Tony

I will now need to be convinced Caleb is actually good.

I think right now there are a lot of similarities between Fields and Caleb. Tons of athleticism, talent is there, but the processing, accuracy and consistency just doesn’t seem to be there. And I don’t know if it gets better. We’re gonna find out

There is a long way to go, and given what they invested into Caleb, and how much he is tied to Poles....they are going to give him EVERY chance to succeed. But, Flash just asked the question "There’s no way you could allow Poles another crack at drafting a quarterback, right?" That could be after the conclusion of the 2026 season (so the Bears give Caleb all of this year and all of next year to see what he can do) If at that point, with like 48-50 games under his belt...if they are in the same spot that they were with Mitch and Justin, I think it's a valid question...does Poles get a crack at finding the next QB? The answer is unfortunately probably yes, given Poles reportedly had two more years left on his deal and the Bears already gave him an extension (for what, I have no idea) but he's 15-36 as a GM, and if they are in a position to draft a QB after the 2026 season that record is going to be worse than it is now. At what point is enough enough? Long way down the road, and we're all hoping it never gets to that point, but it's not a totally unfair question.

Correct. I mean he's an NFL QB. He's going to be able to complete some really good throws. But doing it on a consistent basis is a whole different animal. Thus far, he has shown us time and time again his touch on the deep ball is incredibly inconsistent. Case in point:

While I haven't watched it myself, have seen a lot of people I trust on X talking about how bad the All-22 is for Caleb. The scheme seemed to be there, even in Week 1. The QB didn't execute.

Especially when you won 5 games last year. I get every pick isn't going to be a home run, but just looked it up: Burden played 22% of the snaps. Loveland 57%, but again was 2/12. Ozzy didn't even make the field. Why are you spending capital on an OL IN THE 2ND ROUND if he isn't going to play, even a snap?

Thought about this late last night Your first three picks this year were Loveland, Ozzie and Burden. Loveland was 2/12 last night I didn’t see Ozzie on the field Burden had 1 catch for -3 yards last night

No, but that doesn’t mean Caleb is the answer. Could be…but I’m not a believer yet

I don’t want the city to “turn” on anyone…but EVERYTHING has been given to him this season. It’s ALL set up for him…if he can’t do this, then onto the next one, unfortunately

They have -1 yards of offense in the 2nd half. Yeah, no.

Someone needs to make a play, because the field is slanted toward the Vikings big time right now. Offense has no synch, looks like every other season right now.

They should get credit for his "development" as he will have totally come up through the White Sox system...but the point is (or at least my point, and what I thought you were trying to say) is they need to draft these guys. Again, acquiring Montgomery came at the cost of a developed, successful, young MLB player. If you aren't drafting well, not spending top dollar on free agents, and the international pipeline closes....not a lot of pathways open for long-term success. And wouldn't you know it...the White Sox finished the last four seasons: 2021: 1st in Division 2022: 2nd in Division 2023: 4th in Division 2024: 5th in Division

Splitting hairs, but Montgomery was the centerpiece of the Crochet deal. It took giving up an asset to acquire him, and I think that's the point a few were trying to make. And really the only way to truly have sustained success is to DRAFT & Develop. You don't draft well, the well runs dry really quick.

The Packers pash rush is going to be a problem all year for other teams...but it was evident early the Lions didn't seem to have any interest in airing anything out, it was all screens and dump offs basically the entire first half. There was NO pop to that offense.

I think there are a few things at play. When the Wickersham article came out a few months ago, it painted Caleb as the victim and made the coaching staff look awful. Eberflus, Waldron, Thomas Brown, Chris Morgan and a host of others lost their jobs, a lot centering around the failures of Caleb’s development, or lack of development. There was bound to be a response from the staff to partly rebuild their reputation. But I’m sure there are plenty of truths in the article as well. It’s a very bad look for Caleb and the front office. Luckily, Caleb is in control of making the entire article irrelevant with how he plays this season.

