BlackSox13

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 08:06 AM) Is Venable to the Indians a done deal at this point or is it just speculation? According to Rosenthal, Venable is at the Indians camp today.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 07:50 AM) http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles...#nt=oft03a-1la1 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles...5-42-story.html Fathom and I were pondering a few weeks ago on the idea that Fowler would weight his offers while giving the cubs a chance to set up a trade and give the Cubs a chance to make Fowler an offer. Looking at it from Fowler's standpoint, re-signing with his previous team that went to the NLCS and made moves to get better makes sense. Especially since, like DA pointed out, the opt-out gives Fowler a chance to bet on himself this year and become a free agent next winter in a much weaker crop of FA outfielders than we had seen this year. For Fowler, the whole thing makes absolute sense and the cubs get their " where you go, we go" guy back into a lineup that now has Heyward and Zobrist added to it. Honestly, the Sox never had a chance.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 07:43 AM) I'd offer Jackson a 2 year deal for $16 million. Would be a nice deal. I think that's very reasonable, good call Jimmy. As for Venable, I don't think the Sox missed out on much there. The Indians can have him.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 04:32 PM) Meh. I disagree. Shuck is nothing but a 4th outfielder, Sanchez is essentially Semien 2.0 with better defense and a worse bat, and Danish struggled mightily in AA last year. I wouldn't be sad to see any of them leave to be honest. If you were Oakland, would you take that package for Reddick?

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 03:54 AM) As an African American myself, I always wonder about how hard a time black prospects have adjusting to a ML clubhouse when the number of black players is constantly diminishing. I know that whenever I am in a unfamiliar environment/situation I always feel more comfortable after seeing someone who looks like me. I think this will do wonders for Tim Anderson's development. Definitely agree. Anderson will gain so much more from Rollins than just learning about SS position. Anderson is mature for his age and carries himself very well, much like Rollins so I think their personalities will mesh very well together. Rollins is literally the perfect mentor for Anderson and this move makes me wonder if the Sox expect to see Anderson sooner than we may think. I know the Sox signed Rollins to have more depth at SS but there seems to be an underlying theme behind the signing and that to me is Rollins mentoring Anderson and Saladino. QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 01:09 PM) I wish there were a way to fix this. Same here. Two reasons for this that I can think of is 1) going by the African American friends I have and the folks I've worked with through the years, many African Americans are into basketball and football. Not trying to generalize, just based on my own experience is all. 2) we are seeing more Latinos coming from the Caribbean, Central and South America now more than ever.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 12:19 PM) Can't fault guys that want to play where their heart is i.e Gordon, Cespedes and now Fowler. Money doesn't always talk. If we get an upgrade in the outfield before the start of the season, this is still a really good off season. If we don't get an OF, then this off season is confusing and wasting another year of the core. Could not agree more. Cespedes was very open about his desire to stay in NY and the same with Gordon and KC. The cubs and their fans love Fowler so its really no surprise he's back on the North side. The cubs went to the NLCS last year and on paper, improved during the off season so why wouldn't Fowler want to return to the cubs? If I were him, I would too. Can't fault the Sox FO for not signing players that wanted to re-sign with their former team.

I would absolutely s*** myself if the Sox somehow acquired Reddick! Been a fan of his since his days in Boston and he would be a great fit with the Sox. Since he's reportedly open to an extension, I wonder if the Sox could pull something off like they did with Freddy Garcia... I know, it's probably a pipe dream but damn, Reddick would be a perfect fit for the Sox. Anyway. Fowler back to the cubs eh? I'm laughing at myself because I actually speculated right for once. Seriously though. I'm not in the least bit surprised since Maddon, cubs management and their fans just love Fowler. Also. LMFAO @ Baltimore!

