BlackSox13

I am warming up to the idea of signing Fowler despite not liking the idea of losing the comp pick. Essentially the Sox turn Samardzija into Fowler which would help both the offense and defense. According to fangraphs, Fowler played better defense than Eaton in 15' so CF D would be upgraded. Fowler in CF pushes Eaton to LF/RF which should be an upgrade over Melky/Avi. Fowler would provide some LH pop and OBP to a lineup that needs it. Looking at that way, Fowler actually sounds like a good idea.

QUOTE (blackmooncreeping @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 12:49 PM) No thanks, Bruce is on the downslide, barely hit .200 and...just no. Bruce in a Sox uni has LaRoche 2.0 written all over it. I would rather go with Avi in RF and I don't want Avi in RF.

Since we're looking in hindsight, the time to trade Alexei was last winter when the Mets were reportedly interested and the return was speculated to be either Flores or Wheeler. I remember there being a thread on the rumor of Alexei to the Mets and the expectations on a return for Alexei were ridiculous. Again, its all in hindsight and irrelevant now. I wish Alexei nothing but the very best and I really hope SD signs him over Desmond. Maybe Alexei can mentor Amarista.

The idea of trading for Jay Bruce has just made me a bigger fan of the idea in signing Fowler. I'm not a fan of giving up the comp pick for Fowler but IMHO its a better idea than trading for Bruce.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 12:12 PM) My post says I don't doubt that he likes the Mets and NY. Oh s***, my bad Omar. Apologies man. D'OH!

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 12:09 PM) If the Sox give up a pick for Dexter freaking Fowler, than I don't know what to say about this franchise. If only we could take Fowlers bat and combine it with Jackson's glove...

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 11:29 AM) I don't doubt he likes the Mets and NY, but if an offer for 5 or 6 years was on the table from another team, he'd have likely jumped on it. You can doubt it all you like but Cespedes has been quoted numerous times in reference to him liking NY and the Mets team dating back to August. I'm not saying he is a sure fire bet to sign with the Mets but it seems the Mets are back in the picture, like it or not.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 07:24 AM) Noooooooooo! That's the reaction my wife and I had when we heard the news. RIP Alan Rickman aka Metatron.

I know the Sox could use a LHB with pop but I would prefer Jackson over Fowler.

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 11:14 AM) I'm not saying the guy is BS but his information is BS. I don't buy it for a second. We also has a guy on Twitter saying he heard from a source in Roc Nation signed with us for 6 years a few weeks back. A) no way Cespedes woke up today and said "you know what after months of turning down short term deals and holding out I think I'll sign with the Mets on a 1-2 year deal. B) if it were a two year deal I doubt another team wouldn't jump in and offer more than the broke Mets could. C) the guy didn't even claim they signed him just heard they were meeting. D) I'll believe it when someone with actual credibility reports something. This whole Cespedes and OF thing has really soured on me. It's gone on for too long and it may even seem the Sox were never serious about Cespedes. I just find it odd that since we traded for Frazoer you have gotten 0 comments from the FO or Hahn. I have to imagine they've been working on something but at this point who knows if anything happens. Ya, I can see you are sour and I mean no offense when I say that but that's what happens when fans get their hopes up. Ever consider Cespedes never wanted to leave the Mets in the first place? He has said he really liked it in NY. The Mets were a WS series team and should still be competitors in the weak NLE.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 10:58 AM) This guy has been around forever. Doesn't seem to be a BS type guy Agreed. Not like we're talking about a kid looking for a twitter cult following. Mancuso has been a sports writer for a looooong time now and not the usual bulls***ter like what we've seen on twitter with Sox/Cespedes rumors.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 10:48 AM) I would be shocked if he signed a 1 year deal. He has no QO attached to him. How is his market going to improve? I think the attraction of a one year deal would be that Cespedes would be the biggest fish in an extremely small pond of FA outfielders next year. He would have much more leverage next year than he does this year. Cespedes biggest FA competitor would be Rasmus and possibly Upton if Upton signs a one year. IMO, its a gamble and if I were Cespedes I'd take a three year deal if offered one.

