ChiSox59

Fulmer isn't going to be starting baseball games any longer.

This will be awful, but entertaining. Walton liked to give Bennetti crap about the White Sox during CBB games they did together.

Clock is ticking this year. Full year of control lost this season while he was on the IL. However, they can get back the 45-50 days or whatever he spent on the MLB roster in 2018 if he spends at least that many days in AAA (assuming he's not on MLB IL) in 2020. Therefore, they would extend their control 1 season.

Yep. Late May / early June should do it.

Would assume he's referring to Kopech's demeanor on the mound, which could definitely be described as angry.

For some guys yah. But if Cole would sign with Dodgers to 6/$180, but would require 6/$240M from the White Sox....the calculus changes. But yah, obviously money talks and for most guys, they're going to go to the highest bidder. I don't know very much about Cole on a person level (outside of his talent on the field), so I can't really speak to how important the things fathom is mentioning would be to him.

Well if that is all accurate, then perhaps his mind is set on signing on the west coast and there is nothing Hahn can do about it. But Hahn's comment was definitely not directly about Cole. You can negatively read between the lines all you want, but just presenting what was actually said to those that haven't listened.

Hahn made an interesting comment last night in his podcast about Kopech. Sure seems to me like Kopech opening the year in the minors is on the table. "At some point next year you can expect Kopech to join us. I just don't know when he is going to be on the major league active roster. His rehab has gone wonderfully, he is perfectly on pace and is going to be in spring training without restriction, and he is going to be over 18 months removed from having thrown a pitch in anger. So let's let the kid develop and when he is ready, he is going to be back."

Just listening. Not surprised to see you make that leap, but that is quite the leap. The comment about where they went to college or married someone from a particular area had nothing to do with Cole. He's just saying that there are certain things that money can't overcome - the question was not directly about Cole. For those that had not listened and took that comment at face value...

I think its fair to be skeptical. But this year was never a realistic year to compete. I think we all hoped that we'd have a decent product that could maybe float around .500, and frankly they did until the ASG. The lack of pitching has just caught up to the club the last month. Obviously pitchers get hurt and that is part of the game - but when your best two SP entering the season (Rodon and Kopech) make a grand total of 7 starts, that is going to hurt. On top of that, when your #2 and #3 (Dunning and Lambert) pitching prospects that are near major league ready also go under the knife and are out for the season - that is going to hurt. That is legitimately what could have been 80% of the Sox rotation today. The Sox have had to patch together a rotation all season due to that. Hopefully those days will be behind us starting in 2020. This offseason is obviously monumental. Another flop, and I am going to lose patience and faith. But for now, they still have an enormous amount of financial flexibility. Moncada has developed into one of the best 10-15 position players in the game, and he still has a ton of untapped potential. Giolito is at worst a VERY good mid rotation starter, and most Sox fans have pretty much written him off after 2018. Robert has turned into one of the best 2-3 position player prospects in the game and looks like someone who is going to fill what what a been a blackhole in CF for a decade plus. There is a ton of cheap controllable talent in place that needs outside reinforcements. I for one think the FO deserves another 8 months to see what they can do before I lose faith that this rebuild is going to be flop.

Yes, this exactly. And sadly, even the more prominent and well known guys are doing it now.

How does that indicate that when reading between the lines, Cole isn't happening, as Fathom said?

I would say - at least the most vocal group - whether or not that is a small minority is hard to say, have seemingly turned on the rebuild this year. I would even say that a decent chunk of the bloggers now just have a negative tone with anything to do with the White Sox. Obviously they're all big fans, but I do think there is a group here (which I mentioned the other day as well) and on Twitter that seem like they're rooting for this thing fail to say I told ya so. So I don't necessarily disagree with what Hahn said from the short snippet that was posted on twitter, but he probably should be keeping that to himself. That being said, it did appear to be a fairly informal podcast/interview, so its hard to skewer him for trying to be candid.

I haven't listened to the podcost - but what does that have to do with Cole?

Sounds kinda cool.

For the $1.25M or whatever paltry sum he’ll require, it’s really no biggie.

Yah, he's lost right now. Still confident that hit tool will come around. Hitting major league pitching is hard.

Eloy lost the batting gloves

At 1 fWAR, he's certainly been worth his contract. It wasn't pretty early, but you can do worse as a backend starter on a rebuilding team.

Goins is a ballplayer. Even when he gets out he puts together professional at bat after professional at bat. I am impressed.

Just curious - are you able to make a post without referencing the Red Sox or one of its players? Its gotta be over 80% of your posts. Yawn.

I'd be surprised if Calhoun had any interest leaguewide at $14M.

Yah, Calhoun is a decent fallback option as well. I would so much rather acquire a RF via trade or go with a cheaper option like Gordon/Calhoun than blowing a ton of our FA budget on Ozuna/Puig/Castellanos. Much prefer Cole and Grandal as primary big money targets, and go shorter term on RF if you can't find a good buylow option via trade. Those guys are all better suited for DH, and we should be able to find a 1B/DH type to pair with Grandal and Collins relatively cheaply - whether that is Abreu or someone like Justin Smoak on a cheap 1 year deal.

Do you prefer Calhoun to Gordon?

Just trying to be realistic for those that think $120M is a pipe dream. I don’t think “we have a problem” if it doesn’t get up to $150Mish, but frankly its what should be done. IMO, $120M+ should be a definite.