Winning 6 games will be a monumental under achievement for this group, doesn't matter the schedule. This isn't a Super Bowl roster by any stretch, but the floor should be 8 wins. They spent a ton of money on the offensive line, have objectively one of the best receiving rooms in the NFL (WR/TE) and spent the No. 1 overall pick on a QB last year. They won 5 games last year which included an almost unbelievable 10 game losing streak, led by totally unprepared coaching staff. Expectations need to be raised. Yes, there could be some struggles early as the offense finds it's way under Ben Johnson, but this is the NFL. Training wheels are off. Caleb got his NFL experience (both good and bad) last year. Of course there is going to be continued development, but it's go time. Time to start winning games, using the weapons on the roster, preparing to take the jump to legit playoff team next season.

I think the Sox can breath easy their record won't be broken in 2025. Congrats to all involved.

But I think to the point James is making...him going down with another long term injury after the July 31st deadline had to be factored into some of their thought process. This is nothing new for Robert and the Sox. So if they decided to hold onto him after July 31st, it's either trade him in the offseason or have him play CF for the Sox in 2026, no matter what happens in August/September of 2025.

That was their pivot after Zach Wheeler turned them down. Things would have looked a lot different if Wheeler accepted the Sox offer.

I understand the distinction, wasn't clearing it up moreso citing they have made some decisions that didn't make a lot of sense and were clearly financially based.

But it is valid. Dude put up a 5.1 WAR for them in 2021, and were so fearful of him accepting the 18.4 qualifying offer, didn't even extend one. He went on to make 31 starts for the Giants the next year, and put up a 5.2 WAR in 2022. Meanwhile the Sox had to release Dallas Keuchle in 2022 after he posted a 7.88 ERA in 8 starts. He was making 18 million that season. Just awesome asset management from the Sox.

But if wins and losses don’t matter during a rebuild, what does “stabilizing” RF with a 34 year old lottery ticket that may or may not be in their plans for next year, and certainly not play a role for the organization when they post their next above .500 record…actually do for the team? Because again, you were the one who brought up yesterday that bringing back Robert in 2026 takes away playing time from younger players looking for an opportunity. How can the same not be said about a 35 year old Mike Tauchman? Bigger picture, generally in sports, wins and losses is how things are measured. The rules can change slightly when we’re talking about a team actively ripping down their roster, with the intention of having more sustained success down the line. So if wins and losses aren’t of concern for the White Sox at this point in time…if the Sox don’t obtain a future asset for Mike Tauchman, say he does play for the Sox next year, becomes a true FA because of service time, and they elect not to bring back a 36 year old outfielder…what did it do to help the organizations goals? I’m failing to grasp what “stabilizing” RF with a stop gap OF does to help the long term growth of the team, and again, simply going off of what you have posted about in the last few days.

I'm a little confused by your overall logic here. You have stated multiple times, in multiple threads, you don't care at all about what the Sox record is during a rebuild. Ok, I can run with that logic (to a degree) Yesterday, in the Robert thread, in regards to his overall value and what he means to the Sox, you said this: In this thread, you're claiming Mike Tauchman was a "home run signing by Getz" The Sox signed Tauchman to a one year deal in 2025, although he is still arb eligible for next year, during his age 35 season. As we know, he was not moved at the deadline. The Sox have been very bad in 2025, and 2026 will most likely have similar results as it relates to the W-L column. Or at the very least, 2026 will still be considered a "rebuilding year." So if the Sox elect to bring Mike Tauchman back in 2026, at 35 years old, he would be "smooshing a couple of deserving young players" by getting playing time, and if they elected to keep him but make him a bench player, his value would be minimal at best on the trade market. He put up a solid 2025 campaign, nothing exceptional (and he was better for the Cubs in 2023) but a fine season. But given everything above, I'm not sure how we're classifying it as a "home run" signing.

Oh, I could blame them. Anyone surprised by him missing another large chunk of the season? The answer is of course not, so this was true in July as well. You knew this about Robert. It shouldn't change much in their mind. I agree with your previous sentiment about there absolutely being a chance they decline the option, because it's Jerry. And it's his money, not ours. But again, because there isn't any sort of CF knocking down the Sox door, there really is no "risk" in bringing him back at this point, given it's simply money.

Robert has shockingly similar numbers in 2025 to 2024 2024: 425 PA's, .224/.278/.379, 1.4 WAR 2025: 431 PA's, .223/.297/.364 1.5 WAR You know what you're getting at this point...a 28 year old below average hitter who plays a very good CF and will maybe play 2/3 of a season. That's not worth 20 million or a valuable piece of your farm system, it just isn't.