class?

Sitting at home for week seems like a disadvantage.

If we end up with 7 playoff teams per league, I am going to be pretty bummed. How do you even structure playoffs with 7 teams?

That’s fair. They’ve earned the skepticism. Just think they’ve turned a corner. Madrigal was an awful move with shades of the past; hopefully they stop right there. I guess we’ll see in a couple short months. I won’t lose my mind if the Sox sign Castellanos, but I certainly wouldn’t love the move and I’d be more than a bit confused as to what they’re trying to accomplish.

And yet Most would take the Sox situation over all those you mentioned except LAD. Sox have former top 25 prospects littered all over the roster including several former top overall prospects in the game. Would it be nice to have a great farm too? Yeah, but I’ll take the young roster of guys who have already hit and still hold considerable upside over prospects anyway. Sox are going to be good for awhile. I’m not too worried about the farm at the moment.

The Sox haven’t been in a position quite like they are heading into 2022 in either of our lifetimes. Obviously the Sox have historically been a team that isn’t averse to signing DHs. That’s no secret. But I just don’t see them them adding another DH to this mix, especially when the near perfect fit in Conforto is out there. Maybe I give them too much credit. But Hahn has built a very nice team. I don’t think he’s going to finish it off by jamming a square peg in a round hole. That all being said, and as I said a couple months ago in this very thread - Nick C can rake and would be fun to watch in a Sox uni. It’s just a putrid fit tho - I don’t see it happening.

Sox aren’t this dumb.

Ehhh, I would. We have above average regulars to superstars at 7/9 positions and really good rotation and bullpen. Add Conforto and it’s the best team in the AL, perhaps by a bit.