Bob Sacamano

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 10:17 PM) I still don't see him stating anywhere that he requires 600 guaranteed at-bats... in fact, all I have seen is him stating the opposite: https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yan...tani-1.14928323 I think Greg just tossed out "600 at bats." It would be tough to reach 600 if he didn't hit on days he pitched along with a day off after he pitches.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 07:21 PM) Why is that? For regular DH at bats. Right now it's Judge in RF and Hicks in CF. Between LF and DH they have Gardner, Ellsbury and Frazier.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 06:55 PM) I don't know about that. The Red Sox and Yankees could use another starting pitcher and more production from their DH spot in the lineup. Yankees better start dealing.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 04:27 PM) I don't know when Hahn said the team wouldn't be contending until 2020. But if he actually said that and meant that I just want it to be known that statement actually depresses me. That just confirms my thoughts that this team is going to be crummy for the next few seasons. And it will be a team with a very low payroll. Always remember, low payroll = more moola for JR and his investors. Did you not know the Sox are rebuilding?

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 11:57 AM) Dear Ohtani, Please sign with any team not named the cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, Blue Jays, Brewers, Reds, Cardinals, Pirates, Dodgers, Giants, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Padres, Astros, Angels, Rangers, Mariners, Athletics, Mets, Nationals, Braves, Marlins, Phillies, Indians, royals, twins or tigers. Thanks, dude. Fixed.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 11:44 AM) Otani https://www.baseball-reference.com/register...id=otani-000sho I believe he's coming over with the Japanese spelling with the H like what is on the back of his jersey in Japan. Edit: thanks, Leonard Zelig.

QUOTE (flavum @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 11:38 AM) First, ask him if it's Otani or Ohtani? But start the letter Dear Mr. Ontani... It's Ohtani.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 10:37 AM) It will be decided two days before Christmas and it will indeed be fascinating. There are other things like Seattle and the Ichiro lore along with their massive Japanese culture... but then again I've seen it suggested that he may not want to go to a franchise with a storied past of a Japanese player succeeding. I'll bring my odds down to 1 in 1,000. Link? Only have seen hopeful fans suggest this.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 09:26 AM) This is the best I can find. It’s from a Buster Olney article a few weeks ago, but I’ve read similar sediments elsewhere. http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insi...season-question If true, you'd have to think it would be the lowest deciding factor compared to some of the other ones (being able to hit, training/medical staff apparently, etc).

