steveno89

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 24, 2018 -> 07:07 AM) The description on Tatis, ranked as the No. 2 SS, was demoralizing. If there is anything positive to take away from the whole Tatis Jr. thing, it is that either we were very unlucky or that our international scouting has gotten better. In fairness to the front office, Tatis. Jr. was nowhere near top 100 prospect lists when we traded him.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 22, 2018 -> 10:13 AM) Interesting, some stronger players in that list than I thought. One note: in McLure's write-up you have mentioned him with the 2016 draft and not 2017. The Laz Rivera stuff is interesting, and that there is still so little on Sosa despite being in AZL (to me that means bad things for my own excitement). I'm not sure I can picture the backend now. I expected Mendick, Yurchak and Sosa to make top 30 and I can't really picture who replaces them. I think players like AJ Puckett, Tito Polo, Luis Alexander Basabe, etc. end up near the back of our top 30. The system is much deeper with actual talent that it was even twelve months ago.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 22, 2018 -> 09:40 AM) Yes, it’s definitely too heavy for the Sox. Here’s an adjusted proposal that I think is more fair: Brewers -Trade: Brinson, Diaz -Receive: Sanchez, Adams, Tate Yankees -Trade: Ellsbury, Adams, Tate -Receive: Low level C prospect White Sox -Trade: Sanchez, low level C prospect -Receive: Ellsbury, Brinson, Diaz Still too steep, Brinson is a consensus top 20 prospect in the game and is far better than this deal.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 21, 2018 -> 06:53 PM) The only way I can see Ellsbury being involved if it’s a three way deal with us. This would be a crazy ass trade but makes some sense for all teams. Brewers -Trade: Brinson, Diaz -Receive: Sanchez, Adams Yankees -Trade: Ellsbury, Adams, Andujar -Receive: Low level C prospect White Sox -Trade: Sanchez, low level C prospect -Receive: Ellsbury, Brinson, Andujar, Diaz The Sox would do this trade immediately and be instant winners. Bad deal for the Brewers. Even absorbing all of Ellsbury's contract would not get us three quality prospects like that.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 22, 2018 -> 08:24 AM) Doesn't Ellsbury have a NTC? Why would he allow himself to be dumped to a non-contender? The thought is that if Ellsbury wants to receive regular playing time he would waive his NTC rather than be stuck on the Yankees bench

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 21, 2018 -> 04:29 PM) Why would we be dumping our starting SS at we’ll below his max value? To play who there, Leury Garcia? You want to pay top value to Andrus for this year? Yolmer? You have seen Anderson’s offensive and defensive numbers the last two months, yes? Even though his 2016 was rough, Anderson is not going anywhere right now. The Sox do not have any other SS prospect that is remotely close to the majors.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 22, 2018 -> 08:19 AM) Ellsbury has put up a 2 WAR and a 1.7 WAR the last 2 seasons. Not bad considering he isn't playing every day now. So he isn't a horrible player. He's just not worth what he is paid, and his playing time is only going to get worse in NY. He isn't a trade and release guy. No way. But at least for me, it would take a lot to inherit that contract now at his age. He kind of reminds me of Tim Raines late in his career. He probably will be able to hit for a while, and will be able to run, and is probably a good guy in the clubhouse, but he isn't anywhere near what he was, and probably should only be playing part time. I doubt the Brewers are looking to deal Brinson for anything less than a cost controlled starting pitcher like Michael Fulmer for example. He's not getting dealt for salary dump and/or Sanchez level players

QUOTE (cjgalloway @ Jan 18, 2018 -> 08:38 AM) SP or RP? I think the Sox absolutely should give him the chance to start in A ball

QUOTE (2005thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 02:40 PM) Sosa, Coronado, Feliz, Perez, and Mercedes from LatAm signings, and Yurchak, McClure, Tyler Johnson, Alex Destino, Matt Foster, Curbelo, Burr and Hamilton from the draft are all interesting guys to follow. Quite confident a few of them will break in Top 30 or 20 by end of next season. Kade McClure is a guy I'm keeping tabs on. Hiuge frame at 6'7", 230 lbs. Very small sample size, but dominated in 11 innings last year after being drafted, only allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, while striking out 19

