SCCWS

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 12:15 PM) The quick fix was last off season as Sox management saw that as a way to get back into contention right away. It has not worked well yet but it still might with some more tweaks. Any rebound will be more than trading one player or tearing this team apart, whichever is your pleasure. I think we keep most of what we have and fine tune. We have talent and it is proven talent for the most part. Look at 2015 as an anomaly so far. I think it is an anomaly as well. There is no reason in 2016 this team cannot get back to the 2014 success they achieved..........................

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) Mark Cuban or Donald Trump? Which circus act do you prefer? We have a good and committed ownership Actually, with the change in relations with Cuba, I can foresee the Havana White Sox on the horizon. Attendance would be great and White Sox could have an advantage in signing Cuban born players. Alexei could be a player manager and Bill Lee could be the GM. Jerry are you listening????

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 09:19 AM) I really think this team can be legit contents by 2017, but it will take some bold moves between now and then. On the pitching side, sign Shark to a 5 year/$90M extension, trade Quintana & Putnam at the trade deadline (target two high-end hitting prospects for Q and the BPA for Zach), move Danks to the bullpen, & call-up Erik Johnson. Give one of Drabek, Guerra, & Beck an extended look the rest of the way. If you don't like what you see from those guys, then sign a reclamation project in the offseason. Either way, plan on Fulmer taking the #5 spot by 2017. On the offensive side, trade Alexei & LaRoche at the deadline for whatever you can get. Give playing time to Sanchez at SS, Micah Johnson at 2B, Garcia and/or Melky at DH, & Trayce Thompson in RF. For this example, assume you can get Schwarber & Baez for Quintana & Putnam. These guys would start at C & 3B the rest of the way. In the offseason, trade Garcia for prospects and open up the DH spot for Schwarber. Do whatever it takes to acquire the best available catching prospect that is major league ready. In this example, I'll assume that guy is Kevin Plawecki from the Mets. Let Sanchez, Saladino, or a free agent stop-gap hold down SS for 2016, but assume Anderson is ready by opening day 2017. Give Thompson a legit shot in RF in 2016. If he fails, sign or trade for a RF (Jay Bruce a potential option). 2017 Roster #1: Sale #2: Shark #3: Rodon #4: Johnson #5: Fulmer CL: Robertson SU: Jones SU: Duke MR: Webb MR: Phillips MR: Petricka LR: Beck 1. Eaton, CF 2. Johnson, 2B 3. Abreu, 1B 4. Schwarber, DH 5. Cabrera, LF 6. Baez, 3B 7. Thompson, RF 8. Plawecki, C 9. Anderson, SS Lineup too right-handed and there still would be some defensive concerns, but offensively it would have a lot of potential if Melky bounces back. Regardless, the pitching staff would have a chance of being very special. On top of that, the roster is very young and there would be money to spend to patch holes. While I think this particular scenario is unlikely (don't see us trading with the Cubs), I think something similar can be done if we extend Shark & capitalize on Quintana's value. Good post. But Q is too valuable an asset to trade at the deadline. You can explore it but I think you get more value trading him in offseason where there will be more suitors. There is no way I trade Q for a Schwarber/Baez type package. Worse you want to project Schwarber as a DH. You have to get a Catcher or SS + 1 or 2 very high prospects who are ML ready for a top 20 ML pitcher. For example from Boston I want one of the young catchers, Holt and Bradley Jr or Bogaerts and Bradley Jr. You have to walk away w a starter at a prime position ( SS-CF-C) and at least 1 other starter or two very high prospects that may need 1 year. Why would you want Danks in the bullpen??? What role would he play??? If he is your long reliever you are better off w a young player. I think w Danks you either leave him as your #5, trade him for nothing and eat some money, trade him for a prospect and eat more money, or release him and eat all the money and a lot of rolaids.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 06:21 PM) No Danks always a plus. Not really. If the Sox have any hope of trading Danks at the deadline, a few decent starts between now and then would be helpful.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 03:35 PM) Great post. It's results that matter and right now Hahn's grade is D. This team is by far the worst in the division and that's on him after all the deals last offseason. I do trust him though and hope he starts making some more trades and tries to re-do the mess he put the team in. I agree Hahn is absolutely responsible for some of the problems. He acquired Melky knowing that Avi was a below average RF based on last year. He also did nothing fixing 2nd base then promoted Johnson who was a defensive problem there. I don't blame him as much for Alexei and Eaton defensively as they have regressed more than should be expected. I think he did a good job improving the bullpen and the LaRoche and Shark moves are a wash.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 03:29 PM) There are no quick fixes. If it was easy everyone would do it. At this point they need to call a meeting with Jose, Eaton, Avi, Q, Robertson and Sale and ask them (well not Avi and Eaton, but they should be in the meeting imo) if they want to stick around for a 3 year rebuild. If they don't, ship them out. Team needs a full cleanse, including a couple years of top 3 picks. If you are going for a 3 yr rebuild, which I do not dispute, there is no sense keeping Robertson. Relief pitchers are too unpredictable to hope they will be needed in 3 years. Better to trade him now while he has some value. As Flowers becomes more and more of Sale's catcher, the more likely the Sox keep him as a back-up since I don't see them trading Sale.

