[Samardzija Trade Packages]

I get the feeling the Sox payroll has not hampered the team's bottom line at all this season and the Sox are comfortable keeping all the players they acquired. I get a gut feeling the front office thinks 5.5 out of the wild card chase is close enough to keep the team together. During their all-star break meetings, I can see the front office and Robin pointing to the exceptional starting pitching they've been getting and improved defense and them saying, "If we keep up this recent rate of winning we will get the wild card. Let's stay on course and make no changes." Makes too much sense to me.

 

I would prefer dealing Shark immediately and seeing how the team does with Johnson as his replacement. But don't you all agree with me the Sox have made a business decision to stay with the same players and see if the team can grab a wildcard even though they are in last place in their own division?

 

 

The 5.5. means nothing. On July 4th they were 5.5 games out of wildcard. Since then they are 7-3 and are still 5.5 out of wildcard. Because there are teams ( 6 at this point) between them and the 2nd wildcard, it makes the difference more like 13-15 games back not 5. 5

[Changes in the booth possible?]

Can they please add some youth with a personality?

 

 

Ozzie has personality..................

[Attendance 2015]

I grew up 97 miles from the stadium and we averaged 5 games per year.

 

Living in New England, I can tell you many Red Sox fans travel 60-90 minutes to games. Wouldn't Bulls/BH fans have the same length of a commute except in worse weather.

 

[Frankie Montas to join Sox for Double Header Friday]

To start hopefully? That'd be exciting as hell.

 

He only pitches a little less than 5 innings per game in AA so he would need back-up. But they also would have a rested bullpen.

 

[Sale pitching in AS Game in Emergency situation ONLY]

Um, ok. So the Sox just get to select anyone and send them to the game if a player isnt playing? Wasnt aware that was how it works

 

that is not how it works When Gray pulled himself from the game, MLB sent Hector Santiago in his place. So MLB would have had to select another White Sox player since they would have had had no representative if Sale didn't go.

 

[Sale pitching in AS Game in Emergency situation ONLY]

Oh, i will just see myself right out of here for never having played major league baseball in my life before. You can run the place now

 

before I leave

 

http://nextimpulsesports.com/2015/07/14/ha...-all-star-game/

 

Sonny Gray pulled himself from the game because he pitched Sunday. Why do that instead of just showing up and not pitching??? Remember when Pujols trashed LaRussa for not playing him in an All star game??? I have no problem that Sale didn't pitch. But why not let him stay home and send another White Sox pitcher to tha game?? Robertson would have pitched for example. I bet Sale really wanted to pitch once he got there.

[Sale pitching in AS Game in Emergency situation ONLY]

Yea, but Harold Reynolds is a moron.

Well he speaks from experience having played in the game twice. Did you ever get the chance???

 

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

Exactly. From a Sox FO perspective, with Cueto gone teams will have no choice but to offer more than the value of a 2016 comp pick which puts the Sox in a win win situation. If the Sox don't like any offers then they simply keep Samardzija in hopes of making a second half push and still get a comp pick or have first dibs on signing Samardzija ( not a fan of the idea). The Sox have all the leverage as it is and if Cueto goes first, oh my!

 

In two weeks, other pitchers not breing discussed become available as teams shift in the standings. I still think Shark brings some team's 3-5 prospect as well as a 15-20.

 

[Sale pitching in AS Game in Emergency situation ONLY]

I'm sure they asked Sale beforehand if he would be ok starting in Kansas City and he probably said he'd prefer starting that game to try and get them back into things

 

You could be right, but not according to Harold Reynolds. He said every player thinks it is great to make the team but you really want to play. I wonder what Sale really though as he sat watching

[Sale pitching in AS Game in Emergency situation ONLY]

If White Sox management did not want Sale to pitch, they should have "excused " him from the roster. If a guy goes to the game, he should want to participate, not go and be a cheerleader. The manager should try and play as many players as possible.

[Sale pitching in AS Game in Emergency situation ONLY]

This makes AL squad that much better. We want home field for the White Sox in the World Series.

[What will Sox front office do ?]