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 02:50 PM) So we know he can hit 75 MPH fastballs right down the middle. It's batting practice. And depending how these guys have spent their winters, some will be ahead of others even in BP at this point. I don't want to take away from him as a prospect, and don't want to sound skeptical, because I am not. But this is batting practice. When Dylan Covey gets lit up, he is called batting practice. Where's Allen Iverson when you need him? I think there is optimism because EL said Robert is the most impressive player he saw at the camp so far. These are much better reports than him being out of shape or merely average.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 02:29 PM) Very interested in seeing how he responds to high A ball pitching at Winston Salem. a 31% K rate in low A is concerning, but I hope he can make adjustments.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 02:17 PM) https://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/whit...LbyPQhsGS7Kh.97 Hype machine hits 11 (free article) Nice to read: "A thicker Adam Jones" is a quality player. It's very tough to say what Robert can become, but I like hearing positive reports. I just hope he proves himself in A ball

QUOTE (zisk @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 12:30 PM) Which guys not in the top 30 who will be soon. Seby Zavala ? Justin Yurchak ? Luis Gonzalez ? Lets hear some names and the reasons why. Ryan Burr is a guy who I could see flying under the radar, but actually ending up becoming a solid bullpen piece for the Sox.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 17, 2018 -> 10:30 AM) Remember, the athletic is a pay to play content provider and the entire media industry has been upheaved, with many writers losing their jobs, etc. Stuff behind a paywall can't be shared. People are welcome to post general summaries, but if you want to read the full article, you should subscribe. By all accounts the content on the athletic is absolutely fantastic. JR Fegan's coverage of the White Sox is very regular and detailed. I was on the fence for awhile, but am very glad I subscribed. They had a black friday discount in November which really brought the cost down. I'd highly recommend all Soxtalk posters subscribe, as the small cost per month is worth the quality Sox news and analysis.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jan 15, 2018 -> 02:38 PM) This is an awful trade for the Pirates. It's like you're playing as the Astros in OOTP and you force the Pirates to accept a s*** trade but in real life Quintana obviously had 3 1/2 seasons of inexpensive control remaining, but Sox really did well considering what the Pirates just accepted. Musgrove might be a reliever, Moran might be a AAAA player, Feliz could be a solid pen arm, and Martin was a guy the Astros were comfortable losing in the rule five draft last month

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Jan 15, 2018 -> 09:23 AM) As I think all us baseball fans who frequent a message board in January know, this has been an extremely slow offseason with almost no activity out there. This is the kind of offseason I hope next year is like when we are step closer to competing, because at this point one can probably pick up some really nice pieces that can contribute. I know it's unlikely the Sox will add for two reasons. A) they want to know what they have and let their own guys like a Tilson or Cordell play it out. See what Yolmer can do again in 2018, Leury, etc. Plus we are full on our 40 man. b) why add payroll to a team that is very likely not to make the playoffs? However below are some names I've compiled that I'd be interested in kicking the tires on for either the reason to flip them. Or, possibly on a 2-3 year deal to where they might be able to help us make a run in 2019 or 2020. Eduardo Nunez - I think you can nab a guy like this on a 2-3 year deal. He can play 3B, spell Anderson, Moncada, play in the OF. Basically all over the place. He also can steal bases and hit for average. You say Leury, I say Eduardo. Davidson is not the 3B of the future. Yolmer is fine and well as a utility guy. I'd pickup Nunez and slot him in at 3B. You can rotate him as necessary to get looks for the guys you want. He's a nice insurance plan if a Machado or other big name doesn't sign with us at 3B. He is also insurance in the OF and at SS in case of a trade or injury. If we do end up signing a Machado he slots in a super UTIL. I see very little downside. Jonathan Lucroy - This really isn't on my list NOW. However, and this is just my opinion, I'd rather have signed him than Castillo. Who knows how that will play out. I just think Lucroy has a better chance of being something special again. Jon Jay - If nothing else he's a good filler. I want to see Tilson and Cordell along with the others too. Jon Jay isn't exciting. If nothing else a small one year deal and flip him for some low end prospect to a contender in June/July. Melky - Poor mans Jon Jay. Not sure he really serves a role anymore. Hes probably stealing AB's from Tilson, Cordell and Nicky. So not a huge advocate here. But in the right role and at the right cost? Who knows. You could probably pick him up for $2-3mm Tillman - Can never have enough fliers at pitcher. I don't care about Shields. He's as much dead weight as was Johnny Danks. Bucholz - in the same light.. why not? Lastly, I would CONSIDER, not advocate for looking into Alex Cobb, Lynn or JD Martinez. I get it's pissing away money this year. But if you can get them at a HIGHLY discounted price? You saw it with the Astros and Cubs among other teams over the past few years.. it doesn't take a whole bunch to go from a young team to a WC contender. In a perfect world Eloy and Kopech come up this year and progress to real contributors ala Judge or Severino (just used those comps cause both were on the same team). If Moncada takes steps forward? You upgraded Catcher. You have Abreu still. Throw in a healthy Rodon and Hansen, etc, etc. Giolito, Lopez... It's not out of the question that we take a big step forward in 2019. So if you can get a JD for 5 years... or if the Lynn and Cobb market is not what it should be? You throw away a bit of money this year.. but you never know. Just for s***s and giggles.. lets say JD.. Going into 2019. DH - JD RF - Eloy CF - Leury/Tilson/Cordell/Engel/FA Signing LF - Avi 1B - Abreu 2B - Moncada SS - Anderson 3B - Nunez C - Castillo UTIL - Leury/Yolmer/Nicky Pitching - Rodon, Kopech, Giolito, Hansen, Lopez. So although you'd piss away a year of JD? Again, not advocating for it, just kind of pointing out that we are an Eloy, Kopech, and Hansen + 1 year from really being a player away from competing seriously. So although this may seem like a dumb time to be involved in FA, with how its progressing, it may actually be a great time. I'll hang up and listen. Meh, Nunez doesn't do anything for me. I'd rather let our young guys play and learn than signing mediocre guys.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 14, 2018 -> 01:30 PM) Only were willing to do one of Frazier and Adams. Everyone else you can think was off the table (Torres, Andujar, Sheffield, Florial). Cole is a solid pitcher, but clearly everyone was over estimating what his market was for the Pirates to accept that offer. With only two seasons of control remaining he was not going to warrant a huge haul. Cole is essentially a #3 starter in my eyes. Yankees would reportedly offer Frazier or Adams, not both, and most of their other top guys were off limits. This deal is great from the Astros perspective since they do not deal anything they will not miss. Musgrove has potential but is blocked in the rotation, and Moran is also blocked behind Bregman. Lets see how this shakes out before criticizing the Pirates too much.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 10:38 AM) No, death is not an option. Shields sadly probably gets the nod, although I could see another pitcher getting it with a great spring training

