Bob Sacamano

QUOTE (GenericUserName @ Feb 14, 2018 -> 07:46 AM) I feel like Cordell and Tilson have missed so much time that unless they have an amazing spring, they should start out in the minors. I also think that the two guys in this group that really need to play CF almost everyday are Tilson and Engel because that will be their primary position. So that basically sets me up with Engel in CF in the majors with Leury as the super sub and then Tilson in center at AAA with Cordell taking some games there when Tilson needs a break. I could see Leury starting in center for opening day if the plan is to have our best guys out there and to use him in a super sub role where he plays more days than he doesn't, but I think the primary CF to start the year will be Engel. Yeah I think this is likely the case. Plus, does anyone actually think Tilson will be healthy on Opening Day for him to even be a factor for the job? Because I don't.

Torres is making the switch to 2B and it's possible they could try to improve over Andujar/use him as a trade chip. I could think of other teams that will likely have interest in Machado like the Cardinals (made a huge offer to Pujols and offered more money to Heyward than the Cubs did) and Phillies (low payroll) to throw two names out there. Then of course Yankees and Dodgers could likely be involved (if Dodgers miss out on Harper, they could get creative and shift Seager to 2B, really not that crazy of an idea as he wouldn't be the first player to shift for the good of the team). I would bet on many teams we wouldn't normally expect to be interested and make offers.

Is Rasmus making a comeback?

QUOTE (Jack Parkman @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 03:09 PM) Machado's career .329 OBP scares the living crap out of me, as well as that most of his WAR value comes from his defense. His profile doesn't seem like it will age gracefully. Honestly, I'd rather have Moustakas at 5/75 than Machado at 10/350. Way too much risk with Machado. If I were Hahn, next season would be Harper or Bust for me. We definitely have to wait and see how he bounces back from last season (granted, it was only the first half he stunk in).

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 03:02 PM) Why don't baseball tickets go on sale earlier? You would think the Sox could sell a lot at Soxfest if they set up some sort of box office, without ticketmaster fees. I wondered the same.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 02:37 PM) Couple thoughts here. I'm just not personally a big fan of what Moustakes brings to the table. The left-handed power is nice, but he's always been a relatively low OBP player. His defense appears to be on the decline as well. That's not to say he can't be a useful player, but I really don't want to commit fairly big dollars to a guy who will probably be a 2 WAR/year player over the next four or five years. As for Donaldson, the dude is actually a really good athlete and has remained incredibly productive through his age 32 season. He can actually regress and still remain a valuable player. Hell, he could probably be moved to 1B at the end of a deal and still be a valuable contributor. Again, with Donaldson it all comes down to the money & years. If I can get him for five years or less (which remains to be seen), I could be willing to roll the dice if I miss out on Machado. I think Donaldson is likely to provide much more value from 2019 to 2022 than Moustakes even he ultimately costs more. And at this point in the rebuild, I'd rather gamble on upside than certainty when it comes to free agents. I really wouldn't hate signing Donaldson (as of right now). He only had the one injury plagued season last year. Guy's good and I think he will age fine through his age 33-36/37 seasons.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 02:15 PM) Well, it's HIS opt-out clause. If he has 2 great years for the Cubs, then he will be wanting to opt out, and thus he thinks he could beat 3 years/$81M. If he does bad, he won't opt out, and he gets that money anyway. So really, 4 yrs/$81M is already on the table for him, he just has to feel around if any teams can beat that offer. Which is basically what I implied and understand lol I get that it's his opt-out and didn't make it seem otherwise haha

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 02:03 PM) So 2 yrs/$45M is what Cubs fans and Darvish will be hoping for. Darvish will be hoping for the incentives as well haha but would a 32 year old Darvish be able to beat 4 years, $81 mill?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 07:46 AM) Elementary students told they can't say no when asked to dance — what's happening with school dances? https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/elementary-...-022913785.html More of that "participation trophy culture" perhaps?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 01:59 PM) Poor one dimensional guy trying to get by on only $100 million. He had a great year, but odds of a repeat are slim to none IMO. He's still a greater hitter, just not the 2017 version. I think I'd take the money. I don't think he would find much better chances of contention than Boston. I wonder if they reduced to $100 mill from the $125 mill. Or if the $125 mill offer even existed.