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 08:13 AM) The more I read/think about this, the more I believe the Sox can win this sweepstakes. Having said that, let me reiterate that my beliefs are entirely based on the rumor he doesn’t want to go to an established club and the theory that money isn’t a factor at all here (based on him leaving early). So first thing’s first, I can’t see an NL team pulling this off. Everything out there including this new memo demonstrates the importance of being able to pitch and hit and requires the DH. I’ve seen people suggest he could play the OF on off days, but that seems like a trap answer and something that isn’t actually viable if he wants to ensure his own health. And he hasn’t played the OF in a few years IIRC, so it really seems DH or bust. But beyond just being an AL team and having a DH spot available, how many teams can really commit to him there with no contraints? Can a contender like the Yankees really promise 600 ABs no matter how Otani is performing? This ties back into the wanting to join a non-established club rumor, but the Sox can promise him a spot in their lineup for the next two years and allow him to go through his growing pains with no constraints whatsoever. They can give him a real opportunity to prove himself as a potential two way player, which is obviously very important to him. This point shouldn’t be overlooked. And the fact we’re rebuilding also allows us to adjust our rotation and pitching schedule as needed to accommodate Otani’s first year in the majors and ensure a healthy transition. Contenders may be leery of moving to a six man rotation as it could have on the field impacts. Those concerns will be less important to us next year since winning isn’t a primary objective. But the commitment to health goes well beyond year one and as I alluded to in a previous post no one keeps their pitchers healthier and productive than the White Sox. That point should not be understated when selling him on the White Sox. But there are other factors that help us as well. Chicago is obviously a massive media market, which checks off what seems (based on the memo) to be an important box and helps distinguish us from several other non-established clubs. Our organization has always been a champion for diversity, with both an African American team president and a Hispanic manager demonstrating that point. And I think we’ve done a incridble job assimilating foreign players into the clubhouse, whether that be Shingo & Iguchi or Alexei & Abreu. Jose in particular should be used as a huge selling point, as he’s immediately become a clubhouse leader and has been historically awesome from the get-go. That type of transition should speak volumes to Otani. And along these lines, I’d also stress our organization’s commitment to its players & employees (i.e. loyalty). Working for a Japanese company, I can’t understate the importantance of this point. And given this guy has an uncertain financial picture in front of him, the fact we take care of / stick with our people becomes even more important. The last selling point and one that shouldn’t be overlooked is what we’re building here. Otani has an opportunity to be the face of this rebuild. He can head a rotation that would also include Rodon, Kopech, Giolito, Lopez, & Hansen. That would be without question the most talented group of pitchers in baseball and he’d be at the top of it. Sell this as the next 1990’s Braves pitching staff if need be. Furthermore, he’d also get to anchor an exciting young lineup with Abreu and potential stars in Moncada, Jimenez, & Robert and whatever we can buy in free agency. Again, not only does he get to be part of an exciting young team but he gets to make a major impact on both sides of the field. Our contention window aligns perfectly with his and the role he’d play in that should be one of our top selling points. He can be the face of the most exciting up-and-coming team in baseball. How many teams can offer that? I’m sure I’ll get some TLDR replies and other will say this was a waste of time and that we have no chance, but I think some posters are selling ourselves short here. IMO, we are in a pretty unique situation and can offer Otani a city/team/situation/environment that is hard to match. If money is truly not a factor and this memo suggests it isn’t, then I really think we can win this thing. Anyone have a link that says this?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 26, 2017 -> 12:19 AM) I can't wait to see who you guys decide who to pay in the future. A lot of you seem obsessed with having all prospects and the lowest payroll possible and if we have to lose lose lose 3-6 years as the kids develop you're all for it. You are the best fans ever for a cheap owner. When we are a WS contending team, some of you I presume realize we'll have to pay a few free agents some cold hard cash. Giving someone a 4-5 year deal at the age of 33 would not be wise.

This is where you make your pitch. Guaranteed season long abs no matter if he is struggling (could a contender offer that specifically?).

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Nov 24, 2017 -> 08:32 AM) I just don’t see the point of trading Abreu unless you get a legit blue-chipper for him. While you can certainly can never have enough prospect depth, at some point that depth comes with diminishing returns. We’re already starting to have 40 man roster issues, so adding more prospects will likely require us to let go of some other (lesser) talent down the road. Furthermore, you simply run out of opportunities to give these guys all looks. By the end of this coming season we could have a rotation of Rodon, Giolito, Lopez, Kopech, & Hansen plus guys like Adams, Stephens, & Guerrero (if around) in AAA and other key prospects like Dunning, Cease, etc. at other levels. Obviously we lack depth at other positions, but again, unless we’re adding a blue chipper I don’t see the point of selling Abreu, especially not when we’ll have plenty of money to plug any gaps with serviceable players. Avi is a different story because either you have to be confident in extending him for big money or sell him off in the next two years. Given our minor league OF dept (which is quite extensive) and Avi’s checkered past, I think selling is the right call. And while I would definitely not just give him away, I don’t need a blue chipper to move him like I would with Abreu. Agreed on Avi. Seems like we have a lot of arms (and even a few bats) knocking on the door to the point where if a team offered a few recent top 18/19 year old draft picks/international signings, I'd probably trade him. Get some guys 3-4 years away for the next wave.

QUOTE (GenericUserName @ Nov 23, 2017 -> 11:50 PM) I just saw this article about a possible Jose Abreu trade. It seems like for as little value he had last year, he has a ton this year. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/look...breu-trade.html Some of those teams make zero sense. I would see Rockies, Cardinals and Red Sox as most likely.

