SCCWS

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 2, 2016 -> 12:08 PM) For once, I totally agree. The further the Cubs go, I think the Sox will feel increased pressure to grab immediate attention to try to stop the bleeding. So much so, it might even "force" them into a free agent splash. I agree with your premise that there will be heat on the FO to do something. But a splash in free agency means nothing. Adding the veterans they did over the last few years has not worked. Putting a winning product on the field or showing a total emphasis on a rebuild w youth are more important.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 1, 2016 -> 09:15 PM) The argument isn't "less popular." That won't happen in the first 5-7 years (anyway), but the costs of attending Cubs' games will slowly become more and more like Red Sox and Yankees, where the corporations and "upper crust" fans will start to change the experience of attending games, except for in the bleachers, perhaps... HUH??? Cubs in 2016 had the highest median price for tickets in baseball.

I always like to see a team win the series in front of their home fans. Obviously more stress now for Indian fans but the odds are still very good many of them will get to celebrate in person

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 29, 2016 -> 10:18 PM) I agree that they're more likely to deal Swihart as he's a bit superfluous now...and the White Sox have the need at catcher. With all the focus on relief arms and having already dealt for Kimbrel, they might try to double down and go for the superpen approach with Kopech. Benintendi or Moncada, Devers, Groome, Swihart and Rodriguez is pretty close to fair. Sox get two pitchers, two potential impact position players and fill the catching spot with a still promising young player. Maybe the Red Sox prefer to trade Kopech over Groome, not sure. Groome obviously has more question marks hanging over him, but unlimited potential. Kopech could turn into another Daniel Bard. A couple of thoughts: Swihart was not superfluous, he didn't cut it. The catching job was his last spring and he really struggled defensively before being sent back to AAA to learn left-field. Maybe in a new organization he can start all over again, but he will be 25 and took a year off from catching in 2016. Red Sox biggest prospect weakness is starting pitching . They traded their highest rated for Pomeranz so my guess is Groome is now their #1 since Kopech my end up being a reliever due to his limited pitch selection. I think Rodriguez can be had but not both him and Groome. Moncada was shut down last week with what they called a minor thumb injury. Not sure how that would play out in any trade discussions.

Frank Thomas has been giving Cubs and their fans a lot of love this week. I guess it comes w the job.

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 11:31 PM) I don't think Sanchez is the right route to go. He had a ridiculous rookie year here and his value will be so inflated that trading for Sanchez would almost certainly backfire compared to other deals. I seriously doubt the Yankees in the middle of their rebuild( obviously they will spend money) would go after Sale and give up the prospects they just traded for. They will most likely continue the trend and trade Gardner and Ellsbury for more young players.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 08:49 PM) If I'm trading with the Yankees and Sanchez is off the table, Sale and Quintana are off the table. He had a great rookie debut. They've had great years. Which is why I don't think Sale ever gets on the table. I do think teams can offer a reasonable package for Q if Hahn wants to deal.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 03:54 PM) Feelings? Happy for the old ladies who've rooted for the Cubs forever. There are a lot of 'em. As far as the games, my feelings are what they always are. Can't root for the Cubs to win but if they do, so be it. It's kind of funny when they fail. It's actually very funny. Hope the Sox get their act together. We need a player like Zobrist not Zobrist wannabees like LaRoche and Lawrie and Melky. Eaton might ultimately be the type of grinder who leads us to greatness. I was hoping Q was getting traded to Boston at the deadline and Hahn would get Brock Holt thrown in with some prospects. He had a down year due to some injuries but he is a pretty solid player who plays 5 or 6 positions and a real hard-nosed player.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 07:41 PM) Urias, Moncada/Betts/Benitendi and Gary Sanchez became harder gets than a year ago. There are still deals out there, but hard to imagine any of us being elated compared to some of the projected (and probably overly optimistic ones). When the White Sox have had opportunities to make some Cubs 2012-14 moves, all we got was Duke for Tilson. Of course, now we have a huge lack of depth at LH reliever when those guys like Miller are changing the face of the game, being used in a similar fashion to how the Tigers utilized Zumaya in his prime...putting out fires even from the fifth through seventh innings when the heart of the lineup was due. Betts Benintendi and Sanchez are probably off the market now. Urias may be as well. Not sure Moncada is a a harder get and I think he could be traded this offseason by Boston to strengthen their bullpen and add another 4/5 SP.