Regardless if the Sox sign Cespedes or not, this has been very interesting to follow. Really curious to see what Cespedes signs for in compare to his initial demands of 6/150M.

I really like this writeup by Jesse Spector. http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-news/46911...ite-sox-indians

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 04:38 PM) I know I'm in the minority but I think the ramblings and such makes it fun and enjoyable. If all I wanted is to see the play and results, the mlb or yahoo apps will tell you that. I listen to the radio to enjoy it I'm with you in that minority. Most of the time I listen to DJ and Farmer on the radio while watching the game on TV with the volume muted. Edit: I also loved the listening to Farmer and Stone together. The sarcasm between the two was great!

QUOTE (blackmooncreeping @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 09:20 PM) This is a great deal, Gordon for $10 million a year? Batting average & stolen base champion, and had very good defensive #'s last season. That is a bargain and a half at $10 million/year. Hypothetically, would you rather be paying Gordon $50 for 5 seasons of control, or Cespedes/Upton at $50 million for just 2 seasons? Strong case can be made either way imo. I'd take Gordon in a heartbeat but I'm a big fan of speed and defense.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 08:49 PM) Not a bad deal for the Marlins. With the glut of OF options likely costing Cespedes and Upton a lot of money this offseason, I expect more guys to agree to extensions like Gordon did before they join the "greatest ever" FA class. Edit: Title got cut off, there's a $14 million vesting option for a 6th year. This is what I hope the Sox eventually do with Lawrie and maybe even Frazier at some point. Anyway.... Smart move by the Marlins extending Gordon and at pretty cheap price too. Hell of a lead bat and plays excellent 2B.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 05:05 PM) Who are you willing to trade? They still want Markakis, Bourn and Swisher off the books. They would play Inciarte, Olivera and Cespedes together. I'd be more than happy to take both Markakis and Inciarte off Atlanta's hands so they had room for Cespedes. Avi would have to be a part of the package going to Atlanta. Adams is a Georgia boy, how far off would Adams/Avi for Markakis/Inciarte be? Eh, probably not enough from the Sox.

s***, even Adam Dunn hit lefties better in his last season, Lefties 62 Righties 122. I'm definitely off the CarGo wagon. I knew there was a contrast in CarGo's splits but not that much. Colorado can keep CarGo and the 37M he's owed.

QUOTE (Saufley @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 12:49 PM) Only played 115 games in 2015. Anyone know what his injury was? Had nice years in 2013 & 2014. Here ya go. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/players/playe...32/carlos-gomez "Gomez is participating in a conditioning plan that is adjusted to consider his left intercostal strain that bothered him at the end of the year. No surgery was necessary following the injury and it appears Gomez is very close to being fully healthy. Barring further injury, Gomez will be the starting center fielder for Houston to begin 2016."

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 12:19 PM) Marisnick is maybe a defensively replacement. No way he should be a starter. And yet, would still be an upgrade over Avi and that's the point.

Not interested in one year of Gomez. Tucker or Marisnick would have to be the targets but the problem is that one of them would likely go to Atlanta for Inciarte.

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 11:31 AM) It's hard to believe Blackmon is almost 30, too. He'd be a good pick up but not sure if he's worth the price. Agreed. If the Sox are going to trade quality minor league talent then the return has to be a younger outfielder with more years of control. If Colorado does not lower their price then they can keep Blackmon and after reading the Fangraphs writeup, I want nothing to do with CarGo. The Sox already have one over-payed left handed platoon bat.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Jan 13, 2016 -> 11:18 AM) http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-decline...ez-star-player/ Thanks for posting this. Pretty enlightening and I didn't realize CarGo was THAT bad against lefties, yikes! SoxPride18: I'm just going to go ahead and give you credit right now. I think maybe you were right yesterday when you said Blackmon could cost more than CarGo in a trade.

Nicely done by the Sox extending Stone. Excited to hear Stone and Benetti together in the both for Sox home games.