Very clever, Brian.

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 10:36 AM) Well, if you believe Otani's actions and the reports on what he's said, the money isn't that big of a factor and he wants to go to a team that isn't traditionally considered to be a powerhouse. There are quite a few elements of the whole thing that give me hope that the White Sox have a nonzero chance in this race. I just hope the org pursues it. I agree with everything except the bolded. For example, if it comes down to the Sox and Yankees and both are offering him significant DH at bats but Yankees are offering ~$3 million more, I would bet on him taking the Yankees offer.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 08:12 AM) Of those four, really only the Mariners have a regular DH that would compete for ABs. Believe me, I love to follow the NPB and I want Otani on the White Sox BADLY (I subscribe to the PL streaming service and watched all of Otani's starts this year), but this one is looking to be very, very unlikely for us. Really, no AL team has less to offer him on paper than we do. We're not currently a contender, have the least amount of money to give, exist in an underperforming media market (given the Cubs and compared to LA/NYC), and we have a guy who will likely need to compete for DH at bats going forward (Abreu). On top of that, the Sox are one of the few teams who didn't bother to send anyone to go see him pitch this year, and there have been no indications that they've contacted his agent. To me, it appears that the Sox consciously chose to put their eggs in the Luis Robert basket instead of joining the scrum for Otani, knowing that they had a much better chance of landing Robert given their ability to spend big and offer a Cuban-friendly clubhouse. Yankees don't necessarily have a "regular" DH but once you factor in Hicks as the regular CF (pretty much the only guy who can play it regularly on that team) and Judge as the regular RF, that leaves LF and DH between Gardner, Ellsbury and C. Frazier. Of course there are variables like trading Gardner, salary dumping Ellsbury on someone, dealing Castro/Headley (another guy who could factor into DH spot once of Torres is up).

QUOTE (hi8is @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 02:35 AM) - https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/brav...violations.html That's gonna be quite the Christmas present for one group of devoted fans! Yep. I still think if the Sox really wanted him, they could make a good offer to get him. Would seem to come down to going for a couple million dollars or regular at bats. Idk how many at bats teams like the Yankees, Rangers, Twins and Mariners can give him if he really wants to hit.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 21, 2017 -> 10:09 PM) Hiding in office. I will be doing the same for the time I am there.

QUOTE (Tony @ Nov 21, 2017 -> 11:51 AM) I still think the comes in too short for you to spend your money on, but that’s just me. I'll probably end up waiting on it.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 02:34 AM) I don't think I even began to climb that fence, as I would be paying $200, or whatever the Switch costs, just to play the new Mario games. Nintendo systems always interest me, but the games rarely do. Agreed. Never was into Zelda so it would be a waste for me.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 22, 2017 -> 02:14 AM) It's a match, on paper. We don't know how many years or how much money he's looking for and then there's opt-outs to take into consideration. I'd like to get a better idea of what he's looking before I say I want him. I would definitely talk to his agent after the 2018 WS finishes up to get an idea of what he's looking for. Well right after the season, his demands will be probably be higher than he will get. Anyone know who his agent is?

Get out at noon tomorrow!

QUOTE (raBBit @ Nov 21, 2017 -> 05:57 PM) Confused to why people think Sox are players here? I mean maybe they get one of the lower end guys for 300K if they even have that much money left but I don't think that would call for anymore excitement than any amateur international signing. If the Sox don't have the lowest spending power internationally, they're probably second or third. I agree 100%. They likely took most money the first time. I would expect the same here.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 21, 2017 -> 04:07 PM) Yeah we are capped with 300k signings until July 1, 2019. That is the downside of blowing the pool for Robert. No Ohtani, no more Cubans, and no more 16 year old signings of any size all for two years. Well, with it now capped, the chances of being able to get some interesting prospects at $300k is better than it was under the old rules. They basically had to go all out for Robert last period since signing Ohtani really wouldn't be guaranteed even if we had the most to spend.