quote name='greg775' date='Jun 25, 2015 -> 06:11 PM' post='3187644'] I told you guys all our veteran "name" players will be sought after. Please Sox, dump LaRoche and Melky and Lexi and Robertson and Duke and Shark in a major "do-over" of the past offseason. I'm confident Hahn will get it right this time. Greg: That would create 6 holes besides the existing 3B, 2B, C problems. Considering none of the above, except maybe Robertson and even his stock is slowly sinking, are going to bring back multiple MLB prospects next year could be even worse.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 03:54 PM) But hey, they finally got Ozzie to agree to officially return July 17th-19th for the 2005 Reunion weekend. One thing to look forward to over the remainder of the season. Rumor is so he can also be named interim manager.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 06:55 PM) And even the Tigers were smart enough to realize with the losses of Scherzer and Verlander that they'd need to tighten up their defense. So they added Gose, Iglesias and worked with Castellanos on improving his defense. They at least had a plan and made some moves to improve a weak spot. I agree but that may be giving them too much credit. The Tigers knew they were losing Peralta to suspension so they desperately needed a SS. Hahn wanted an outfielder rather than Iglesias so they jumped in the Peavy trade and solved the replacement for Peralta. But I doubt they make that trade if Peralta didn't get caught. Their scouts certainly did a great job identifying how good Iglesias was. Their defense got better and we got Avi.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 07:32 PM) Why would Boston not pick up Clay's option for 2015 & 2016 (@ 13M each). Would think Boston isn't going to go full rebuild. Kelly might be available but he has an ERA over 5 and a WHIP of 1.43 and an ERA+ of 75. Only thing that looks decent is his FIP of 4.02. So with that in mind, if I'm Boston, why exactly am I selling him at his low point (he is under team control through 2019)? I am guessing Boston will be looking for pitching back for Buchholz. He is the last of the WS pitchers left and I think both sides may want a change. I hope Boston would put a package together for Q w a young catcher but I wouldn't want Buch. Kelly was rumored to be odd man out in their rotation and could be sent back to AAA. My guess that is why his name is coming up. They also have Allen Craig, Bradley and Castillo sitting in AAA for trade bait as well.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 05:12 PM) So...Shark wasn't the best pitcher on the market last year either. That feat belonged to Price and Lester. Didn't mean the A's didn't get a lot for Shark. Their are a heck of a lot of teams that could be buyers and not many that are sellers. In fact, Sox might be one of the only teams ready to move guys (who have value) right now, which could actually put them in a better position to maximize value (as teams might want to pounce earlier vs. waiting a bit longer till other "sellers" emerge). And w/Cueto and Shark, even small market teams can compete. You talk about a guy like Hamels and well...not many teams are going to get involved in that bidding (not with the money he is owed). Outside of who we are talking about (or other potential Sox starters), their isn't a whole lot of names out their right now and their are a lot of teams that would be interested in buying. Boston will be a seller and Buchholz and Kelly will be available.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jun 22, 2015 -> 10:58 PM) Settle down, a grounder and a homer. He's good. Amazing, but as bad as Danks was, the bullpen is worse. Minny must think this is T-Ball.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jun 21, 2015 -> 10:00 AM) What I'd ask for for Quintana: MLB ready C, MLB ready 3B, and an MLB ready starter. For Sale: that, plus say 2-4 other prospects. I would agree w you but would add some flexibility. For Q, I would want: 1. A MLB ready SS or C. 2. A MLB ready 3B, 2B or OF 3. A MLB ready starter 4-5th slot. If # 2 ended up being an OF then I would trade Avi or LaRoche for a MLB ready 3B or 2B. I would also trade Shark for a MLB back-end starter or a MLB 3B, 2B or OF. Hopefully that would upgrade 3B, 2B and add 1 starter. That would fill either SS or C but still leave one as a problem. Also would mean 1 starter from minors or Fulmer would be needed. Alexei, Conor and Gordon would be expendable as throw-ins or DFA. I would not trade Sale.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 20, 2015 -> 09:10 AM) But they'd be much worse defensively than the guys currently in those spots. I think the Sox can get something better than Semien in July. IF not, that comp pick is very valuable. What am I missing??? Phegley would be better defensively than Soto and is hitting 75 points higher. If they kept Semien he would be playing 2nd over the Micah experiment. We don't know how he would do there defensively. Regardless I understand the rationale behind the trade. It just backfired unless Shark negates some of it based on what they get for him.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 20, 2015 -> 09:08 AM) I'd hold Samardzija for 3-4 more starts. Looks like he's coming around. Some possible names from teams on the high end: Toronto I'd ask them for Jeff Hoffman because that would be a ridiculous return. Probably wouldn't be possible though. C Max Pentecost 3B Mitch Nay LHP Matt Smoral (Sox liked him around draft time) C Dan Jansen (Low Minors) DH Rowdy Tellez New York Yankees C Gary Sanchez 3B Eric Jagielo C Luis Torrens 3B Miguel Andujar Houston 3B Colin Moran 1B AJ Reed C Max Stassi Just to put into context. Peavy had 1 year + and he brought Avi and 2 good prospects. I would think Shark brings either an Avi type or a high rated prospect.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 11:41 PM) At the time Sanchez was raking in AAA. It wasn't a bad move considering how bad Johnson was defensively. He was terrible. He was more shoveling. His last 3 weeks in AAA he was struggling.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 10:45 PM) He got lit up tonight. He's blown four saves. Funny how I used to get ripped for loving Bobby Jenks and I bet at this stage of all his seasons he didn't have four blown saves. Back to your point ... I still think Robertson is sensational, but I guess I could be mistaken. Maybe he's turned into the pitching equivalent of Melky. It is simple. Since he left Yankees, Robertson has added the facial hair. With the beard batters are able to pick up the baseball better coming out of his hand.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 10:28 PM) This has to be the last game for Ventura and Steverson, right? Yes Parent will be taking over tomorrow.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 10:21 PM) Chris Sale should demand a trade. Took away another game winning RBI for Flowers.