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 06:04 AM) yeah, i agree with you 100%, teams with a big wallet can't buy the championship, just buy getting every FA they want. Bos of late, Yank, Dodger. but i always maintain that a smart GM with a game plan and pick and choose the right player may pull this off. however, back to the sox, the sox lineup, as of last yr, needed pieces desperately. mostly in order to compete but to bring the fans out. they really needed to fix the front end of the team, the mlb team via fa's, while fixing the back end, the minor league team. the back end is the future, several yrs down the road. these players will be 2+yrs away. so as i have said, this is a huge job to do, then again, they are expected to do this on a penny budget, with 28+ mil coming of the book. the owners need to pony up, just 1 more player. But that 28M coming off the books won't help until after the '16 season has ended and Danks/LaRoche are gone. Another thing to consider is that about half of that money will go right back into the current payroll to cover raises and arbitration for the remaining players on the roster so its not like the Sox will have 28M to spent on free agency.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 05:49 AM) that first paragraph is among the best counter this week ..... a really great job. i like to mention though, if as you said, JR is 80 and wants another WS, it would behooves the owners to allow the GM the flexibility to go out and fix this team, get the necessary pieces to make a run for the playoff. (you are right on jr age and req) I agree that if the Sox want to win, having more budget to work with would make the jobs of KW and Hahn much easier. But for me, that's where it ends. I don't know the owners finances and I don't feel it would be right for me to say they have the money and are unwilling to spend it because I'm just a fan and don't work in the FO. Knowing JR wants another winner, I'd like to think that if the money was indeed available, it would be spent to help build another winner. Another possibility is that the money is there but wasn't enough to pry Cespedes and Gordon from their desire to stay with their former teams. As for Fowler, not sure what to think other than maybe the FO doesn't feel the end justifies the means, iow, Fowler isn't worth what he got when factoring in the contract, money and comp pick. Looking at Fowler's average to sub-par defense combined with only hitting .228 against RHP last season makes me wonder if the Sox dodged a bullet on this one. Those could be reasons why the Sox backed away from Fowler. As a fan, all I can do is guess/speculate as to why things didn't happen for the Sox this winter. Maybe at some point, KW and Hahn will provide more insight. Nevertheless, I still think the Sox are looking for an outfielder and still believe it's possible a trade with one of Tampa or Houston could still happen. Both of them have too many outfielders and the Sox have bullpen depth so there's a potential fit. It's not April 4th just yet.

Wow, that's some pretty high praise of Rodon. With all due respect to Kershaw, I like Rodon's slider much more but as the article stated and I agree, Kershaw' fastball and curveball are the difference. As far as three pitch arsenals go, Sale has done very well with a FB/SL/CU combo and I think Rodon will be successful with that combo. Rodon's FB location got better as the season went on and his CU deception did too. Overall, things are definitely moving in the right direction for Rodon and I give him tons of credit for learning so fast. One thing that impresses me most is how Rodon got stronger in August and September which is says alot for a young man in his first season and still building up his innings. Dude found his groove in August and never looked back. Thanks for posting this Eminor. That is a great read!

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 10:11 PM) But the issue is Sox don't want to give out the big contract or length to get the big free agent they need but at the same time can't develop the big time player either. They are stuck in the middle and it's eventually going to cost them if they don't make the playoffs and end up having to trade sale and probably Abreu . I hear ya and I don't envy Hahn right now because he and KW are in a tough spot. The owners set the budget and its Hahn and KW 's jobs to work within that budget. What makes their jobs more difficult is that JR is 80 and wants to see another winner so, imo, that's why we keep hearing the " re-tooling" and "re-building on the fly" stuff from Hahn and KW. We've been hearing it for some years now. I don't blame JR for wanting to see another winner before he goes but his desire to win again and his set budget do make things challenging and pretty much rule out an all out re-build. But in fairness to the owners, Hahn and KW have taken some gambles that backfired on them. In all, the entire organization as a whole is responsible for the shape they are in, owners/management/players alike. I give the Sox credit though. They have been better at scouting and drafting the last few years and we're starting to see some signs of life in the minors, although alot of that talent is at AA and below. But, we do have Anderson, Fulmer and May appearing on the horizon so there's some hope. Plus, I think the Dodgers wanting Montas, Micah and Thompson from the Frazier trade says something about those players. Obviously the Dodgers felt there was some genuine talent in that mix to help the Sox acquire Frazier from the Reds and the Dodgers have been pretty good on evaluating young talent by the looks of their farm. To me, Micah was nothing special but Thompson should at least make a solid 4th OF and Montas should turn into a good reliever/closer if things don't work out for him as a SP. So, in all fairness, the Sox have been developing players in recent years and were seeing bits and pieces of it.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 01:21 AM) I know I haven't checked this thread in a couple days, but I promise I haven't had a birthday yet! I'm still 25, not 26 as I have seen a few times back and forth. So we hung out again tonight. I found out why she said I may not get to meet her parents. She has had a really really rough childhood. Besides the fact that she has 2 jobs in addition to school and works 65 hours a week during the summers, she told me another reason why she has had to grow up so fast and mature as much as she has. Without getting TOO specific, her dad is abusive. Abusive to her and her sisters, especially one of her sisters who on Mother's Day he apparently "beat the s*** out of" and "choked her out at the dinner table" when she told her mom to shut up. At which point my friend took her little siblings upstairs and locked the room to protect them. I can't believe she told me all these stories and other terrible family stories tonight without crying, but she said those moments pretty much stripped her of the carefree childhood life and caused her to grow up and essentially live without any connection to her parents, other than living in the same house, and working at her father's business for one of her 2 jobs. She said she pays all her own bills and plans to move out as soon as she graduates to put herself through college and start her own vet clinic eventually. So yeah....she's had quite the rough life so far and maybe this will kind of help you guys believe me when I say you would never know she is 18 by the way she acts or talks. Unfortunately shes had to grow up because of traumatic family events and self-preservation. That's a pretty hostile environment to grow up in. She does sound as though she is more mature due to the home environment, three jobs and seems to have a solid plan for college and there after. I give the girl credit for using the home environment as fuel to drive her to make her dreams come true instead of using it as an excuse to not do anything with her life. I can't tell you it's right or wrong to date the girl because I don't know either of you or your interventions with one another. I won't lie, if I had an 18 year old daughter I would not be happy about her dating a 25 year man. If I was a 25 year old man I would probably just want to be a friend to her and nothing more. Then again, when I was 25, all I wanted to do was work, wrench on cars, drinks loads of beer and chase women. You're in the situation so you know what you want best and you know her better than any of us so its your call. She will be graduating in June so the HS aspect of the equation will be gone. Beyond that there are a few things to consider. 1) what, if any, are the expectations between you and her? 2) if the two of you became a couple, are you OK with not seeing her much due to working and going to college? 3) if you wanted to go hang out with friends at bars and clubs, is she going to be OK with that?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 23, 2016 -> 09:44 AM) I'm a White Sox fan who hates the Cubs. I am not unique. It will not ever change. I hate them as much now as ever. I am sorry if some think it is offensive when I take great joy when the Cubs fail. It won't make me stop. But since they have already handed them the WS trophy for this season, I think the hatred goes up even further. Lol, I so identify with what you say here DA. I don't obsess over hating the cubs and that hatred is always second to my Sox fandom but when I see the cubs lose and the sad looks on the faces of their fans I feel all warm and fuzzy inside with a smile on my face. The cubs are a team I could NEVER cheer for regardless of who they play against. I'm sure you have heard this before, but my two favorite teams are #1 White Sox and #2 whomever is playing the cubs.