JDM update: The Red Sox’ current top offer to Martinez is “in the vicinity” of only $100MM, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/02/j-d-...rs-tuesday.html

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 12:10 PM) When I brought up the list I was actually really surprised to see Cahill. Forgot he was even out there. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/i-guess-now...cahill-is-good/ Good article on him. I mean, he did awful after this. But if he can rediscover that magic with Coop and Duncan you might have yourself a very affordable piece for the future. I'd go so far to offer him a 2 year deal with a 3rd year option and stick him in the bullpen. Type of piece that could really pay off in a few years. The other name I liked, although not a FA was Profar. I have no idea his trade value anymore, but man would I like to see him given a shot to play 100-130 games at the MLB level. He is super talented. Had a higher walk rate (11% v 9%) than strikeout rate. That's gold to me. Also hit .300 in the minors last year, puts the ball in play, can play the diamond in many positions. I mean, he made the majors in 2012! At 19! Getting paid $1mm this year. Guy makes so much sense for the Padres (or any team with an opening at 2B). He needs to go somewhere where he can play every day and possibly build trade value in a year/year and a half. He still has 3 years of control.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 12:08 PM) There's nothing wrong with signing a free agent this off-season if it's the right fit. Hell, Wellington Castillo is the perfect example of that and made a ton of sense as a short-term transition option to Collins/Zavala. I just don't think locking in an average at best 3B like Moustakas makes a lot of sense right now. Plan A for 3B should Manny Machado next off-season. Plan B could be Josh Donaldson based on the price/years. Plan C could be Yolmer for a year and then a run Arenado. If you can't land any of those impact free agents, then trade for or sign someone on a shorter-term deal and hope Burger is a fast mover. Point is there are too many attractive alternatives over the next couple of off-seasons to lock in a passable one today. And quite frankly, I'm not sure Moustakas would be that much of an upgrade of Sanchez. The one guy I'd still be open to signing right now is JDM. He's a legit difference maker with the bat and can instantly change the complexion of our lineup. If I can get him at an affordable price, I'm willing to make that move now. JDM is the only one I am open to, personally.

QUOTE (mac9001 @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 06:10 PM) I would imagine Ryan Cordell would need to really impress to the break camp with the team. Since he missed a big chunk of last year I figure he'll need to show at least 100 quality PAs to justify getting the a roster spot. With the roster flexibility Leury, Saladino, Sanchez, Delmonico & Davidson provide I wonder if the Sox would consider carrying 8 bullpen arms. In that case I would assume Cordell is the most likely to start in Charlotte. Anyone have any hope Engel will hit enough to justify a big league job? Consider? This was the case all of last season.

QUOTE (Sleepy Harold @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 11:42 AM) Contract details. Bob Nightengale @BNightengale now Yu Darvish $126 million contract: $25 million in 2018; $20M in 2019; $22 M in 2020; $22 M in 2021; $19 million in 2022 and $18 million in 2023 He also has full no trade clause in first four years of deal. #Cubs Worth mentioning since people forget that his contract hits the luxury tax number on an annual basis so his contract hits at $21 million a year.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 10:28 AM) Cahill is a good idea. He probably can't stay healthy as a rotation piece at this point, but if you want to talk about a guy who could be ideal to become the next Miller/Devenski/McCullers multi-inning reliever, he's a great candidate. And if we're honest about the level of uncertainty in our rotation (given all the rookies and the James Shields'), we could really use a guy who can chew up 2-4 innings on a regular basis whilst actually keeping us in the game. Great fit, IMO. Yeah I like this idea too.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 10:22 AM) Wellington Castillo was signed for a reason other than catching. He's here to attract Machado. But because of his presence, they aren't going to bring in a Lucroy. They are going to roll with him, and when Machado is signed by someone, then all bets with him will be off. They're still going to have to offer the most money to land Machado. Doubt he would leave millions of dollars on the table to play with a guy who was a teammate for one season. I'm sure Machado has friends on most teams.