So Thibs was really a Jerry hire despite what Paxson and Forman wanted. Is Robin considered a Jerry hire despite what KW and Hahn wanted?? It does not seem that RV is being undermined the way Thibs was. But then again, as some pointed out, RV is an insider and Thibs was not.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 04:25 PM) Impossible when the ownership supports loyalty over performance. But why are the Bulls run differently???

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 01:27 PM) Fire Stevenson, DFA Flowers, move Danks to the bullpen and call up the Johnsons and Kottaras. It's time to start seeing who can play in 2016 and make a point to relegate long-term mediocrity. Flowers may be the leader in the clubhouse......................................... I posted previously that I have doubts about Dave Martinez. He was passed over by Tampa when Maddon left. That would be a concern to mebases on his time there and the success Maddon had. Obviously TB seems to have made a great choice in Cash.

Sale gets his ERA below 3.00 with an easy win.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jun 18, 2015 -> 02:57 PM) I'd do Susac for Samardzija straight up. Giants have no need for a catcher as they are set long-term (obvious statement). I would also but Susac was a career .250 hitter in the minors w less power than Flowers. He better be a a great defensive catcher because a .250 minor league hitter will probably translate to a .230ish ML hitter. I would rather go after one of the Boston young catchers but I think they would want Q instead of Shark.

One of my concerns is trade/talent evaluation. In hindsight, Hahn made a bad choice by insisting on including Avi when the Red Sox offered Iglesias + for Peavy. Since both Iglesias and Avi were International League players, they certainly should have been familiar to Sox scouts. Avi was not a great fielder in the minors but the trade may have been made for his "potential" bat. Now once the Sox saw last year that Avi struggled in the field, why would you go out and get Melky?? Another guy they got for only his "potential" bat. Then they come out of SP w Micah as your 2nd baseman. How did he look in Arizona??? It didn't take long in the ML before they saw he needed work defensively. I know he has some nice offensive tools but again it seems like a lot of decisions ignore defense. Now this does not fall all on Hahn. Teams need to rely on minor league scouting to judge talent when trades involve prospects. We talk about the lack of development in positional players in the minors. Maybe the problem is evaluation as much as development. I am all for trading Q because I feel he is the most valuable asset the team can afford to give up. But in doing so, you better get 2-3 ML ready players back and one better be a catcher or SS. My fear is the ability of the FO to judge the correct package to get back.