Jose Abreu

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 11:55 PM) He could win it, I think his view as just an OK goalie is from fans that hate on the Hawks, not so much the media. BUT, Braden Holtby is playing out of his mind. Unless the Caps fall off, he'll win it. Plus with the MVP and ROTY coming from the Hawks, they'll probably want to spread the wealth. Hart/Calder/Vezina from the same team = MVP/ROY/Cy Young from the same team? Like a team triple crown that would be something!

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 11:10 PM) Am I the only one who thinks Toronto could take Cleveland? I've watched a few of their games in the last week or so. These boys can play. They're legit 10-deep. They're athletic, versatile, and can go small on you without losing much on the boards or defensively. If Cleveland really struggles with the coaching transition, then maybe. But, if they're struggling that much, the Bulls are the best bet to take them down, not the Raptors. The Bulls would have eliminated the Raptors by then, anyway.

QUOTE (3GamesToLove @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 08:13 AM) I don't have any issues with this list. I love Abreu, but in 2015 he was merely a good player, as opposed to his rookie year when he was truly a great player. He may well return to that level. We'll have to see. He was playing through a lot of nagging injuries in 2015 and still managed to put up 30+/100+. The offseason will do him wonders in terms of recovery.

To be fair, this was Arrieta's second straight year of Cy Young level pitching. Not his first.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 07:03 PM) Well yeah but he turns 33 this April. When 100% and in his athletic prime Pujols is #1 out of active players but time is undefeated* *Tim Duncan In all seriousness, while Cabrera is much better while healthy, I'd still take Goldschmidt over him. Votto, maybe not.

Mine would be: 1. Clayton Kershaw 2. Jake Arrieta 3. Chris Sale 4. Zack Greinke 5. David Price 6. Dallas Keuchel 7. Max Scherzer 8. Chris Archer 9. Corey Kluber 10. Felix Hernandez

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 12:14 PM) John Smoltz had Sale as the 9th best pitcher lol. Probably because "his mechanics make him a TJ waiting to happen!!!". That's everyone's defense for underrating him, although it makes absolutely no sense as to why he'd be a worse pitcher.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 24, 2016 -> 11:59 AM) Price was the best pitcher in the AL last year. Sale led the AL in FIP and was .2 fWAR lower than Price (Price made one more start).

I'd switch Abreu and Encarnacion, but otherwise, good list.

QUOTE (coco1997 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 11:07 PM) Think he meant to say 42, not 47. Me too. Funny, because in doing so, he is contradicting his own point that retiring the number was so impactful. It is, however, a point I agree with.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 02:32 PM) Agreed. I think they will do something to improve the lineup. However, I also think no matter what it is, some fans at Soxfest will use it as they were too cheap to sign Cespedes. I fully expect Soxfest to be cringeworthy due to hecklers/angry fans when Hahn/FO members are around.

I think that this thread, under standard viewing options, is now at page 400.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 07:52 AM) On the other, baseball is becoming more and more a Latin American and Hispanic dominated game in terms of the percentage of major leaguers. As Olney stated, that move to retire #47 was one of the most important and impactful of Selig's career as commissioner. What?

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 11:04 PM) It's not a huge assumption that he'll hit 20 HR, he just had 19 in a clear down year. And his career average is 19 HR/162 games. I'm not saying this to nitpick at 19 vs. 20. There are other factors that may cause a drop in power. He could have trouble adjusting to the AL, like LaRoche and Dunn did.

QUOTE (Knackattack @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:59 PM) He is a good defensive shortstop who will hit 20+ HR and won't be overly expensive. Also willing to play other positions so a multiyear deal is an option. He has literally had 1 bad year and it happened to be in a contract season, a reverse Cespedes. You hope Desmond can bounce back for cheap rather than hoping Cespedes can maintain for 27.5m -"Good defensive shortstop" is a bit of a stretch -Will hit 20+ HR? That's a huge assumption. He hit 19 last year and may struggle converting to the AL. Nothing is guaranteed. -He can be willing to play other positions all he wants, but his defense there will likely not be very good -Agree with your last sentence

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:51 PM) Highest amount ever for an outfielder I believe Somewhat surprising. Curious to see how much more Harper will make.

QUOTE (dpd9189 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:50 PM) Fowler would be ok but nothing longer than a 2yr contract. He had a very nice 2nd half last year but was pretty underwhelming in the 1st half. If we convinced him to bat righty only, it may not be too bad.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:49 PM) I believe the Royals offered Melky a 4th year and the Astros offered Robertson more money. correct

The main thing that concerns me with Desmond is really his down year offensively. I know his past offensive seasons were tremendous, but his 2015 production was oddly low.

QUOTE (Knackattack @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:47 PM) Fowler > Avi and Desmond is regarded as average to above average at short, which we don't know Saladino can be. Fowler + Desmond >>> Cespedes. That said, I'd prefer Austin Jackson and Desmond. Ok, I'm pretty sure if Saladino played any worse than average at SS this year, it would be absolutely shocking. We all saw him last year. He looks elite defensively.

Desmond is a Washington National coming off a year in which he hit .232. I know, I know, the whole Dunn/LaRoche Nationals thing is just a coincidence, but Desmond still has warning signs.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:37 PM) If the Sox really wanted to, I think they can get Desmond & Fowler for under 27.5 million for 2016. It's hard for me to think of a move that would hurt are overall team defense, which is already pretty bad, but this would be one of them. Sadly, these are a couple of the only options out there.

QUOTE (ozzfest @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:33 PM) hello third place! Lucky us, as we play in the most stacked division in baseball. We can realistically finish anywhere from 2nd-5th, honestly.

Raanta > Darling

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:30 PM) Thankfully the situation is the same and they haven't spent any more money since the Tanaka offer so things are all still the same. With LaRoche/Danks coming off the books this year, we'd save some money to be able to backload a deal. The White Sox have more than enough resources to exceed our current payroll.