Timmy U

1 IP out of the pen for Taylor. Gulp! I thought they'd give him multiple innings. This really looks like a transition to closer. Don't get me wrong, he could be good in that role, just not the ideal outcome for a 2nd round arm like that.

I have been as down on Vargas as anyone. If this change allows him to tap into some power and he plays good D, huge win for the org. Fuller earned his salary on one guy.

6:14 is to honor Pete Rose. I have my own opinions on that. Never cared for him as a player or as a gambler, but to each their own.

Yeah. Weird to pinch run for Sosa instead of Vaughn. He is starting to hit better, but is still the slowest guy ever.

I agree up to a point. I don’t think he’s gonna hit .405. There will be some regression on batted balls. The kid looks really good so far. I think we should enjoy that. Add in the fact that he seems like a terrific person, it’s easy for me to wish him success.

First real save of the year!

Sox still trying to get rid of Benintendi and Robert. They are taking aim at the Marlins payroll.

I would not have predicted Vargas > Rojas defensively. That’s why they play the games, I guess.

Sox go 3-0 with a rainout.

Rojas has not helped Vasil at all. Not a lot of luck this inning for him.

Hang it and bang it. So happy for Elko. Easy dude to root for.

Walk to Mervin’s was umpire-assisted as well. Not a great game from them.

Rojas has something against Vasil. That single was brutal.

Braden Montgomery 2-3 again today. Currently hitting .405.

Pallette is definitely a reliever. They say his body reacts better to many short outings instead of one long outing. Wouldn't be a terrible outcome for a send rounder considering the Sox history with those guys.

It's such a small sample size of players who missed their draft year, were mid to late round draft picks, and were position players that it is not a reasonable data set.

Um, Cam Smith is in the majors right now. Schanuel was drafted 11th (Montgomery 12th in a deeper draft). Shaw made it in 1.5, but got sent back. Langford, Jacob Wilson, Rhett Lowder, and Chase Dollander were all on that schedule, though I will grant they were selected higher. Year and a half to two years is not unusual for high-profile college guys. Montgomery was reportedly on track to go 1-2 before he broke his ankle, so May/June 2026 is not crazy for him.

If you trade Robert for Blade Tidwell, it is a salary dump. Then they'll flip Tidwell for Cash Considerations. Huge win for this franchise.

https://www.milb.com/scores/all/all/whitesox Games starting in 20 minutes.

For sure. BUt I'm talking mechanics. Look at them. Hagen Smith is way more unconventional. I hope it works, but that risk has been there for him since his sophomore year.

Who says Oppor is a reliever? Based on what I have seen, Oppor is a more sure thing to start than Hagen Smith is. Taylor would not be luck. He would be the Sox closer right now if they brought him up. I just want him to start. McDougal, who knows? His inconsistent mechanics could get cleaned up and he could start. Or he could be such a mess that he can’t even stick in the pen. And do not sleep on Wikelman. He has a good arm, there’s just a lot of effort. He might be really good out of the pen.

Not sure Baty is off the market. They don’t really have a spot for him. If I’m the Mets, I might try to sell high on him off a 5 game hot streak. I question whether he’s a fit for the Sox. They have a lot of 3b types. Would they move him to 1b? LF? Not exactly premium return. If I could get Robert for Baty and a low level minor leaguer, I would jump on it.

What range does Pancella go in? 3-4 round?

I didn’t say I thought they would fix the offensive side. But they may be able to fix the pen, which would be huge. I would be shocked if they tried to keep Montgomery down until 2027. They will have little incentive to completely suck in 2026. I expect them to put their best possible team on the field and that that team still will not be all that good.

They have a lot of potential relievers, if they want to try to assemble an actual mlb pen. My guess is that, due to 40 man stuff, Wikelman is the next man up. Stuff plays up out of the pen. He has had 2 or 3 scoreless outings thus far in AAA. I bet he is up in 2-3 weeks. Ramos is coming on, like you said, but they are awash in RH corner types. I think Braden Montgomery is on a rocket ride up the system. He has disciplined at bats already and no one questions the tools. In the old days, he would be a potential September call up. I think his ETA is now May/June 2026. Schultz has to be added to the 40 man this offseason, so I bet we see him. Smith and Taylor, who knows? I kinda don’t want them to bring up Taylor cuz if they see him in the pen, they may want to keep him there. I think McDougal is a possible pen conversion and call up too. His 40 man clock is ticking. He throws 100 with nasty breaking stuff and control lapses. That sounds like a bullpen guy to me. Lotta guys they can cycle through.