QUOTE (miracleon35th @ Oct 23, 2016 -> 01:41 AM) I hate the Cubs, and I hate Joe Ricketss and his spoiled brat son Tom Ricketts. They could win 10 World Series in a row and I won't watch or go to a Cub game. Ricketts ruined the charm of Wrigley Field and the Wrigleyville neighborhood and is turning it into a baseball themed Disneyland. They took half of Sheffield and want to close off streets so they can have a captive audience to profit from. As far as the Sox "blowing it up" that is what the Cub fans want to see happen. It isn't a legit way to build a team any more, because there are too many bad teams vying for the top Draft choices. Therefore, there is no guarantee that a bad team will net a star like kris Bryant in the following year;'s Draft. What Epstein did involved a lot of very fortunate circumstances, some very good judgment ,a virtually unlimited budget, and a whole lot of luck. He is also not operating under a salary cap. I'm pulling for the Indians/. When Theo was hired by the Cubs, numerous posters on this site said very similiar things about his success in Boston. Regardless it was under his watch that the Red Sox ended their drought. As a White Sox fan living in New England I was glad to see him go. But I give him credit in that he has resurrected a worse situation with the Cubs than he did in Boston. He knows how to run a FO. I think he surrounds himself with people who have an eye for talent.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Oct 21, 2016 -> 05:59 PM) It's not far stretched to think the White Sox could have won more than 85 games this season if they had played in the NL. The disparity between the leagues is real and has been large for the last decade. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nl...e-play-for-now/ Which makes it ironic that the NL has won more World Series over that stretch since the disparity is not really close.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Oct 20, 2016 -> 11:32 AM) I don't understand why some non-Sox fans think that trading for Quintana would be much easier than trading for Sale. To me, Q is more consistent and controlled for an extra year. I still think Sale would get a better return, but Q wouldn't be that far behind. He's VERY undervalued. Sale would get a better return in most cases. As I have pointed out before, just read Sox Talk. There are numerous postings through the years of fans saying they are going to a Sale start. Rarely do you see someone choosing a Q start to attend. Around baseball, acquiring Sale could generate ticket and merchandise sales. Now Boston sells out most games anyway so they would not care about ticket sales as much getting the best fit. But Sale could be a box office prize for a team like the Mets. I would think Q would get 60-70% of the return Sale would. But I also am on record that Sale is probably not tradeable while Q is.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Oct 19, 2016 -> 01:44 PM) Given Dombrowski's history and the recent departure of some of Boston's FO analytics guys, that gives me more hope that a Sale deal will actually happen. I have less reading/listening to the Boston media. But maybe Dombrowski has a great poker face.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Oct 19, 2016 -> 01:03 PM) I wouldn't want to speak for the original poster, but he did say "at a bargain price". Kershaw is better, I believe, but Sale's extremely friendly contract makes him that much more valuable. Agree. I think Sale is worth more than any team will pay. Hopefully Q can be traded for 2-3 prospects which would make more teams viable trade partners.

I think by default, Sale is our opening day pitcher in 2017. Hopefully Q is moved by then.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Oct 17, 2016 -> 06:47 PM) There's no way that the Sox will be doing a 4-5 year rebuilding. More like 2 years. And I don't think that's a pipe dream, given that JBJ is entering his prime, Benintiendi is ML-ready, and Moncada is close to ML-ready. I think Moncada needs another year in AAA. His cup of coffee was weak. Benintend's bat was ML ready but his play in LF was sketchy at times . In fairness to the kid, he also skipped AAA so his problems in LF were understandable. I assume you are not thinking those 3 are in the same deal by the way. I think Moncada can be had for the right price but I really think JBJ and Benintendi are not going anywhere.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 17, 2016 -> 06:31 PM) I really think Sale and Robertson for Benintenidi, Kopech, Groome, Rodriguez, and Vasquez is pretty fair, but unrealistic given our obsession with Bradley I doubt they want Robertson. They already have a closer in Kimbrall and I doubt they pay Robertson money for a set-up guy. They will probably want a lefty set up guy.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Oct 17, 2016 -> 04:36 PM) The Red Sox already have two southpaws in their rotation, with Price and Rodriguez. It would be historically unprecedented for them to have 3 left starters. The presence of the short left field "Green Monster" has always dictated that their rotation be primarily right handed. Therefore, while they have they pieces to trade for a top of the rotation starter, I don't see how they would target Sale. What am I missing here? Actually they may have 3 w the Buchholz/ Pomeranz sweepstakes for the 5 spot. If they decide to pursue Sale they may put Rodriquez in the package and maybe Pomeranz is dealt for a reliever. Sonny Gray's name pops up as well since I guess Moncada could get that deal done.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 02:33 AM) One of the best hitters? Melky ranked 64th in wRC+ and 75th in offensive WAR. The only thing he's elite at offensively is making contact. 9th lowest K% in majors and 12th in contact%. He could be attractive to teams looking for a left-handed bat or DH next summer if he has a decent year at the plate. His defensive range appears to be really down.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Oct 14, 2016 -> 12:49 PM) It's amazing that this organizational seemingly makes the wrong choice at every turn. Common sense does not exist on the south side. Hopefully they are all getting pay raises. They were able to bring the team from 10 under .500 all the way to 6 under. Goal by 2018 should be over .500..........................................

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Oct 13, 2016 -> 09:03 PM) They have 3 (Ross, Abad, and Scott), but I'd happily give them Dan Jennings if they're willing to overpay for him. Only name being floated in media so far is Boone Logan as a lefty option.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Oct 13, 2016 -> 07:03 PM) Absolutely does. This deal makes a ton of sense. Boston definitely needs another arm or two in the bullpen. But there top bullpen need is a lefty since they only have one

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 11:22 PM) As if anyone would want him... he's worse than Danks. I hope they aren't that biased. He was very good in September after spending time in the bullpen. I think some team would give him a shot for a 5th starter since he is only 32. Theo could be interested if Lackey calls it quits. Francona is another who saw him when he was effective. I would love to see sox get him if the price is limited and see if Coop could turn him around. But Boston pays 5th starters what we would pay top of rotation so he might be too pricey on a sign and trade.

FWIW---Boston Cable had their end of season Red Sox wrap-up show tonight. Had 4 of the regular media members that cover the team from different media sources. Retaining Farrell was a sign that Dombrowski will not be making major changes. All were in agreement that Red Sox from all indications will go with existing starters but will need to add a set-up person in bullpen. All agreed Moncada and Benintendi will not be traded. A few other thoughts they had: 1. Moncada could eventually end up as a right-fielder in AAA next year and that could free up a Bradley trade in 2018. 2. 3B is Panda's to lose. 3. Swihart will eventually be traded but not this offseason since he is damaged goods. 4. Vazquez will most likely be the 2017 catcher. 5. Buchholtz could be a sign and trade for a SP prospect or a bullpen piece.

Hahn will be on the phone to his agent today..................