ALE: This is a very strong division but I think Toronto will out-slug their rivals to win it. ALW: Houston. ALC: There's so many ifs, ands, or buts surrounding all five teams that I think a case could be made for any of them. For now, I would have to say KC. Good idea, BTW, LDF. It should be interesting to see if our thoughts have changed at the end of ST.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 07:40 PM) ahhh i am just pissy, when the season starts, i will shut up. i will hope with the rest, that the sox will the best season. but baseball fans, sox fans, i feel as they will never be happy, as long as sox baseball is being discussed. ~~~ edit . but passionate sox fans needs a area to vent. I understand the frustration but then I look around the league at moves other teams have made that failed and realise it's not just the White Sox. For example, look at the Yankees, Boston and the Dodgers and the contracts they are stuck with, the Yanks especially. I'd bet the Yanks would love to go back in time and not sign a few players. At one point during the winter, I had read an article that speculated the Yanks would like to move Ellsbury to try and sign one of the big four. So I went and looked Ellsbury up on BR and FG to see if there could be a potential fit in a trade between the Sox and Yanks. I ame to the conclusion of, "f*** that", really fast! His numbers are steadily declining while under contract through 2020 and making 21M+ per season. Nope, the Yanks can have that contract and looking at that made me feel better about the contracts of LaRoche and Melky. There's also CC, Tex and ARod to go with Ellsbury. I much prefer the White Sox FO approach to free agents than the Yankees and some other teams. IMHO, the Yanks have proven that sometimes it's better to not sign that top flight FA rather than be saddled with a lengthy and costly contract.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 05:21 PM) and improve on players they, the FO acquired to help the team. i can see one player, failing, but we are talking, pretty much a majority of the team. the team is in this state b/c of whom??? and the job is not done. b/c it would cost a little more money. Honestly, I don't know what else to say that we haven't already discussed. I'm looking ahead to the '16 season and not living in the past or dwelling on off season Twitter/sports writer speculations and rumors. Sure, I could allow myself to get disgruntled over it but what good can possibly come from that? It's circumstances beyond my control, man. I prefer to focus on the number of improvements that were made instead of the one that did not happen, yet. Baseball is #1 to me and literally the only sport I follow so after a long winter devoid of baseball, I'm happy as f*** ST has finally arrived! I'm looking forward to this season.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 05:58 PM) Ugh, I hate posts like this. We're coming off a poor season with a position player group who was historically bad and you're actually ripping fans that aren't satisfied with the addition of one impact player and two other solid positional upgrades. No doubt we're better, but the question is are we good enough to be legit contenders? The AL Central is going to be incredibly competitive next year and it is easily could come down to a game or two. Starting both Avi Garcia & Adam LaRoche in the same lineup without anyone pushing them for playing time is a recipe for disaster, especially when you consider how flush with OF talent the market was. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the front office didn't have the means to pull off a complete offseason, then they should have gone in a different direction and took advantage of the insane pitching prices. Right now, the Sox have half-assed and I don't get why you constantly applaud them for that. Hopefully they add another OF in the next few weeks and make this debate pointless, but until then let's stop ripping Sox fans who aren't simply happy with "better" than last year. Like everyone else, I would like to see Avi replaced but I won't let that one singular thing out-weigh the positive things that happened this off season. If you hate posts like the one you quoted, why did you bother responding to it? Don't like what you see, then simply skip over it and move on. If that does not work for you, then might I suggest the ignore button? Surely, I will not give a toss. Go White Sox!

