ChiSox59

The first year is pro-rated for his suspension, so its really a 2 year ~$17.5M deal. Really surprised no one beat that in this market.

Cease is also going to be on an innings limit.

Exactly. If Kopech starts the year in the bigs, he's shut down by August 1st, and he's also now a FA one year sooner than he would if the Sox let him slowly build up endurance in AAA. It makes no sense - and furthermore, Hahn has been remarkably clear about Kopech starting in AAA multiple times already this offseason.

Lol. Lopez is not a reliever. I don't give a fuck about Basabe. I'd like to keep Dunning ideally, but I'd move him for Betts as I have already said minutes ago in this very thread. I am not trading Lopez, and I don't really care to get into a debate on Lopez with someone who clearly doesn't value him at all by calling him a reliever. So explain to me this: who is in the Sox OD rotation if they made this deal (Lopez + Dunning + Basabe for Betts). Our 2020 payroll is now ~$110M after adding Mookie. We have three rotation spots to fill. Please explain to me how we fill those and stay within a reasonable 2020 budget ($135M max).

Current OD rotation: Giolito, Cease, Lopez.....2 spots to fill. If we trade Lopez, now we have 3 spots to fill.

So now we have 3 rotation holes to fill, $28M less to spend to fill them, and while we solve RF for 2020, we still have to figure it out again next offseason. Such a Kenny Williams move. Betts is an awesome player, but I just don't see how it makes any sense to give up anything that projects to a significant piece of puzzle moving forward for 1 year.

There is 0% chance the Sox are done in FA this offseason. They're not just going to pack up and go home after offering a good not great pitcher $25M AAV and he signed elsewhere. C'mon, such a silly take.

I am not really turning. I am never trading Cease or Madrigal for Betts. I am not even interested in trading Reylo for Betts. That is what I am extremely against and have mentioned countless times when this has been discussed. The only packages I would offer for Mookie are packages that other orgs in their window should be able to easily beat. We both know that a Dunning + Basabe + Sheets offer has no chance to get accepted, and that is about the max I would be willing to give up for 1 year of Mookie.

I'd move Dunning and Basabe for Mookie. I am not including Reynaldo, which means this deal isn't getting done. I'd even include a Sheets or Rutherford type in that deal as well. But no to Lopez.

McCann + Fulmer for Benintendi? Lol.

Thankfully there are several RF of note, and that will likely be our only position of need at that point, assuming we sign a SP to a multiyear deal yet this offseason.

Yah, don't get your hopes up. Moncada isn't moving to the OF, so you move him back to 2B, and then trade Madrigal for a SP/RF. And if its for SP, you still have a hole in RF. And if its for a RF, you still have a SP hole and $250M+ less to fix it. Your plan sounds great if this were a video game. But its not. Like I said, I'd love to see it - but it just doesn't seem even remotely possible.

So we just spend a quarter billion dollars on 1 player and didn't even fill a hole? Which is exactly this scenario is never going to happen for this organization, among other reasons. Look, I'd love to have Rendon play for the White Sox. But this isn't MLB the Show. They aren't moving Moncada again (especially to a position he's never played), they aren't trading Madrigal just to create a hole at 2B to fill one elsewhere, and Rendon isn't going to sign somewhere to play somewhere other than 3B. The guy is good, but based on where we sit today, its just not a great use of limited funds. That being said, if the Sox actually did it - I certainly wouldn't complain - I just don't see it as every remotely realistic.

I think the White Sox young pitching staff is going to be in much better shape if we have a RF that we don't need to wish/hope improves to merely "serviceable". Eloy is our LF, and he isn't going to be a good one. We really need at worst a slightly above average defensive RF, or this team isn't going to be very good. As Hawk always said, rule #1 in baseball is to catch the ball. And the man is right.

Man, time flies. Can't believe Chris Sale has been in the league for 10 fuckin years.

I am so excited to watch our young, developing pitching staff get absolutely destroyed by the worst OF defense in the league in this scenario. Sounds like so much fun - where do I sign up?

I mean, at that price, what's the harm? The FutureSox article posted a few weeks ago about this cat suggested 2-4 year commitment at $8-10M AAV. If this guy could play some D, I'd be significantly more interested. I suppose if he's dirt cheap, it can't hurt to add him to the mix. But at $8-10M AAV, he's just going to make this roster even more inflexible.

25% K rate in Japan last season is alarming.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-hot-stove-japanese-slugger-yoshitomo-tsutsugo-will-be-posted-for-mlb-teams-this-offseason/

Hmmm this guys isn't really an option in the OF everyday, so I guess if the Sox are serious about this guy, Collins is likely on his way out. Anyone have a ballpark estimate of what he'd cost?

Right, something has to give there. May not involve the Sox, but they're going to trade one of those guys.

I would hammer the under on 4/$110M for Ryu, and I have seen no one of note suggest anything remotely close to that figure for Ryu. If that what he is looking for, and eventually gets, then ya - re categorize me in the hard pass category. I think 3/$60-65M sounds about right for Ryu.

Colome is the Sox 2nd best reliever. Sure he's paid what he's worth, but its not like we have a laundry list of guys ready to replace him. We traded a light hitting DH that tries to catch for a closer that did very well in 2019 - despite outperforming his peripherals - and is under control again in 2020 at market price for a decent closer. The Narvaez trade isn't going to appear in any 'best trades of the decade" lists, but it was a need for need trade. The fact that the M's turned around and traded the guys less than 12 months later for a minimal return is fairly telling.

Yah, I love the people that say hard pass to Ryu, but were all for Wheeler. They've both been in the league since 2013 - Ryu 740 IP; Wheeler 749 IP. They've literally been hurt the same amount. Ryu has been a considerably better pitcher to date. Sure, he's a bit older, and maybe a little less "upside", but he's also going to come at somewhere between 50-60% of the cost of Wheeler, which definitely makes up the difference, and then some. Ryu should be priority #1 at this point.

Yah, I think its primarily a reflection that Omar Narvaez isn't good.