Lip Man 1

Folks the idea of a minimum payroll has been floated for years. The rub is the owners insistence that the only way they would consider a "floor" is with a salary cap. The MLBPA will NEVER agree to a cap...not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow. That is simply non-negotiable. I agree it's very unfair for fans of the Pirates, A's, Marlins to see their owners collect millions and millions of dollars every year in revenue sharing money then claim hardship and not field competitive clubs. Perhaps a better solution instead of talking about floors and ceilings would be for MLB to order those owners/teams to start being competitive or force them to sell to an owner or group who will spend the money.

He's doing what the owner wants in order to stay employed. And given the amount of money the Sox are making they have no reason to change. Remember with JR fiscal responsibility matters more than winning. Until he goes, nothing will really change. That's the sad truth.

Paul Sullivan has a column on this in today's Tribune with the exact quote.

Paul Sullivan in the Tribune today has a column discussing this as well as JR's shall we say, "unfortunate" comment about the Sox not winning many games.

All you can do is laugh.

That's also not counting the money made from concessions as well as advertising/marketing deals/sponsorships.

Jerry will never sell while he is alive because of the tax hit: https://www.southsidesox.com/2022/8/29/23325369/jerry-reinsdorf-selling-chicago-white-sox-not-on-his-life

So what else is new?

The suspensions, the "baby mama" allegations, flipping the fans off in Cleveland, his inconsistent play especially in the field and he is seemingly injured every single season sometime multiple times on the IL. I can understand why some fans feel it may be best to trade him.

I agree right now his actions have caused people to wonder about him with good reason. But keep in mind moving forward the entire Sox ownership situation could change in literally a heart beat. He's still here for another two years I think, that's a long time. We'll see what happens.

Is John Jay available? What crap...

I guess Hahn had to do something to justify the expense of flying out for the meetings to JR.

Terrific column by Rick Morrissey in the Sun-Times: https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2022/12/7/23498773/when-will-cubs-white-sox-act-like-major-market-teams-how-about-never-aaron-judge-cody-bellinger?fbclid=IwAR39VR9S77iO5hFY4UmjV-pdPfGKz_T_2jXEZkL3Oe18LbTw75KvMX1teEg

Rick must be so disappointed. He hasn't been able to acquire another broken down relief pitcher or a garbage utility player.

I've said for the past few years every Sox fan should work at keeping themselves healthy and hope to outlive current ownership because that's the only way things are going to significantly change.

The commissioner could stop this but he's an idiot so...

The Giants ramped up their pursuit for star slugger Aaron Judge on Tuesday, reportedly offering the reigning American League MVP a deal in the neighborhood of $360 million, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

"You win with star players" - Dave Dombrowski

DVS spoke with Hahn tonight at the Winter Meetings. My take of what Rick was quoted as saying is like he said a month ago, the Sox aren't going to tap into the free agent market for their positional needs: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2022/12/5/23495622/white-sox-open-to-blockbuster-type-trade As Kenny would say, "It is what it is..." (unfortunately)

To me it's pretty clear the White Sox front office is incompetent, dysfunctional and inept. They don't know how to properly allocate the money JR allows them to have. It should be enough given the advantages due to market size to be successful and yet they are failing miserably.

Kershaw also signed a one year, 20 million dollar deal with the Dodgers

The Phillies got their star shortstop, agreeing to an 11-year, $300 million deal with Trea Turner on Monday, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The team has not confirmed the deal, which per Feinsand includes a full no-trade clause. The free-agent shortstop market was loaded this offseason, but it’s difficult to find a player at the premier position who has accomplished more than Turner over the past few seasons. Since becoming a full-time starter with the Nationals in 2018, Turner has established himself as one of the top hitting shortstops in the Majors. During that span, Turner is the only player in baseball with more than 90 homers and 140 stolen bases. He helped the Nationals win their first World Series in franchise history in ‘19.

The Mets appear to be replacing one Cy Young winner with another. After losing Jacob deGrom to the Rangers in free agency over the weekend, the Mets are reportedly reaching an agreement with another top free-agent arm in Justin Verlander, a source told MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. SNY's Andy Martino was the first to report the deal. Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman and others, the contract is for two years and $86 million, with a third-year vesting option.

The O's have agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Kyle Gibson, according to multiple reports Saturday. The deal, which is pending a physical, has not been confirmed by the club. This past season was Gibson’s 10th year in the Majors and his second with the Phillies.

Nice story by DVS of the Sun-Times looking back on some important deals: https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-saturday/2022/12/3/23486697/white-sox-biggest-trades-of-winter-meetings