SCCWS

I posted quite a while ago Sale would resign w Boston. I think the same on Bogaerts but Betts will be a FA. But we would never pay what he is going to want.

For USA Slow Pitch Softball?

Agree but flamethrowers do not always translate into closers. Nate Jones has been a very good 8th inning guy but his closing efforts are very shaky. Closing by committee is always an adventure so I think that could be their achilles heel this year. Unless they grab someone at trade deadline.

It will be interesting to see what he gets when he does sign. I am sure the 6 year request is gone at this late stage. Since Boston didn't find his replacement, I though they might jump back in but they must think they have an internal option. Might be a bad gamble.

Remember all the talk that the available pitching market was held up waiting for the whales to sign. Lot of pitchers are still out there 2 weeks later and most must be behind in getting ready for this season.

I think Porcello would be a great add. My gut is sale will resign and Porcello will move on. Not sure he would be a #1 but a solid #2.

SS is usually an important position on successful teams. TA needs to be at least steady. If he goes south and there is nothing in the pipeline, I would be concerned. I think this is a year for Kopech to just get healthy and we won't get too much of a read on when he will become a major factor.

I think this year we move up a step from rock bottom. Lopez, Rodon , Moncada and TA should hopefully take a step up and Eloy should make a splash. I see some posters say Eloy in a few weeks but my gut says Eloy's splash will be delayed till he starts hitting the cover off at AAA. Now it may take till after All Star break but if 2 or more of the 5 are going the wrong way in late summer and are healthy, then the bottom may be coming up again.

But look at it from a fan standpoint. The Astros had 3---100 loss seasons and had a below .500 record for 6 straight years before they started winning again. Last year was the 6th straight year the Sox had a record below .500. So if 2021 is the goal, we will go at least 2 more years than the Astros did. Cubs had 5 years below .500 until they turned it around. So if we are in year 3 of rebuild, it only means our management was too slow to realize they needed to rebuild.

How about Fulmer???

I don't think Hahn would even consider giving up a draft pick on what looks like a short-term deal he will eventually get.

He did play 57 games in the OF last year in addition to his 93 at DH.

He seems rail thin. He might need 10-15 lb

Wish we could get guys like that ....................................

I think JD Martinez would be a great addition to the White Sox. There were numerous stories in Boston media about his clubhouse influence on some of their younger hitters. But I really doubt he leaves Boston. He loves hitting at Fenway w the wall and he really likes Cora. I think he signs a new deal w them before he opts.

You could be right, but why? Eloy hit the hell out of the ball last year. You think the Sox are tinkering w his hitting? Considering their "expertise" working with hitters, I would be nervous about it.

That may be in AZ but not in Florida. The trend is now for the regulars to play home games and very few travel any distance. For example, Sunday, Boston travelled( 3 hour bus trip) to Port St Lucie to play the Mets. Only 2 Boston starters made the trip. Now some fields are an hour apart so you may see more regulars travel. The theory is regulars can make better useof their training at their team complex than 4-6 hours riding busses.

Jack: Red Sox were 3rd in MLB in stolen bases.

JACK: You did not overthink this. " If I had to pick who the next 40-40 player is, the only players capable are Trout, Jose Ramirez and Moncada." Mookie Betts had 32/30 last year.

“Our fans would have been much more disappointed in our inability to keep this next core together,’’ he said. “We would have overextended ourselves had we gone to an uncomfortable level.’’ I think there is a problem w KW's thought process. Harper and Manny are established MLB stars. So yes, you do pay an established star rather than save the money for players who are not proven. Maybe signing Manny would have made it impossible to sign a couple of players down the line. That is the gamble you take when you have the chance to sign a 26 yr old face to your franchise. This was not signing a good player to fill a hole. This was a chance at your stud for the next 6-8 years. Now if they take the Manny money and sign 2 or 3 high quality FA's next year then maybe they can regain face.

I believe Boston promoted Benintendi from AA and Betts went right from ST. I also think Yankees's Judge got promoted from ST.

Jack: Or they picked the breakdown lane but do not want to say it.

I cannot speak for sports agents, but I have been involved in numerous multi million dollar negotiations. In most, both sides realize that during a bid process there will be more bids in the future. If I ever found a salesperson who fed me pure BS, I would not allow them any future bids. It happened maybe twice to me in 25 years. As much as companies are in competition, I would always share info w my counterparts in other companies. Now in Sports there are media reports which can skew the process with rumors. But lets say if Lozano told JR the Padres offered $325 and then they announced a $300 settlement, what happens the next time Lozano has a FA. I am sure JR would tell his fellow owners Lozano lied during negotiations and cannot be trusted. Maybe contract negotiations in sports are totally unethical but this is not a one time event and I think both sides do not want to burn bridges for the next one.

In 2018, only 6 teams, including the White Sox, did not average 20,000 fans. It is probably not a coincidence that 5 of the 6 had the lowest payrolls in MLB. The outlier was Baltimore and we know why their salaries were high and their attendance low.

Understood, but if the Bulls attendance has not been impacted by reducing payroll and on the court success, does he have motivation to drastically increase the White Sox payroll . Understanding he is competing directly against the Cubs, something the Bulls don't have.