I'd hope they trade Q for a solid young 3B and resign Shark

 

There is no way that you trade one of the top 20 pitchers in baseball for a 3B. Q could bring a solid young prime position player SS-C-CF + 1-2 other prospects.

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

You ignored every other part of my post.

 

Again average is not what I'm looking for.

 

And again, if this team keeps winning I can see Shark back plus see Fulmer move quickly ala Rodon and then all of a sudden you have Sale-Shark-Q-Rodon-Fulmer for years to come and guys like EJ, Montas, and Danish have no spot in the rotation.

 

Stockpiling arms is typically a good plan but there are only 5 spots in the rotation. With the holes on offense, the Sox inability to develop hitters within, and FA hitters typically not being very good, if you can get a hitter for one of those prospects, you do it.

 

I think you have to keep EJ. With 5 starters, you can pretty much bet that one will end up on the DL for some period of time in the 2nd half. You also need to remember that Rodon probably gets shut down for September. Teams need at least a guy who can compete at ML level when a starter goes down. So you certainly can trade Montas and Danish and even some of the bullpen but expect to get back another team's prospect and both teams hope they got players who make it to ML. Shark should bring back a player much more likely to be ML ready plus a prospect. I think Shark needs to go and hope Fulmer can be a #4 next year.

 

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

There's no match between the Sox and cubs without getting insanely creative. Imo, the only pitcher the SOX will possibly move is Samardzija but the cubs are not willing to part with Schwarber which ends the conversation right there. The cubs have some OF and pitching prospects but the Sox have those as well so its doubtful the Sox would have interest.

 

The cubs have zero leverage in a trade with the Sox. The cubs options are quite simple...

 

1- give up quality prospects for one of Samardzija, Price or Cueto.

 

2- trade for some scraps like what the Marlins are reportedly selling.

 

3- make no trade and hope for the best the rest of the season.

 

Bruce Levine and his merry band of morons need to remember that it's the Sox that have (Samardzija) what some contenders covet and therefore it's the Sox that have all the leverage, not the other way around.

 

Believe Cubs are scouting Boston/New York series this weekend. My guess is they are looking at Boston and probably Buchholz-Masterson-Kelly i.e good bad-worse

 

[AND THAT'S A WHITE SOX WINNER!!!]

I was at yesterday's game and endured almost no s*** talking. In fact, the most I experienced was between me & a security guard, who wouldn't let me try to take a picture with Frank Thomas (who was sitting four rows in front of us). But to your point about dumb Cubs fans, we literally had one fan turn around in like the second inning and ask "Do you know who Frank Thomas is?". I honestly thought my wife, a diehard Cubs fan, was going to clock this woman. We were both completely mind boggled by this. IMO, both sides have plenty of knowledgable fans, but because the Cubs dominate the large casual section of Chicago (like the woman I mentioned), their fanbase oftentimes comes off uneducated & stupid.

 

It is also referred to as looking through rose colored glasses. As A White Sox fan since the late 50's, but living in New England, I use this site as my main source of following the team. But I am amazed by posts on this site. For example, in another thread, I see these comments on Saladino's ist game :

 

Made a couple loud outs on hard hit balls. Eventually, those are going to find holes into the outfield.

 

None of the 3 balls he put in play were hit hard.

 

Unless there was a doubleheader yesterday, somebody had too much to drink.........................

 

 

[White Sox call up Tyler Saladino]

 

 

Tough series, fairly new at the position and tough spot in the order to throw a kid into. He must have made an enemy in the organization.

[Cardinals interested in LaRoche?]

How valuable (or rather, how does it actually correlate to production) is exit velocity when a guy like Salty is near the top hitting under .200. I presume this would favor high power, strikeout hitting guys, who tend to have pretty good exit velocity in general and isn't necessarily a good indicator of good players. I see some good players on that list, but also a lot of guys in the top 50 who aren't what I would describe as good offensive players.

 

These types of batters serve a purpose in the dog days of summer. They make excellent fans for the bleacher bums

 

[AND THAT'S A WHITE SOX WINNER!!!]

This is the first time all year that I think that the Sox could make a legitimate run at a wildcard spot.

 

I assume you mean in 2016 becuase their chances are slim but not yet none in 2015. They actually lost ground this week falling from 5.5 to 6.5 back and now trail 9 teams instead of 8.

