steveno89

I appreciate Fegen's honest approach in these rankings Braden Montgomery's K% rate is on the border of concerning, reaching 28.7% across 34 AA games. The ability and tools are there to profile as a corner regular, but he will have to make more contact than he currently does. While still promising, Schultz and Smith both have concerns to address in 2026. Schultz has dealt with injuries and it is fair to question how well he would hold up under a starter's workload? Also his 2025 was objectively not good for a top 50 prospect entering the season. Smith has the stuff, but walks plagued him in 2025. Finding a reliable third pitch that he can locate will be vital. As he advances to AAA and eventually the majors, command and control will be imperative, as a 6.66 BB/9 walk rate will not cut it.

The lack of a competant bullpen may be the largest reason why the club will not have a chance at the divison in 2026

There is a lot to unpack in the quote Really shines light on why the organization has been so dysfunctional and unable to be consistently competitive

Good roll of the dice for the White Sox, and I do not mind it only being a two year deal at all. Sox do not have a similar profile in their minors. While his power is plus plus, nobody knows how the hit tool will translate vs. MLB pitching. If he does not produce, his money is off the books pretty quickly, and the Sox are unlikely to contend for the divison in 2026 or 2027. If he is good, he becomes a trade asset or possible extension candidate longer term

I would be really surprised if the Mets were willing to consider moving a rising young prospect like Benge Doubt it

I do not doubt that Just mentioned what I heard from a recent report

Saw a recent report that the Ishbia's may have had issue with the Twins valuation and that could have been a contributing factor of changing plans

I would prefer to keep Schultz and Smith in the minors for most, if not all of this season as well Perhaps a call up late in the year, but I agree both should build up innings and minor league experience before being brought up to the majors.

Has anybody in that pen solidified themselves as an actual MLB player yet? I would not be worried about bouncing any of them right now Plus, some will remove themselves soon enough due to poor performance

Would not mind brining in a veteran that can eat innings, along the lines of Flexen. It is not pretty, but you need at least 1-2 arms that can do some dirty work. A vet can help the younger arms as well and show good professionalism

I do not see Montgomery as being realistic, unless Arizona was willing to eat $10-12 million

Vargas has to be better than what he has shown at the MLB level so far in his career He hits really well in AAA and needs to get over whatever mental block happens to him once he gets to the show

This totally feels like Robert would benefit greatly from a change of scenery and reach his potential, if healthy.

Have to imagine Tucker is destined for free agency after the 2025 season The money too gigantic to not

One year away from free agency, would Tucker bet on himself to cash in next year? Any extension done now would have to be at current market rates would have to imagine

You are right, he is only 21 and likely bounces right back from mthe injury Even still, a Kris Bryant comp is a big stretch for him, who was essentially a slam dunk prospect

Kris Bryant was an elite prospect who absolutely destroyed the minor leagues upon arrival I would temper expectations big time for Braden Montgomery coming off injury

Valid points here Sox will need to develop him well to have him reach his potential Power is a valuable commodity, and is not easy to teach...he has it. Now just need to figure out how to get the hit tool playable enough to use it.

Sox are going to have to get creative the next couple seasons to improve for the future Shrewd signings, taking on a bad contract for prospect return, trades, draft, etc

Montgomey hits the ball hard when he connects, which should result in a strong BABIP Hopefully he can rectify some of the swing and miss problems because the pop is legit

It can be really tough to find bats that can stick on a major league roster for an entire season in the rule five draft, especially after the first round Shane Smith I believe can be os use as a potential starter or reliever right away on a crappy White Sox club

No reason to trade Cannon now, agreed, especially when the White Sox need starting pitchers to get through the season He could be a nice workhorse backend #4/5 starter with his profile

I am not haha

I'm assuming Mayer was made available by the Red Sox, but the White Sox were leery about his injury history? Anthony and Campbell were never going to be on the table for obvious reasons

Sox have to bring in a few veteran arms to eat innings for what is going to be an awful 2025 club