Jose Abreu

Which makes the general sentiment of Harper to Philly being a foregone conclusion sort of foggy

That's some ugly infield defense right there

Which is why I prefaced it with “it doesn’t mean anything”. I agree with you, I just don’t think anyone is losing their minds by thinking it’s empty when it pretty clearly is relative to the others

It doesn't mean anything, but that's pretty obviously an empty locker. The absence of shoeboxes, hats, and clothing is clear as day

Yes, the locker to the right is empty

Fegan isn't a sources/intel guy, so I highly doubt it

fixed

To my knowledge, the security would be for a press conference, and those usually occur a few days to a week after an announcement, right? Therefore I am skeptical, but the guy seems sincere in the replies section so I think he actually heard this from someone (and not just seeking attention). Just don't think the information itself is accurate.

They're only about 3 weeks late on this one

I mean, technically he was right

If we trade for Pederson then he’d be a good platoon partner. If we don’t then I guess I could see us sticking with Engel

Mr. Hit By Pitch himself

Our friend is back

Because he doesn't

Which was shot down by The Athletic within hours

I think one of the main reasons we disagree is because I don't look at batting average or consider it at all when I evaluate a player. I don't even think it's hyperbole to say that there's no way that an age-appropriate batter with a .382 OBP and 128 wRC+ had "major issues with AA pitching". I think he had a very solid season offensively. Yes, I am aware of his high strikeout rate and I think it will always be an issue, but not enough of an issue to warrant making him repeat levels when he's towards the top of his league in OBP. I know that there are concerns that the OBP won't translate to AAA/MLB but I truly believe it will (to an extent where he's at least getting on base at an above average rate). I guess we'll see if that's the case.

If you don't support Collins being in AAA due to defensive concerns, then fine, but to say that he had "major issues with AA pitching" isn't even close to being accurate

https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-send-gear-to-arizona-on-truck-day/c-303423740

Have your sources confirmed this?

So White Sox fans are buying a ton of blank jerseys en masse? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me

I imagine it would be more like the next 3-5 years, due to the opt-outs. In that 3-5 year window, the payroll wouldn't have to be in the top five of the league since so much of our early 2020s roster are currently minor leaguers

Probably the latter. But in either case, the White Sox didn't meet with him multiple times prior to the new year only to suddenly decide that they only were interested in Machado and would never talk to Harper again.