 

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

So what is your plan to improve C, 2b, SS, 3B, or LF if we can't trade him?

 

I look at the following teams in the market for what look like 3 prime rents: Shark, Cueto, Kazmir

Pitt

Chi

LaD

Arizona (maybe)

Boston

NY

Toronto

Detroit

KC

Houston

 

10 buyers for 3 pitchers.

 

Boston could also be a seller which will add more pitchers( Buchholz) into the mix.

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

I'd take multiple quality prospects for him. Doesn't have to be the team's best, which I doubt we'd get anyway.

 

I have been saying that you need to fill 2 positional player holes for Q and one has to be a prime position--C. SS or CF. If they could get a C, outfielder and a 4/5 SP kind of package, that would be worth it. Shark only brings a very solid prospect but hopefully a 3B, 2b or OF.

 

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

Posted this in another thread, but once Shark and maybe a few bench pieces are moved, I think both Johnsons will be up.

my predictions:

 

Shark traded for prospect(s); E. Johnson comes up

Beckham, Soto, Bonifacio traded for PTBNL or cash (this month or next through waivers); replaced by Micah who takes over at second (or Sanchez sent down in favor of more versatile L. Garcia), Kottaras who comes up to be backup C, and Davidson to platoon or get a good long look at at third.

 

Possible but unlikely:

LaRoche to Cards or Angels for prospect(s); Gillaspie, Garcia, Melky, Abreu then get at bats between (DH/1B/OF) with Thompson coming up to play left/right.

 

I don't consider this "dismantling" the team like Hahn and KW said they wouldn't do.

 

Things could change over the next few weeks. Davidson and especially Thompson are struggling the last few weeks so I think they will not come up until the fall. Johnson is pretty hot so I could see him come back. Kotteras has stuggled( .215 avg) at the majors his whole career. I could see Erik Johnson up to replace Shark. Teams rarely bring up struggling players from the minors although White Sox did w Sanchez and we see the results.

 

[Samardzija Trade Packages]

 

 

Last year Boston got Baltimore's #3 prospect for Andrew Miller who was also a 2 month rental but a top lefthanded relief pitcher. The year before the White Sox got Avi and 3 B or less prospects for Peavy who had a year and 2 months. So I would say Shark would bring some team's 3-5th rated prospect + another 15-20th prospect.

[Nate Jones throwing]

Nate Jones just isn't a very good baseball player

 

 

I hope he can regain his old form... before the injury, and strictly based on statistics and WAR, he was one of the top-10 relievers in all of baseball, closers included.

 

 

 

Are there two of them????

[Red Sox looking for cost controlled pitchers]

That is Q for one real prospect. (Bradley is a non prospect at this point)

No.

 

We disagree. Any player who is a career .300 hitter in the minors and is an elite CF is still a prospect. If the Sox can get a catcher and a CF for Q I would do it and gamble that Bradley will be a . 250ish CF w speed and some pop. He has had an outstanding SO/BB ratio in AAA as well so you gamble that he can hit enough while being an elite CF. Unforunately if Bradley hits the 2nd half of season the Red Sox won't make that trade. I think White Sox need to trade Q in offseason where there will be more bidders.

 

Bogaerts had similiar numbers to Bradley in AAA and he hit .240 in Bosotn last year. But he is another outstanding defensive player who they continued to play. This year he is a .300 hitter. Maybe Bradley needs the chance to be an everyday player instead of a platoon.

[Red Sox looking for cost controlled pitchers]

I know I probably sound like a broken record but I've been on this Sox-BoSox Quintana trade long before this thread. I've said Vazques, Marrero, Margot and Edwin Escobar is fair for both teams and I still think it makes sense. I think asking for Swihart will get you nowhere.

 

Not sure where you are getting your info. I saw an interview w Sean McAdam who has covered Red Sox for 30+years and Lou Merloni former player and now talk show host last week. Both said they feel Vazquez will be the catcher next year and Swihart will be traded. Now unless Vazquez has permanent arm problems, I would guess that is the rumor in the media circles. I still say Q for Swihart and Bradley Jr + 1 arm. White Sox may also need to include a bullpen piece.