QUOTE (hi8is @ Jan 11, 2018 -> 11:54 PM) Ding ding ding - winner winner, chicken dinner. There's no reason Avi can't add some power to his game and be a 20+ home run hitter

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2018 -> 08:29 AM) If you believe Canseco, and well that involves believing Canseco, his first book says that he introduced Palmeiro, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez to steroids in 1992 when he arrived in TX. The next year Palmeiro's HR jumped from 22 as a 27 year old to 37 as a 28 year old. It's just Canseco's word and a circumstantial case, but then Palmeiro pointed at Congress, lied to them, and tested positive 3 months later. Canseco also said that one of the reasons Palmeiro was a fan of Stanozolol, the steroid he tested positive for, was that it helped you strengthen without exploding you a-la Barry Bonds, so that Palmeiro never lost the kind of smooth motion his swing had. Casey Mize is a name to certainly watch, as I think he could easily end up in the top 5 selections if he is able to repeat what he did in to the SEC in 2017 I know everyone wants the Sox to go with a position player, but I would not be against selecting a quality arm.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Jan 8, 2018 -> 12:52 AM) I think the real 2018 goal in High-A, but I'm sure they will start him off in Low-A Kanny to *hopefully* let him feast for a month or so, then spend the rest of the year in W-S. Then maybe do the same thing in 2019, but obviously up a level. Then maybe make the majors by sometime in 2020 when he's 23. Very good chance he starts the season in Kannapolis and then they evaluate from there. If he is as talented as we hope he is, a promotion to Winston Salem will be forced sooner or later.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 14, 2017 -> 10:46 PM) $25-30 million per year for a relatively one-dimensional offensive player (corner OF/DH) is crazy in this day and age...especially with all of those contract years in the 30's. (And yet the Tigers were happy to throw that money at Justin Upton.) I think the slowness of the market is largely due to this year's free agent crop being pretty mediocre overall compared to how good next offseason's will be.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 11, 2018 -> 11:10 AM) Covey's ability to be either a bad starting pitcher or bad reliever makes him valuable unfortunately. Totally fleeced the rangers getting both Forbes AND miguel for life. Haha I hope this is sarcasm^ I don't see how Covey justifies a 40 man roster spot when we have many better options internally

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 11, 2018 -> 11:03 AM) I am somewhat, somewhat surprised he got an MLB deal not gonna lie. Only complaining due to 40 man. Somewhat surprised he is getting a major league deal as well, but hard to be that upset when we need veteran stability in the rotation. Does Covey get cut?

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jan 11, 2018 -> 11:00 AM) $4.75 million. Not terrible. I feel mildly better about the 5th spot. Not a bad move. We need somebody to go out there and eat 150 innings in 2018, could do worse than Gonzalez.