Frazier replaces Gillaspie, Olt and Beckham. Lawrie replaces Sanchez and Micah. Avila/Navarro replaces Soto and Magic Glasses. Rollins/Saladino replaces a well respected but aging Alexei. Latos was added for some ratation depth ( we'll see how the knee holds up). Jones is back and 100% Trying times for Sox fans everywhere!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 08:12 AM) Austin...unless the Mariners' Jackson has had a breakthrough. Lol, thanks for pointing that out. Alex is now Austin.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 06:28 AM) I hope Rollins makes the club in a utility role. I was initially meh on the signing but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. I wonder how much the Sox had Tim Anderson in mind when they made this move. I think that it will do wonders for his development off the field and in the clubhouse to be surrounded by an African American player as distinguished as Rollins. Tim Anderson can go to Jimmy Rollins and instantly be able to relate with him and as a result when Rollins and Anderson are going over stuff (Assuming that Tim Anderson picks his brain) the impact will be that much more immediate. Great points and going by Anderson's recent comments, picking Rollins' brain is exactly what he will do. Saladino will likely be doing the same. I'm hoping Rollins has two shadows following him everywhere he goes throughout ST. Anderson is a very bright kid and will benefit from spending time with Rollins this ST. I think the Sox deserve some credit for signing Rollins. There's a bigger picture than just signing Rollins to compete for the SS position. The additions of Frazier, Rollins, Lawrie should liven up the club house quite a bit.

Of all three outfielders, Avi in RF is the obvious upgrade. It's not only that SoxTalk memebers are looking to upgrade RF, that's a misconception, it's that we all want to see an upgrade in the outfield and RF is the weakest link so RF is the focal point. Many scenarios by numerous SoxTalk members have been discussed this off season including adding players such as Austin Jackson or Dexter Fowler to play CF and move Eaton to RF. The Sox have been recently rumored to be looking for an outfielder that can play CF and the Sox also talked with Eaton at the end of last season about the possibility of shifting him to one of the corner OF spots. I actually prefer finding a CF and moving Eaton to one of the corners but if the Sox find a LHB for RF I'll happily take that upgrade.

Hahn's comments pretty much confirm what was rumored early in the off season about the Sox having the same budget to work with as last year. This is why he publically said that he would have to get creative in order to bring in a FA. Not long after his creative comment, LaRoche was " on the market". This is why I really wasn't expecting a big FA signing. From my POV, the writing was on the wall all off season. I'm sure Hahn did his best to try and move salary to clear some space. It is what it is and complaining won't make any difference. I still think Hahn did very well this off season and especially considering the payroll he had to work with. I'm just happy that Baseball is right around the corner and the team looks much better than last year, IMHO.

I really do not want Bruce but if the cost for him is low enough, I wouldn't object.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 22, 2016 -> 01:20 PM) Not true at all. The front office may still be high on Avi and don't want to force him into a platoon/bench just yet. It's very possible (especially if you saw PR machine in action at SoxFest) that the Sox were only willing to add an OF if that player was of the impact variety (3+ WAR type). They very well could passing on solid upgrades because they believe in Avi taking that next step this year. Absolutely true according to Hahn's numerous comment's throughout the winter. The Sox were not only tied to FA outfielders but we're also inquiring about the Rockies outfielders, Puig and possibly Ethier. The Sox can believe in Avi and still seek to upgrade the OF. If the Sox upgrade the OF, Avi would still get atbats being LaRoche's platoon partner and as the teams rotating 4th OF by giving the corner outfielders a day off against RHP from time to time. Avi would still have a role on the team, just a smaller role which could take some of the pressure off of him to produce as an everyday player. If Avi were to show some signs of life this season as platoon/part time player, LaRoche is gone after this year and a spot would be open. Avi is only 24 so if the Sox do actually believe in Avi there is time left for him. Personally, I don't have much faith left in Avi but that's just my opinion.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 22, 2016 -> 01:09 PM) Why would they give out a bigger contract than they needed to? Obviously they didn't need to but given the terms of the deal and Hahn's comments, there's absolutely no reason to think Rollins is guaranteed anything other than a shot, that's it.