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 09:43 AM) The idea on paper makes sense. But who are these players? Most agree that 2020 is when the Sox will be ready to truly compete. That's another two seasons. If you are signing a bigger name FA who you think you may be getting on a discount, you're not signing them to produce in the 2018 and 2019 season. It's for 2020 and beyond. So what players out there right now are you paying that you feel comfortable about them producing at a high level in 2020, 2021 and beyond? Again, I understand your point and I think it has some merit, but who are the specific players that fit that bill? A guy like Lorenzo Cain if he were about 2 years younger would have been a nice add. But yeah, there are no perfect fits in the current class.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 09:43 AM) Quintana seemed to be developed rather nicely The category was "high draft picks."

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 09:36 AM) I agree with this. Obviously it depends on value, but if 3 WAR players are signing for $8.5 million, grabbing a bargain makes a ton of sense. At the very least, they can be very flippable at the deadline. Obviously, I have no idea who is available for what price, but bargains that can help you win down the road shouldn't be ignored. Chances are, the opportunity so many may be available might not ever happen again. This is a good point too. Someone signed to a multi-year contract at a bargain price can be moved next off-season or the following year.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 12:57 AM) Gorman would be fun because not only is he apparently super polished hitter, but appears to have a good chance to stay at 3B. It would eliminate some of the worry that Burger can't stick at 3B, and maybe a shift to 1B wouldn't be so daunting. Then again, we have like 4 possible future 1B. Yeah I just looked into a write up on him and watched some videos. I would be ok with this pick too. Also, it seems like most of our guys are right handed so adding another left-handed power bat to the mix wouldn't hurt.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 09:28 AM) Some concerns that haven't been addressed. If the Sox do spend next off season because of the amount of quality free agents on the market shouldn't they be taking advantage of the market now while it's cold and prices are down? I don't know who might benefit the Sox the most at this time but free agents next year will want 2 things, money and to be on a winning team. Should n't the Sox do something to make the team more competitive to next years crop of free agents ? Shields should be off the books next year so might another starting pitcher benefit them ? Relying only on young starting pitching even if the target date is 2020 is risky business, Also if the target date is truly 2020 isn't it also risky business to expect next years good crop of FA's to wait a year or even possibly longer to be on a winning team? The Phillies might be thinking along those lines with the signing of Santana and still are rumored to have interest in a starting pitcher. The Sox might end up with too many holes to fill when they actually do decide to spend and the competition for the top free agents will be fierce so being a competitive team would surely work in their favor just as being a few years away will work against them. Other concerns for the rebuild is what happens if JR dies suddenly or the players strike after the 2021 season which would be right in the middle of the supposed window of competitiveness if all goes right ? Obviously the 1st concern is the most pressing but these other 2 things could easily happen and in the event of JR's sudden death how does the rebuild survive ? Not disagreeing but who would you be ok with the team signing? For me personally, the only guy out there who makes a little sense is basically a DH and he only makes sense since he doesn't have a draft pick attached to him.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 09:09 AM) Not sure Rodon and Fulmer are a feather in our cap at the moment. Yeah our only one that we have to fallback on currently is Sale. Not sure that makes it our "bread and butter" at the moment.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 08:27 AM) I . I was hoping JR would sell the team. The sooner the team is sold the better the franchise is going to be. New owners will spend money on quality free agents not Adam LaRoche. Secondly new owners will show Rick Hahn the door. He has been the GM for over 5 years and the team is still "Mired In Mediocrity". If Hahn had been the GM in Boston, New York or the Cubs he would have been gone by now. I'm told by my contacts that JR is going to put the team up for sale sometime in 2019 which means the new owners will be running the team in 2020. I hope this is true. You were hoping like it was even a remote possibility?

QUOTE (Dubzinski rules @ Feb 13, 2018 -> 07:58 AM) Good point. Maybe if there's a glut of FA catchers they could sneak him through or how about signing an upgrade? Could probably sneak him through waivers at the end of Spring Training when teams are cutting guys trying to create their own 40-man roster openings.